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The next big thing: The Drums 

Written by Vanessa Laker
Tuesday, 13 April 2010 00:00

New York has a thing for giving us special bands. Even though they may have been born and raised outside the concrete jungle, for some reason - when bands make New York their base and begin making music there, the results can be magic.

Brooklyn four piece (via Florida) The Drums are no exception. With NME calling them “New York's official coolest new band” and branding them the “most contagiously energetic” band to emerge from the city in the past 10 years, it’s fair to say that 2010 is going to be a busy year for the melodically driven rock and roll pop band.

After losing inspiration in previous projects, childhood friends Jonathan Pierce (vocals) and Jacob Graham (guitar) got together to form a new band, wiping the slate clean and erasing any familiar sounds they’d previously been known for. They planned to go “back to basics” and make the band they’ve “always wished existed.” Shortly after, Adam Kessler (guitar) and Connor Hanwick (drums) joined the fold and in late 2008 The Drums (as we know them) were born.

Taking the unlikely templates of 50s surf-rock and Factory Records as inspiration and mixing it with a new wave sound, the band created a contemporary rock and roll feel, that takes listeners on a nostalgic ride, but in a very modern way. Their music is captivating in an interesting yet pure form. Pure in a sense it’s all about the music, as oppose to most contemporary pop music, which is heavily influenced by all the politics surrounding the industry.

The band got straight to work, playing gigs all over the city and gaining a heavy following in the process. After the 2009 release of EP Summertime, the band's status and popularity grew rapidly across the US and the UK in particular, with mainstream outlets taking note.

The BBC featured them in their annual Sound of... 2010 list, Dazed + Confused described their sound as “terrific pop music” and The Sun predicts “they will be huge.”

The lads have just completed the NME Awards Tour with The Maccabees, Bombay Bicycle Club and The Big Pink and are currently hard at work on their debut LP.

They’ll be back on the road in May when they support Florence and the Machine’s UK Tour. To find out tour dates go to:

www.myspace.com/thedrumsforever

Here’s the video for their new single “Best Friend” released on 28th March and available for download:

The Drums’ EP Summertime can be downloaded here: http://bit.ly/dzeMbb

Vanessa Laker is a London based writer and PR specialist. Writing for a number of publications, including MTV, Earmilk, Clash, Soulculture and Arise.

vanlaker.wordpress.com

twitter.com/VanessaLaker