By Mhairi McNeil
Slaves, supporting Jamie T @ Barrowlands Nov 11th
When I saw punk duo Slaves as they supported Jamie T on the UK leg of his Carry On The Grudge tour, I didn’t quite know what to expect. In a cocky (verging on arrogant) manner these Kent boys jumped onstage, whilst the not-yet-full room cheered politely. One thing that cannot be denied is that these lads are loud; Laurie Vincent shreds out some filthy riffs whilst Isaac Holman bawls out some almost Sid Viscious-esque vocals, as he never misses a beat on his stand-up drum. The crowd seemed to warm to lads as they played the dirty (but slightly repetitive) sounds of “Where’s Your Car Debbie?” and treated the crowd to some storytelling entertainment, which had some of the audience exclaiming that they “sound like Jamie T a little bit”. This stage-presence was definitely aiding the boys’ performance, especially when Holman told a story of seeing some brawling burds after a night out, before jumping into aptly titled track ‘Girl Fight’ which was is only a 15 second-long track but was great nonetheless. Heavier track “White Knuckle Ride” had an even better crowd reaction, with some of the audience giving a great deal of attention to the boys, something that isn’t always common during the support. Unfortunately, Slaves didn’t seem to be everyone’s cup of tea, as most were having chats amongst themselves in-between songs. A highlight of one of these overheard conversations was when a girl asked her friend: “do you think they’re friends or d’you they fucking hate each other?” It’s probably testament to the set overall that this query seemed to be the most entertaining thing I’d heard all night. I’m sure these lads are fantastic but perhaps suited to a smaller venue and a more dedicated crowd. I look forward to seeing more from this duo, hopefully they keep with their energy but manage find their own unique sound. As the set ended the boys shared a beautiful man-hug, which answers that girls question. I don’t think we’ve seen the last of this raging bromance yet.
