Slowdive - Everything Is Alive

Kisses is great, need to stop watching the video

Philly and D.C. shows sold out way too fast for my liking. Snoozed on it this morning, and by the time I thought “oh yeah, gotta grab Slowdive tickets” this evening, they were gone.

An extra show was added to Los Angeles right after the sale this morning and I was able to get tickets for that.

Tried all day for SF, a cluster. I should check again.

couldn't get tickets for the austin show because THERE ISN'T ONE

y'all don't do presales? the Toronto show had like two different presales (Spotify and promoter)

The pre-sale in LA was only for the first night and a tiny number of tickets were made available. I tried, but it quickly sold out.

Looks like I will miss the LA shows. :Sadface:

If Shanty doesn’t have a bunch of bearded fishermen in chunky sweaters I’m going to be very disappointed.

Sounded great at Glastonbury

Ummm so either this band is a lot more popular in the States than I realized, or they booked too-small venues. The Cleveland show sold out in like ten minutes.

ha yeah, Denver is the same ... and yes, they should probably be playing places twice the size?

New song is gorgeous and sounds like some of the 00s/10s bands that took influence from Slowdive, kind of a full circle thing. Strong tune plus Neil and Rachel's voices plus those guitars... can't wait for the album

New song is really growing on me. Got my ticket for Chicago (still available, BTW). I'm so psyched!

how was the Glastonbury set?

https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/p0ftbbgd/glastonbury-slowdive

Crap, sold out in SF. Alas. Glad I saw them for the s/t tour at least

Agreed there! But I'll make my way into that show yet.

aw, was hoping for a few more new tracks in the Glastonbury set... they're being coy!

I think both LA shows are sold out. When I checked last they only had $200 tickets for the second night.

Gotta admit, this song is indistinguishable from 500 other bands that bang around the gazey landfill of the last 5 years. Full circle? Maybe, but it wish it had ANY personality.

I saw them just before they released the s/t, I think maybe it was at the Mayan in downtown LA. Absolutely great. Really kinda floored me, as did that album. Getting the sense I won't see them this time around, but glad they're selling out the venues.

Disagree that "Kisses" has no personality. Next to the flangy guitars, I clearly hear the singer of Mojave 3 and no one else. (The synthesis of those two strands of Halstead's career is a nice touch on the 2017 record and now this.)

That said, this was presumably chosen as the first promotional track because it is straightforward pop. I'm curious to see how challenging the other tracks are, since the press release mentions electronic experimentation.

second show added on Oct 16 in SF. hyped to see them again.

Oh nice! On sale now?

Answering my own question: yes they are! Thanks for the tip, just got GA floor.

ehh, I find the new song completely forgettable. Like something he'd write in his sleep.

Nice I'll be there as well!

Babe wake up new slowdive

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HWtlDuzHc4g

Liking this one better than the first single. Love the guitar sound.

listening to these new songs while it thunderstorms outside… bliss

I really like this one. It's a lot more instant than Kisses. His voice sounds a bit like Alasdair from The Clientele on it.

This is great, this album might even be better than the last one.

this one's much better than "kisses"

Much better than kisses but still..

interesting track although the chorus vocal sounds like a pisstake. The guitar part sounds like the first EP!

Yeah not fully sold on the vocals but guitars sound amazing

Saw their gig last night, brilliant show, they are an absolute powerhouse live (loud!). Weirdly they only played “kisses” from the upcoming record—I was half-expecting some more new tracks but I guess they’ll add them to the setlist for the autumn run of shows, once the album is out? Rachel stole the audience’s hearts btw

New song next week: The Slab

The Slab.

Coming next week. pic.twitter.com/HNSBYRyNSx

— Slowdive (@slowdiveband) August 4, 2023

It’s out: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AiQUd6F6_kw

Alright, this is the first track that offers the more ambient, electronic stylings that the press release augured. I admit, I didn’t expect Slowdive 2023 to sound like Seefeel 1993. Still, nothing at all wrong with this tune and I still look forward to the album.

That is about fifty times better than “Kisses” and now I’m keen to hear the album

I just hope that the album is released in a digital format that isn’t brickwalled like this YT upload. Rachel Goswell is famously partly deaf, and the other members are getting on in years. Hopefully they listened to younger engineers who could ensure some room to breathe in the tracks.

yeah this is definitely the best so far

They are releasing a third song from an album of eight? I'm going to wait to hear the full album.

Sadly the mastering on iTunes download is as awful as on YouTube, one of the loudest files in my library.

Waveform of The Slab is literally a slab. Maybe it’s conceptual.

Rachel Goswell is famously partly deaf, and the other members are getting on in years.

Jesus, they're only in their early fifties. This isn't the Rolling Stones we're talking about!

they're of a generation that should hate brickwalling since they know what a real mastering job sounds like

Jesus, they're only in their early fifties.

As anyone in their early fifties could tell you, one’s ears aren’t what they were in one’s twenties or thirties. And all those changes in hearing are well known even for ordinary people, let alone members of a loud concert scene.

I'm in that age bracket myself, and while my ears' frequency range certainly isn't what it once was, I am still plenty capable of discerning a brickwall-limiter job from something with decent dynamic range. I just think it's kind of presumptuous to imply that Halstead and co. can't tell the difference any more?

