The War on Drugs at Vicar Street | Review

The War on Drugs at Vicar St., Dublin, 29th May 2014

With a critically lauded new album and a last minute venue change, from the Button Factory to a near capacity Vicar St., expectations were high that The War On Drugs could produce something special with their brand of wide-open Americana.

Irish trio Women’s Christmas are up first though, their rough and ready sound raucous as the punters filter in. Though they’re playing to a sparsely populated room, their energy is enough to get those present interested, before The War on Drugs take the stage.

Things start well enough, with a rake of tunes from the new record. An Ocean In Between the Waves, from 2014s ‘Lost in the Dream’, gets things underway, shimmering guitars ringing out over the crack of the drums. Adam Granduciel, possessed of the kind of voice that immediately calls to mind classic East coast rock, does what he can but, soaked in reverb, his vocals are a bit lost.

Things pick up with Baby Missiles, a stomping track from 2011s ‘Slave Ambient’, the driving beat bringing a bit of energy to proceedings, before the band seem to settle back a bit for a slew of new tracks. Under the Pressure gets a good response, or at least as good as it’s going to get tonight.

Despite the near full house, Granduciel struggles to get much in the way of an atmosphere going – though when he does try and get a bit of chat going, he’s not helped by the sound, even between songs, his voice sounds like he’s underwater. That it’s nearly half-way through their set before he tries though, doesn’t help matters.

The back half of the set doesn’t get much better, though some of the sound issues are cleared up at least. Lost in the Dream’s title track goes down well: with songs as well-crafted as this, it’s not hard to understand the change in venue. They bring out some of their older stuff as well – Arms Like Boulders, from their 2008 debut ‘Wagonwheel Blues’, stands out, their characteristic sound evident even then, it’s a strong tune given real life tonight.

On paper it should have been a cracker of a night, but somewhere along the line the message seems to have gotten a bit lost. That they don’t quite pull it off could be put down to a number of things, but messy sound and a flat atmosphere certainly didn’t help. With a brace of strong songs, all washed out guitar and hazy vocals, their particularly American sound should have been perfectly suited to Vicar St.’s bigger stage, but what makes for a haunting mix on record doesn’t quite translate in the live setting.