Slow Riots LIVE

Tempo Hotel, Fortitude Valley  

July 2012

A Sunday night is not part of the real weekend- it’s a grey period where hangovers from the real weekend are dwarved by the looming inevitability of Monday morning evil.  But nonetheless, there are always those who refuse Monday’s forthcoming. On the corner of McLachlan St and Brunswick Street lies the Tempo Hotel- offering free entry and a refuge to wait for a missed train. On that night were a few misfit bands who were turning up their amps as most people were turning in.  Thin White Lines, Junkyard Diamonds and Slow Riots were playing, but this writer only got to stumbled upon the last band, Slow Riots.  Members James Hilan, Shannon Kelly and Jacob Dawod took to the vastness of the Tempo’s main room without a care to who dared listen. Despite a chilled crowd and only 2 days of promotion, and guitars that needed setting up,  Slow Riots were there to preach their noise come hell or high water..

Playing new material and songs off their Bored EP, the live sound was nonetheless fat as ever. The power trio played their short and punchy verses, which were complimented with lush interludes of sonic noise. At other times, their chorus-saturated cleanliness gets instantly obliterated to nothing by ensuing walls of crunchy noise. This music is not for lazy Sunday nights- the pulse and power demands the energy of sweaty, intoxicating Friday nights. The band’s core is Hilan’s guitar, with everything else falling behind.

The bass pulsed unassuming rhythm and gave the needed low tone for when the guitar decided to cut into the highs. The drum’s groove provided the anchoring beat for both stronger choruses and for periods of droning, instrumental interludes that dotted their set. And whenever Hilan was free from vocal duties he was jumping around; oblivious to all else but his feel. It seems Slow Riots conceal stretched out, lengthened melodic guitar behind super-crunched tones and euphoric rhythm. When they ditch the distortion and thumping, what emerges is their core melodic guitar, which usually hides under the impressive heavy.