On the surface, Laurie Vincent and Isaac Holman seem like standard, semi-shirtless lads hailing from Tunbridge Wells, Kent. But, immediately pouncing behind their two-piece drum kit and slick, monochrome Fender; an atmosphere of rare adrenaline suddenly bursts in The Cluny. The visage of ordinary is lifted, and May 11th 2015 witnesses a life-changing event – the mind-blowing, raucous on-slaughter of, Slaves.
The duo, Slaves, are the culprits behind the new-age punk music movement, cocktailing tainted blues riffs with rasping vocals to produce one of the most startlingly fresh sounds of 2015. Infecting the crowd immediately with opener, ‘White Knuckle Ride’, and following tracks, ‘Where’s Your Car Debbie?’ and the comedic-fuelled, ‘Girl Fight’; Slaves, with their utterly unique sound, pair their talents with tongue-and-cheek silliness, to make concrete impacts.
The serious shriek of ‘Cheer Up London”s deafening hook, “Put another hole in your pay check/are you done digging your grave yet?”, causes uproar from the sold-out crowd, while the laughter-inducing ‘Feed The Mantaray’ (which is performed by a fancy dress tribute to the sea mammal) sends sparks of euphoric enjoyment down the backbones of those lucky few who’ve been able to see the spectacle of Slaves on a Monday night in Newcastle Upon-Tyne.
Proceeding final track, ‘Hey’, is the championed, ‘The Hunter’, as well as a spontaneous stage-dive from both Slaves members and an idea planting: is this band prepared for what’s to come when their debut record, Are You Satisfied Yet?, hits shelves on June 1st? Guessing by the cheeky grins on both Vincent and Holmon’s faces as they solute and leave the stage, it would seem so.
Ella Scott
ELLA LOUISE SCOTT 