"We'd rather go out with a whimper": The Drums talk to Skiddle

Brooklyn's The Drums have made quite a racket since they cruised into our consciousness with a BBC Sound of 2010 nomination and the catchy debut single 'Let's Go Surfing' in 2009.

With their self titled debut album charting in the UK top 20 in 2010, a seemingly endless touring schedule and follow-up album Portamento now getting itself acquainted with gig audiences up and down the country, The Drums aren't going anywhere soon. 

Skiddle caught up with the band after their recent Shepherd's Bush gig to talk gigs good and bad, the new album, and why "Glasgow's like Graceland" to them. Oh, and we got them to do some drawings for us too. 

How was the Shepherd's Bush gig on Friday?

Jonathan: I didn't really think about what it was until we got there and walked in. I'd seen videos of bands playing there throughout the years, I'd heard the name a hundred times. Then when we got there I realised, “wow this is a really special thing”. For me, it was my favourite show of the tour. It was nice to come back to London after three years of touring.

Do you find differences in reception between the UK and US?

Jacob: It seems more whimsical, or fantastical, or sensationalized over here when we play. I'm happy with our home crowd though, it's not too crazy, not too pathetic!

Jonathan: It's funny… When we're here we'll be playing a song like Book Of Stories which to us is a really pretty, beautiful song, and we'll look out and a hundred kids are essentially moshing to it. That sort of enthusiasm, it's very flattering. Back in New York - most places in America - the crowds are a little more chilled out. They do more observing, rather than partaking quite so much.

Jacob: I think people in America view us more as just musicians.

Maybe there's that element of American fantasy over here.

Jonathan: Yeah, I think here people really love their bands, and exalt them to these higher levels of celebrity, whereas in America, we're not celebrities at all - we're like a working class band. It's interesting. It has got a little bit more dynamic I suppose. Our second album was much better received in America than our debut; our debut album was basically just put out and most of America didn't buy it, nobody had any idea who we were. But with Portamento, something happened where they really embraced it. I don't think it'll ever be the way it is here for us. But we're happy with that. It's nice to have that texture.

You've said that the new album is more personal than the first. Does that affect your experience on stage, playing it live?

Jonathan: There are some nights where I sing through an entire set and don't think about the words at all. Those nights it really feels like work. Then there are other nights, singing a song like Days… for some reason, everything lines up and it really hits home and it's incredible to sing. And those are the best shows. In London it was like that, like a couple of nights ago, every song was just nailed home.

Maybe things depends more on your mood, what's surrounding you.

Jonathan: You know what, it depends what happened during the day, and the day before. It depends on how much I've had to drink before I go on stage, it depends on the interaction of the band just before we play - if there was too much feedback, or a problem with the sound. It doesn't take a lot to rip me out of that mode because I'm pretty attentive to every little detail. I think a lot of people would think that's a strength, but when you're on stage... I wish I could just shut it off because I really just want to focus on nothing and let the music take over. I'm so aware of things. It's an annoying trait that I've acquired!

You've said before that it's important to be “genuine”, to stay away from the guest producer and remixer hype. Can you elaborate?

Jonathan: You know, we made a lot of declarations and proclamations when we first started. I'd say we're pretty arrogant as a band, pretty stubborn. I think it was important for us to be that way, being a young band. I think every band should solidify who they are and, in a way, bully their way through things. I think we did that. But I think with making Portamento and touring so much, we've learned some things about the band and where we want to be.

Jacob: Things change over the years. I don't think we've completely abandoned those ideals. I could never imagine us telling our label “oh yeah just have whoever remix this”; we want to be remixed by people we respect and who we think are interesting. We're not just going to collaborate with someone because it's going to further our career, we're only going to collaborate with someone where we think something really great could happen as a result. So the context of things change, but overall I think the idea is still there, the idea that we don't want to spread ourselves too thin, that we want to just be The Drums.

It is a refreshing approach to say, “this is what we are - if you're a fan, you're a fan, and if you're not, you're not”.

Jonathan: That's kind of how we've always felt. We're not going to beg for anyone to be our fan, we're not that desperate. If our goals were to have loads of money and be extremely wealthy and famous, then we would go to desperate measures. But our goal is to make music that we love. And we've already done that, so we're just going to continue. We don't really cater to anyone. Once you start catering to one person, you have to cater to the person next to them, and it's a slippery slope. It's really depressing to see, it's happened time after time. You love a band and then see them giving in to pressure and being scared that they're going to fail, compromising. We'd rather go out with a whimper, than some big bang because we wanted to be successful. I'd rather us just disappear. Years later people can be like, “that band was cool, everything they made was cool”. That's so much more important.

Are there any bands you respect for having kept true to themselves in that way?

Jonathan: The Wake. They're just finishing up making a new album, Jacob worked a bit on it and we were able to hear it. It just sounds like The Wake.

Jacob: We've gotten to be friends with them over the years because we're so crazy about them.

Jonathan: We saw them last week in Glasgow. We like Glasgow a lot. A lot of our favourite bands came out of there. We have our little spots that we go to when we have time.

Jacob (to Jonathan): You've said in the past – and I still feel this way – that Glasgow's like going to Graceland for us. To me it feels like these little exciting brushes with fame... to run into the girls from Camera Obscura. It's really exciting.

What music did you listen to growing up?

Jonathan: I listened to mostly black gospel music. Andraé Crouch, who I still think is incredible… My parents liked an artist named Leon Patillo, who used synthesisers and made this sort of pop funk stuff that I think is incredible. Those are probably the two that I hold on to the most. They were both Christian artists. I was raised Christian, though I've since run away from all that. There's probably nothing my parents showed me that anyone else would know, other than maybe Amy Grant.

Jacob: Yeah I grew up with Amy Grant, and Michael W Smith.

Would you partake in a little drawing exercise? The premise is “how you think you look on stage”.

Connor:

Jacob:

Jonny:

What bands are you into at the moment?

Jonathan: I just got The Embassy's rare B-side album [Life In The Trenches] which is really great. Also listening to the new album by The Field - it's pretty good. I like the Ice Age album too.

Jacob: I don't really like anything! I'm waiting for that Wake album to come out. (Laughs) Oh I do really like Xeno and Oaklander, they're a Brooklyn band that are doing really interesting things with synthesizers, the right way.

Connor: I really like Regal Degal, probably my favourite new band right now. Also the Ice Choir. And another former Shelflife band called The Ruling Class, who are now called Sulk.

Jonathan: Yeah they're sick.

So will you be taking a break before the next studio adventure?

Jonathan: I don't think we'll be doing Drums stuff for a little while. We went into Portamento not thinking about the fact that when you put out an album you have to tour. Of course we're very grateful to have the opportunity, but we're also very tired! I think we've all aged in our faces about five years..

Jacob: We're all really feeble and weathered. Just kidding.

Jonathan: Yeah, I can't speak for myself, but the rest of the guys are really feeble and weathered. (Laughs)

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