C=T contributor, Lara Webb, took in the Drums and Part Time last week for her first concert review.
The Drums – Let’s Go Surfing (The Raveonettes Remix) by Clickmusic
“Many of the attendees of Thursday night’s Drums show most likely weren’t even a gleam in their mother’s eye during the 1980’s, but clearly have developed an appreciation and fondness for the music of that decade. The two opening bands, Part Time and Craft Spells, have perfected the wistful, synth-pop and jangly guitar sound of such bands as OMD and The Smiths, respectively. Both bands would be a perfect fit for heady summer evenings spent enjoying the pleasures of being young.
The Drums have also clearly been influenced by 80’s new wave, but are drawing from somewhat darker influences, such as Joy Division. This was evident in one of the first songs in their set, “Best Friend,” which singer Jonny Pierce prefaced by saying it was about his best friend who died. Despite the sad tone of the lyrics, the music itself had a syncopated, poppy sound that allowed Pierce to dance to it in a coy way, letting his sweater drop off one shoulder as he shimmied flirtatiously towards the crowd.
The band played a strong, energetic set that included a good mix of songs from both their 2010 self-titled debut album and 2011’s “Portamento.” They hit their stride midway through the show, as the opening notes of “Money” elicited screams from the crowd and began a full-on dance party.
Later, as they played “Book of Revelations”, the band made a convincing argument for music as a balm for all of the world’s problems; the lyrics “…and I believe that when we die, we die, so let me love you tonight…” heightened the bittersweet air of a swiftly fleeting youth that permeated many of the their songs.
Towards the end of their set, the band brought the tempo down with their song “Down By The Water”, which was played slower and slightly more eerie than the album version, as the bass guitar and synth lines became the focal points of the song, almost sounding similar to Gary Numan.
The Drums closed out their set on a high, upbeat note with the other big crowd favorite of the night “Let’s Go Surfing.” ”
Photo and word by Lara Webb