Exchange Bristol, 2nd October 2024
Last night (2nd October) I picked up a last-minute review spot for a gig at Exchange Bristol, as friend and fellow TSM writer Jace was under the weather. And I was certainly lucky to catch an evening of music which I will not forget for a long time.
Sløtface (previously and still pronounced Slutface) are a Norwegian rock band, fronted by vocalist and songwriter Haley Shea. I’d heard of Sløtface by name but little more before last night’s gig, and my pre-listening mostly consisted of the bus ride to Bristol’s legendary venue.
Before I go to the main part of the review, I first wanted to just say how amazing Exchange is as a music venue. It has been a frequent venue for gigs for me over the last 5 years, and I will continue to go to gigs there for as long as I live. The staff are amazing, there is a good selection of local drinks and they are really supportive of smaller artists by making live music accessible for everyone.
The night was opened by the local band SunSpot. I’ve seen these guys a couple of times before, and they never fail to put on a good set. It was a mixture of old and new songs, including tracks off their upcoming album. ‘Microscope’ made its debut, and although only three of the five from the full band were there, it was still an energy-building opener to the night.
Immediately the energy was high, people were enjoying themselves and getting their groove on.
After a very quick changeover, it was onto SUDS. For those of you who don’t know SUDS, what are you doing? I first discovered these amazing musicians when they supported Spanish Love Songs at The Fleece earlier this year, and I have been a dedicated fan since. Their mix of indie rock, combined with the emotions and output that a good band needs makes them work so well. Their debut album, The Great Overgrowth, came out last year, and they are destined for even bigger stages.
Another quick change and it was onto the main band of the night. Although not quite sold out, the main room of Exchange was feeling pretty good, with the atmosphere almost electric and people buzzing to see Sløtface. Promoting their new album, Film Buff, they opened straight into the lead track, ‘I Used To Be A Real Piece Of Shit’, a song about changing and getting to know yourself. Immediately the energy was high, people were enjoying themselves and getting their groove on.
They kept up the pace throughout, with the guitarist coming into the crowd during ‘S.U.C.C.E.S.S.’, and it wasn’t long before Haley was also in the crowd, getting the mosh pit started. To begin with, any cis-males had to sit this one out, but soon after everyone was allowed in, provided they kept it a safe space (and they did!).
The crowd were so receptive and amazing, that we were treated to ‘Slumber’, a lesser-played but one of the band’s most popular songs
As the mammoth 19-song set continued, we were treated to some of the bands older songs, before coming back to ‘Lift Heavy’, and being told it was a mandatory dance song! The mood however quickly changed, with ‘Impression Of A Car Crash’, being told to keep quiet, before going back to one more party song, ‘HAPPY’.
For most of the shows, that would have been the last of the set. But Bristol wasn’t like most shows, and the crowd were so receptive and amazing that we were treated to ‘Slumber’, a lesser-played but one of the band’s most popular songs. The absolute vocal soup that is the ending to this song is so confusing, but works so well that it had me singing it all the way home. Sløtface is certainly one of my new favourite bands and I cannot wait to one day see them live again!
Until then, all that is left to say is thank you to all the hardworking people behind the scenes that make these shows happen!
Words and photos: Ted Stargatt
TrueStyleMusic 