BELLA1476 // 6 November 2026

Originally available in 2012 as a limited edition CD, sold exclusively at the band’s live shows, Ulterior Motives is a rare and revealing glimpse into the early years of Dirty Three, now receiving a welcome new lease of life. Recorded in the band’s formative period, these demos and radio performances capture Dirty Three at their most raw, ragged and gloriously unrestrained.

Four of the LP’s recordings — “Sue’s Last Ride”, “The Last Night”, “Everything Is Fucked” and “Indian Love Song” — were recorded live in the band’s small rehearsal space before they made their self-titled debut, as the trio of Warren Ellis, Mick Turner and Jim White worked out the songs in real time. Highly improvised and instinctive, they offer a vivid snapshot of the band’s earliest live performances.

The album’s final track is “Deep Waters”, recorded at Mick Turner’s house after the band returned to Australia from their first overseas tour. Here, the trio are once again feeling out a song that would ultimately become part of Ocean Songs, offering a fascinating glimpse of the music in the process of taking shape.

Dirty Three have long been regarded as one of the most electrifying live bands around. These recordings show exactly why.