Slow Club hold the raw talents of not one, but two sublime voices, each of whom bring not only their own styles and personality to a song but when the two collaborate together, a sound is created which goes beyond the usual realms of harmonies.

Tonight starts off with one of the more unusual acts I've ever seen, certainly deserving a very credited place in this review. The Pictish Trail is a singer-songwriter from the Isle Of Eigg, who brings fast witted comedy intertwined with a never-ending sense of death and destruction. Vocalist, Johnny Lynch, was unfortunately in a car crash on his way down to play the show tonight, despite the traumatic experience he soldiered though and made it to the venue unharmed, just ten minutes before his set. This lack of preparedness was not enough to stop The Pictish Trail still bringing some hilarious jokes and range of vocal softness which goes above and beyond expectations. His set felt more like an improv comedy night, making frequent references to his near death experience and creating ad-libbed lyrics which made the entirety of the audience laugh hysterically. The songs themselves are engaging and despite the overtones of death and gloom, are bizarrely soothing and entrancing. The combination of all these things has easily made The Pictish Trail the best support act I've seen this year.

When Slow Club begin, the first thing you notice is just how in sync this band are; being founded over a decade ago, it is no wonder that these guys know each other’s talents inside and out. As vocalist Rebecca Taylor begins, her passion is vast, she is able to not only softly serenade us but is able to blast notes of a calibre many wouldn't dare attempt. The most interesting and unique thing about this band comes when Charles Watson, the band’s other guitarist and vocalist, takes the lead. His vocals, whilst a drastically different style to Rebecca’s, are able to equally match the same quality, giving Slow Club an edge over many bands today. Thus, when the two combine their equally glorious voices, they create an all new force which propels the songs into a far higher level of listening than expected.

As Rebecca says “Here’s a golden one from the vault”, the fan favorite ‘Tears Of Joy’ is played. At this point that the entirety of the room is filled with a gentle swaying and bopping to the peaceful tones this song capitalises on, the entire band too up their energy as the catchy chorus and psychedelic instrumentals carry track, definitely a highlight of the evening.

Being a band with over a decade of material, across five albums, to choose from, Slow Club perfectly incorporate a variety of their early material as well as giving a nice demonstration of the ways in which the newer numbers hold a lot more depth. Tracks from the newest album, such as ‘Tattoo Of A King’, offer an almost funky sound whilst an others such as ‘In Waves’, stresses more of a western ballad feel. This variation is what makes Slow Club so infectious, as they possess material which covers such a wide plethora of musical stylings and so there is always something for nearly everyone.

Another perhaps surprising talent this band hold, is the notion that each member is a multi instrumentalist. It throws me completely when Rebecca and the band’s session drummer switch places and play as though it were second nature and nothing to take note of, this also stressed that, as much as a talented singer as Rebecca is, she is an equally impressive drummer.

The evening ends with an encore to the slower power ballad ‘Suffering You, Suffering Me’ and offers a perfect crescendo to the evening as Rebecca unleashes the last of her longer powerful notes, leaving the stage having inflicted shivers into everyone in the room.

The phrase “You cant teach an old dog new tricks” comes to mind when thinking of Slow Club, except proving the opposite. This duo, through their long history together, still have a lot to offer audiences as they master a variety of styles which many will find engaging and highly enjoyable. Each release from this band has always been a vast development on the previous sound without fail and constantly promotes a fresh listen. From a live perspective, I actually feel Slow Club excel what their recorded releases offer and would more than recommend that those with the chance to see Slow Club, take the opportunity as quickly as possible.
Ben Walker

Website: slowclubband.com
Facebook: facebook.com/slowclub
Twitter: twitter.com/SLOWCLUBHQ