SLAVES | LIVE REVIEW
Tramshed, Cardiff, Thurs 22 Nov
Are you satisfied? How could you not be when Slaves are in the house? Kent’s self-proclaimed “popular boy rockers” provide a loud, rowdy and sweat-driven night to a sold-out Tramshed crowd. With people physically full to the rafters, the best friend duo of Laurie Vincent and Isaac Holman create a rudeboy atmosphere the likes of which football fans crave for.
The pair unleash a setlist full of fan favourites from all three of their studio albums, with tracks from latest release Acts Of Fear And Love being afforded some of the biggest receptions. From the first note, look and interaction it’s evident that Slaves have found the perfect recipe to take control of an audience and put any critics to bed. Starting with their infamous guitar-heavy rendition of Skepta’s Shutdown, the scene is set: an ocean of drinks being thrown in the air accompanied by flashing lights and a view of topless fans, both men and women, swinging their shirts around their head as if Cardiff City scored a last-minute winner. It’s go hard or go home.
One thing that strikes you when assessing Slaves’ performance is just how tight a unit they are musically and what depth of sound they are able to generate as a two-piece. Hits like Cheer Up London, The Hunter and Cut And Run sound as raw and crisp as listening on record, but perhaps that’s a testament to how they’ve captured their live sound in the studio. Credit must be given, however, to the precision of Holman, on the double duty of vocals and drums. He doesn’t miss a beat and nails every line as they come, even if he doesn’t like a hi-hat…
Slaves do bring things down for just a moment with their short acoustic numbers, demanding no phones for their number Photo Opportunity, and also quell two fights which break out during the gig in the audience, although nothing serious happened in the aftermath. That being said, if you want an in-your-face rock’n’roll experience, Slaves are the band for you.
words MORGAN RICHARDS photos ARABELLA ITANI