‘It’s good to be back in New York City,’ declares Jonathan Pierce, The Drums’ flamboyant frontman, at Webster Hall’s Studio in Manhattan.
Taking time out of a short tour hiatus in their home city to film an hour-long live set for MTV’s ‘Live In New York City’ series, it’s their first show here since January. In the last seven months, the Florida-via-Brooklyn foursome have criss-crossed the UK and Ireland a couple of times over, travelled the length and breadth of Europe, enjoyed brief sojourns in Tokyo and Texas for SXSW, and had their first taste of the summer festival circuit.
Their debut gig was in this very city a little over a year ago. They say practice makes perfect, and a heavy touring schedule has certainly paid off. The Drums are tighter, more confident in both themselves and their material, and they seem to be revelling in playing live more than ever before.
Like the bastard child of an 80s brat-pack movie star and a Hitler Youth fantasy, Pierce is the elaborate conductor of his hipster orchestra, dandily swaggering up and down the stage and weaving through his bandmates in swirls of dry ice. Watching an instrument-less frontman can sometimes feel like observing a dying fish as it flaps around on a boat deck, but Pierce expertly captivates the audience with deft showmanship for the entirety of each song. This man was born to be on-stage.
‘This is a night for pop music,’ he says, before launching into breakout track, 'Let’s Go Surfing'. And it really is. Sure the influences are easy to spot – read any review of The Drums and you’ll see references to The Smiths/The Cure/Joy Division freely peppered throughout. Yes, The Drums are derivative of all those artists, but these comparisons detract from the fact that this band have mastered the art of crafting perfect pop songs which have a sound that’s also distinctly their own. And, boy, do they know how to perform them.
Words & Photos: Rachael Wright
SETLIST:
It Will All End In Tears
Best Friend
Submarine
Don’t Be A Jerk, Johnny
Book Of Stories
Make You Mine
I Need Fun In My Life
Forever And Ever Amen
Me And The Moon
Skippin’ Town
Let’s Go Surfing
Down By The Water
Best Friend (double tempo)