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LIVE REVIEW | UNION CHAPEL | THE SLOW SHOW
Some bands just seem to belong in certain venues, and The Slow Show at Union Chapel is a perfect example. Their music draws you in slowly, building in intensity and emotion, and in the Chapel, with its incredible acoustics and atmosphere, it really comes into its own. This was a night marking ten years since the release of their debut album White Water, but it was about more than looking back. There was a real sense that the band were moving into a new chapter too.
First up was Dutch artist Roosmarijn, making her UK debut. A solitary figure on stage, with no fewer than nine spotlights shining down on her, she opened with the haunting vocals and looping sounds of You Can’t Run. As the Chapel fell silent, the darkness revealed little pockets of candlelight in the balcony alcoves. It was quite a sight.
Roosmarijn is a talented multi-instrumentalist, moving between viola, acoustic guitar and piano, all while delivering a voice that held the room. Her own songs sat beautifully alongside a cover of Kate Bush’s Running Up That Hill. There was a lovely moment when she joked that this was a pretty damn nice venue for her first London show. I think we could all agree.
She also introduced After The Fall, a duet she recorded with Rob Goodwin, and told us about a new EP, with its first single due on 27 November. I particularly loved Song for a Deer. By the time she finished with Went by Way Too Fast, she’d won over the room. A cracking start to the evening, and a support act whose music felt right at home in the Chapel.
The Slow Show opened with Dresden, preceded by hymnal vocals drifting through the speakers. From the first notes, the room was theirs. Rob Goodwin’s unmistakable gravelly voice is at the heart of the band’s sound, but seeing him perform it live adds something else. At times almost spoken, at others full of emotion, he often sang bent forward, looking as though he was carrying the weight of every word.
The piano-led Who’s Breaking Your Heart? brought a real sense of melancholy. Rob sounded almost on the verge of tears, while the viola added another layer of sadness before the drums gradually lifted the song towards a surprisingly hopeful crescendo. It’s that contrast between despair and hope that The Slow Show do so well.
Rob took a moment to welcome everyone back, saying, “We’ve missed you. It’s an honour to be back in this beautiful room.” He was right to call it a room rather than simply a venue. The Chapel has an intimacy that makes even the biggest musical moments feel personal.
The anniversary celebrations centred on White Water, alongside material from the recent White Water Reimagined. Rob spoke about the risks of going back to songs written ten years ago, and how differently they can feel when you revisit them. A lot can happen in a decade. People change, relationships end, new ones begin, and the songs inevitably take on a different meaning.
That was particularly clear with Proud of You Boy. Rob explained how a song that once felt sad now felt more like a celebration of ordinary lives. A simple thought, perhaps, but one that said a lot about how both the band and their audience have moved on over the years.
Vagabond, a song about trying to escape a city but never quite getting anywhere, was delivered with Rob almost whispering into the ether. Later, God Only Knows gained an extra dimension when Roosmarijn joined the band, her higher vocals providing a lovely harmony.
There was plenty more to enjoy, but the glimpses of what comes next were just as interesting as the trip down memory lane. Rob introduced All I See, a new song written with Roosmarijn for the band’s next record, planned for next year. He admitted that the tour had largely been about looking back, but that it was also important to try out new material. It was good to hear something fresh, and the Chapel was a great place to hear it first.
Wasted Life and Bloodline followed, before Rob reflected on their previous visit to Union Chapel. Back then, he had wondered whether it might be the end of something brilliant. This time, he felt they were at the beginning of a new chapter. With plenty of shows planned for next year, he also made it clear just how important the audience was to everything they do.
The encore brought a little humour, with Rob explaining that they had lots of interesting things to tell us but only six minutes in which to do it. Lucky You, Lucky Me provided a lovely final moment, although the planned last song had to be sacrificed to the clock.
Ten years on, White Water clearly still means a great deal, both to the band and to the people in the room. But this wasn’t simply a night of nostalgia. With new music on the way and a renewed sense of purpose, The Slow Show seem to have plenty more to give. Roosmarijn was a great discovery, and the Chapel provided exactly the right setting for a band whose music rewards being listened to properly.
Some venues host great gigs. Occasionally, a band and a venue are simply made for each other. This was one of those nights.
Kevin O’Sullivan – Images
James O’Sullivan – Words
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