Letting the Sun Hit With Slowdive at Royal Oak Music Theatre

Richey Edwards from the historic Brit Pop band “Manic Street Preachers” once famously was reported to claim “I hate Slowdive more than Hitler.” In 1993, Dave Simpson, a journalist under now defunct British Publication “Melody Maker” once stated “I would rather drown choking in a bath full of porridge than ever listen to it again” regarding Slowdive’s 1993 release ‘Souvlaki.’

 

 

And yet, 35 years later, British shoegaze band Slowdive has amassed critical acclaim from the likes of The Times, Pitchfork, The Guardian, Consequence… the list goes on. It’d be hard to quantify how many top 100 and top 10 lists that Slowdive tends to fall on for shoegaze and experimental rock and ambient music in the common era. 

 

 

Though quite often kicked to the curb during the early days of the band and after a 19-year hiatus, the band has come to their strongest state yet with a self-titled record released in 2017 and most recently their record “everything is alive” released in 2023. On November 23rd, 2024 they completed an on/off run of the US with their last stop being Royal Oak Music Theater in Royal Oak, Michigan. During the 1 hour and 25-minute run on stage, Slowdive neatly put Royal Oak under a warm blanket of hypnotic sounds and visuals with a set that covered both new and old material. The renowned British shoegaze band successfully displayed what 35 years of making music adds up to. 

 

 

Starting off their set with a deep cut from the discography of past collaborator legendary experimental artist Brian Eno, the sounds of the song “Deep Blue Day” filled the walls of the theater with an optimistic yet hazy tone that would only continue as the band took a straight nose dive through their own discography for the 16 songs. Hitting deep cuts such as “Crazy For You” and “Catch The Breeze” while simultaneously drawing the crowd in with their more popular tracks “When The Sun Hits” and “Sugar For The Pill” in a masterfully crafted set list that seemed to be ever sonically ever-expanding, even in the slowest and most calm moments. From the combination of duo singer team Rachel Goswell and guitarist Neil Halsted, and Slowdive’s established reverse reverb sound, the band held a tone that was as nostalgic as it was alluring. 

 

 

This feeling was accented by the unique set design, most notable for the large projector overlay used as a backdrop. Clips of old footage played in reverse were mixed with more modern animated visuals that could only be compared to the visuals one might see while staring at a computer screensaver while on copious amounts of acid. 

 

 

 

 

Performances like this are special in a certain sort of way. Slowdive successfully manages to take themselves completely out of the equation. While physically on stage, sets are much more about a feeling than an energy. An Aura, an emotion that you feel like you are falling directly into rather than observing. It’s like the feeling one gets when first falling in love with someone; a warm caress of the soul. The band’s sound is most well described as being “textured”, with multiple guitar and synth tracks softly lying atop each other. At the same time, the rhythm section is left open and airy, allowing more room for the melodies to continuously build upon one another. In a live setting, the band takes full opportunity to elaborate on this by having their sound reverberate and grow off the confines of the theater itself. Not once did this band feel muffled or constrained by any technical limitations. 

 

 

Slowdive is a band that shouldn’t be missed out on. Aside from the incredibly rare chance one might get to see them with their infrequent touring of the United States, they are an experience truly unlike no other. While they may have inspired many that came after, Slowdive is able to prove that to this day, they are simply the best to do it. 

 

 

Support Slowdive by streaming their newest album “everything is alive” on all streaming platforms and by visiting their website at slowdiveofficial.com

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