Slowdive - s/t (2017): let's rejoice, shall we?

out on 5 May!

https://www.secretlystore.com/resources/product/380/doc132-380.jpg

“It felt like we were in a movie that had a totally implausible ending...”

Slowdive’s second act as a live blockbuster has already been rapturously received around the world. Highlights thus far include a festival-conquering, sea-of-devotees Primavera Sound performance, of which Pitchfork noted: “The beauty of their crystalline sound is almost hard to believe, every note in its perfect place.”

“It was just nice to realise that there was a decent amount of interest in it,” says principal songwriter Neil Halstead. The UK shoegaze pioneers have now channelled such seemingly impossible belief into a fourth studio opus which belies his characteristic modesty. Self-titled with quiet confidence, Slowdive’s stargazing alchemy is set to further entrance the faithful while beguiling a legion of fresh ears.

Deftly swerving what co-vocalist/guitarist Rachel Goswell terms “a trip down memory lane”, these eight new tracks are simultaneously expansive and the sonic pathfinders’ most direct material to date. Birthed at the band’s talismanic Oxfordshire haunt The Courtyard – “It felt like home,” enthuses guitarist Christian Savill – their diamantine melodies were mixed to a suitably hypnotic sheen at Los Angeles’ famed Sunset Sound facility by Chris Coady (perhaps best known for his work with Beach House, one of countless contemporary acts to have followed in Slowdive’s wake).

“It’s poppier than I thought it was going to be,” notes Halstead, who was the primary architect of 1995‘s previous full-length transmission Pygmalion. This time out the group dynamic was all-important. “When you’re in a band and you do three records, there’s a continuous flow and a development. For us, that flow re-started with us playing live again and that has continued into the record.”

Drummer and loop conductor Simon Scott enhanced the likes of ‘Slomo’ and ‘Falling Ashes’ with abstract textures conjured via his laptop’s signal processing software. A fecund period of experimentation with “40-minute iPhone jams” allowed the unit to then amplify the core of their chemistry. “Neil is such a gifted songwriter, so the songs won. He has these sparks of melodies, like ‘Sugar For The Pill’ and ‘Star Roving’, which are really special. But the new record still has a toe in that Pygmalion sound. In the future, things could get very interesting indeed.”

This open-channel approach to creativity is reflected by Slowdive’s impressively wide field of influence, from indie-rock avatars to ambient voyagers – see the tribute album of cover versions released by Berlin electronic label Morr Music. As befits such evocative visionaries, you can also hear Slowdive through the silver screen: New Queer Cinema trailblazer Gregg Araki has featured them on the soundtracks to no less than four of his films.

“When I moved to America in 2008 I was working in an organic grocery store,” recalls Christian. “Kids started coming in and asking if it was true I had played in Slowdive. That’s when I started thinking, ‘OK, this is weird!’”

Neil Halstead: “We were always ambitious. Not in terms of trying to sell records, but in terms of making interesting records. Maybe, if you try and make interesting records, they’re still interesting in a few years time. I don’t know where we’d have gone if we had carried straight on. Now we’ve picked up a different momentum. It’s intriguing to see where it goes next.”

The world has finally caught up with Slowdive. This movie could run and run...

Tracklisting

Slomo
Star Roving
Don’t Know Why
Sugar For The Pill
Everyone Knows
No Longer Making Time
Go Get It
Falling Ashes

love all this pretending mojave 3 didn't exist

haha yeah - wonder how that feels like for Neil and Rachel

Well these first two releases are fabulous. This is most I've enjoyed a shoegaze release since "From What is Said to When it's Read" by Bark Psychosis.

haha yeah - wonder how that feels like for Neil and Rachel

― licorice oratorio (baaderonixx), Tuesday, 28 March 2017 10:28 (one hour ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

it ought to feel like something! anyway, spoon & rafter is the best album by either band

I like this more than I expected to - evolves their sound in a way I can respect.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BxwAPBxc0lU

i like that song a lot. sorta feels like the sound of pygmalion applied to a more traditional song structure (disclosure i've never listened to mojave 3)

Brad omg

Slightly duplicate thread. ;-)

Slowdive's 2017 album

Mojave 3 can be good. Can be.

