“A teenage viewers was the very last thing we anticipated”
Forward of their US tour subsequent month, Slowdive have spoken to NME about how TikTok has impacted their viewers, the continued shoegaze renaissance, their sudden place on the line-up of Las Vegas heavy competition Sick New World and way more.
This yr marks a decade because the Studying shoegaze stalwarts undid their post-‘Pygmalion’ break-up with a reunion present at Primavera Sound. Since then, they’ve launched two albums, together with final yr’s ‘All the pieces Is Alive’.
Nonetheless touring the file to multigenerational audiences and plenty of youthful followers who fell in love with the band via TikTok (the place ‘Souvlaki’ monitor ‘When The Solar Hits’ went viral), the band will quickly hit the street within the US – supported by Drab Majesty – earlier than heading again to the UK and Europe for an additional slew of headline exhibits and competition dates.
Hours earlier than their sold-out present in Singapore, NME caught up with vocalist and guitarist Rachel Goswell and drummer Simon Scott to speak about TikTok virality, whether or not they’d work with Slowdive fan and acclaimed online game designer Hideo Kojima (of Steel Gear and Loss of life Stranding fame), and extra.
NME: Hey, Slowdive. I don’t know when you noticed, however there are already children sitting outdoors the venue.
Simon Scott: “Are they youngsters?”
Yeah, they appear younger. Teenagers and younger adults.
Rachel Goswell: “Yeah, that’s been fairly commonplace on this tour. Wherever we’ve performed world wide, really, since we got here again final yr to tour correctly, it’s plenty of children.”
Scott: “Our kids, now, plenty of them are youngsters. They’re beginning to hang around with buddies which are into mum and pop’s band Slowdive. It’s loopy that now we have such a younger teenage viewers. That in all probability was the very last thing we’d have anticipated to have occurred after we reformed 10 years in the past. However we did need new followers and we wished to evolve once more, so it’s actually cool. It’s so flattering.”
Goswell: “It’s fairly apparent it’s TikTok.”
Do you or anybody within the band spend any time on the app in any respect?
Goswell: “No. [Laughs] I’ve checked out it and it’s an excessive amount of for me. In a world the place there’s 24/7 info, TikTok is a step too far for my mind to cope with, mainly.”
Which Slowdive songs have your younger viewers responded to essentially the most?
Goswell: “Nicely, from the brand new file, ‘Kisses’ positively. ‘Sugar For The Capsule’ at all times goes down very well. ‘Slomo’, ‘Star Roving’…”
Scott: “Yeah, various new stuff. Final evening in Bangkok, the promoter mentioned 70 per cent of the people who purchased tickets are below 25. For the viewers to essentially dig issues like ‘Slomo’, ‘Star Roving’ and plenty of new stuff is wonderful, as a result of they discovered us via ‘When The Solar Hits’ and ‘Alison’, that are 30 years outdated. So it’s cool. Thank god they’re not identical to, ‘play ‘When The Solar Hits’ for god’s sake!’”
Numerous up-and-coming shoegaze bands are additionally naming you as an affect, for example NewDad and Whitelands, who opened for you on tour as nicely. Are you additionally maintaining with newer shoegaze artists?
Scott: “I’ve a mastering studio within the UK and I grasp lot of latest, up-and-coming bands: Whitelands (I did their album), Deary. There’s some actually good things coming via. We play so many festivals. We simply wander round, seize a drink and watch new bands.
“There’s some nice music popping out of this aspect of COVID. Bdrmm are actually good, Pale Blue Eyes supported us in Europe, they’re nice. It’s actually thrilling.”
Do you have got any theories as to why shoegaze is having a renaissance proper now?
Goswell: “As a result of it’s escapism from the true world, maybe? We’re not an outwardly political band – to not say we’re not political in our personal lives – however the music has at all times been about escaping, definitely out from the day after day.”
Scott: “Yeah, it’s a darkish world. So I believe we form of have that window open so that you can connect with the feelings within the songs, private struggles, worries concerning the world. Id struggles.”
Goswell: “The world is a shit place, typically. I really feel actually sorry for youthful folks having, I believe, a lot extra to cope with than we did at their age.”
