There is no feeling in the world better than experiencing live music. A communal event that brings people together for a few hours to get lost in something and share a manner of emotions together as one. There is something to be said then for seeing a band very early in their touring career and getting to share in a more unique and intimate experience, such is the case with tonight’s show.
Out promoting their stunning debut album In Ways, Slung are currently tearing through some small yet iconic UK venues for their first full length tour with an album to their name. At tonight’s stop at The Boileroom in Guildford they also have United States of Grace and Space Church with them for a diverse and interesting underbill.
United States of Grace open proceedings with their alt rock leanings taking the audience back a couple of decades in the process. Familiarity in sound aside they put in a professional and efficient performance that does little to stir the emotion, but manages to get some bodies moving. You sense perhaps there is a feeling it’s all being taken a little too seriously and the vibes are a bit off, but it’s inoffensive and maybe their particular brand is better served on record than live.
Space Church on the other hand feel like a prog rock band dreamt up by Wes Anderson. Nerdy, Passionate, at times a little meandering but played entirely earnestly and with a tongue placed firmly in cheek. They do lose some of the audience but for those who get it, there is fun to be had here, well as much fun as can be had with spacey prog rock, but when you close your support slot with a mostly spoken word song about Jodie Foster you immediately win me over.
Slung, the stars of tonight’s show offer something different entirely. Opening with the leftfield choice of Class A Cherry, it becomes clear from the off that as good as they are on record, Slung are a band that is made for the live arena, the songs take on a completely new life live and sound so much bigger, more ferocious and in some cases much more emotionally devastating. It’s so refreshing to see a band play a show that hasn’t got it all figured out just yet. There is a strange beauty found in the chaos of a show that doesn’t go as it should, whether it’s sound issues, flying shoes or not knowing what’s coming next on the set. Seeing a band live fully in the moment, embrace the madness and soldier on regardless is what the live experience should be about. That’s not to say that Slung themselves aren’t on form tonight. Ripping through some of In Ways biggest moments, Collider, Come Apart & Nothing Left balance the vibes, giving the audience times to catch their breath, maybe shed a tear of two, but they allow the moments like Neurotic, Fire to Burn and the closing one-two punch of Matador & Laughter to send the people home happy.
The band themselves are tight and locked in, but there is also a freewheeling vibe and plenty of smiles all around. You can feel the energy radiating off the stage and the feeling is infectious. Katie Oldham proves to be a commanding and charismatic frontwoman live, bringing all the necessary emotional heft the songs deserve and dialling everything up to the nth degree. Guitarist Ali throws shapes around the stage leaping off of drum kits and soloing in the front rows faces, while Bassist Vlad and Drummer Ravi provide a buttery smooth rhythm section, while both looking like they are having the times of their lives.It’s chaotic, a little messy and far from perfect, but that is exactly what music should be.
Shows like tonight are the reason I fell in love with music and going to shows, getting to see a band putting their heart and soul out there for the love of the game, and creating magic in those moments.
Slung feel like a special band and tonight’s show goes a long way to cementing that idea. Armed with an album like In Ways, and with a live show that is gathering confidence and is being refined in real time, there is absolutely no reason why Slung shouldn’t be the UK’s next breakout band.
9/10