(disclosure i've never listened to mojave 3)

This won't be a popular opinion but imo the last two albums were their best, one distended space folk and the other weirdly power-poppy?

also "Sugar for the Pill" is beautiful

it's practically Coldplay

mojave 3s best album was excuses for travellers

get to it

Don't mean to offend any Mojave 3 fans but this is the best to come out of their existence imho, vis-a-vis Ulrich Schnauss:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2LGfY0YGlkA

will have a listen tonight

the original track is good but not a fan of spoon and rafter

Live gig streaming now on facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Slowdive/videos/vb.27491437753/10155203295007754/?type=3&theater

i mean i love that ulrich schnauss version for sure but it's almost literally just reverb added to the original

new stuff sounding good on this stream

yeah new stuff fitting seamlessly with the classics

they gave that new single a little more muscle than the recording kinda

I was there. That was very good.

And now that some new songs have been heard -- I've heard an advance of the album, it's quite good. It's different from the previous three in a distinct way -- many of the songs are quite fast paced. Not *really* fast, but certainly in comparison to the steady swing and flow of the original albums, it's got a particular focus on pace that I think serves the album very well, and helps make this a distinct effort.

I don't think I've ever listened to Pygmalion, to be honest. The last thing by them I can remember getting were the 'In Mind' remixes. Is it worth seeking it out (22 years late)?

Very much so. It's quite remarkable.

I suspect this doesn't match the quality of the live stream: https://youtu.be/TJopgXE-MKU

Is there a thread suggesting key shoegaze albums for late period Boredoms fans to check out

Not yet at least.

maybe this???? https://www.discogs.com/Xinlisupreme-Tomorrow-Never-Comes/master/482671

is there a thread suggesting key sophistopop albums for late period andrew wk fans to check out

'Sugar for the Pill' sounds great. I'm getting quite excited for this now!

Yeah loving that song already and judging from the new material so far there is indeed is slightly muscular edge to their sound that is quite new. Can't wait

Excited for this album. These tracks rule.

Good interview: http://crackmagazine.net/article/music/features/slowdive-teenage-dreams-recovered/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C1mT_zipAHY

wow, they sound fantastic... maybe I need to fly up to Chicago for their show.

yeah, I don't really like Sugar Pill all that much. I kinda agree with Pygmalion comparisons but it's also a lot warmer, even poppier which is not a bad thing in itself but overall it sounds really generic, while Pygmalion had some sort of cold vibe which made it really interesting. I wish them all the best, MBV proved that you can come back really strong as a shoegaze band even though this genre is kind of intrinsically nostalgic, that's all fine if they want to evolve their sound, it's just not that great to me.

I don't know if the genre is 'intrinsically nostalgic,' or if it is, you might as well say that about a lot of music in general, whether it's rock or something else. In that there was often a perceived built in sense of retreat/reflection, that's one thing, but when you've got something like three generations of musicians now doing something with the form one way or another, is it nostalgia or extension? (Certainly, as with so much else, a lot of newer stuff simply recreates rather than fuses and inspires in new directions, but again, why hold them to particular account?)

I think I'd be down on a band for skewing towards relatively more generic composition but these new songs are hitting me so directly I can't really step back and nitpick.

I think "Sugar for the Pill" works in spite of its straightforward composition. The chorus has a haunting touch that hooked me on the first listen and keeps me relistening, but

it's practically Coldplay

is otm

that's your fault for listening to Coldplay, isn't it

always with the victim blaming around here

I don't know if the genre is 'intrinsically nostalgic,' or if it is, you might as well say that about a lot of music in general, whether it's rock or something else. In that there was often a perceived built in sense of retreat/reflection, that's one thing, but when you've got something like three generations of musicians now doing something with the form one way or another, is it nostalgia or extension? (Certainly, as with so much else, a lot of newer stuff simply recreates rather than fuses and inspires in new directions, but again, why hold them to particular account?)

I think the first Mojave 3 album is the best one. Very very gentle and the closing track is very Slowdive.

"Sugar For The Pill" sounds like it could have come from the Black Hearted Brother album, which I really liked

'Out of Tune' by Mojave 3 has ended up being one of my most loved albums. 'Excuses For Travellers' is also very good and the others have their moments.

The early Mojave 3 demos, that made up part of the first album were originally sent out under the Slowdive name. I was surprised to read that the first M3 album was released within 10 months of 'Pygmalion', it came together that quickly.

Would love a new Mojave 3 record one day, however I am looking forward to Slowdive too.

xp i agree, it has a very different feel from the others. it's like slowcore. very atmospheric, great lead guitar tones

The early Mojave 3 demos, that made up part of the first album were originally sent out under the Slowdive name. I was surprised to read that the first M3 album was released within 10 months of 'Pygmalion', it came together that quickly.

wow i didn't know this! will definitely have to dig into to m3

Sugar is something very special
And fuck the Coldplay comment because SD are 20 years older than them and experience counts for something

the first four mojave 3 albums are all great, I didn't care for the last one

Out of Tune was the first one I bought. Still listen to it the most though Ask Me Tomorrow is close behind.

These new songs are great.

I wasn't really sold on the singles but this album is great, it's a nice midpoint between Souvlaki and Pygmalion. highlights are probably "Go Get It" and "Don't Know Why"

Jealous of you guys hearing the album already! I can't wait

It's out there.. leaked super early

Rachel is going to be on KEXP tomorrow morning (John in the Morning show is doing an all shoegaze program 6-10 Pacific) if anyone has any interest.

So far, spectacular. No new ground broken here but as shoegaze records go by reformed bands go, it'll probably beat your expectations.

"Sugar For The Pill" is a gorgeous track

seeing them tomorrow! at a gorgeous newly renovated old 1920s theater with what's supposed to be an amazing sound system. saw them last time at the worst venue in mpls so i'm pretty stoked

Remix of "Sugar For the Pill" by Avalon Emerson -- not bad

https://soundcloud.com/deadoceans/slowdive-sugar-for-the-pill-avalon-emersons-gilded-escalation/s-5gxmk

Went to the show last night, no better or worse than the one I saw in 2014 (at the "worst venue in mpls"). Old hollowed out theater made for cool atmosphere, the sound was fine, and yet... my favorite of the reunited shoegaze bands I've seen is the one I've had the most trouble connecting with live. Just me?

cmon the fine line is pretty bad you have to admit

The quotes weren't meant to suggest I was questioning your judgment. I used to hate that place (for blasting Muse right before a Deerhunter set, and other crimes) but I've been to a lot of great shows there in the past few years.

'don't know why' is killing me

this is a damn good album. there's nothing as good as Alison, but as a whole it seems to be as good as any of their other albums.

not even close imo

i don't know how many times i've listened to 'don't know why' today, but it is a lot of fucking times, that is for sure

i had a very stupid and somewhat embarrasing thought about its structure - it's sort of like the lifecycle of a snowflake:
crystals forming on floating dust particles -> sudden blooming as flakes cohere -> the gradual surrender of melting -> final state of liquid non-being

poor sad snowflakes ;_;

this is a damn good album. there's nothing as good as Alison, but as a whole it seems to be as good as any of their other albums.

― brotherlovesdub, Friday, May 5, 2017 2:41 PM (yesterday) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

not even close imo

― imago, Friday, May 5, 2017 2:53 PM (yesterday) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

yeah, but how many albums have songs as good as Alison?

amazing record. I wasn't a huge fan of Slowdive back in the day so I'm comfortable asserting that "Star Roving" is as good as it gets.

Anybody even partially slagging this off is talking absolute nonsense. This is easily their third best album.

Pretty fantastic stuff.

i think this is easily better than pygmalion

i think it's their second best, frankly

i like this fine. I like all their albums in different ways, not so into ranking them.

very good comeback album

This album has grown on me a lot. I'm not sure where I'd rank it right now. It could well be my second favourite. The only song I'm not totally sold on is the last one. The way the, "thinking about love" bit overlaps near the end seems a bit clumsy and grates after a while. Everything up to that point is very enjoyable.

