More than believed in them, he lived for them, from his early art/punk pranks in ’70s Perth to the darkly atmospheric brilliance of his last works, he ran at their whim, from his insomniac writing jags to lost loves across the continents, they forever ran at his heels. He grappled with them, shaped them, and perfected them.

 

Driven? It doesn’t even begin to describe David McComb, born in 1962 to well-heeled medical parents in an even more well-heeled suburb of Perth. Brylcreem and walk-socks gave way to war-cries and rock’n’roll, even in this sleepy town, his punk coming-of-age eschewing the clichés of spiky hair and glue. Finding equal inspiration in writers Mary Flannery O'Connor, Maria Rainier Rilke and Gertrude Stein as musical iconoclasts Lou Reed, David Bowie and Perth punks The Victims, McComb’s forebears didn’t read him. “You’ll never be The Beatles, so what’s the point? “ his Father asked. David would be his own man, hell or high water.

 

The Triffids roller-coastered through the '80s, alongside fellow expats The Bad Seeds and Go-Betweens, garnering rave reviews; particularly for 1986 masterpiece Born Sandy Devotional. McComb found a new Australian voice: a poetic vernacular cast against desolation, broken hearts, furious skies and lost souls in the bright expanse  – it quietly redefined the writing of  "The Song".

 

McComb’s conflicted and troubled breakneck creative adventure never let up. Never reticent with alcohol, his health seriously faltered after the solo album Love of Will, and he underwent a heart transplant in 1996. He died in February 1999, leaving a slew of unanswered questions, and a legacy to be discovered as one of Australia's greatest artistic hearts and minds.

 

Love in Bright Landscapes has been created with unprecedented access to family archives revealing the man behind the songs, beautifully restored 35 slides and delightfully evocative home movies. McComb’s poetry and newly discovered letters are read by Man Booker prize winning novelist DBC Pierre (Vernon God Little, 2003), and the film brings fans old and new never-before-heard compositions including his final compositions with heart-rending interviewees with his colleagues, family and friends.