Slowdive @ MassMoCA on 1/31

Graphic by Sofia Giarrusso

by izzie claudio

On January 31st, closing out the first month of the new year, Slowdive played at The Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art (MASS MoCA) in North Adams. It was a snowy evening, and the museum halls were a comfortable respite from the blowing snow outside. A J Mascis (of Dinosaur Jr.) sighting excitedly reminded me that I was seeing one of the most iconic shoegaze bands while nestled in the Massachusetts forests. 

Their opener was quannnic, a musician from Florida who is a new voice in the shoegaze scene. They leaned heavily into brooding vocals and guitar with heavy reverb, which are mainstay sounds in the shoegaze genre. The drums were played with passion, breathing life into each song as the cymbals crashed. Everyone on stage played with their whole bodies; hair flying carelessly through the air. 

Shortly, Slowdive took the stage as Brian Eno’s “Deep Blue Day” played. They casually walked on as cheers filled the space. Rachel Goswell and Neil Halstead stood on opposite ends, and sandwiched in between them were various synthesizers. They quietly launched into “Avalyn” from their debut EP, Slowdive (1990). “Avalyn” embodies the pure atmosphere of shoegaze, hypnotizing and ever-expanding. The audience was silent as we entered the world of Slowdive. 

Their setlist was a perfect blend of old and new, showcasing the consistency of their sound. Although their most recent album, everything is alive (2023), was met with some criticism, their new material came alive on stage. “Shanty” and “Kisses” floated about the crowd like a sea of cool mist. Goswell sang with a soft, sweet tone; it could have easily been a snowy evening in the late '90s when Souvlaki (1994) was just released and changed the game for shoegaze forever. 

The middle of their set was marked with a moment of ascendence. “Crazy for You” spiraled and descended into echoing vocals and those heavily reverbed guitars. The repeated guitar melody is like a lullaby, and it seamlessly grounds the entire song. Immediately following “Crazy for You” was “Souvlaki Space Station.” This was a climactic moment. The track has a protruding bass line and a full-bodied instrumentation; guitars braided together with drums and synths. Goswell stepped away from her synths and microphone and began to slowly stroll across the stage, looking out at the audience. She said so much with her eyes as she saw the music hit the faces and souls of the crowd. She had a knowing smile, a peaceful smile, as the song continued to build. Then, she stopped center stage and she was engulfed in strobes. We were all gladly placed under the Slowdive spell, shoegaze royalty stood before us. 

The set moved forward and we continued to get lost in those reverbed guitars. We arrived at the end of the show and they played their most well-known songs, also from their debut Souvlaki: “Allison” and “When the Sun Hits.” The crowd sang the haunting lyrics of “Allison” with Goswell and Halstead; we let the smooth melody wash over us. “When the Sun Hits” was another moment of ascendance. That iconic melody, that iconic build, “When the Sun Hits” is a masterpiece and hearing it live is an unforgettable moment. The strobes returned when every instrument clashed together to create the beautiful cacophony that makes up the chorus. We barely saw each band member as the strobes intensified and the energy continued to climb. We all became one as the strobes engulfed the entire crowd and we let the sun hit. 

Slowdive creates an unbelievably beautiful atmosphere with their music and those melodies truly come to life onstage. Slowdive took us to space and beyond on that snowy evening at MASSMoCA.