The Slow Readers Club, The Ritz. 5th December 2024

Tonight is the first of 5 gigs in 6 nights and I’m not well. Not a good start. I need something or someone to lift me up. Enter The Slow Readers Club. A hefty dose of positive medicine if there ever was one. I used to gush about them getting bigger and bigger, stepping up through the city’s venues. I think I’ve seen them everywhere aside the two big arenas. I’ll not lie though, I like them best in rooms like The Ritz. Big enough that you can fit the rabid fan base in, but not so big that they lose that connection. This is a band you want to be close to. They’re accessible, humble and bloody amazing live. As Donna’s ‘I Feel Love’ electro pulse builds the anticipation, they take to the stage lit with fancy neon lights and stomp into ‘Yet Again’. Aaron sporting a new cue ball cut looks sharp and menacing. He reminds us that “this floor bounces” as they unleash ‘The Wait’. It’s perhaps too early to get everyone going, but we’re in fine voice singing “You’re all the matters” as Aaron throws poses. I’m liking the new streamlined Aaron, it seems to boost his frontman presence. We’re six albums in now, how did that happen?? Number seven is out in the new year and that’s where ‘Animals’ comes from. I wasn’t too sure when I first heard this, but it’s grown on me and live it really comes to life. ‘Plant the Seed’ gets the party going proper. Aaron shows off his range while we once again join in. They’ve always cultivated a strong aesthetic, but tonight it all comes together. They look cool as fuck in regulation black, matching guitar straps, Jim looks like a bass samurai on ‘All I hear’ as the fancy lighting set up explodes around him. They really are going all out in this tour. ‘The Greatest Escape’ calms the crowd a little and ‘Lay Your Troubles on Me’ keeps things “tender” as Aaron’s bathed in spotlights. It marks a mid-set reflective run of songs, proving they’re not just about the electro indie bangers. ‘Little White Lies’ is totally new to me, a tease from the forthcoming album. It’s a soft melodic song, Kurt’s guitar shimmers over the top as Aaron’s falsetto soars and David’s drums build to a military beat. It’s rather pleasant. Although Aaron could do with a black bodied acoustic to match the colour palette. “From something very new to something quite old”. ‘Sirens’ is a fan fave and the Ritz is soon lost in “Awooos” and the call of “READERS” rings out at its close. Aaron has grown in confidence, telling origin stories about Fred Perry store gigs and dickheads as he introduces ‘All the Idiols’. This song always catches me off guard. It starts quite unassuming, but fuck me when it kicks up a gear it’s magnificent. Speaking of picking up the pace, ‘Technofear’ is another recent single that proves that there’s still scope for bangers on the new record. It’s pretty epic as coloured spots probe the room and the sound tears through the place. Definitely my fave of the four new songs in the set tonight. Jim cracks a massive smile as the chorus of ‘Afterlife’ sees hands reach into the sky, before catching himself and resuming the bass stare. They’re all great songs, but some like ‘You Opened Up My Heart’ hit different. It could be that these are just more well known, but the crowd really come alive. It’s a great atmosphere, although a little more sedate than other times I’ve seen them. My favourite ‘Forever in Your Debt’, dedicated to traveling fans is next. This is a monster of a track, the floor bounces and I forget my throat feels like sandpaper and belt out the lyrics. I’m not a singer, but I can’t help myself. “Hope you’ve brought some glow sticks” teases Aaron as they play ‘Boy So Blue’, the last of the new songs. I’ve not heard this either. It starts slowly, keys are tinkled, an acoustic is strummed, before it goes a bit Coldplay. Not bad on first listen, but it’s a definite departure. You’ve got to try new things though don’t you. ‘On the TV’ is much safer ground and leads us into the encore. A joyous song with some dark lyrics. Doesn’t that sum up 2024 perfectly. The Ritz is asked to jump and gleefully obliges. Breaking out the “do do do” and carrying them through the break until the band return with ‘I Saw a Ghost’. It’s one of the slower songs, but unfurls beautifully in all its epic grandour. Honestly it took me a while to get into ‘Knowledge Freedom Power’ and I’m still not sure about in on record, but live that chorus is pretty glorious. I’m not sure if it is, but it feels faster and it’s fun to sing, in fact it’s what’s stuck in my head all the way home. After 90 mins it’s ‘Lunatic’ that closes. We raise one arm in the “build a tower” choreography and are left with a warmth in our hearts as we step back out into the cold night air. We’re thanked for coming, but honestly there’s nowhere I’d rather be, ill or not.