The Drums Announce full UK tour – New album ‘Portamento’ & Single, ‘Money ‘out September 5th

The Drums will return to the UK later this year for a full headline tour in support of their second album, ‘Portamento’, out September 5^th through Moshi Moshi / Island Records.

For the week of album release, the band plays three intimate, sold out, launch shows in London to preview the new record.

New UK headline dates:

Mon 28-Nov – Birmingham HMV Institute – The Library

Tue 29-Nov – Newcastle O₂ Academy

Wed 30-Nov – Leeds Metropolitan University

Sat 03-Dec – Glasgow O₂ ABC

Sun 04-Dec – Edinburgh HMV Picture House

Mon 05-Dec – Cambridge Junction

Tue 06-Dec – Portsmouth Pyramids Centre

Thu 08-Dec – Bristol O₂ Academy

Fri 09-Dec – London O₂ Shepherds Bush Empire

Sat 10-Dec – Manchester HMV Ritz

(All tickets £13.50 except London £15)

Artist presale via http://thedrums.com/shows/: Wednesday 17th August

General on sale:   Friday 19th August

Previously announced dates:

Mon 05-Sep – London, Hoxton Bar & Kitchen SOLD OUT

Tue 06-Sep – London, Lexington SOLD OUT

Wed 07-Sep – London, XOYO SOLD OUT

08-11-Sep – Bestival

17-Sep – Split Festival, Sunderland

‘Portamento’ – released just over a year since their debut – reveals a band tugging lightly at the boundaries of their sound while still retaining their recognizable sonic signatures. Sweet rushes of melody and brittle synthesizer sheens colliding with wiry Spector-esque guitar lines are still very much present, but singer, Jonny Pierce’s lyrics have assumed a deeper, personal tone and coupled with the band’s own more expansive production, ‘Portamento’ is a more complex, but ultimately more rewarding listen than their debut.

Emerging from Brooklyn via Florida in 2010, The Drums initially caught the ear of the indie world with their ‘Summertime!’ EP – an escapist collection of beach pop fantasies – which preceded their self-titled debut album, released in June 2010. ‘The Drums’ has gone on to sell 200,000 albums world-wide, reflecting the universal appeal of a band that toured the globe: playing everywhere from Japan, Chile, Indonesia, Australia, Hong Kong, Brazil, Europe, a six week US tour and culminating in the UK with two sold-out nights at The Forum, London.

The band sidestepped the pitfalls of the often ‘difficult second album’ by recording it quickly, often laying down tracks spontaneously in Pierce’s kitchen. Following the departure of guitarist Adam Kessler, drummer Connor Hanwick switched to guitar, and guitarist Jacob Graham picked up his more natural instrument of synthesizers.

To accommodate the record’s sonic expansiveness, the band has swollen to a quintet live, augmented by two auxiliary members including good friend Myles Matheny on guitar and bass. Also gone are the backing tracks used for the bulk of their live shows to date, thus lending their performances a more visceral, spontaneous feel, in line with the aesthetic of the new album.

Portamento is a 17th century Italian term that denotes a vocal slide between two pitches.

The Drums:
Jonny Pierce – vocals
Jacob Graham – synthesizer

Connor Hanwick – guitar

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