Scott: “A lot strain on social media.”
Altering gears a little bit: Welcome again to Singapore and to Asia. It’s been a very long time, and the area’s excited to have you ever again. Whenever you performed in Japan, Hideo Kojima left some flowers in your dressing room. Had you corresponded with him earlier than?
Goswell: “We knew he was a fan and when the album earlier than this one got here out, we despatched him a duplicate of the file and a great deal of merch and stuff. And any person at our administration firm is closely into gaming. Shortly after that he was in London and Nick [Chaplin, bassist] and Neil [Halstead, vocalist and guitarist] met him actually, a couple of years in the past now. So yeah, so we all know he’s a fan. And it was good to see him publish concerning the album when it got here out.”
ONG!! This SLOWDIVE’s new album is so nice!! I can take heed to this for a very long time!!! Certainly I’m listening to this again and again!!! Man! pic.twitter.com/UlvTpCjBA2
— HIDEO_KOJIMA (@HIDEO_KOJIMA_EN) August 31, 2023
So would you’re employed with Kojima? Would you’re employed with a online game developer usually?
Goswell: “We might, we’d. We’re not proper now. However we’d.”
Scott: “It is dependent upon the sport. It’d be good to do one thing totally different.”
Goswell: “Who is aware of?” [Laughs]
When information got here out concerning the Asia tour, there have been numerous followers in Indonesia and the Philippines –
Goswell: “I knew you had been gonna say that.”
– asking why you weren’t taking part in of their nation. They’re a really vocal and passionate bunch. So is there any explicit motive you’re not touring there?
Goswell: “When this tour was being put collectively, I did put ahead: can we take a look at taking part in in Indonesia, as a result of there’s so many individuals asking on-line. And our reserving agent did look into it, however I don’t suppose there was something obtainable that we might add on to this tour that wouldn’t have added on a number of days, and it will have made it tough for us to do.
“Truly, I met a woman after the present final evening who had flown over from Indonesia. [Imitates upset fan] ‘Why don’t you play Indonesia?!’ I do know, I attempted. Hopefully, someday we’ll recover from there. However we’re very conscious of it, and we’re sorry that we weren’t in a position to take action this time.”
Scott: “We’d like to go. My sister-in-law’s from Manila. I’d like to go to the Philippines. I’d like to go to Vietnam.”
Goswell: “In the future, someday.”
Talking of extra touring, you’re going again to the US, the UK and Europe for extra exhibits and festivals. A kind of festivals is fascinating: Sick New World, headlined by System of a Down and Slipknot and with a bunch of different heavy bands on the line-up.
Goswell: “Can’t wait!” [Both laugh]
༻𖤐 SICK NEW WORLD 2024 𖤐༺
Register now for the presale that begins Friday, October 13, at 10am PT. All tickets begin at $19.99 down. https://t.co/6a21OZ4pea pic.twitter.com/AUdtQh5j6V
— Sick New World Fest (@snwfest) October 9, 2023
So how did this reserving come about?
Goswell: “We had been requested to play by the promoter. And we had been like, ‘Yeah, don’t be foolish!’ Steel followers aren’t gonna prefer it. Then they had been like, ‘Watch, there’s this large crossover, blah, blah, blah’. So why not, you recognize? [Do] one thing utterly totally different. Neil was a little bit bit nervous, he’s like, ‘I hope they don’t put us on the identical stage as Slipknot!’ [Laughs] I’m certain it’ll be an expertise. However yeah, [it’s] one thing utterly wildly out of our consolation zone.”
Scott: “I believe Placebo did it final yr. Rachel’s buddies with Brian [Molko] and he mentioned, ‘It’s actually well-organised, it’s an ideal competition, you must do it, it’s enjoyable.’ So…”
Goswell: “Nicely, Placebo…”
Scott: “They’re a bit heavier than us.”
Goswell: “Yeah, they in all probability match barely higher than us, don’t they? However we’ll see. Hopefully we’ll get all of the metallers weeping.” [Laughs]
Slowdive are on tour all through 2024. Visit here for US tour dates and tickets, and here for the UK and Europe. See full dates at their official site