The Drums at Scala

The Drums are back, and it looks like they’re back for good. After a sizeable gap from touring, the duo have made it to London for a sold-out show at Scala – and judging by the reaction from the screaming audience, it’s about time.

The first half of the set is focused generally on newer material, with songs such as Bell Laboratories, Kiss Me Again and I Can’t Pretend from 2014’s Encyclopedia making an appearance. Despite the album only having been released for a couple of months, the reaction to these songs is unfalteringly positive – due partly to the fact that they are performed with the same vigour, energy and familiarity as older, more established material, and partly because they are just good. Later on in the night, fan-favourites such as Money, Forever and Ever Amen and Let’s Go Surfing appear more frequently, their fast-paced hyperactive tone offset perfectly by slower, more contemplative pieces such as Wild Geese – the closing track of their latest album.

There is plenty of time for a range of songs, with the band performing for over ninety minutes – maybe in an attempt to make up for the recent radio silence. Despite this, they never seem to tire or flag, and manage to avoid the dreaded mid-gig lull. This is achieved in part through The Drums’ on-stage antics, with frontman Jonny Pierce flailing around like a tipsy Morrissey and co-founder Jacob Graham distractedly conducting a willing audience choir whilst flitting between vintage synthesisers. Ably backed by two guitarists and a drummer, the dynamic duo seem for the most part to be away in a world of their own – a world we are invited into for an hour and a half. Spiky guitars, shimmering synths and Pierce’s distinctive 80s wail combine to make music that is simultaneously hypnotising and exciting, causing the audience to be caught somewhere between the need to drift off and the need to dance. Luckily, most opted for the latter.

We can only hope this isn’t the last London will see of The Drums – if their current form is anything to go by, the future holds great things for them once again.

Ed Barnes
Photos: Filippo L’Astorina

For further information about The Drums visit here.

Watch the video for I Can’t Pretend here: