Forum Theatre, Melbourne
Thursday February 8, 2018 :
There was a buzz in the air as I stepped into Melbourne’s spectacular Forum Theatre – Slowdive were about to play their first headline show in the Victorian capital. For some people, this was a gig that they thought they would never attend – myself included. In fact, on a trip to New York City last year I took up the opportunity to see Slowdive as I never thought I’d see them in my home country. The anticipation was immense.
The stage soon erupted into a reverberating wall of sound as they glimmering guitar riffs of ‘Slomo’ began to float through the air. The crowd swelled – full of new and old fans. Although it has been 22 years between albums, the band’s new material has proven to be worth the wait and the show’s opener is a stellar example of the bands evolution.
As the band began to move through the set – comprised of both old favourites and tracks from the bands 2017 self-titled release – I began to really understand what makes Slowdive so magic: the interplay between Neil Halstead’s and Rachel Goswell’s vocals. They melt perfectly into the atmospheric and shimmering instrumentation of the bands back catalogue.
The familiar bubbling introduction of ‘When The Sun Hits’ sent the crowd into an absolute state. Everyone began swaying together to the bands dense sound, each hit of the snare drum jolting through every bone, of every person in the room.
For me, the absolute highlight of the night was the slow, reflective rendition of ‘Dagger’ from the bands 1993 masterpiece Souvlaki. The performance truly floored me.
While some bands simply lose their magic over time, the return of Slowdive has been nothing short of epic. Let’s hope it’s not another 22 years before they re-emerge.
Reviewer and Photographer: Cormack O’Connor
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