Few bands afford an adequate pastiche of the true beauty of the '80s – the melding of the newest technology synthesiser with searing guitar riffs that still melt your face off while sticking in your head for days.
After 18 years, The War On Drugs continue to step up to the plate, proving that real guitar bands still exist.The band steadily blazed their trail, accumulating believers, until 2017's 'A Deeper Understanding’, when the world recognised the talent of these men. The album walked away with the Grammy for Best Rock Album, beating out Metallica, Mastodon and Queens Of The Stone Age.
The band returns to Australia for the first time in five years later this year with Spoon, supporting their 2021 album 'I Don't Live Here Anymore', playing iconic venues such as the Sydney Opera House forecourt.
"We're obsessed with Australia. We've been there four times," frontman Adam Granduciel shares.
"When we won a Grammy, we were [in Australia], and when the [Philadelphia] Eagles were in the Super Bowl. Monday morning, we're running around Quest Royal Gardens in Melbourne going insane, being loud Americans. Such great memories."
The band have recently been traversing the globe, playing huge festivals from Primavera in Spain to C6 in Brazil, providing them a different experience to their solo shows.
"Sometimes [festival performances] can be demoralising. At your own show, you do your thing and you're in the zone right? Playing to all your fans.
"Sometimes you're doing a festival where everyone there wants to see who's after you. It's weird because we're so good at this thing, and why do I feel like I have to prove myself right now?
"But that's how you convert people. And we're pretty comfortable doing our thing, stepping out in front of people we've never seen before and blasting off."
With years of touring under their belt, the band are still passionate about the magic of live performance and the unique experiences each show provides.
"We've been playing 'Come To The City’ off 'Slave Ambient', which lately has been fully realised, 14 years after we recorded it. It's getting into some cool Spacemen 3 territory at the beginning. I love playing songs and watching them change over time.
"The best times are when you don't play for months and then that first show back, you're trying to remember in real time what to do. So your muscle memory is maybe a split second behind. And that always leads into some nice, really cool, spontaneous moments. Right now, everything feels good."
It can be difficult to follow up a Grammy Award-winning album, as the band has with 'I Don't Live Here Anymore', but Granduciel denies this influenced the process or their thinking at all.
"A little bit, but realistically, not really. I think we're a bit outside the corporate rock machine. It's hard enough to write a song you don't hate. It's hard enough to work on a song for a year, and not totally f...ing hate it after a week, let alone a year and a half.
"So to be able to string ten of those together that you love, and then all the other things line up where you actually like the mixes. Winning or not winning a Grammy is not really. . . but at the same time, we got nominated for Rock Song of the Year.
"I definitely wanted to win, because who really likes to lose? I'm sure my mom would have loved to have the album nominated again. Let her down again, you know?" Granduciel jests.
When reminiscing on influences, Granduciel praises Jimi Hendrix. "I heard Hendrix's version of 'All Along The Watchtower' when I was 13. That was when I knew there was more out there, and that opened the door for me."
Gentlemanly reluctant to hand out advice, Granduciel is pragmatic about what he would tell his 18-year-old self. "Maybe I wish I had never smoked.
"I'm sure when my kid is 18, I'll have advice for him and he'll decide or not decide to heed it. But I feel like you kind of have to look at everything you've been given, and be grateful that you've had a semblance of a past. Just try to stay into the things you're into."
The War On Drugs & Spoon 2023 Tour Dates
Mon 4 Dec - Sydney Opera House Forecourt* sold outTue 5 Dec - Sydney Opera House Forecourt* new show
Thu 7 Dec - Sidney Myer Music Bowl (Melbourne)
Sat 9 Dec - The Riverstage (Brisbane)
Mon 11 Dec - Kings Park and Botanic Garden (Perth)
