27th October
Òran Mór
Slow Club have been a household name in indie pop-rock circles for almost a decade. Forming in 2009, the Sheffield duo, Rebecca Taylor and Charles Watson, seem fitting for Glasgow’s iconic Òran Mór. Their sound has changed dramatically since their early days. Their twee harmonies on Yeah So (2009) and Paradise (2011), which helped to cement their popularity, have been replaced with a darker country sound with Taylor’s voice dominating the new LP, One Day All of This Won’t Matter Any More.
Tonight, Slow Club are supported by North London’s all-female Girl Ray, who were recently signed to Moshi Moshi Records. The girls command the stage with an audience smaller than they deserve. They are quirky and cool, and their sound is reminiscent of Cate Le Bon, whom they have also named as one of their influences alongside Neutral Milk Hotel and Pavement. Although not everyone is watching them, they are a fitting supporting act for Slow Club. As their short set comes to an end, it is clear why critics are giving Girl Ray so much attention.
As Slow Club eventually emerge to a packed crowd, it is evident that they have amassed a whole new set of fans. The audience has more than doubled since Girl Ray performed and they take little time to launch into tracks from their new album, One Day All of This Won’t Matter Any More. They kick off with with ‘Come on Poet’ and ‘Ancient Rolling Sea’.
It is instantly obvious that the new material seems to be changing the way the two connect with each other. The harmonies are infrequent, albeit beautiful when they happen, and Taylor and Watson stand far apart rarely looking at each other. Their tracks feel different too. As they dip into what Taylor calls the “golden oldies from the vault”, the crowd starts roaring. ‘Beginners’ gets the biggest reaction. It gives a glimpse of the old Slow Club, but the connection is short-lived as Taylor takes the lead in the beautiful new track, ‘Rebecca Casanova’.
The pair are extremely talented multi-instrumentalists. Taylor takes a turn on the drums mid-way through the set, whilst Watson plays keys during the encore. It’s an unusual set-up, but it seems to work. As the set is nearing its end, Watson takes the lead vocal on ‘Tattoo of the King’. The beautiful country-folk sounding ‘In Waves’ gets an even bigger reaction. The band has matured but nobody seems to mind. By the end of the set, it is clear that Slow Club are not going anywhere. The crowd are begging for more, but they’ll have to wait. The band hit Edinburgh this December.