NME is the biggest alternative music publication in the UK. Each year they showcase some of the biggest up and coming indie alternative bands in the run up to the NME Awards. This year The Maccabees, Bombay Bicycle Club, The Big Pink and The Drums hit the road on a nationwide tour and I caught them at The Brixton Academy in London.
The Drums
The Drums are a post-punk band hailing from Brooklyn, New York and it is likely that you would recognise their song “Let’s Go Surfing”. They are currently on a sold out tour of U.K., Ireland, and mainland Europe and will be supporting Florence and the Machine on their nationwide tour starting in May.
The Drums have a sound reminiscent of the punk and ska bands of the early eighties but I found them to be pretty average and unoriginal. I had not even heard of them before the night but certainly won’t be rushing off to buy any of their albums. Most importantly, I have never seen a bunch of people look so uncomfortable on a stage. I’ve seen cheesy robotic dancing before and singers playing air drums but it is clear that The Drums have a long way to go as a band before they make that look cool.
The Big Pink
The Big Pink are the reason we went to the Shockwaves NME Awards Tour this year and it is safe to say that I am a massive fan of their album A Brief History of Love which I reviewed on BlogCritics in January. The Big Pink arrived on stage with lights and explosions and their whole set was energetic, frenetic, and loud. Their songs were much heavier than they had sounded on their CD and it was a manic mash up of squealing guitars and noise.
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