REVIEW: THE DRUMS AT BRISTOL O2 ACADEMY (08/12/11)
On a wintry night in Bristol I was rather hoping that good time band The Drums might provide me with some summery warmth that might stick to my bones. However, even Bristol O2 Academy’s usually tropical sweaty climate seemed absent tonight as the venue filled up but never quite to the brim I would have been thankful for. And to be honest it was not just the temperature I failed to warm to.
The Drums entered, followed shortly by frontman Jonathan Pierce – bursting with camp energy and bravado, like a cross between Ian Curtis and Freddie Mercury. He led the crowd through material both old and new yet never diverting from his planned programme. He was very open on stage – telling an obnoxious audience member to stop requesting a song, or admitting that after three years of touring the band had all wanted to kill each other at some point.
Sadly, it really feels like Pierce’s show, not a band show and never really a collaborative effort. The other four of tonight’s line up seem content to merely play rather than entertain, for a band that play such summery good time music and even named an album “Summertime!” it’s quite amazing to see such a bunch of miserable looking souls on stage. Maybe the rest of them do still want to kill each other?
The gig showcased numbers from new record: Portamento. And it seems the band have evolved through their growing line up and songs such as money show that the band know how to write and perform great pop-songs and alongside crowd-pleasers such as Best Friend the band don’t fail to miss a beat for the enthusiasts. Where other hits from Summertime!, such as “I Felt Stupid / Down By The Water”, bring another downbeat ethereal quality to their sound and quickly turn the crowd into a choir.
Of course the predictable encore of biggest radio-friendly pop-hit Let’s Go Surfing gets the biggest rouse of the night from the bobbing hoards and fans will leave satisfied if not overwhelmed. But coming to this as a newcomer it’s likely you’d have failed to be won over.
Words: Adam Hooper
Photo: Laura Palmer
