Location: Ljubljana / Ljubljanski grad / Slovenia
Concert date: 06/06/2012
Attendance: 250
Ticket price: €12.00 (presale) / €15.00 (day of show)
On Wednesday, June 6, Ljubljanski grad was lit up and caressed by the music of American indie rockers The War On Drugs. The band was founded by frontman Adam Granduciel and Kurt Vile, who left in 2008 for a much-talked-about solo career. After numerous lineup changes, the band today consists of Granduciel plus bassist David Hartley, drummer Steven Urgo and keyboardist Robbie Bennett. Their music is easiest to describe as a blend of various American musical traditions; you could also call it americana/folk with a psychedelic touch. Musically they draw mostly from bands and artists like Bob Dylan, Bruce Springsteen, Tom Petty, My Bloody Valentine, Sonic Youth…So far they’ve put out two studio albums, ”Wagonwheel Blues” from 2008 and last year’s ”Slave Ambient”, which got a warm, positive reception from critics and listeners alike.
Buba had already laid the groundwork for a wonderful evening just by picking such a special location, the central courtyard of Ljubljanski grad. Warming up the crowd before the main act were youngsters from Krško, the trio Karmakoma. Even though they’ve only been on the scene for about a year, they came across on stage as confident, raw and dynamic, which fits their music perfectly. It’s built on a rock-structured foundation, its hallmark a punchy, technically polished rhythm section, constantly tinted with their own peculiar electronic fusions. They were definitely the surprise of the night, and if they keep going at this pace, we can expect a successful, much-talked-about career from them in a few years. I have to add that it’s been a long time since I saw a Slovenian newcomer band that got me dancing and fired up the way Karmakoma did. Last year the band also played at the Klubski maraton by Radio Študent.
After a short, twenty-minute break, The War On Drugs finally took the stage. They walked up modestly, with no big fanfare or light show, and kept it that way. The music spoke for itself. The dynamic opener ”Arms Like Boulders”, a sonic melancholy laced with organ, already hinted at a pleasant, carefree evening. It was followed by another song from the debut ”Wagonwheel Blues”, namely ”Taking The Farm”. A song that kicks off with a telling line: ”You seem a little on the high side, Disconnected from me, Been a little to anxious and a little too sweet…” and talks about the counterproductive nature of drug use, it nicely justifies the band’s name. Next up, ”Buenos Aires Beach”, with its addictive ”oooh-oooh-oooh” pop-song vibe, neatly wrapped up the opening trio from the first album. The middle of the setlist was made up of songs from the newest album. The first of these is called ”Brothers”. On first listen it’s a light-sounding backdrop, but laced with the pulse of a bitter past, also marked by fairly dark lyrics: ”My life is filled with fear, I cannot believe in truth…” That was followed by ”Your Love Is Calling My Name”, a pulsating, echoing dreamy perfection that flowed into ”Animator”, which itself works as a link to the next song, the wailing ode ”Come To The City”. After the poetic ”Black Water Falls”, it was time for the highlights of the night. First the best-known song from the latest album, ”Baby Missiles”, which sounded even punchier live, even rawer and even more psychedelically tripped-out than on the studio recording. It was followed by the latest album’s opener ”Best Night” and then the synesthetic ”I Was There”. Next came the night’s main peak, conjured up by ”Coming Through”. It’s marked by a lively soundscape where the dialogues between instruments come to the fore, constantly lifted higher by quality lyrics. The guys closed the set epically with the driving, noisy ”Needle In Your Eye”, which felt to the crowd like a kind of psychedelic ride across the plains of the Midwest.
The War On Drugs conjured up an interesting evening of heartfelt atmosphere. Southern rock that didn’t sound the least bit stale or boring. The essence of the show was definitely Granduciel’s guitar, while the show also got its special stamp from his ”Dylanesque” voice and the magical keyboards, at times very minimalist and in the next moment already baroque, which created a very special summer intimacy in the otherwise big and windy courtyard of Ljubljanski grad. The only thing that tripped Granduciel up a little was the soul-crushing guitar tuning, though he made the time pass nicely with witty quips and little stories. The sound was excellent, only the crowd was a bit smaller than expected. As someone in the audience said in the middle of the show: ”this is music for enjoying,” and I’ve got nothing to add to that.
Setlist
The War On Drugs:
1.) Arms Like Boudlers
2.) Taking The Farm
3.) Buenos Aires Beach
4.) Brothers
5.) Your Love Is Calling My Name
6.) Animator
7.) Come To The City
8.) Black Water Falls
9.) Baby Missiles
10.) Best Night
11.) I Was There
12.) Coming Through
13.) Needle In Your Eye
Photo gallery
