1,356 SLOW FICTION, Psychedelic Skies, Lug Nut, Southampton Heartbreakers, Monday 11th November 2024

 

In a year of relatively few brand new band discoveries (I’m not including the excellent Ist Ist here as they’re on their 4^th album, and I’d kinda sorta heard of them before, plus I’ll admit that I’ve got a bunch of other things on my plate precluding me from really delving into new stuff…), Slow Fiction, along with fellow NYC rock acolytes Been Stellar, are just about the best of the bunch. Like their occasional tourmates BS, Slow Fiction sound like a New York City band, all scuzzy guitars, absorbingly Lou Reed-esque droney monotone rhythm and embryonic punky grunge maelstroms, only in their case sprinkled with some beguiling yearning tuneage and strident yet lovelorn vocals from the excellent Julia Vassallo, making their sophomore 2024 EP “Crush” a varied and enjoyable listen. Unfortunately, they’d finished their Been Stellar tour support stint before my BS Louisiana gig earlier this year (gig 1,329), but happily announced a smattering of November UK dates. So, a short-notice South Coast jaunt for me, to check out this intriguing lot…

Setting off after “House of Games”, I parked up in a free-after-8 spot across the roundabout from the venue (result!), and got my bearings in this small, run-down yet evocative upstairs room reminiscent of Bristol’s equally new Dareshack. Openers Lug Nut were already on, rounding off their short set with some quiet/ loud psych/ blues stuff and nonsense, all herky-jerky rhythms and twiddly guitar breaks, and a final Primus-like weird time-signature number about a man or fish (?). Not sure about that! However, Psychedelic Skies, next up, were much more the ticket; despite looking like a bunch of brickies on a works outing, they hit a frantic, fast-paced 60’s psych groove and largely stayed in that lane, with some hooky insistent choruses and liberal use of wah-wah and swirly pedal effects. Kind of like a Dylans on 78 rpm, or a Deja Vega with tunes, I quite enjoyed this energetic, robust and hard-hitting set, so could almost – almost! – forgive the vocalist’s occasional sneery attempts to sing like a Gallagher…!

I ran into recent gig buddy Madison (in the loo – typical!) and caught up – he’d given me the heads-up via facebook on this tour, being a big SF and Been Stellar fan. He’s in the middle of a 29-gig month (!) from his Halesowen base, including BS in Glasgow and Newcastle as well as Bristol (where I’ll be) next week! Woah! He also gave me the heads-up that Slow Fiction like to play with the lights really down, so I took a spot at the front, house right, to circumvent this. He was true to his word; once Slow Fiction took the stage dead on 9.30, diminutive and striking vocalist Julia emerging last (and resembling a less overtly emo Rhea Ripley for me!), they were only lit by backlit royal blue rear spotlights throughout their set, evoking an eerie atmosphere and recalling the similarly-lit Sheila Divine at Boston’s Paradise, waaay back when (2001 in fact, gigs 494/5). The opening double salvo from the splendid “Crush” EP got us under way; “Monday” with it’s upbeat, metronomic beat and tumbling, stream of consciousness vocals urgently overlaid, and the dreamier, slower burn yet building shoegaze intro and tumbling verse drumbeat of “Apollo”. 

“How you doing Southampton! We’re so happy to be here! Has anybody had their identify stolen?” queried Julia curiously before the plaintive, elegiac and brooding “Mouthpiece”, the band changing tempo and mood with seeming effortless ease, taking elements of urgent post-punk, occasional scuzzy proto punk guitar and wistful shimmering shoegaze to augment their tunes. Oh yes, the tunes… Slow Fiction have a seam of classic songwriting shot through them like words through rock candy, exemplified by the mid-set double of the tambourine-embellished and Jesus And Mary Chain/ 50’s doo-wop inflected “There Were Stars In Your Eyes” and particularly the brilliant “End Of The Night”, the Interpol-esque riffery and almost Chrissie Hynde-like yearning vocal from Julia weaving a hypnotic spell on this, the high watermark of their canon for me thus far. They sure can write ‘em, and damn can Julia sing ‘em! 

“We’ve got a few more for you… if that’s OK”, deadpanned Julia after “EOTN”, before delivering a laconic, almost world-weary vocal on “99”; then the insistent Ride “Chelsea Girl” shoegaze gallop of “January” and the moody slow-burn punctuation of “Heavy Metal” concluded a swift and rather splendid actually 45 minutes. Quick chats with a grateful band, a fully signed set list and a pic with Julia later, I hit the road for an inky blast back home, back just before midnight. Tonight for me, Slow Fiction underlined their promise with a fine set, and I can’t wait for the full-length album (due next year according to sweaty drummer Akiva Henig). I’d only take issue with their name, as for me Slow Fiction are going places fast, and that’s a fact!