The War On Drugs – William Cobbett, Farnham, 13/08/08

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So this evening The War On Drugs are playing in a pub. And not just any pub. The William Cobbett pub which, judging from the amount of people crammed in is apparently the only pub open on a Wednesday in Farnham and quite possibly the whole of Surrey. Sadly though, it seems the William Cobbett’s clientele of “gosh we’re pretending to be dirty indie kids, but really we’re just very upper-middle class and twee”, are not here for the band though, as I hear one of them saying “yeah apparently there’s a band on tonight” as they fight their way through the crowds to meet their super cool pals, no doubt named ‘Tilly’ or ‘Wills’. Which is a shame, as War on Drugs are the kind of band these indie kids could do with a good dose of.

The band shuffle on – at this point I’d say stage, but that would be like calling Asda a food emporium. The band in fact shuffle into a corner that’s been cleared, right next to the packed bar and the door. As a result there is no where to stand without someone trying to serve you a drink or squeeze past you twice in quick succession for a fag.

But are they actually any good? Well, if you’ve heard the lush soundscapes and huge waves of noise on Wagonwheel Blues, you’ll realise a pub corner is hardly conducive to recreating them. And you’d be right. In a nutshell, they simply weren’t allowed to pull it off. The tense, engaging vocals of Wagonwheel Blues become screeches, the wall of guitars becomes a singular, tinny, scratchy noise and the drums completely lacklustre thanks to the tiny kit.

War on Drugs, are of course, trying their best. The faithful few who are watching (and we’re talking single figures here) are very enthusiastic and encouraging, but their applause can barely be heard above the bar chatter.

What could’ve been an intimate, intense gig is instead merely a mild distraction to the William Cobbett’s scenesters. This band deserve better.

The War On Drugs are back in the UK this autumn playing some ‘proper’ venues with The Hold Steady. Dates are:

September
29th – Oxford, Academy
30th – Manchester, Academy

October
1st – Glasgow, ABC
2nd – Wolverhampton, Wulfrun Hall
4th – Bristol, Anson Rooms
5th – Nottingham, Rock City
6th – Portsmouth, Pyramid Centre
8th – London, Roundhouse

The War On Drugs on MySpace