Slowdive

Dealing in thick, static layers of guitar fog and faint, dreamy harmonies, Slowdive were part of the first wave of 'shoegaze' bands who made a cacophonous, sprawling wall of meditative noise and offered an alternative to the British grunge scene of the early 1990s. Led by childhood friends Rachel Goswell and Neil Halstead, Slowdive formed in Reading, Berkshire in 1989 and signed with iconic indie label Creation when they were just 19-years-old after being spotted supporting DIY rock trio Five Thirty. Named after a Siouxsie and the Banshees single, Slowdive were grouped in with contemporaries like The Jesus and Mary Chain and My Bloody Valentine and dismissed by unimpressed members of the music press who sneered at their awkward, mumbling demeanour on stage. Their debut album 'Just a Day' was awash with effects pedals and hypnotic, graceful ambience, but it was the follow-up 'Souvlaki' in 1993 which created an angelic, swirling pop sound and became regarded as a cult classic. With the emergence of Brit pop and problems with their American label SBK, the band came to a natural end after 1995's 'Pygmalion' and Halstead and Goswell went on to form the more acoustic, indie-Americana act Mojave 3. Both also released solo material. They reformed in 2014 for a world tour and a series of festival dates, before releasing a new album 'Slowdive' in 2017, alongside singles 'Star Roving' and 'Sugar for the Pill'.

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