Before Slow Club happened it used to be grim up north apparently
Has anyone ever noticed that Slow Club are almost the polar opposite of Blood Red Shoes? Think about it – one is a thrashy indie rock band from Brighton whilst the other is a folk/pop duo from Sheffield that seems intent on making the cutest music ever. Wait, it gets stranger: in Blood Red Shoes it’s the guy who plays drums and the girl who plays guitar, while in Slow Club it’s the other way round. Weird. It’s almost as if they’re each other’s evil twins or something.
Anyway, coincidences aside, Slow Club are one of those bands I shouldn’t like but really do. On the face of it, they look like a couple of those northern indie kids you see hanging around the stacks of Jumbo Records in Leeds. You know, the kind of people who decorate their dorm rooms with pictures of Jarvis Cocker and wear duffle-coats plastered with Shout Out Loud badges and Who patches. But beneath those geeky exteriors is one of the most down-right huggable bands working in Britain right now; a band who play happy, jangly, C86-style indie pop that reminds you of what it was like to be in Year 11 and have a girl kiss you on the cheek behind the hedge during a cross-country run. Actually, if Yo La Tengo made music for teen movies then they would probably sound like these guys.
So your new video has that bloke from The Office in it. How did that come about?
We had the idea for the video; I'd seen Mackenzie in 'Jerusalem' and wrote to him. My friend Charlotte is in the play too and did a little convincing. He is the coolest dude ever.
What are the best bits of being a duo? Does it ever get weird hanging out with the same person for long periods of time?
Well, I guess it’s weird spending this much time with someone when it isn't something romantic but it's generally fine. We drive each other insane but we laugh loads too. And for as long as we are writing songs together with not too many disagreements I think we'll be ok. But y'know, we are obvs gonna definitely kill each other at some point in the future.
The media seems dead-set with lumping you in with the whole twee label. Is that something you're happy with?
Nope, but everyone who gets called twee says that. Urgh SO bored of it all, it’s a shame you can't just make music and have a male and female voice without it being labeled as twee. Whatever, we're not really arsed. Gonna kick you in the tits if you say we are though.
OK, moving on, Belle and Sebastian or The Smiths?
THE SMITHS. Was that a twee-test? you sneaky bugger...
Who are you looking forward to seeing at the Camden Crawl this year? Know any decent after-parties?
Um, the party in my bedroom where we watch the Eastenders we missed and eat pistachios?
Sounds awesome! Can we come?
Slow Club's 'Giving Up On Love' is out now on Moshi Moshi records. The band are due to play Koko on the 1st of June with Summer Camp, Veronica Falls and Spectrals.
Heading to the Camden Crawl? Keep an eye on our mini-site.
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