Slaves, Lady Bird, Willie J Healey: O2 Academy, Liverpool

Slaves

On Friday night, Southern rockers Slaves took to the O2 Academy stage, Getintothis’ Amos Wynn was in the middle of the action.

From start to finish Slaves bashed their way through their set, with high energy, high tempo and fast tunes.

The fans were clearly up for the evening, with the venue nearly packed out well before the band entered the stage. Anticipation was rife for the gig to come. The Kent duo burst onto the stage with an eruption of noise, kicking off their set with a track from their first album,Sockets.

The O2 Academy was bouncing, with the floor physically shaking, it was clear early on that the show was going to be a lively one with fans full of excitement. Shouting down the mic and smashing the drum beats was Isaac Holman, who was conducting the power in the room all through the night. His passion and love for the songs he was singing was clear to see, with sweat dripping off him.

Along with guitarist, Laurie Vincent, the pair filled the venue with sound, creating more noise than a full band could dream of. Of Course their fans largely contribute to that as well, as Holman chanted “Fuck the Hi-Hat,” the crowd shouted the words back ten times louder.

Explaining why they’re only a duo they stated, “no one else wanted to join, so fuck em.”

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The pair was clearly in a loving mood as they told the crowd to give the person next to them a hug. Two songs that stood at was Lies and Cheer Up London, creating a huge boost in the venue which was rocking.

Despite the humidity in the Academy, that didn’t stop fans from jumping around and enjoying every second, with Punk rock well and truly alive. The true stand out was the immense Chokehold which had an electrifying and big live sound to it. The intensity of the song and the madness made it an excellent spectacle, with everyone singing along.

With the night barely having a slow moment and the crowd loving it, the pair finished on The Hunter with more mosh pits breaking out.

Slaves are certainly an acquired taste with their heavy rock songs and fast pace, but the people packed into the sweaty venue certainly back them and loved every second.

Supporting the rockers were Willie J Healey and Lady Bird.

With similar sounds they set off the night of rock, stating it was a ‘privilege’ and a ‘mind blowing opportunity’ to be on tour with Slaves. For the rock fans who turned out the evening was none stop madness and enjoyment, listening to Slaves smash through their set.

With three albums out and an amazing live following, Slaves are generating something special on the rock scene. In an era of generic music and desperation of chart success, the southern duo are sticking to the basics and it is something to be followed.

Photos by Lauren Cowdall