Live Review & Gallery: Slowdive and Beach Fossills in Brisbane
Words Kade Homa. Photos Kelsey Doyle.
Slowdive at Fortitude Music Hall, Brisbane. 8 May 2025. Credit: Kelsey Doyle (@kjdoyle)
With a snaking lane that stretched around the block and then some, there were plenty of shoegaze lovers out last Thursday night for Slowdive’s eagerly awaited return to Brisbane. Last touring Australia in 2023 following the release of their latest album ‘everything is alive’, it was a quick return for the heralded UK band.
They were joined by New York’s Beach Fossils, who also last toured Australia in 2023. Performing at the Fortitude Music Hall as an all-ages show, it was quite the sight to see such a large portion of the attendees being young, a testament to intergenerational fanbase Slowdive have accrued. There were wide varieties in fashion, and it was marvellous to witness such a uniquely diverse crowd all gathered under the same roof.
After merely an hour of waiting, Beach Fossils made their way onstage to a flurry of cheers and hurrahs, led by frontman Dustin Payseur. The band more than adequately excited the hall, and wasted no time by opening with ‘Don’t Fade Away’. Although, it was guitarist Tommy Davidson who kept the crowd going, both throughout each song and in between, his energy being wonderfully invigorating.
Their set continued over the next 45 minutes with songs like ‘Shallow’ and ‘Down the Line’ from their albums ‘Clash the Truth’ and ‘Somersault’, before Dustin hopped back on the mic to introduce their closing song. He spoke on how touring can be difficult sometimes, but the rewarding feeling of playing each gig made it all worth it. With that, they played their final song, ‘May 1st’, closing out a brilliant opening set.
Beach Fossils at Fortitude Music Hall, Brisbane. 8 May 2025. Credit: Kelsey Doyle (@kjdoyle)
It was an exciting wait over the next 30 minutes, as the crowd’s collective eagerness grew as 9:15 ticked closer and closer. The wait would come to a quick end as the lights dimmed and Brian Eno began to softly fill the ears of keen listeners, his track ‘Deep Blue Day’ accompanying the Slowdive members to the stage. It didn’t take long for the crowd to erupt as each respective member tended their instruments.
As soon as the start of ‘Avalyn’ blessed the ears of those in attendance, they knew it would be an incredible set. The band would continue through some amazingly beautiful tracks, with vocalists Rachel Goswell and Neil Halstead leading the way, their voices both still incredibly captivating. A credit to the Fortitude Music Hall, as the lighting was excellently complementary throughout, flickering through greens, blues, reds, and everything in between.
They played tracks far and wide through their discography, going from ‘shanty’ from their latest LP ‘everything is alive’ to tracks from their self titled 2017 album like ‘Star Roving’ and back to ‘Catch the Breeze’ from their 1991 debut ‘Just for a Day’. It was a testament to their incredible consistency throughout the decades, never quite losing their step.
Their stage presence was hauntingly powerful, despite the minimal movement you might see from most rock bands. Staying true to the etymology of shoegaze, they spent long periods simply playing gorgeous tracks and focusing on their pedalboards. It was less of a focus on the spectacle, and more of a focus on the sound, introspection, and immersion. The aforementioned lighting was excellent for these sequences too, with an emphatic flashing lights display for the ending of ‘Star Roving’.
It was a stellar back half of the set, kicking off with the dreamy ‘Souvlaki Space Station’ led by the thumping bass and gorgeous guitars of Nick Chaplin and Christian Savill, respectively. This would be the first of many tracks played from the band’s 1993 album ‘Souvlaki’ the album that helped cement them in the annals of shoegaze history.
Slowdive at Fortitude Music Hall, Brisbane. Credit: Kelsey Doyle (@kjdoyle)
It was some more fan favourites after that, with ‘kisses’ and ‘Sugar for the Pill’ helping to excite the audience for the growing tension towards the finale of their set. It’s astounding how beautiful Rachel and Neil’s voices have continued to sound over the years, and that was shown clear as day when ‘Alison’ began to play.
It was a surreal moment as the enamoured crowd watched and sung along with all their heart, stray tears falling from eyes across the room. The ending from ‘Alison’ transitioned into a short instrumental segue that set the scene for perhaps the anticipated song of the night, ‘When the Sun Hits’. It’s grown in immense popularity with the revival of shoegaze over the last decade and the rise of streaming. Neil’s voice still sounds as magnificent as it did three decades ago, not losing any hint of perfection.
This would be their final song prior to a short intermission, and it wouldn’t take long for the crowd to start chanting for the band to return for “one more song”. They would instead bless the crowd with three more songs, as the crowd erupted in cheers when drummer Simon Scott led the way back out. His percussion had kept every song that night glued together masterfully and deserves his flowers for his excellent play.
The band would return for an encore containing ‘Machine Gun’, ‘She Calls’ and finishing with the swirling melodies of ‘40 Days’. Each track was bittersweet, as for every lyric sung, the end of an incredible night drew closer. The band serenaded the crowd one final time before, bidding Brisbane a heartfelt goodnight.
Just as Brian Eno started the set, his music ended it as well, with ‘An Ending (Ascent)’ accompanying Slowdive one final time in Australia, as their Australian tour came to a beautiful conclusion. The near sold out crowd did not hustle for the exits, having a moment to take in what they had just witnessed, before eventually heading for the doors.
Attempting to describe this show with words would simply not do justice to one of the greatest shoegaze bands to play a note. The best way to enjoy the Slowdive experience is none other than to see it for yourself, so next time they’re in town, make sure not to miss them.
