Every month, Mixtape Couture will be showcasing and shining a light on the talent that can be found in Sheffield. From bands to fashion brands, shops to restaurants, events to exhibitions, if it’s in Sheffield and it’s worth you knowing about then I will be letting you know. Whether you are a Sheffield resident yourself or are planning a visit one day [which I highly recommend] then hopefully this feature will help you to know where to visit, what to do and what’s going on in the Steel City.
In this month’s Sheffield Showcase post I thought I would go back to my first love of music and feature one of the great acts to come from my city. They are a band I already had a soft spot for but after seeing them back in April as part of the 6Music Celebrates Sheffield show at The Leadmill, I just fell in love with their wonderful and stunning sound even more. That band is Slow Club and they are this month’s Showcase feature.
The pair, Rebecca Taylor and Charles Watson, started out as Slow Club back in 2006 and as multi-instrumentalists they bring plenty to the duo in terms of sounds as well as lyrically. With Watson contributing piano and Taylor contributing drums and both being involved in the vocals and guitars, it really is a labour of love for the pair to create each and every song and play it live. The band released their first singles back in 2007 via Moshi Moshi records and followed that up the year after with their debut EP ‘Let’s Fall Back In Love’. After releasing an album and an EP in 2009, that sent the band off touring before really turning heads with their follow up album ‘Paradise’ released in September 2011.
The video for the final single ‘Beginners’ from that album featured actor and fan of the band Daniel Radcliffe, opening them up instantly to an even bigger audience. Ever since then the band have grown from strength to strength regularly being played on the likes of 6Music and featured in the music press online and in print. They’ve graced stages across the world from the UK and Europe to Australia and Japan on their own tours as well as playing the likes of Glastonbury, Latitude and Green Man Festivals over the years. Support slots for the likes of Florence and The Machine and Mumford and Sons has also only helped their audience grow over that time.
Check out the track ‘Suffering You, Suffering Me’ below:
All that is impressive but ultimately it is the music itself that has gained them their big following and has the critics on their side. And when 3rd album ‘Complete Surrender’ was released last year, it only cemented their place as one of the most exciting bands of our time. From slow ballad-esque tracks with soulful and ethereal vocals to upbeat, poppy songs with infectious melodies and sing along lyrics. Their unique take on the mix of pop, indie and soul makes them a really interesting and exciting listen. In the live setting they also shine with their showcase of their musical talents, the fact that they sound so very similar to what they do on record and their ability to create the perfect mood for each and every track they play that night.
Having graced the Tramlines stage here in Sheffield a many few times already, the band will be a part of the festival yet again for this year’s outing with a set on the Devonshire Green stage. Not only a great way for the festival to showcase Sheffield talent but it also shows even more progress from the band with their venues and stages getting bigger and bigger at the festival every single year.
For me, this duo are one of the best acts to come from Sheffield right now. There are so many great acts in and around these parts at the moment, discovered or not, but these guys truly shine and stand out. Hopefully, I will manage to catch these guys at Tramlines this year and if nothing else I’m excited to see where they go next musically, whether it is an EP or an album I’m looking forward to what they produce next.
Check out the video for lead single from the last album ‘Complete Surrender’ below:
To find out more about Slow Club visit their website, their Facebook page, their Soundcloud page or you can follow them on Twitter – @SLOWCLUBHQ
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