slowdive: classic or dud?

oh wow, i have seen Slowdive like eight times and would love to see them again. Mojave 3 like five times. what news, thanks Ned as i will have to see this show.

And they're back indeed, from tonight in London:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KlZM2JwVtiE

Try that again

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KlZM2JwVtiE

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t6IQnMWRSew

And a setlist here: https://www.facebook.com/DecayFM/photos/a.384279701582515.100712.369708673039618/808147132529101/?type=1

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fbHpDRYw56M

Blue Skied An' Clear. So good.

Friends went and have been raving on Facebook

(Was a secret gig ahead of tonight's(?) official comeback gig)

They will also be playing in Germany next month at the Wave Gotik Treffen in Leipzig.

and primavera (sp?) in a week or so.

Entire show...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8668KWHeSeI

i read that Rachel Goswell is partially deaf.

does it mean the sound of the shows will be relatively quiet?

sounding great

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dsn9oQvZGhI

Haha, so Slowdive are now posting their various pedal boards! They've started with Rachel's

https://scontent-b.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-prn2/t1.0-9/10257041_10152506345687754_4471334917264928557_n.jpg

All pedals coming from Joe's Pedals: joespedals.com

amazingly detailed breakdowns of their boards (including illustrations) from their prime:

http://www.guitargeek.com/neil-halstead-slowdive-1993-guitar-rig-and-gear-setup-diagram/
http://www.guitargeek.com/rachel-goswell-slowdive-1993-guitar-rig-and-gear-setup-diagram/
http://www.guitargeek.com/christian-savill-slowdive-1993-guitar-rig-and-gear-setup-diagram/

Rachel's has gotten more complex, I see.

And a new promo photo

http://pbs.twimg.com/media/BpX9OQIIcAAkSvR.png

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/BpX9OQIIcAAkSvR.png

Neil looks like a psychotic killer

"North America was good to Slowdive back in the 1990s," the band said in a press release. "The fact that the last Slowdive concert was performed in Toronto (at Lee's Palace) in 1994 is poignant. It felt like we were playing to people who 'got it' and some of our favourite performances were on those tours. We have a special connection to our audience in North America and we can't wait to return in 2014!"

Slowdive:

07-16 Padova, Italy - Radar Festival
07-18 Suffolk, England - Latitude Festival
07-20 Chicago, IL - Pitchfork Music Festival
07-23 Taipei, Taiwan - The Wall
07-25 Niigata Prefecture, Japan - Fuji Rock Festival
07-26 Shanghai, China - Qianshuiwan Culture and Arts Center
07-28 Hong Kong - Rotunda 3
07-31 Singapore - The Ground Theatre
08-03 Katowice, Poland - Off Festival
08-07-09 Göteborg, Sweden - Way Out West
08-08-10 Helsinki, Finland - Flow Festival
08-09 Oslo, Norway - Oya
08-14 Hasselt, Belgium - Pukkelpop Festival
08-15 St. Malo, France - La Route du Rock Festival
08-23 Los Angeles, CA - FYF Fest
08-29-31 Stradbally, Ireland - Electric Picnic
09-09 Geneva, Switzerland - La Batie
10-22 Washington, DC - 9:30 Club
10-23 Philadelphia, PA - Union Transfer
10-25 New York, NY - Terminal 5
10-26 Boston, MA - Royale
10-27 Montreal, Quebec - Le National
10-28 Toronto, Ontario - Opera House
10-30 Chicago, IL - The Vic
10-31 Minneapolis, MN - Fine Line
11-03 Vancouver, British Columbia - Commodore
11-04 Seattle, WA - Neptune
11-05 Portland, OR - Crystal Ballroom
11-07 San Francisco, CA - Warfield
11-08 Los Angeles, CA - The Theatre at Ace Hotel

wow what a great tour, hope they do a similarly extensive tour of Europe next year.

yeah, as much as I'd like to see them, festivals are not my thing

They seem to be bigger in the US than UK. Hard to imagine them playing a venue as big as Terminal 5 (3,000 capacity) on a UK tour.

