REVIEW: SLOW CLUB AT BRISTOL COOLER (25/09/11)
Slow Club seemed genuinely surprised by the amount of people packed into the Cooler to see them, but between the date of the original gig at the start of the year and this postponed date, people have come to know and love their new album Paradise – which they showcased at this here gig.
Sheffield has always been a breeding ground for fab music. From The Human League to Pulp and Arctic Monkeys to…Slow Club. With a similar dynamic to Baltimore’s Wye Oak (talented girl boy duo) they command the stage with the same vigour, Rebecca movind effortlessly between drums, guitar and vocals. Though clearly her USP is her voice. The range of vocals she showcases in this short set is awesome, from the soft and husky tones of Katie Melua to the energetic, indie pop of Amy Mcdonald right through to the more edgy She Keeps Bees style indie folk. And it’s all excellent.
Their new album, Paradise, proved a big hit with the dancing girls and old dudes down the front and showcased a more diverse side of the band. With songs like The Dog, Beginners and Hackney Marsh sounding refreshingly different from each other – with hitns of The Cure, Joy Division and Fleet Foxes littered throughout. But it was Never Look Back which really shone through, a catchy indie ballad with the sentiment to match.
Unlike Florence, Kate Gash and Marina Diamond douche, Rebecca doesn’t need to don hotpants and fancy headdresses to command attention. Her laid back dress sense and signature, indie geek dance moves make for compelling watching. And Charles’ understated Deertick esque cool combined with some Iron and Wine -flavoured vocals, compliment this perfectly. Whether it was the sound or some other factor, it did look in parts that Charles was miming and it wasn’t until the second half of the set that you realised he had been singing all along, it’s just his voice is so impressively falsetto in places you thought it was Rebecca singing.
For this gig, the duo enlist the help of support Sweet Baboo to add some girth to the set with supplementary drums (on top of Rebecca’s mesmerising, almost tribal, front of stage, drum bashing efforts), bass guitar and even saxophone. It really did add something to the set, but ultimately, the show was about Rebecca and Charles. This was deliberately punctuated with older songs, such as Giving Up On Love and Come In Youth from their 2009 debut Yeah So, with Rebecca conceding that they wouldn’t just be airing their new material so not to drive people away. But they need not have worried, as the new album sounds even better than the first. Less twee, more intrigue.
A cursory glance at the crowd reveals that Slow Club have the staying factor, with such an impressive range of fans – from twee Oriental girls to old Prog Rock dudes and 30-something Britpop die hards to Skins-esque scenesters, there were all types in the Cooler for this Slow Club gig, which felt sold out even though technically it wasn’t. Must’ve been the buzz.
Words: Laura Williams
Photo and video: Yatin Amin
