The War on Drugs, Alexandra Palace, gig review: Beautifully dream-like but lacking in presence

The War on Drugs performs at the Way Out West rock festival in Goteborg, Sweden on August 13, 2015 (AFP/Getty)

The War on Drugs began as a bunch of Dylan obsessives nerding out over their shared passion for music with heart, lyricism and potency.

The good news is that the folk icon’s influence is heavily evident throughout their music, much to the delight of their refreshingly multi-generational fans. The not-so is that they seem to have inherited his apathy towards crowd connection: frontman Adam Granduciel and his unkempt gang of Philadelphian rockers barely acknowledge us all night.

Despite this, new songs from latest release A Deeper Understanding come across brilliantly live, particularly the stunning, dream-like “Strangest Thing”, and there is a nod to long-term fans with the merrier, toe-tapping “Buenos Aires Beach” from their 2008 debut Wagonwheel Blues.

Fans of critically-acclaimed fourth album Lost in the Dream are treated to favourites “Red Eyes”, “Burning” and “An Ocean In Between The Waves”, the latter the set’s grandiose highlight with its euphoric build-up of ferocious guitars, before gorgeous iridescent lighting offers an aptly hypnotic backdrop to expansive 11-minute epic “Thinking of a Place” and the better-known “Under the Pressure” closes the main set.

Returning for a three-song encore to an audience that, to their credit, has not deserted them despite their lacklustre stage presence, the six-strong band power through “In Reverse”, “Eyes to the Wind” and the Springsteenesque “Burning” to bring things to a final close.

In fairness, it is easy for performers to struggle in the cavernous, cold-feeling hall of this iconic north London’s venue, but the disconnect between those of us on the floor (it’s standing only) and the troubadours on stage meant this show lacked that special sense of being part of something bigger than yourself.

Still, if you trekked up Ally Pally hill to bathe in some fantastically beautiful music, expecting or wanting little more, you traipsed back down again in a satisfied daze - and maybe that’s enough.