Though little known in the United States outside of a devoted cult following, the Triffids were one of Australia's most beloved alternative rock bands in the 1980s. Led by the charismatic singer-songwriter David McComb, the Triffids formed in the western Australia city of Perth in 1976 and released their first album, TREELESS PLAIN, in 1983. Blending folk, country, and blues into modern alternative pop, the Triffids gained their greatest success with 1986's BORN SANDY DEVOTIONAL, featuring the hit "Wide Open Road." The band split in 1990, and McComb died of a heroin overdose in 1999.