The Walkmen

In a lot of ways, you could be forgiven for feeling frustrated with The Walkmen. For most of their fourteen year career, they flew under the radar; with the exception of radio hit ‘The Rat’, from the Bows + Arrows LP, they were very much a cult band, playing small venues to dedicated fans. It was only really with their sixth full-length, Lisbon, that things really started to take off for them; sure, the critical reception was as unanimous as ever, but suddenly, the rest of the world seemed to be cottoning onto the fact that the New Yorkers were turning out some of the most graceful, measured indie rock you could find anywhere. They built upon that with the release of the magnificent Heaven back in 2012, and suddenly, they were filling bigger rooms with their angular, poised guitar lines. Just as they seemed to finally have the world at their feet, though, they embarked on what they describe as an ‘extreme hiatus’, with the members choosing to pursue solo projects instead. It seems a genuine shame - as good as some of the solo work has proved already - because when on form, they were unstoppable live; they’d only gotten tighter and tighter over the years, and frontman Hamilton Leithauser strained, emotive vocals packed even more of a punch on stage. There’s nothing definitive yet, as to their collective future, but don’t be surprised if they pick up seamlessly from where they left off if they do reconvene; right as they split, they seemed as if they were just getting started.

Although they may be currently on an “extreme hiatus”, there’s few bands more consistently brilliant live than The Walkmen. The five New Yorkers who make up the band may now be off doing their own thing, but with six original studio albums under their belt there’s a depth of song writing riches to choose from. The breakthrough Bows + Arrows brought The Walkmen to the world’s attention – mainly through the stunning and urgent thrash of their best known song ‘The Rat’ – and the band matured from those crazy days through a series of records to the point where albums like Lisbon and Heaven were influenced as much by Elvis and Harry Nilsson as their early post-punk leanings. Live, it’s a treat to see beanpole singer Hamilton Leithauser nearly bang his head on low ceilings as he throatily roars his way the moody ‘In The New Year’ and the rousing ‘We Can’t Be Beat’, before crooning his way through the 50s-influenced ‘Canadian Girl’, ably assisted by the incredible musicianship of band mates Peter Bauer and Paul Maroon. As far as reuniting goes, it’s never say never for The Walkmen which means if you’ve not seen them the hope remains that you can catch this lot, a band who knows the power of the live arena.