Live – The Slow Readers Club + BRIDGES + Greenness at The Haunt Brighton

The Slow Readers Club / BRIDGES / Greenness, The Haunt Brighton, 9th April 2019

With 3 albums under their belt and an ever growing following, it’s surprising that this is The Slow Readers Club’s first year as a full time band. They’re certainly making the most of their new situation, currently working their way through a massive 48 day tour, arriving last night at The Haunt in Brighton.

Opening set from Brighton based duo Greenness offered a welcome antidote to the wind and rain outside, hypnotic electro acoustic tunes creating a relaxed atmosphere with a whiff of Massive Attack / The Sugarcubes. Check out their new EP Cyclicity for more.

Next on and upping the indie guitar quota, BRIDGES have been filling the support slot for the last week and look to have picked up some new fans who clearly recognised their material. A well fitting choice whose energy and humour set things up nicely for the main event. Latest single Amor is out now.

And so, as the strobe lights kick in to the sound of Donna Summer’s I Feel Love under The Haunt’s huge glitterball, you could be forgiven for thinking you’d turned up on 70s’ disco night. However, as the members of The Slow Readers Club take to the stage things come crashing up to date with the writhing pulse of Lunatic, an instant crowd pleaser. Next up is Lives Never Known – reminiscent of John Foxx’s Europe After the Rain, it continues a steady stream of singles and album tracks spanning The Readers’ career so far.

The Slow Readers Club © 16 Beasley St Photography

The band are a long way from their home town of Manchester but it doesn’t seem to matter where they play, they take an army of loyal fans with them. Having seen them play festivals at both ends of the country in Glasgow and Portsmouth, I can attest to the fact that the chants of ‘READERS! READERS!’ never dim wherever they are. There are people in the crowd who are following them around on as many dates as they possibly can, seeing their favourite band and catching up with friends old and new at the same time.

As the songs continue through the popular Supernatural, Start Again and Lost Boys to closing track On The TV, there is no let up in enthusiasm and the crowd respond in kind. It’s a clever juxtaposition created between hard hitting lyrics and ridiculously catchy riffs that make this a band to take notice of. The Slow Readers Club have always sounded like they were made to fill arenas and have a fan base dedicated enough to make sure they don’t regret that decision to make this their full time career. Catch them while you can.