The War On Drugs by Matthias Hesch
The War On Drugs were promoting their recent live album.
The War On Drugs brought their essential LIVE DRUGS album to the attention of late night US television audiences at the end of last week as the musical guests of The Late Show With Stephen Colbert.
They did so, however, by performing an at-home version of a track which doesn’t feature on the record, Arms Like Boulders going back to the more countrified, Kurt Vile influenced days of their debut album Wagonwheel Blues, from where one of LIVE DRUGS’ highlights, Buenos Aires Beach, was also taken.
In a year when it was largely locked down, Live4ever found no better choice than this for our Album Of 2020, a joyous celebration and reminder of the beauty of live music:
“It seems, given all this, that releasing a live album, especially one that wasn’t to make everyone feel even more disconnected and pissed off, would be impossible.”
“And yet, The War On Drugs’ LIVE DRUGS is a reminder of all the good things about gigs we love; songs thrillingly reimagined, this euphoria extending to the singer, the endorphin rush of familiar opening chords, the pooled ecstasy in just a key change.”
“LIVE DRUGS amplified the things we cherished about the spectacle, instead of making us regret its loss more. It is, of course, just a stepping-stone towards the place the public wants to return to. 2020 has left everyone exhausted, biological prohibition having devastated the livelihoods and mental health of so many of the people we love.”
“For now however, there’s what we’ve always had – hope.”