Dammit, I guess I really should hear this!! Is it better than the My Bloody Valentine comeback album?

yes (i didn't like mbv that much)

not remotely but give this a listen

My knee jerk reaction upon hearing mbv four years ago was basically, "Hmmph, guess they needed to wait for this sound to be fashionable again." Because it honestly sounded to me like the follow up recorded right after Loveless, just that they had waited to release it. As good as it is (and it **is** so good, so satisfying), it seemed kind of cold and calculated after the dust had settled.

But this new Slowdive, upon my knee jerk reaction, has me thinking it's a much more rewarding listen, just because of how it germinated and came to life. It feels to me a lot more. . . I don't know, earnest?

Both are really excellent records, but I think the comparisons between them stop at "shoegaze band that hasn't released a new album for a long time."

The only song I'm not totally sold on is the last one. The way the, "thinking about love" bit overlaps near the end seems a bit clumsy and grates after a while.

this is my only criticism of the album as well. though on my second listen through, it annoyed me less. i love everything else about that song

Good comeback album, but not as GREAT as Portishead's comeback.

this album is incredible

Doesn't seem to be on their main site yet but there's a live session over on Pitchfork's FB page:

https://www.facebook.com/Pitchfork/videos/vb.28015075999/10155179953621000/?type=2&theater

Saw them last night, and despite technical issues at the beginning, they were fantastic. The production was pretty impressive too, with a complex light show and a smoke machine that actually added to the concert experience without being corny

A board veteran disapproves. (Said veteran is wrong.)

I have done extensive research into the rock music of the 1990s and genuinely cannot comprehend why anyone cares much about Slowdive

— Matthew Perpetua (@perpetua) May 10, 2017

but he's done the research

he calibrates his hot takes with his devotion to Radiohead

Good comeback album, but not as GREAT as Portishead's comeback.

I agree with this sentiment. I think it was because Portishead evolved their style so much that it felt like a true followup and not a nostalgic look back to what once was. Really exciting record and they had a great live show to go with it, too. While this Slowdive album is certainly a progression, there's also a ton of nostalgia.

I guess Portishead are one and done with their comeback at this point. It's been what... nearly a decade since Third? Hope Slowdive has a few more in them.

Right. The problem is everyone else.

What's the phrase about how the truly insane people are that way because they have no grasp on how abnormal their own behavior is?

xpost, obviously.

Be on the lookout for "30th June", a 7.5 minute JP bonus track.

I guess Portishead are one and done with their comeback at this point. It's been what... nearly a decade since Third?

As part of a separate story I was interviewing Adrian Utley last week -- at the end of it I happily confessed to being a fan and said I was looking forward to whatever was next, but I didn't press him on it. Whatever happens does.

It's already nine years since Third? It feels like yesterday. When almost ten years seem like a year or so you are old, aren't you? From Dummy to Third felt like an eternity. And it was only 14 years?

but he's done the research

http://www.theonion.com/article/history-of-rock-written-by-the-losers-736

"Everyone Knows" is bliss distilled into aural form

"Third" was also great because it included one of their best tracks "The Rip"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gZiBd1iGC3o

the japanese bonus track has shown up. it's great and i wish it would have been on the album proper

It would have been funny if he's sung "thinkin' 'bout Slowdive" at the end of Falling Ashes over and over instead

he'd

Finally getting around to hearing this and very much enjoying it. Very good record.

The thing I keep hearing on the radio reminds me of China crisis.

Does anyone else think Neil sounds like Feargal Sharkey on Slomo?

"star roving" kinda reminds me of this

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iQar3ayLaP4

(a compliment)

^ The best thing Coldplay ever did.

agreed!

I've actually lost count of the amount of times I've listened to 'Star Roving' since Saturday.

having already played Star Roving and Sugar for the Pill a zillion times before the album came out, I'm now focusing on Slomo and Go Get It.

Suger for the Pill reminds me of John Maus.

When the drums come in during the intro on "Slomo" I'm reminded of "The Streets of Philadelphia".

