IMPLODING modern day punk, a solicitous duo eager for appropriate crowd etiquette and the brutal masters of palpable energy; Slaves are a live band to be reckoned with and it will probably be difficult to catch them in a venue in the same capacity as the ABC before they rocket off into the darkness.
You would think that rock music is struggling to constantly reinvent itself, but then a band comes along and there is suddenly an undeniable buzz about it again. In this case, Slaves’ performance is intrepid, it does their debut album, Are You Satisfied?, justice.
With a lot of spontaneity about their performance, Slaves aren’t robotic nor are they in this for the cash. Their tracks segue seamlessly into another with Holman vocalising a line or two from the pending song to get a boisterous reply from the raring fans.
Ultimately, the biggest applause arrives when the band addresses unacceptable audience behaviour. It has been reported in the press at length that Slaves have a no tolerance policy to the mistreatment of people in the crowd at concerts, and they need to pause a song midway to pacify a male whose elbows obstruct a woman’s view. Guitarist Laurie Vincent dishes out the reprimand by saying, “your elbows are almost in her face, we don’t want people to feel uncomfortable.”
It’s a typical punk gig, however, with 16 tracks dashed out in a frantic manner in just under an hour and the crowd responding in that punk frenzy.
Slaves’ debut record is undoubtedly noisy and tireless, and it leaves an urge to become involved in the mayhem that commands the main standing area. From the riotous opener of ‘Ninety Nine’ all the way to appropriate closer ‘Hey’, everything in between is high-end tumultuous urgency. The moment ‘Sockets’ or ‘The Hunter’ arrives, there’s a darkness over the venue; a darkness and intensity that enthrals you.
Before these postponed shows, there’s the impression that the band are going to at least mollify their angst-motivated, thrashing grime punk to prevent another injury. Holman is doing the polar opposite, pounding his drum kit while he effortlessly and energetically wails away simultaneously. This, in turn, is not the only gripping aspect of Slaves’ live show, as the exertion as a live product is awe-inspiring to a predominantly young audience – and it’s only two songs before the drummer has his shirt thrown off onto the ground.
The audience in question shows that Slaves are evidently an influence to music fans deriving from numerous trends and genres. From mod to hard rock, everyone has a bit of Slaves fashion replication – it’s mainly the tucking of t-shirts into trousers, and the increasing number of skinheads.
Slaves are the mini punk revival we’re praying for in the midst of the ropey chart music of today. And in the same week that Justin Bieber lands in the first, second and third position of the UK chat, this frantically-brilliant gig has never been more welcomed.
