Riff-laced Brighton outfit Slung play Reading’s Purple Turtle
Riff-laced Brighton outfit Slung play Reading’s Purple Turtle on Monday.
Somewhere between Mazzy Star and Mastodon, Slung flits masterfully between thundering momentum and sinister riffs, to a vulnerability so delicate it catches you entirely off guard.
Take a listen here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MNGQ_bItG3U
Their tour promotes their debut album In Ways, released on Friday via Fat Dracula.
The four members of Slung currently find themselves flung across Europe but Brighton is their spiritual home. A tight-knit crew of the formerly gifted and talented, Slung deliver blistering riffs, sinister drums and sugary sweet vocals, all wrapped up in a tasty tortellini of 90s slacker rock nostalgia.
The group, featuring former members of Sit Down, The Death of Us & Intechnicolour, formed in 2023 with the ambition of finally finishing demos that had existed for years. On first rehearsal, the chemistry was instant and Slung stormed through the writing and recording of their upcoming debut album. Stay very much tuned.
Earlier cut, Class A Cherry has an ominous, undulating bassline from Vlad Matveikov giving way to an immensely evocative vocal from Katie Oldham. The strings in this song were composed and performed by an amazing Ukrainian group called Kaska Studio String Section.
Listen here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1an6jBO1ZNc
Katie says: “This song was inspired by strippers, escorts and sex workers and the power dynamics that come with that profession. It’s told from the perspective of a woman weaponizing the male gaze that she must endure regardless, and advising others to use it for their own advantage.”
With shades of metal, grunge and an all-round plethora of alternative influences, In Ways has been breathed into life by Slung through the supreme ability of its members and their vision.
The band’s line-up is completed by the accomplished Ali Johnson on guitar and powerhouse rhythm-master Ravi Martin on drums.
Katie’s storytelling and the compelling way she brings together personal, lived experience with more abstract, conceptual ideas and characters, comes to the fore via a collaborative combustion of its members’ experiences, circumstances and accomplished musicianship.
Slung’s sonic universe is a veritable musical supernova, with the band’s members referencing influences as far-reaching as Deftones and Baroness, Wednesday and MJ Lenderman, Queens of the Stone Age and even Chappell Roan and Fleetwood Mac.
You can get a further taste of this with previously-released album cuts - playful recent track ‘Thinking About It https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vo_PacIanHI the psych-infused ‘Collider https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nWXxBDOY74A and the trauma-fueled, ribcage-rattling ‘Laughter https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i-kI1NCLeSo.
Slung play in the main bar of the Gun Street venue with The Colour Blind Monks and The Monday Smile (7.30pm-10.30pm). 18+ ID required. Entry free.
SLUNG ON TOUR:
Tickets available here
02 May Winchester - The Railway Inn
03 May Brighton - Green Door Store
04 May Cheltenham - Frog & Fiddle
05 May Reading - Purple Turtle
09 May Northampton - The Garibaldi
15 May Guildford - The Boileroom
16 May Nottingham - JT Soar
17 May Norwich - Voodoo Daddy's
23 May Bristol - Exchange (basement)
24 May Cardiff - Paradise Garden
29 May Tunbridge Wells - Forum (basement)
30 May Leeds - Wharf Chambers
31 May London - The Victoria
06 June Alton - The Lounge Bar
30 August Burn It Down Festival, Torquay
SLUNG ARE:
Katie Oldham - vocals
Ali Johnson - guitar
Ravi Martin - drums
Vlad Matveikov - bass