Ventura Theatre date just added: April 25

Ultimately this is step below the self titled album. There are too many instruments overall for my taste, I just love Rachel and Neil vocals on Slowdive's songs. To be fair, the last album is probably their best.

souvlaki > s/t > everything is alive > pygmalion > just for a day

uhhh no

everything is alive > pygmalion

aaaaahhhhh

anyway, spoon & rafter > all of the above. a very good day to you all!

well actually pull pygmalion to the top and I can live with the other rankings

I don't like the new one much tbh. it's fine and maybe it will grow on me but currently it's my least favourite

they were very loud when I saw them recently, probably the loudest gig I've been to this year. regretted not bringing earplugs at times

i only really care about half of pygmalion, and that half is fantastic but the other tracks do nothing for me

I'm with your ranking, UFO, and concur with your feelings about "Pygmalion".

Surprised we haven't mentioned some of their side projects - my favorites are Black Hearted Brother and Minor Victories.

i still love this album, ranks very high for me. but thanks, col. poo, for also noting how fucking loud they are now live

I probably rank Just For a Day higher then most of you and rank Pygmalion lower. Was Just For a Day a bit of a let down after their first three EPs? Sure, but it was no different then The Boo Radleys, Swervedriver, or Catherine Wheel. I don't know, living through that and experiencing everything that came out at time of release was spectacular. Probably the best time of my life. Yeah, just wanted to throw some love to Just For a Day.

It actually has my favorite overall sound of their albums, it's really magical and I always wonder if any other band successfully emulated it. It's one of those albums like Garlands by Cocteau Twins that has this deeply special world I need more of and I wonder if it's just futile trying to create more of that?

Pygmalion is my favorite though.

this is funny, i am pretty firm in my ranking :

just for a day>souvlaki>pygmalion>everything is alive>s/t

but i also only got into them in my senior year of high school (2002) and so don’t really have any memories of feelings upon their release except the new one.

also i was expecting them to be exceptionally loud when i saw them in September— it
wasn’t loud at all?!!

April 26, 2024
Slowdive at Fox Theater Pomona, Pomona, CA

shanty
She Calls
Star Roving
Avalyn
Catch the Breeze
Crazy for You
chained to a cloud
Souvlaki Space Station
kisses
Alison
When the Sun Hits
40 Days
Sugar for the Pill
Dagger
Golden Hair (Syd Barrett cover)

Slowdive were phenomenal last night. Rachel looked like Cruella De Vil as half her hair was white and the other half was black. She also wore something fluffy and white which would not have been out of place in the Disney movie. The place was packed with the crowd being very young. Resale tickets were around $250 each last time I checked. They are a band on top of their game, so happy for their recent success.

Five Souvlaki songs!

Seeing them next month. Psyched about She Calls making the setlist

Updated set list from last night: https://www.setlist.fm/setlist/slowdive/2024/fox-theater-pomona-pomona-ca-6ba8ae4a.html (“Dagger” wasn’t played)

Terrific show - Rachel called a halt to “She Calls” and the band’s crash into the restart was one of the greatest sounds I’ve heard anywhere

Sounds awesome! They’ll be playing at some festivals up here later in the year, hoping for another standalone set.

anything other than Outside Lands? I haven't been there in like 20 years, and there have been plenty of better lineups than this year, but I'm half inclined to go this time just because of them and Grace Jones

Thanks for the correction Elvis Telecom, we should have met up to say hi.

I drove 170 round trip last night, the place that I live is just so huge.

*miles

So I'll be a little nitpicky... the sound at the Fox Theater last night was uncharacteristically moderate? I brought earplugs this time, but didn't use them. I keep thinking of the Bellwether show last year with all the sound coming at you at once - literally on fire burning Teengazers in their tracks like moths to flame. Last night was just amazingly great. As mentioned earlier, they are at performing peak right now and if you're on the fence about going, this is your push.

Thanks for the correction Elvis Telecom, we should have met up to say hi.

BTW, it's complete bullshit that Slowdive isn't playing the Las Vegas Sphere right now. I can't think of anyone more perfect for it. How do we make Spheredive happen?

Anaheim
Moreno Valley
Pomona
Moreno Valley
Anaheim

2 hours 30 minutes
170 Miles

Not going to Kraftwerk, unfortunately, going to fewer shows these days. Sad, because it's one of the funniest things in life.

anything other than Outside Lands?

I know I saw them listed for something else -- and not around the same time either, which was kinda odd but interesting.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d1MB86_2PyM

I'm surprised they're even doing Outside lands; they're in Sweden two nights before and then back to Portugal two nights after. Crazy schedule!

slowdive more like quickflight

i assume they're renting or borrowing equipment for the SF gig

(worth the watch)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LmSrHCUBLQ0

holy shit the version of "When the Sun Hits" there is IMMENSE

I was looking at the members names of 90s shoegaze bands a while ago and it seemed like a lot of them had names like "Scaz, Biv and Smithy". But when I think on it there's a lot of british musicians in the 80s-90s with short names (presumably nicknames): Lol, Loz, Gaz, Bez, Boz... I'm sure there's a lot more.

There was a drummer for Swervedriver named Jez

Since Morrisey was nicknamed Moz, I like to think Boz Boorer's real first name is Borrisey.

not many "biff"s in this scene iirc. breaking the three letter format, not welcome.

Related - here's a recent-ish interview with three-latter named Slowdive drummer Ian McCutcheon
https://wordsontape.com/remembering-the-view-ian-mccutcheon