Doesn't seem that outrageous, they played 2 shows on 2 consecutive nights in London, 450 and 1000 capacity, sold them both out pretty much instantly iirc. At least irc that I couldn't get a ticket to either of them.

so i'm getting tix for the 11-08 Los Angeles show. will be closing out the US tour.

Just announced 2 gigs at the Forum in London in December :)

Low is doing the North American tour dates with Slowdive. Doubly psyched.

I bought a 2LP white marbled copy of Pygmailion yesterday that appears to be from 1995. Is this a bootleg? Anyone have this pressing?

The normally reliable Discogs describes it as an "unofficial release", but it also says it's on Creation so who knows.

http://www.discogs.com/Slowdive-Pygmalion/release/2975785

So.... do I want to go and see them at The Forum in December or not? Part of me says 'yes - obviously', part of me says 'no, it'll be rubbish, they're 24 years older, the audience will be 24 years older, you didn't even like them live that much at the time, what makes you think you'll link it now?'. I need to decide pretty quickly.

Go

They were great in Oslo in August. Really great, better than I dared hope for. You should go.

What did they play? I was a big fan of the first 3 EPs, but never bought the first album and don't really know it, got the second album and thought it was alright but not great, got the ambient 'in mind' stuff, never bothered with the last one.

Just saw them in Boston, a great evening awash in their sound. Anyone else catch them on the US tour?

Last night in NYC. Great show

Going to Chicago. Can't wait!

As a double bonus, got to see Low do a free (electric) in-store last week in Indianapolis. Icing on the cake.

I'm really looking forward to the show Thursday. Bringing a friend who told me he has never heard of - not just heard, but heard of - Slowdive or Low. I'm almost more excited to see/hear his reaction.

Just saw them in Boston, a great evening awash in their sound. Anyone else catch them on the US tour?

― Gerald McBoing-Boing, Monday, October 27, 2014 12:42 AM (10 hours ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

i was at the boston show as well. i'm not super familiar with them but they sound unbelievably good on this tour.

Was at the NYC show, too. They played everything I could have hoped for. Deeply satisfied.

to be honest i had fairly low expectations but they sounded really fucking good, a rare show that can transcend its dire venue so well

Well, shoegaze in general isn't as vulnerable as other genres are to the sound issues T5 offers.

Visibility on the other hand... still a problem.

hitting up mpls show. good to hear they can transcend a bad venue

I remember, roughly this time 6 years ago, talking to my coworker about the upcoming MBV reunion show here, and him saying "now we just need slowdive to get back together" and me thinking that would be the Best Thing Ever if it were ever to happen but I'm not holding out cause, 'nah... and now I'm seeing them tonight and I feel like I'm finally closing a chapter in my life.

It's funny because I saw MBV last year on the exact same day. I wonder what Shoegaze Halloween will bring for the year 2015

Still can't believe I got to see MBV (twice!)

I haven't yet :(

Everyone says they're just so so so loud it's kind of killed my enthusiasm. I just don't want to submit myself to excessive loudness.

I am lame.

MBV makes a very enveloping loudness, it goes beyond just an auditory feeling into a very visceral physical sensation. it didn't hurt my ears, it like, took hold of my chest. this was mainly the noise portion during YMMR, i'd say prior to that they weren't shockingly loud. i honestly loved it.

Yeah that's definitely similar to the rest of the explanations I'd heard as well. Hopefully I'll get another opportunity!

"now we just need slowdive The Sundays to get back together"

Nice to see that they're focusing on a new album and would like to make the band last as long as possible. A string of new albums would be amazing. But they also sound very firm about disbanding if they can't come up with great enough material, which is reassuring.

Lovely show. Remarkable how much they and Low have in common. I'll always give the edge to Low, who do more with less, and whose lyrics are more than just another component in a big wash of sound (imo), but man, that wash of sound is so cool.

BTW, I thought this was funny:

http://songmeanings.com/songs/view/3530822107858733575/

Does anybody in Seattle have a spare ticket for tonight?