Frontman Aaron Starkie tell us tonight that this is The Slow Reader Club‘s first year as a full time band but it does not seem that way. As their 33 date UK tour arrives in Gloucester, they bring with them a hardcore following wearing their T-shirts and drinking their own signature beer on sale tonight.
The pre show playlist hints at what can be expected from their sound – The Smiths, Everything Everything, Donna Summer, Arctic Monkeys – it’s classic Manchester electronic indie.
They open with “Fool For Your Philosophy” from their 2nd album Cavalcade. The New Order comparisons are obvious but justified – effective strobe lighting and pulsating synths make this one for dance fans as well as indie fans.
Their latest album, Build A Tower, entered the UK top 20 and the first song they play from it tonight is Lunatic; it’s a big sing a long track with a huge bridge and chorus and is the first of many opportunities for Aaron to show how easily he transitions from falsetto to Ian Curtis-like bass.
The setlist evenly covers all 3 albums and there is room for the lesser played Distant Memory which, after a shaky start, becomes a highlight of the night and a welcome change of pace after some of the tracks began to sound a bit too similar. A brand new song “The Wait” received an outing and Starkie notes that it “has no bells and whistles” referring to the lack of electronic sound which runs through most of their output.
This is one of the flaws in their set. There is a lot of backing track rather than a live electronic musician. The show would benefit from some live synths and perhaps this is something that will happen if their time as a full time band proves to be lucrative.
The final trio of tracks – Feet on Fire, On The TV and “I Saw A Ghost” – sound great tonight. Gloucester Guildhall has a great sound and lighting system for an intimate venue and The Slow Readers Club make good use of it. It is a great set from a band who have worked hard to get where they are with very little media support.
