Featured image and gallery: Freya Barber
“It matters where you are,” Slowdive vocalist Neil Halstead’s voice quivers in anticipation of the ensuing euphoria. 2,600 eager concert goers revel in the brief reprieve before being engulfed by the deafening chorus of ‘When The Sun Hits’. Having completed ten nights of a UK headline tour, Slowdive are playing their curtain call to a full to capacity Manchester Academy.
Upon the band’s arrival, the projection facing the crowd seemingly cracks and shatters into an infinite abyss of neon triangle shapes. The opener, ‘Shanty’ from their new Everything is Alive album, draws comparisons to Brian Eno, whilst retaining the muddied beauty synonymous with shoegaze.
This being only their third album since 1994, the five-piece are keen to incorporate elements of their later material into the setlist. ‘Kisses’, the band’s first single in six years, is a begrudgingly romantic song. Bassist Nick Chaplin earns his flowers with a finicky bassline that pays sonic homage to New Order.
There’s a lack of aloft phone cameras, presumably a result of the entrancing nature of the music coupled with the audience’s age demographic. Of those standing in silent admiration, many will have been teenagers when Slowdive released their first three records in the early 1990s. In recognition of their decades-spanning fanbase, the band play a hand-picked selection of aged songs, including ‘Crazy For You’ from 1995’s Pygmalion.
“It’s very nice to be back in Manchester.” For a frontwoman of few words, Rachel Goswell knows just the right ones to say. The chameleon-esque backdrop behind her camouflages itself as a static TV screen, flickering in frenzied shades of blue, red and green. Goswell resumes the role of lead vocalist for ‘Souvlaki Space Station’, a well received albeit ghostly offering from their 1994’s classic, Souvlaki. There’s an air of sombre contemplation amongst the crowd, compounded by closed eyelids and gently nodding heads.
Regaling us with a boozy anecdote about their second album, the band close out the set with more familiar material. The first of the ensuing Souvlaki triple header is ‘Alison’, which prompts a mumbled singalong smattered throughout the audience. ‘When The Sun Hits’ and ‘40 Days’ follow, the former prompting a scramble among onlookers to fumble for their mobile phone cameras. It’s to the credit of Neil Halstead’s moving songwriting that, 30 years on from their release, the songs from Souvlaki maintain a distinct timeless sheen.
A drawn out encore in traditional fashion spurs chants for “One more song!” from the Mancunian attendees. Predictably, the five band members return for renditions of ‘Sugar for the Pill’ and ‘Dagger’. The latter is brooding and morbid, a seldom heard moment of relative stillness.
Slowdive go out on a high with their cover of ‘Golden Hair’, a touching tribute to Syd Barrett. It’s a testament to the band’s humility that they should choose to dedicate a share of the plaudits to the late Pink Floyd guitarist. With this being the finale of their triumphant lap of the UK, Slowdive continue to prove that they’ve still got skin in the game.
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