With the line snaking away from the doors at Melbourne's iconic Festival Hall, I soaked up the faded browns and greens of the concert-goers' outfits, and pulled my jacket close to ward off the cool air.
It was the perfect autumnal evening to see melancholic British shoegaze pioneers Slowdive (3 May). The Hall was pretty much full for the opening act, New York dream pop band Beach Fossils. They've been together since 2009 and are a well-established international name.Bathed in blue lights, Beach Fossils wasted no time with talking and got straight into the music with the tune 'Don't Fade Away' from their most recent album, 2023's 'Bunny'.
The group's line-up was two electric guitars, a bass and drums. It was quite impressive what lush sounds they could create with guitars alone, and they were often swapping who played guitar and bass between songs. Throughout the set they lay down solid soundscapes, with the drummer's reliable beats anchoring the dreamy guitars.
Beach Fossils - image © Danielle Annetts
The band gave us a true cross-section of their discography – moving deftly between the more upbeat and darker tunes. On the rollicking, almost beachy end, they played songs such as 'This Year' and 'Down The Line' off their 2017 'Somersault' album; 'Tough Love' from 'Bunny', and 'What A Pleasure', the title track from their 2011 album.
As for the slower, more pensive tunes, they played 'Sugar', with its simple and evocative guitar riffs, as well as 'Sleep Apnea' (from 'Clash The Truth'). For this tune the band asked the techs to turn off all the lights and encouraged the audience to illuminate the stage with their phones.
It made the crowd feel like they were part of the show, which is something an audience will always appreciate. This tune also featured a lovely guitar solo that provided more fodder for dreamers. 'Be Nothing' was a great indie ballad that slowly built up to a strong musical climax.
'Numb' and 'May 1st' were more bass-focussed tunes, and as they introduced 'Numb', lead singer Dustin Payseur explained it was about "being on tour, life on the road. It can be really hard and it can really wear you out. The thing that makes it all count – I get to do it with my best friends."
He dedicated the song to the audience as a thank you for coming to the show. It was a romantic, slow tune; the kind of music that lends a cinematic air to everything – Payseur singing "sometimes I'm in love with thinking I'm in love".
Beach Fossils - image © Danielle Annetts
Beach Fossils' spangly guitar sounds and lamenting vocals were clearly influenced by the sounds of Slowdive and their musical peers, and the audience's positive reaction proved they were a perfect support for the headliners in terms of the sonic world they created. However, I do think Slowdive missed an opportunity to invest in Australia's music scene by not inviting a local band to support them.
At 9:15pm on the dot, the lights went back down to shouts and screams as the five members of Slowdive emerged. An atmospheric Brian Eno track played as they set up. It was clear their set was going to feature more production elements than Beach Fossils, as a visualiser screen came to life with richter-scale imagery, and LED lights shot colours across the stage.
The band looked really relaxed onstage and are clearly seasoned performers. The first tune, 'Shanty', from their 2023 album 'Everything Is Alive', featured the band's two singers Neil Halstead and Rachel Goswell.
Using reverb and delay, their unified vocals maintained the same ethereal sound that is heard in the band's studio albums. By allowing the lyrics to be obscured by the effects, they pulled at emotions, rather than trying to connect through words.
Slowdive - image © Danielle Annetts
The second tune, 'Star Roving' from their 2017 self-titled album, elicited a big response. A drum breakdown allowed for a guitar melody that stood out against the open chords of the rest of the song.
Then we heard a deep-dive track 'Catch The Breeze', from their 1991 debut album 'Just For A Day'. The audience really enjoyed this tune, as well as 'No Longer Making Time' – a brooding tune with a repeated guitar motif and driving drum-beat. It features a cathartic moment as the song breaks out into open, delayed chords.
At this point, three songs in, the only word we had heard from the band was Goswell's distinctly British "thank you!". Despite this lack of interaction, the audience was loving it, the start of each song garnering applause and excitement.
The next tune, 'Crazy For You', from their 1995 'Pygmalion' album, was especially well received. Drummer Simon Scott was playing great fills and the tune had a discordant, atonal ending that was an enjoyable departure from the smoother chords of most of their songs.
Slowdive - image © Danielle Annetts
After a large round of applause, there was a brief silence during which an impassioned crowd member shouted "we love you". Instantly, the delayed chords of 'Souvlaki Space Station' (from arguably their most popular album, 1993's 'Souvlaki') began to ring out. Like many of their songs, this tune didn't have a clear pop form, instead feeling like a dreamscape to wander through.
Moving onto another song with a dreamlike intro, Slowdive played 'Chained To A Cloud'. This is a beautiful piece that could have been written for a film score with its evocative synth arpeggios and soaring guitar. Going back to a song from their 2017 album, we heard the indie-pop tune 'Sugar For The Pill'.
After this came two quintessentially shoe-gazey songs: 'Kisses' and 'Machine Gun'. We then heard the opening track from the 'Souvlakil' album, 'Alison'. This song manages to make shoegaze sound triumphant, and looking out across the sea of faces, I could tell the audience were truly captivated by the show.
'When The Sun Hits' was another fan favourite. This romantic tune rang out beautifully across the hall as people sang along and moved to the slow, steady beat. The last tune before the encore was a cover of Syd Barrett's eerie tune 'Golden Hair'. I found this to be the most interesting moment of the set, as it played with dynamics and form more than the other tunes.
Slowdive - image © Danielle Annetts
The song started out with beautiful vocals from Goswell, over a sparse, delayed guitar sound. After her intro, Goswell left the stage and allowed for the rest of the band to play the song out. As the song drew to a close, enthusiastic stomping broke out and without much delay, Slowdive were back out for three more songs.
'Slomo' matched the lush green lighting perfectly with its shimmery chords and strange, almost watery vocals. The next tune, 'Slowdive' (from the 2005 reissue of 1991 album 'Just For A Day', was clearly a band favourite. It's one of the first songs they released and I can imagine it's quite nostalgic for them.
The very last tune, '40 Days' from the 'Souvlaki' album, was a truly epic ending. This song combined the feelings of triumph and escape that had been explored throughout the set. It rides over a brash drum feel, and would be perfect for the final scene of a coming-of-age film. This song brought a veritable roar from the crowd.
Addressing the audience for a final word, Goswell told Melbourne "you have been fabulous," and encouraged us to remember that "all the people in this room love the same thing you do". The band then exited the stage to another synthy Brian Eno track, aptly entitled 'An Ending (Ascent)'.
Slowdive - image © Danielle Annetts
It's undeniable that Slowdive has had a huge impact on shoegaze lovers and music lovers in general, and there was a huge outpouring of love and appreciation from the crowd.
With a large swathe of the audience under 25, it was also heartening to see a group of young people so invested in an indie sound that had its beginnings in the late '80s. There will always be more dreamers.
More photos from the concert.