The hidden track "Chinese Sleep Chant" was described as "a self-conscious parody of shoegaze" with My Bloody Valentine influences. Critics also noted the "wall of sound, heavily processed guitar-swirl and falsetto vocals through reverb."[4][5]

There's more shoegaze DNA in Coldplay than a lot of people would be comfortable admitting - I don't really remember anyone doing that chung-chung-chung straight strummed eight-notes in rock music before shoegaze. And while the differences don't need to be outlined, it does feel like early Coldplay took that blueprint - the lack of rhythmic interest, the aching-but-vague melancholy, and stripped out all the difficult or diffuse bits, simplified the textures and made it anthemic.

OTM

I've mentioned it awhile back but Star Roving sounds a lot like a sped up version of this:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0R5icZgqZ4s

I barely remember that song, sounds way better than I thought, I wasn't into that album much. Neil Halstead said he liked Serena Maneesh when that album came out.

Album of the Year, so far. i can't stop playing this thing. it's funny as i have seen Slowdive/Mojave 3 around 15 times and know they are one of my very favorite bands. did not think they would have an album this good after all this time, what 22 years? the new Jesus and Mary Chain is not even close to this album.

Slowdive tickets go on pre-sale tomorrow for Los Angeles at the Wiltern. officially go on-sale on Friday.

getting tickets tomorrow, it will be like my 16 time seeing either Slowdiver or Mojave 3. i can't tell you how excited i am about this show!

los angeles and joshua tree shows added to us tour!

Very happy to announce two new dates for our North American Fall tour! We will be playing LA @ The Wiltern and Joshua Tree @ Pappy & Harriet’s in October!

Tickets for LA and Joshua Tree go on sale Friday 28th July at 10am

All other remaining tickets are available now. Ticket links in the sidebar ->

Mon. Oct. 23 – Vancouver, BC @ The Commodore
Wed. Oct. 25 – Seattle, WA @ The Neptune *SOLD OUT*
Thu. Oct. 26 – Portland, OR @ Crystal Ballroom
Sat. Oct. 28 – Oakland, CA @ Fox Theater
Sun. Oct. 29 – Los Angeles, CA @ The Wiltern *NEW DATE*
Mon. Oct. 30 – Joshua Tree, CA @ Pappy & Harriet’s * NEW DATE*
Wed. Nov. 1 – Denver, CO @ The Ogden
Fri. Nov. 3 – Kansas City, MO @ The Truman
Sat. Nov. 4 – Madison, WI @ Barrymore Theatre
Sun. Nov. 5 – Chicago, IL @ Vic Theatre
Tue. Nov. 7 – Columbus, OH @ Newport Music Hall
Wed. Nov. 8 – Detroit, MI @ Majestic Theatre
Thu. Nov. 9 – Buffalo, NY @ Town Ballroom
Fri. Nov. 10 – Toronto, ON @ CANADA @ Massey Hall
Sat. Nov. 11 – New Haven, CT @ College St Music Hall
Sun. Nov. 12 – New York City, NY @ Terminal 5
Tue. Nov. 14 – Boston,MA @ Paradise
Wed. Nov. 15 – Philadelphia, PA @ Union Transfer
Thu. Nov. 16 – Baltimore, MD @ Ram’s Head
Fri. Nov. 17 – Asheville, NC @ The Orange Peel

Thank you for the reminder, got my Oakland ticket. Will be the first time seeing them since the reunion was announced -- had been waiting on them to do new material first.

agh gotta get my oakland ticket as well!!

Getting Wiltern tickets too. Probably Pappy & Harriets too since the show is on my birthday but holy hell there were a lot of boring adult hipsters out there last time.

I'm still bemused a bit that a band I last saw at a small show at Cal State Fullerton's pub will be at a rather larger venue.

got oakland tix as well... thanks for the reminder

They were great at Roskilde earlier this month. Enjoy!

I'm still bemused a bit that a band I last saw at a small show at Cal State Fullerton's pub will be at a rather larger venue.

Ha! I was at that show too.

I figured! The three times I saw them back then would have been opening for Ride mid-92 (this was after they had first cancelled opening for Blur in 91, then the falling through of the joint tour with Cranes earlier in 92), then opening for Catherine Wheel mid-93 and finally said Fullerton show. Great each time, it must be said.

