Concert Review: The Drums at SXSW 2017

By Brooke Vega
Music Journalist

The anticipation started a couple of months ago when I had seen a tweet that The Drums were coming into town for South By Southwest. I was really excited that they were coming to Austin since they haven’t been here in awhile. My obsession for them started a couple of years ago after randomly finding them on Spotify and finding it hard to not love them. After a long wait, I am lucky and grateful to say that I saw them at one of the best music festivals in Austin.

The Drums are an indie-pop band from Brooklyn, New York. Most of their songs have a bit snappy clicks, surfy guitar and catchy lyrics that draw listeners in. They have three albums and one EP. It has been awhile since the band has released a new record with Encyclopedia being their last one released in 2014. “Blood Under My Belt” is their latest single that shows a little taste for Abysmal Thoughts that will be out in June 16.

Throughout the week, I was able to catch three of their shows. I saw them at Empire, Pandora and Elysium. I would have to say seeing them at Pandora was by far my favorite since I was right up close to the stage and I also snagged the setlist which I was extremely happy about. Though they had the same setlist for all three shows, it was cool to see the different vibes at each one. The setlist included their new single and songs from Portamento and The Drums.

Seeing The Drums multiple times was pretty enjoyable. At each of their shows, I noticed that the band really brought love and excitement to the crowd, it was amazing. By the third time I had seen them, I was there to see them of course, but to also see how enjoyable it was for other people. My own experience of catching their sets is different from everybody else’s, but just seeing the joy they brought to other people was special. The singer, Jonathan Pierce, ended the show at Elysium on a good note. Pierce explained how his dad is a pastor that preaches about hate, which is why his songs preach about love and that’s what our world really needs during this time. All in all, The Drums left me in awe and full of happiness after each time I saw them. Now, the countdown starts for their new album that will be released in the summer.

Featured image and video by Brooke Vega.