Slow Club at Spaceland

Slow Club has popped my music performance cherry.

So last weekend I was planning on seeing Eyeshine, Johnny Yong Bosch’s (see previous post) band, but it didn’t pan out and I really couldn’t be happier because had I gone to see them I probably wouldn’t have been able to see Slow Club last night. Sorry Johnny. Maybe next time.

Anyways, I’ve been certifiably obsessed with this group’s music for the last few months after getting initially introduced to them via a potato chip commercial way back when. I don’t know if they can actually be called a group when there are only two of them. Charles plays guitar and in some of the songs it’s surprising to think that all that sound comes from him. The way he plucks the guitar strings can make it sound like two different instruments by playing bass and melody in one. Rebecca occasionally plays guitar as well but more often is known for her percussion efforts. Now I think everyone’s got a soft spot in their hearts for female drummers but Rebecca does it while standing up! They both sing creating harmonies that have become a defining point for this band but I think I’m partial to Rebecca’s amazing voice in slow songs like Sorry about the Doom and Boys on their Birthdays.

They have two kinds of songs: ones that are really fast and upbeat even when it’s about a breakup and slow emotionally filled ones. Every song is pretty much about love but an innocent kind of hand holding love. But there are songs like When I Go (which has whistling in it!) that is not about romantic love as much as it is a connection between two very close friends, which is a very special love in its own way isn’t it? It’s like one reviewer had said about Yeah So, their debut album, love is great when it happens and it’s not a big deal if, rather when, it doesn’t work out. And then you get to the last song Boys on their Birthdays (the song that makes my heart melt) and you hear the pain in it. She really is hurt. It’s also really interesting to me that a lot of their songs have lyrics about maiming or death hidden behind those cheery melodies. One of their shirts apparently drawn be Rebecca even showcases a grim reaper.

They’ve also got some great videos to go with a lot of these songs. Because We’re Dead was shot for 16 quid! One of my favorites which I highly recommend is It Doesn’t Have to be Beautiful, an absolutely amazing song and the video is done in almost one shot which is cool. I’ve linked to Our Most Brilliant Friends which gives you a good idea of their fast songs and about five minutes in you get to Boys on their Birthdays, you know the heart melting one. And I absolutely love the last line of this song. I’ve also linked to Trophy Room just to help Charles get it viral. You’ll understand when you watch the video.

So back to last night, I’ve never paid to hear someone perform before. I’ve been to small gigs of people I knew or just open mic nights but never a real show like this. I know, 23 and never been to a concert before! But really I know a lot more people that have never even heard of Free Comic Book Day and isn’t that much more alarming? Anyways, the show started at 8:30 and after driving for 4 hours in traffic I finally got there around 9. But I really wasn’t interested in the first couple of bands so my brother (who originally only came to protect me from being alone at some strange club late at night) and I decided to get some dinner at the Thai place next door to kill some time. And how lucky we were that we love Thai food, because besides the fact that it tastes amazing, guess who we saw inside? Rebecca and Charles! I talked with them for a little bit and let them know that I drove 4 hours just to see them and how excited I was. Then I got pictures with them but on my crappy camera phone they didn’t come out very good. They shook my hand and introduced themselves by name as if I didn’t already know. I don’t know. I haven’t been star struck since I met Michael Clark Duncan and he was way smaller in real life than he was in the Green Mile, but last night it was weird because I totally was. Maybe because I’ve been surviving on their music like it was air for the last few months. Then they left and my brother and I had some Thai food. I’ll just say it’s no Sanam Luang but it was cheap so that was cool.

The other two bands were Honey Bunch and something to do with molecules. We didn’t see Honey Bunch but the molecule band was interesting. Drum and bass were okay but lead was weird. And they had this girl that had a fan up to her face permanently that hummed along in two of their songs but ended up writhing around the floor for most of it. I think she thought she was dancing.

Then we finally got to Slow Club and the place filled out nicely. They're a British band so they don't get to come out here that often. This was their first headlining show in Los Angeles which makes me glad this is the one I got to see. I was lucky to be pretty close up but that didn’t stop a guy from stomping on my foot while he was ‘dancing.’ They opened with Wild Blue Milk and played songs from their album like Sorry about the Doom, It Doesn’t Have to be Beautiful, Trophy Room, I was Unconcious It was a Dream and Giving up on Love. They played some new songs too that I had never heard before, the only one I remember by name was Rotten Mouth. Between songs there was talking and some references to Fresh Prince of Bel Air and Friends. People are right, they are funny. Rebecca mentioned wanting to rap again which is the third time I’ve heard about it, once being in Boys on their Birthdays. I hope she does because I want to hear it. They ended with an acoustic version of Christmas TV on the very edge of the stage and began by announcing a Merry Christmas to Los Angeles. After they left the stage they came back with an encore that was performed acoustically and in the middle of the crowd of another new song, something about put my dead body in a boat. The amount of new songs they played gave me hope they might come out with something new soon since it took some time to get their debut album out but really I’m okay with the one they have out now.

I bought the album from them that night seeing as how it’s not supposed to come out in this country until the end of the month. I told Rebecca how it was my first show and she sounded surprised and had to tell Charles. Her first show was Muse and his was Bowling for Soup. For the lady next to me it was Paula Abdul and Milli Vanilli. Yeah. I asked them to sign my CD and he signed with a ‘thanks for coming,’ across his face. Hers was ‘congratulations on slow club being your 1st ever show.’ She had a lot of exclamation points in hers and a little heart in the corner. And then we left, my brother practicing his British accent the whole way back to his place. He was happy he went after learning they weren’t another of the Europop bands I’m so fond of. And if he can enjoy the concert of a band he’s never heard of before what’s stopping you from giving them a try?

Our Most Brilliant Friends and Boys on Their Birthdays


Trophy Room