In November of last year, Burlington music venue Higher Ground released tickets for a concert this January by one of the biggest names in the shoegaze genre — Slowdive. Never have I purchased a ticket for a concert so fast. As the band responsible for introducing me to the legendary world of shoegaze and dream pop my junior year of high school, there was no way I was going to miss this concert.
As an extended tour for their fifth studio album released on Sept. 1, 2023 (and second album following their 2017 reunion after a 22-year hiatus) this was Slowdive’s fourth return to North America for the “Everything Is Alive” tour.
Entering Higher Ground, a local Burlington venue that has been attracting bands and artists on worldwide tours in recent years, a mass of college-aged kids hailing from all corners of Vermont in black uniform, made personal by the addition of unique hairstyles, jewelry and other staple pieces.
At about 8 p.m., the lights dimmed and the opening act came on stage: The artist Quannnic, who is considered a major pioneer in reimagining the modern digital sound of shoegaze. Their hit song, “life imitates life” self-released in 2022, blew up across TikTok in early 2023, inspiring a new wave of shoegaze listeners and performers whilst restoring the genre’s renowned mixture of “fuzziness and detail.”
Gone are the days of collecting and thrifting guitar pedals and other expensive analog equipment. With just an audio mixer (or even a laptop with GarageBand) and a direct input to your instrument of choice, anyone can achieve the staple shoegaze sound through the use of digital effects. Quannnic, among other artists, has crafted a blueprint, making the genre more accessible for those looking to experiment with a unique sound.
Quannnic’s performance featured several grunge qualities, from the mediocre lighting of the hall to the stage presence of the band. It felt like I was watching a show from outside someone’s mom’s garage, catching myself banging my head trying to match the drummer’s energy along with the rest of the crowd and touring band. It was clear that not many in the crowd were familiar with Quannnic’s wider discography, but that didn’t stop people from moving and grooving.
Despite the recent rough track record concert-goers have towards opening acts post Covid-19, the crowd etiquette was at a 10 and everyone's ears were peeled, vibing along to Quannnic’s post-indie sound. As the booming opener set came to a close, the touring bassist chucked something into the crowd. Landing directly in front of me, I saw that it was a guitar pick. A bloody guitar pick. No setlist was needed — this was my trophy for the night.
The crowd went wild as Slowdive entered stage right. With the four albums they’ve released over the course of 30 years at two distinctly different points in time — the mid-90s and late-2010s — all respective generations were there to listen to a dream-like concert full of opportunities to express any emotions held within.
The band led with the eight-minute ambient theme of “Avalyn II”; a golden song to tune, test and set the acoustics for the instruments and venue. Lead singer Rachel Goswell was enamored by the excitement of the crowd, reciprocating the joy as she stood and smiled from the stage set with her piano, a reader’s lamp and a songbook. As Avalyn II ended, the concert began in earnest.
Of the setlist, not an album was left out, from the more electronic and synth sounds of their newest songs to their earliest works featuring the classic shoegaze sound defined by wistful, hazy, and distorted textures. Being in the middle and relatively close to the barricade, all I could hear was a cosmic wall of sound coming from the line array speakers and the acoustics coming directly from the main stage. A microphone was placed inside the kick drum, a sensation so powerful I could feel it thumping in my throat.
Each song had its own visuals that vaguely related to its themes; lights made it seem as if we were under a veil of fog, or at times, in a firefight. The visual for “Sugar for the Pill” was quite literally capsules being filled with sugar — probably the only part of the set that I couldn’t help but laugh at. The band closed with their most renowned piece of work “When the Sun Hits,” accompanied with strobe and ambient lighting so strong that if you told me the sun was in the room with us, I would believe you.
As Slowdive left the stage, the crowd started to chant and cry, begging for an encore. Their return to stage was my chance to request a song from the band. On my phone I typed out a big wall of text saying “don't know why?”, the title to one of my favorite songs. Goswell looked directly at me and said “Oh sorry, we can’t do that one.” At that moment my heart was shattered. Little did I know that my heart would be repaired in minutes when I heard the first notes of another favorite of mine. “40 Days” came on, and making clear eye contact with the lead singer, I sang the song word for word.
Whether discovered in forums, introduced to by friends, found in a playlist or heard out in public at some point, in all these concertgoers’ time, Slowdive was the voice for them. With their bittersweet lyrics full of a range of experiences the average teenager relates to or longs for, combined with a dreamy soundscape, it’s simply music you can cry, sleep, dance or just dissolve to — they’re a band you can fall headfirst into.
