[Photo by Fan Zhen/chinadaily.com.cn]

A strong crowd filtered through the doors of music venue Tango in Beijing, gravitating towards the stage. All eyes were on the space soon to be occupied by The Drums, who were making their Beijing debut following shows in Tokyo, Hong Kong and Shanghai.

The New York-based indie-pop duo of Jonathan Pierce and Jacob Graham were greeted with whistles and shouts as they emerged before jumping straight into their set. Small replicas of the blonde frontman Jonathan were being captured on screens among the spread of smartphones in the crowd.

Jacob, wearing a buttoned-up dark blue shirt and with his back to the audience, composed on the 2-foot synthesizer and keyboard, fusing the garage guitar riffs with waves of orchestral tones. He turned around to face the crowd and gestured with slow waves of the arms as if an indie conductor shaping the musical performance.

The reverb filled the floor and Jonathan, wrapped in his red letterman jacket, pumped the crowd with lively dance moves and sporadic mic swings that mixed with his melancholic and emotive lyrics.

There was a sense of intimacy with the crowd, something of which Jonathan noted as a characteristic of Drums fans in Asia: "They seem to be absorbing what we're putting out and it makes the show for us more meaningful. When we’ve been to Japan or China the kids just seem more attentive and really appreciate what’s going on. We can connect more with kids who are a bit more subtle with their enthusiasm, which is how we are."