First time for me since LA show at the Roxy in 93!

i just bought six tix to the Wiltern, happy!

baaderonixx i was also at that show. they are so, so good live. it was the drummer that made Slowdive special live. i hope it is the same guy this time around?

I'm still bemused a bit that a band I last saw at a small show at Cal State Fullerton's pub will be at a rather larger venue.

lol i think i was too

anyways i'm obsessed with Don't Know Why atm

I think the drummer is really creative with the way his part supplements the shift in feeling without changing too much about his approach. Namely his snare is really nervous and antsy as the song builds towards a release, and when that happens it retains a similar shuffle but feels more triumphant in the same way the rest of the instrumentation loosens up as well at that moment. Like the feeling of rushing towards the end of the tunnel and then suddenly hitting the sunlight.

Hollywood, California October 29, 2017:

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/4CWB3oOZLRVptFpkFjTMd_ExqRVxsHLXG9GVamY0HQPvDr67epOAptkTVHF3t6NPbSBDjju6QbKSTMN9xCJMkxXyQHVCtVSWgPj4oKYFiV0lTcCOgzb_Hr65yPasnzbK3hNE31uYj1UN8uqJ1sREqQlRbfuWlHJ-yxEFcZkdz_I7i-xCfbSSUJ4-FkDTzTCXN-MAWBh67kRQPx9Ou2vZvlk5MS5KzomjXGZWVFZfRgegRLIR3tiAcwj58CdHyBmMwZKpnuTSw06XGpIy3lCt9xBDT5rcf3fk7AjgU7Un-1EA9BZKQYEqVEBDJhG1MmSaLWcatnlg4TIAiW_wQpP53CaGQQlERwaV42u3obpGmKWRZLMPg-DdJH9SYJSzzXj2lBUgz8zt8QVQYRxL9mfErrC3YeLt0fKhc1skFRwp2tkyw8uf0OApdwSMd5dgRvuKQ-TIVB5hxCR2RePDxPjf0HNitDVDpQk9qcUy-v4uQnXKS0vp3mu7isA_0HsvoKu0cdtmm2fCbi9SiDhCWICTFAKpZoecMpPbOkl45czZqnlBXTSnxl9lchO4xYccZJlzgAHmy-JxluwXY1FOAQyni96uDt93zT7KL3OPCwe1HQ=w507-h901-no

try again:
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/OnvQEKpEktkWARgbhhm4WMzwybo9WEfQyPR2ohVlLbJQBm94C6Qdh40xSbmalFXxlCmfm7yfu9NzltcSayhvz9S4uVtFXJ-W-AN4mfGSzLx4TNP9dPJZrrNPi6fwp4UJZI5PFDnWn2a-BvAqptxRMVdNEmvpyPnpwmDMuK3xUSv3FkPAxwn2sch_rATSF7bWeHV861wgnAjlJ3eCdmRuPobzcQ4wJcIlk9AvfWqVstH4H-FufMG__gRg8l1c8vrBBSVDqOQShsIu4TOUwo_-U1nR5tKuRsXsfJeetmV6R6JJnoKHhCns1NQCTW8ysEsC6VMef7yfmEQJWYbDEOHS1z4hokjUrXB_wwr6JIq5yi0tmx2U8EN23tL_s90Cwt2H8PenGWhcPYcirHJheo5-Eh6CuFJhc_Gi5B8qKiNqbz9OBAKQsh8cSvp8-KkOvFz7NQsmS5dH_XIpEr2LSzGdS7sBwe_RmrhOpY2WDR1wlsgepkrmquWQiMYuAWi1a-78_6aMJoZkNygCh44Wla5SXgmblK8eaC0S6rchtqDoNM0xsFg2dhClnWVZUy9AZr_LMvZL07_LX8RLfSkNmHypm_mz-916yhMbHPE4zZ5oysVD0MyKR_tazC5ZPDovI3U4rVEDwnk9mnbGqY08koG3OyJH1eB4LOKaeHw=w535-h950-no

Finally heard this album, it's quite lovely. "Slomo" is one of their best ever tracks I think, it has such a restless, haunting air to it. I could listen to it for a long long time

I haven't listened to this album for ages... gonna have to sort that today!

