Manchester’s Synth-Dad-Rock quartet ‘The Slow Reader’s Club’ are coming to the end of their tour now and are still full of energy. Their last album came out all the way back in 2015, so with latest single ‘Lunatic’ coming out a couple of weeks ago, it looks like the highly anticipated third album is on its way for early next year. Their Rescue Rooms performance on Thursday was a sold-out show, and the excitement was palpable. While the crowd was very much on the older side, they certainly proved that they can party with the rest of us- even with their reading glasses.
But first came androgynous pop-punk support act Desperate Journalist. Like Paramore’s cool little sister, with the same crystal-clear vocals but a much heavier sound (and double the women), they tore the house down. Their second album came out in June and I couldn’t recommend them highly enough. Keep an eye on them, as they’re touring from now until April, and are guaranteed to feature heavily at this summer’s festivals.
Then came the main act to ecstatic cheers, with front man Aaron Starkie making quite a fashion statement in a matte black rain mac which a.) must have been roasting in a room with that many people in and b.) I desperately need. It was only midway through latest single ‘Lunatic’- a good 40 minutes into the performance- that Aaron took off his jacket. Perhaps the lyrics showed him how irrational he was being. Although I must admit you’ve got to respect the dedication.
The set started with synth heavy ‘Fool for your Philosophy’, sending the crowd into a frenzy: shouting every word back at the band, the beginnings of a mosh pit and with some very aggressive finger pointing. This was quickly followed up by singles ‘Sirens’ and ‘Start Again’. It was at this point I realised how many of the phones pointed at the stage were using Facebook live. And they say millennials are obsessed with social media. Brand-new track ‘Not the Only One’ was featured in the set list- one they’ve only just started to perform live. It shows all the signs of being their next single with signature angst-ridden lyrics back by heavy beats and shimmery synths.
The Slow Reader’s Club is certainly a band that keeps their crowd banter short and sweet- focusing on smashing out as many hits as humanly possible, screeching through their discography. With only two more songs left, they broke out two more new songs, the first they admitted, had never been played before and refused to tell us the name. It features strong bass and synth and with lyrics like “You know my minds diseased” it’s a guaranteed angst anthem. They finished off the set with ‘Battlefield’, another strong candidate for next single. Of course, with a crowd this enthusiastic, they couldn’t just leave it there, and soon came back with singles- and certified bangers- ‘Forever in Your Debt’ and ‘I Saw a Ghost’
If you missed The Slow Reader’s Club, and can’t wait for the next album- they’ll be supporting The Charlatans at their Sheffield show 30th November and their Brixton show 9th December.
Commentaires