The War on Drugs will be wrapping up what has certainly been a breakthrough year for mastermind Adam Granduciel and crew with a hometown show tonight at Union Transfer. The band released earlier this year the long-awaited follow-up to critically-acclaimed LP Wagonwheel Blues giving music critics another full-length album, Slave Ambient, to sink their teeth into and talk about. Their latest offering managed to snag “Best New Music” honors from Pitchfork and made the staff’s list of Top 50 Albums of 2011. It also garnered numerous emphatically positive words from other major music publications and blogs. (Ha…yes, we liked it too. You can check out our review of the September Album of the Month HERE.) The War on Drugs spent much of the year on the road touring with indie darlings like Destroyer and NYC’s Caveman. They also just headlined the majestic Bowery Ballroom and followed-up the appearance with a performance the next evening at the legendary Beacon Theatre opening for The National. And 2012 already shows signs that the four-piece road warriors won’t be stopping anytime soon with confirmed spring dates where they’ll be returning to Europe and spending time on tour in the U.S. with Sharon Van Etten and White Rabbits. The band will be making their late night television debut on January 10 with Jimmy Fallon. Since performances in Philly will be coming few and far between in the upcoming year, you should definitely make it out to UT this evening. They’ll be joined by 2010’s Deli Philly End of the Year Emerging Artist Poll Winner Sun Airway and Ape School, who will be playing some new material from their upcoming album Junior Violence coming out in late spring 2012. Union Transfer, 1026 Spring Garden St., 8pm, $14, All Ages – Q.D. Tran
