After getting lost within their energy, you couldn’t help but be in awe of Slaves raw ability to command a small venue and turn it into one hell of a rock show. The UK punk duo are in the country for Download Festival which will take over Sydney and Melbourne over the weekend but before they hit those big crowds they headed to Brisbane for their headline show at The Brightside. With an excited crowd calmly packing out the venue to see the band for the first time, everything seemed pretty chilled for a Thursday night but as soon as Isaac and Laurie hit the stage, all bets were off. With the sound of static and distortion filling the venue they launched straight into ‘The Lives They Wish They Had’ and ‘Magnolia’ which had the crowd instantly beginning to mosh and throw themselves around the venue. “What are you doing Brisbane?!” Isaac screamed as he encouraged the crowd to lose themselves tonight. Pouring a bottle of water over himself and then throwing one all over the crowd, they were only two songs into their set and it was already steamy hot. ‘Sockets’, ‘Live Like An Animal’ and ‘Bugs’ followed which saw some of the crowd start to crowd surf. “Alright Brisbane!” Isaac commented whilst Laurie quickly added “Thank you for coming to see us tonight. Take care of each other, we are all human beings”.
With the crowd favourite ‘Cheer Up London’ making an early addition, they cheekily changed the lyrics to “cheer up Brisbane, it’s not that bad” which the crowd loved. Laurie jumped down into the crowd and ran around playing his guitar whilst Isaac jumped down to get up close and personal after he dedicated ‘Photo Opportunity’ to all the lovers. The hyper energy of ‘Where’s Your Car Debbie’, ‘Feed The Mantaray’ and ‘Chokehold’ kept the show rolling before they came close to the end. ‘Sugar Coated Bitter Truth’ and ‘Beauty Quest’ tied it all together whilst ‘The Hunter’ perfectly closed the show with the dynamic duo saying good night to the crowd. “You are all Slaves” they screamed as they walked off stage to which the crowd screamed for more. Whilst the show may have only been 45 minutes, their energy was so hectic and immersive that you can only imagine how tolling that set would be on them. So you walk away feeling pretty content that you just witnessed a pretty epic punk show from one of UK’s most talked about rock bands right now.
Check out the full gallery captured by Claudia Bill Photography HERE;
Photos By Claudia Bill