The War on Drugs
When: 20th June 2023
Location: OVO Hydro
The War on Drugs are the cinematic synth-infused indie rock that draws on heartland classics from Springsteen to Dylan. Coming to Glasgow’s OVO Hydro on 20th June 2023.
It sometimes seemed as if every car in the 1980s came with free copies of Born In The USA and Brothers In Arms in the glove compartment.
If that was indeed the case, then the updated policy should see Philadelphia indie rock band The War On Drugs’ entire back catalogue pre-loaded into the MP3 player of anything with a passing chance of hitting the open road. Drawing heavily from the masters – Springsteen to Petty, Dylan to Dire Straits – Adam Granduciel’s band makes music that is atmospheric, cinematic, engagingly familiar and refreshingly unique.
Singer songwriter Adam Granduciel met guitarist Kurt Vile at a party in 2003 and the two were instant kindred spirits. They began writing songs together, resulting in formation of The War On Drugs. The band began touring in earnest and released their debut EP Barrel Of Batteries in 2007.
Their first full-length, Wagonwheel Blues, followed a year later, creating a buzz in the music press off the back of tracks such as the freewheeling, Dylan-esque Arms Like Boulders and the ’90s Petty-isms of Taking The Farm.
Members began to leave
As Vile’s solo career began to take flight, he left The War On Drugs, starting a chain reaction that left Granduciel as the sole remaining member. Granduciel regrouped with a new line-up for the 2010 mini-album Future Weather, with the acclaimed Slave Ambient coming a year after.
Granduciel and co. spent two years working on the follow-up to Slave Ambient but the time was clearly well spent. Released on Atlantic Records, the yearning, widescreen Lost In The Dream honed in on The War On Drugs’ heroes’ synth-laced work in the ’80s – like some windswept meeting place of Tunnel Of Love, Southern Accents and Oh Mercy.
It wasn’t just the band’s best-reviewed studio album yet. It was also their most successful by a country mile. Propelling them on to bigger audiences and venues than ever before.
The War On Drugs returned in 2017 with A Deeper Understanding and a clear sense of purpose. Furthering the sonic explorations of Lost In The Dream and blowing its cinematic aspirations up to IMAX proportions. Most notably on the breath-taking 11-minute opus Thinking Of A Place.
Inevitably, the band’s tireless touring schedule finally produced a live album, Live Drugs which arrived in 2020. In 2021, The War On Drugs announced a tour for April 2022 in London, Edinburgh, Birmingham and Leeds. A new album, I Don’t Live Here Anymore, was confirmed at the same time as the UK tour dates. The album, recorded over three years at seven studios, was set for an October 2021 release. It was preceded by the gently Springsteen-esque single Living Proof and the Bob Dylan-entranced, soaring title track.