I'll be at that Wiltern show too.

Saw them live recently. One of the best shows i've seen. Fantastic.

countdown four days and counting...

I re-listened to this today and enjoyed it quite a hell of a lot.

i know, i'm really looking forward to this show. i also got like eight of us going too, going to be a fun night. Cherry Glazer is opening and she opened for Spoon earlier this year. she rocked thou i only caught like three songs.

this album sounds beautiful on a sunny, crisp fall morning

this is my Slowdive weekend in 2017

Seeing the show tomorrow, should be fun!

Missed the show. When I was 20 I used to listen to souvlaki at a brick house in the suburbs of Langley. Used
To write there. That album saved me

Going to see them tonight. Guessing Ned will also be there! Saw them a couple years ago at the Warfield in SF and they were amazing, but definitely broke a few guitar strings in the process.

Enjoy octo

awesome show at the fox in oakland tonight. never seen them live ... pretty overwhelming sonic and visual experience. more please.

Yeah while it was a real treat to see them back when (92, 93, 94), they were either openers or in a very tiny venue. Seeing them with a big crowd and that really great light/film setup felt so well deserved. And yes, great show indeed.

agreed, fantastic. that warfield show was only last year btw (with Low opening); low were obv a better opener than cherry glazzer (who I do not like aside from their keyboardist); but this set from slowdive I think was much better than that one, they seem very baked in, much more comfortable being slowdive again.

also the s/t album rules, anyone who derided it above is crazy

Yeah I missed the earlier reunion tour but I wasn't too fussed because I'd already see the band do most of that stuff already -- I wanted to get a sense of where they were at now instead. So the combination of a great new album -- and the generally more uptempo feel of five or six songs they played from it helped leaven the set's generally stately progression -- plus being settled into a 'okay we are back and doing stuff we're now immediately engaged in,' combined with how they played with the arrangements of the classics -- "Crazy For You," "Dagger" and "Golden Hair" were particularly transformed -- paid off.

Arrived right when the opening band was finishing up so sounds like I timed it well.

Muttered this on Facebook as well but:

* a very young crowd! Not entirely but the vast majority of people around me up front clearly were born around when the band was first touring/releasing things.

* Having Eno cuts from Apollo opening and closing the set was a nice touch -- and fully earned given his work with them on Souvlaki

* As soon as "When the Sun Hits" started most of the people around me immediately proceeded to light up/vape. Which even though I've never done either actually did seem like the right move at the time.

(Also, last year? The first reunion tour was 2014, I wasn't living here yet.)

Also: I was amused by the blatant pill/drug animation at one point -- almost seemed more Spiritualized -- due to the markings on the capsule: 'SD 1-989' -- ie, Slowdive 1989, when they formed.

Jealous. Had my tickets but gig coincided with arrival of new baby. Hope I’ll get another chance

i was at the oakland show last night as well! made this 25-year-old's teenage dream come true seeing them! wept all of my tears when they opened the set with "slomo." would've been even more incredible if low were the openers (no shade to cherry glazerr).

Yeah I really appreciated how they started the set with that -- exactly what I would have done, don't bother with an old favorite first. And it was very well done.

Saw them in Israel about 2 months ago and it was one of the best showsi've seen

a very young crowd! Not entirely but the vast majority of people around me up front clearly were born around when the band was first touring/releasing things

I saw them at The Roundhouse (in London) the other week and overheard a couple of people talking - one said he hadn't seen them since 1991 and the other replied that he hadn't even been born then. Also, I don't remember them ever headlining such a big venue first time around, so they've definitely picked up a lot of new fans.

Just bought tix for Chicago - stoked - last time I saw them was Town & Country in London while studying abroad in 1990.

Which gig? I saw them twice at the Town & Country in 1990, both times they were the support group (for Ride and then for the Pale Saints).

With Ride - I literally re-turned in papers from my previous American college semester at my school - Christchurch college in Canterbury - just so I could go to shows and travel!

wow i guess that show was three years ago. it didn't seem that long to me. yikes.

