The War on Drugs was formed by musicians Kurt Vile and Adam Granduciel after they had both moved from Oakland and back to Philadelphia. Both had similar interests and had especially connected through their appreciation of Bob Dylan. This led to the two, recording, writing and even performing together. Through this instant connection and chemistry, The War on Drugs was born.
Early in the career of the band they had many accompanying musicians but none were official members, Vile and Granduciel then decided to settle official members of the band. These members included: Charlie Hall as the Drummer/Organist, Kyle Lloyd as drummer and Dave Hartley would be the bass player of the band.
In 2008 The War On Drugs gave away their EP 'Barrel of Batteries' for free.
After the release of their debut album 'Wagonwheel Blues' and the European tour which followed,founding member of the band Kurt Vile, had decided to leave so that he could focus on his solo projects. Following Vile leaving other members followed suit, those being: Charlie Hall and Kyle Lloyd by 2008.
Following the departure of key members, the band in 2008 now consisted of members: Adam Granducial, David Hall and Mike Zhangi (who would leave in 2010). By 2012 the bands lineup consisted of: Adam Granducial, Patrick Berkery, Robbie Bennett and David Hall.
2011 saw the release of The War On Drugs second album 'Slave Ambient' this generated widespread critical acclaim as it managed to receive 7 out of 10 from 'Spin', 'BBC Music' gave it a favourable rating and it received an A- grade from 'The A.V. Club'.
As of 2014 the current members of the band are: Adam Granducial on vocals, Dave Hartley on bass guitar, Robbie Bennett on keyboards and Charlie Hall on drum.
Grace is a highly underrated quality for a rock band to possess. When compared to other, more universal assets like rawness, volume and ability it might seem a little forgettable, but a band playing to the absolute best of their ability and making it look as natural as breathing can be the genesis of some truly unforgettable moments of live music. Not one band that I’ve seen sums this sight up as well as Philadelphia indie rockers The War on Drugs, and when it comes to their sold out show at the Koko, Camden’s most ornate venue, most traditional phrases describing a well played gig seem too violent to sum it up. They didn’t “smash it”, they didn’t “blow the roof off”, they didn’t “destroy the place”, they were far better than that. Make no mistake, Adam Granduciel and co played up a storm, their psychedelia inflected country-rock filling every inch of this beautiful venue but the atmosphere was unlike any gig I’ve been to in a very long time. The crowd lost themselves in the music in a way that didn’t lead to mindless moshing and crowd-surfing, the 1400 people were enraptured, moved by the music, not to the music. It was an experience as beautiful as it was exciting and anyone with a passing interest in this life affirming lunacy we call Rock and Roll should seek it out as soon as possible.
william-howard-2
Shambles!!
They played 55 mins of scheduled 75 minute set because they ran up against the curfew. This was after allowing two (mediocre at best) support bands to start late and overrun their time.
As well as playing a short set, they were plagued by technical problems which interrupted the set on two occasions.
Pity, because it could have been a great gig on the basis of what they did play.
(This relates to gig at QMU 16/6/23).
SirThomasE
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