The Drums

The Drums dropped by the Doug Fir Lounge in Portland, OR May 10th in support of their 2011 album Portamento (QRO review).  Opening with a great rendition of “What You Were”, frontman Jonny Pierce’s swinging dance moves set the tone from the start.  The Drums have become more seasoned with loads of touring under their belts and the majority of their set was well paced.  Talking was kept to a minimum throughout the first four songs except for a quick, “So nice to be back.  Let’s have a nice time.”

There were many crowd favorites in the main set including “Me and the Moon” (which opened with a spoken word sample), “Book of Stories” and “I Felt Stupid”.  The only song that felt a bit flat was “I Need a Doctor”, despite the Peter Hook bass line.  The addition of two guitarists (Myles Matheny) freed up band co-founder Jacob Graham to concentrate on synths and other sonic accompaniment as needed.  “Down By the Water” wrapped up their 45 minute set and a short encore ensued.

“Searching For Heaven” (with Pierce and Graham only) opened the encore with synth-strings providing the accompaniment.  The requisite closer “Let’s Go Surfing” wrapped up a very good show and sent the crowd home whistling in the dark.  One note of improvement would be the further development of Pierce as the frontman.  He is the main focus, and while this isn’t really a criticism, his stage presence gets a bit repetitive.  If he can play an instrument (besides tambourine) once in a while or add to his dance repertoire, it will only enhance their shows as a whole.  The Drums have not realized their potential yet, and that’s a good thing.  They are growing tighter as a touring band, and their recorded output, having obvious highlights, can get even better.  It’s only a matter of time before they write that one song that crosses over to a wider audience.  It’s all in their hands.

Set List

Book of Revelation