Review and Photography by Robert Barrett
Sunday afternoon at the inaugural Beyond the Tracks festival gave Birmingham a rare chance to catch shoegaze legends Slowdive in full force. As the sun reflected off the surrounding high rises onto the land that will soon be Birmingham’s HS2 station, anticipation was high for the bands first gig in the city for 20 years.
Slowdive walked on just as the sun broke through the clouds, and proceeded to work through a suitably blissful set. Lead vocalist Rachel Goswell had a permanent smile on her face as they played to an enthusiastic crowd of hardcore fans and festival casuals. Between the occasional rumble of nearby trains, new songs hypnotically intertwined with fan favourites, each greeted with a rapturous reception. The highlight for the crowd was the one- two punch of classics “Souvlaki Space Station” and “When the Sun Hits”. Mass screaming and cheering from the Souvlaki t-shirt wearing fans.
Ending their last festival of the season with fan favourite 40 Days, the band proceeded to leave the stage in a flurry of waves and smiles. Beyond the Tracks had proved to the crowd that Sundays were made for shoe gaze.
(The original version of this article was published on Blankexpression Zine
What Kind of Music 