OCT 29, 2017

at Wiltern Theatre, Los Angeles, CA

intro.) Deep Blue Day (Brian Eno song)
1. Slomo
2. Slowdive
3. Crazy for You
4. Star Roving
5. Souvlaki Space Station
6. Avalyn
7. Catch the Breeze
8. Don't Know Why
9. Blue Skied an' Clear
10. When the Sun Hits
11. Alison
12. Sugar for the Pill
13. Golden Hair (Syd Barrett cover)

Encore:

14. No Longer Making Time
15. Dagger
16. 40 Days

it was such an amazing night, it made my heart burst. was my favorite gig of this year over The Jesus and Mary Chain. they were so much more psychedelic this time around or after twenty something odd years. one thing i will say is that i'm so happy for Slowdive. they have come such a long way. as others have said in this thread, they had a bunch of young kids at the show, meaning they are gaining new fans. well deserved. i can't really explain how incredible this night was, special time to be alive.

one of their highlights:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cXD6tMrlXq8

posted the Bay Area one by mistake but you get it.

Thanks for posting that clip from the Oakland show. Golden Hair was so intense and magical.

Yup, quite striking. And looks like they have a standard set list but it's a good one, though with a little variety ("Catch the Breeze" was fourth up here).

It's a shame they don't play Morningrise.

only song I wanted to hear that was missing was machine gun. oh well can't have everything.

i really like this album a lot :)

man that's a great setlist, i would've cried at that show

ok im sold. got tickets for the 12th

have a great time.

Just to continue the theme, they were amazing in Denver on the 1st. I think the crowd trended older here, hard to say, underage balcony was not overflowing. same songs as for everyone else. I'd agree that Golden Hair is a particular highlight, but the new rockin' verson of 'crazy for you' is also pretty exciting maybe it was just the bang surprise that got me. simon scott is amazing and rachel seems a much better singer these days, is it her time in that dreadful rock band of hers that had made the improvement notable?

Her solo stuff?

She sings for a band called minor victories which as a band isn’t really all that interesting to me but she sings well.

Disagree. The Minor Victories album is really great and worth checking out.

I am a big fan of both Twilight Sad and new Slowdive and I thought that Minor Victories album was very predictable and boring

Back on tour in the US in a couple of months and playing SF in late May at the Fillmore. That'll be a great show for sure.

i know, crazy. they're spoiling us!

Quite surprised I couldn't get into this album. I was totally enthralled by "Don't Know Why" but despite enjoying things about them (although I did find some of the riffs a bit plain) the rest of the album just never clicked.

Not getting into the new Slowdive album sounds like a nightmare scenario but I'm dealing with it calmly. I'll give it more spins in a year.

Totally with you on "Don't Know Why" being the obvious standout.

god this album is so good

Not seeing this band when they played the Newport Music Hall in Columbus last year just because it was standing room only was a HUGE mistake.

saw them last month and it was pretty damn good... but word is they'll be doing lots more touring in the near future.

I also saw them last month, and they had lost their guitar pedals in the airport, lol. Slowdive with borrowed guitar pedals they aren't really sure how to use is an intense experience.

Listening to this wonderful album today, wondering if there'll be a follow-up. What've the various members been up to the last couple of years?

Rachel's had a side project release with her partner this year.

...which has never been named on ILM: The Soft Cavalry (Rachel and her husband Steve Clarke) is solid but leaves me wanting more of Rachel's voice.

they've confirmed they're playing new material live this year, hopefully that means we'll start hearing about the new album very soon too.

i've got a ticket to see them with modest mouse & tfs in april, very much looking forward to that

confirmed on instagram that the new album is complete

Awesome. Absolutely loved the 2017 album, so I’m pumped for this.

Fantastic. Hope they will tour as well. The show supporting the 2017 album was brilliant.

For sure. Low opened up here, love an awesome double bill.

listings were accidentally put up early for the new album everything is alive out september 1. eight tracks including "shanty", "prayer remembered", "alife", "andalucia plays" and "kisses". according to the press release they've incorporated more electronics into their sound and john cale is cited as an influence

looking forward to seeing them next month after they cancelled the tour last minute in april