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SLAVES Take Control Over London City

SLAVES bring chaos to O2 Shepherd’s Bush.

Incredible how only two men can make such a mess.

Last week saw Slaves selling out two consecutive nights at O2 Shepherd’s Bush Empire in London. After finishing the intimate tour across smaller venues in the UK earlier in September, the tension was about to explode, ahead of the release of their sophomore album Take Control. It was time to hit the road again, the big time.

It is a Wednesday night when we find ourselves in a sweat-soaked venue where dense fumes are floating in the air, and I’m not saying this for the sake of figurative speech. Absolutely not.

Shortly, the lights dim and loud cheers arise as a mysterious person appears on stage. Just one member of Slaves‘ crew making a skit intro prior to the band’s grand entrance.

The Kent locals kick off with blistering track Sockets, taken from their critically acclaimed 2015’s debut album Are You Satisfied?, and the madness commences. We’re on the first song here when I’m being hit with a half-full cup of beer. “Well, it’s surely going to be interesting”, I think as the band has barely got a chance to open their mouths.

Suitably the lyrics “You could hear your eyes rolling round in their sockets” slip into new offerings, Play Dead and Same Again, all radiating with the same angry precision. It also doesn’t take long for vocalist / drummer Isaac Holman to drop off his fancy jacket and go totally shirtless.

“How are you London town?!”, he screams and the audience responds with twice the exact strength.

Undoubtedly, that’s one hell of an angry band but it feels completely fine as we all have come here to shout the rage out of our lungs. Their wrath and arrogance utterly translate into live format what can be clearly heard in the following tunes, the straightforward People That You Meet and fiery Despair and Traffic.

All that Slaves do is in-your-face punky rock stuff. They surely live up to already raucous reputation of theirs as they do not lose the passion and energy throughtout their 25-track long setlist. Yep, you’ve got it right, twenty five tracks, including all of their entertaining skits e.g. Gary (Skit) or the about two-minute long songs such as Fuck the Hi-Hat, and the title tracks Are You Satisfied? and Take Control. I certainly envy that they are in good shape, as I’m trying to catch my breath in the middle of the set.

“London, where’s your car?!”, Isaac asks what can only mean one thing as Slaves hit the riffs of their outstanding debut single Where’s Your Car Debbie? and all voices are joining in. By this point the levels two and three of O2 SBE have thrown quite a part, including a dude standing in front of me who could stand as a great opponet in a singing competition.

There is no space for a quiet moment in the duo’s set. Obviously, that’s not an issue as most of their tunes fall somewhat melodic in their raw nature, especially the track Angelica which is one of the standout moments.

The set falls coherent in all its chaotic glory. The transitions are smooth, Isaac’s drum-work niete and precise whereas Laurie Vincent‘s guitar skills shine while he still finds time to switch to the keys in between songs.

As we go back in time a little bit, thanks to the tracks Suicide and Girl Fight taken from their first 2012 EP Sugar Coated Bitter Truth, we hear another story. This time it’s all about how it all started, how the guys wanted to be in a big band, had no friends (definitely no bassist) but had never given up. There are two thousand people gathered here tonight proving that they’ve succedeed.

Slaves don’t stray away from an engagment with the crowd. It may be only a casual stroll in the pit while holding hands or a helpful gesture when giving back lost property after asking “Who’s lost a shoe?”, or an angry shout at the guy in first row – “Who are you texting mate?”, or a caring request – “Please don’t kill yourselves” after a mental case of crowd surfing. Either way, the bond is strong.

What’s more, the ardent eagerness is hailing from fan-favourites Feed the Mantaray, Hey and of course Cheer Up London which go down really well as the crowd is craving for more craziness.

Next, we see the crew guy appearing again in a ghost-like attire making a few rounds on stage before proceeding with a bold stagediving. Apparently, the band feels like an explanation is needed so we hear: “He comes on tour with us and just does that. We left his costume at his mum’s house”.

Then Laurie announces “We’re Slaves! We’re okay and we’re from Kent. That’s in England.” as the band rounds off the main set with the punchy The Hunter.

After a short break Slaves return for an encore spinning White Knuckle Ride, the first song they’ve written together, sharp Lies and raucous Spit It Out. Twenty five tracks later and it still doesn’t seem like enough.

If their album titles can count for something, then Slaves definitely took control over London that night leaving everyone highly satisfied.

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Photos: Kasia Osowiecka