Slow Club - Interview

  by Owen Peters

published: 8 / 12 / 2014

intro

Owen Peters speaks to Charles Watson from harmonic pop duo Slow Club about their much acclaimed third album, 'Complete Surrender' and their rapidly expanding audience

The “security operative” was very tall, looked just as wide and was beginning to get a tad twitchy about my chat. “Are you sure, over a thousand tickets sold for tonight?” I asked. As I was repeating back what he had already told me, I’m not sure what I expected him to say. “Well, make that eleven hundred,” he said pointing to the ever increasing queue. By the time they came on stage Slow Club had fourteen hundred adoring fans in place at the Brixton Electric. At one point getting on stage seemed to be their biggest hurdle of the night. It had been nearly an hour since the support band ended their session. The “Ladies and Gentleman” announcement wasn’t an introduction but confirmation that the venue had sound problems which would take twenty minutes to fix. So, everyone had a grumble and went for another beer. Sensible crowd. Sure enough, later than scheduled, on came Rebecca Taylor, Charles Watson and the band. Finally we had Slow Club, who were greeted with an ecstatic ovation. They opened with 'Tears of Joy' which had intermittent sound issues. 'Never Look Back' and 'Complete Surrender' confirmed they were right back on track, not straying too far away from the album format. Taylor began 'Not Mine to Love' as a solo spot. A ripple of noise abatement spread through the venue. Armistice Day was a week away, but respect and silence had arrived early via Brixton. Longing, yearning, togetherness that can’t be were all summed up with the line "You will never be easily with me.” There was no soaring string section as per the album. It was a raw rendition of a well penned love song. Applause, volume cranked up to a maximum, shattered the pin drop silence. Keeping the theme of stripped backed renditions, it was Watson’s turn to go solo with 'Paraguay and Panama'. Within a couple of chords, silence ensued, some listening, some mouthing the words. It was a poignant moment. When they move onto 'Everything is New' Taylor took over on drums. With the band in full swing, Brixton Electric was throbbing to the beat and rhythm of Slow Club. There were instrument changes again for 'Wanderer Wondering', this time Watson moving onto keyboard with Taylor still on drums, her blond mane swirling and twisting to the change of pace as she pounded on them with a passion. Taylor told the audience Slow Club have been together ten years. For some unknown reason they have been a slow burner. Even now my music conversations with friends and colleagues tend to be that they’ve either heard of Slow Club and love them, or haven’t heard of them at all. Their latest album 'Complete Surrender' is full of quality throughout, and more soul driven in both body and sound than their previous two albums, 'Yeah So' (2009) and 'Paradise' (2011). Arrangement and production are spot on, with high energy tempo songs mixed with painful, personal renditions of relationships gone bad. It doesn’t always come with time or experience, but for Slow Club it has arrived, and it is because of their lyrical maturity. To highlight this point back to the gig, another quiet zone ensued with 'Dependable People' - “I have my family/I have my friends.but oh how I wanted to be with him again”. They have the ability to run, laugh, dance and then do it all again, and their pen and voice here was superb. 'Two Cousins' had the metaphorical kitchen sink thrown at it. A brass section, booming percussion, roaring vocals, guitar splits were involved as everyone bounced around on stage, looking like they were having the same fun as their audience. Encore time opened with 'Number One', Taylor and Watson taking the pace down again with lingering solos which came together for the chorus. It was mellow in the extreme. Because of the technical problems resulting in a late start, folks started to leave, to catch trains and lifts and for work the next day. Unfortunately those who had to leave missed 'Suffering You' and the playful 'Hackney Marsh'. The Brixton gig was indicative of Slow Club’s developing status. While they have been slow in arriving, it looks as if they here for the long game. A few days after the Brixton Electric gig, I spoke to Charles Watson. PB: Brixton was a great gig in terms of your performance and the crowd's reaction. Did the audience size surprise you? CW: It was a bit of a surprise. Yes! It was so great to see so many familiar faces that have been coming to our shows for years, along with all the new folk! PB: Some would say 'Complete Surrender' heralds a change of musical direction for Slow Club. How would you describe your musical style these days? CW: I've no idea. I guess it's always changing for us and seems gradual because we're always trying new things. PB: Bantering with the crowd at Brixton, you said it had been ten years since you got together. Has the road to success taken longer than you anticipated? CW: Mmmmm. I guess that depends on how you define success. I think the fact we've been making records for this long is a success but there are so many more songs to be written. PB: Is your songwriting becoming more personal and autobiographical? CW: Rebecca is much better at writing autobiographically than me. It's something that doesn't come naturally to me. I'm working on it though. PB: Slow Club tour extensively these days. Is there any particular country you would like to visit as a tourist? CW: I went to Japan and Korea last year. It's a wonderful part of the world. I'd love to go back and spend some more time there. PB: What is your respective preferences working in the studio, or live performances? CW: Studio PB: Which bands or artists do you listen to in the privacy of your own space? CW: 'Nashville Skyline' on repeat. PB: What are your plans and hopes for 2015, musical and personal? CW: We're doing some recording in February and then lots of touring. I would like to make another record as soon as possible. PB: Thank you.

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