Live and in photos: : The Drums, Portsmouth Pyramids Tuesday, December 6, 2011

The formidable Jonny Pierce.THEY may have totalled hundreds of live performances in 2011, but New York City's finest The Drums showed no signs of tiring as they tore apart Portsmouth's Pyramid Centre with a typically majestic performance we've come to expect from Jonny Pierce and co.
Ably supported by the Sonic Youth-meets-The-Pains-Of-Being-Pure-At-Heart act The History of Apple Pie and promising Aussie synthsters Cloud Control, pop's indie darlings launched into their polished set with the bouncing What You Were - arguably one of the finest efforts from sublime sophomore effort Portamento.The wild, "Non-committal clappers" that were the Portsmouth crowd, which bizarrely conjured a mosh pit suitable for a Sonisphere headliner, were treated to energised renditions of Best Friend,
Stand outs were the songs with the most meaning for Pierce; the delectable How It Ended and sweet melancholy of I Need a Doctor. The latter may not entail the dizzying hooks that have made The Drums so alluring to many, but its bleak analogy of relationship strife awoke Pierce's playful side.Pierce's unmistakable talents as a showman are brought to the fore with emotional ballad Down By The Water, which has arguably emerged as the act's staple jaw-dropper, complete with thundering drum crashes and spine-tingling vocals.
Concluding with an intimate version of Baby That's Not The Point, complete with Ben E King-esque bass riff, it led to a fitting pathway to It'll All End In Tears - the stand out hit from their 2010 debut - before Pierce, under a haunting spotlight and over Jacob Graham's warbling electronic spectrum, graciously sounded off the evening with the gloriously enchanting Searching For Heaven.Luminous Plectrum has witnessed The Drums on numerous occasions over the past two years and this has to be the best we've seen them. They're polished, slick and enjoying their success. Portamento may have been met with mixed reviews, but its simplicity and synthy tones have provided a welcome boost for the band, who can only embrace a bright future ahead. The History Of Apple Pie - Tug by The History Of Apple Pie
Cloud Control by Infectious Music
The Drums - Forever And Ever Amen by wwwta