Currently on tour in support of their new album “A Deeper Understanding“. The War on Drugs are one of those bands that if you like them on record, chances are you will like them live. Going on this performance there aren’t many surprises, other than a few songs dragged out longer than in the studio.
The set list mainly pulled from “A Deeper Understanding“ and previous release “Lost in the Dream“ with only a couple thrown in from any earlier. Not that it matters too much, for the current album is a consistently good listen.
Likewise with the bands performance, frontman Adam Granduciel kept his roadie busy with a constant swapping of guitars, but it was all pretty slick. The ambient intros just long enough for Adam to be plugged back in without losing momentum.
The War on Drugs – Portsmouth Guildhall
In fact the whole show ran without a hiccup. That was until the brief power-cut in the Portsmouth Guildhall PA, but even that didn’t stop the War on Drugs. Seemingly oblivious they played through and the power was back up and running soon enough.
The last song of the night, prior to an encore was to be “Under the Pressure”. The War on Drugs don’t tend to leave you subconsciously singing there most popular tunes on the walk home, but musically are certainly worthy of a night out.
Adam Granduciel was at his most animated during the aforementioned song, the longer guitar solo reminiscent of Neil Young rocking out on his trusty Old Black.
This was to be followed by a short encore of “In Reverse”, leaving you slightly underwhelmed by comparison. That said the War on Drugs are a great live band, although not necessarily one you’ll put down as gig of the year.
The War on Drugs – Portsmouth Guildhall 15th November 2017
You can also read my review of tour support, the Barr Brothers, here. They provided a great set of folk/country to start the evening.
