SHOW REVIEW: Slide Away @ The Belasco
Spending a whopping eight hours listening to shoegaze at The Belasco in DTLA felt a lot like something I would do at 15 in my childhood bedroom, except this time I was staring up at the gilded ceiling of a historic theatre and not an Urban Outfitters tapestry I begged my mom to buy me.
Arranged and headlined by Philadelphia shoegaze heroes, Nothing, Slide Away Fest Los Angeles celebrated the genre with its eight band lineup. While shoegaze’s genre definition remains heavily debated (spend 2 minutes on Twitter and you’ll discover myriad threads of 20-something-year-old men arguing over whether or not any up-and-coming band comprised of Jazzmaster wielding kids is shoegaze), its subgenres were represented by the festival’s performers. Curated by Nothing frontman Domenic Palermo, bands Mo Dotti, Peel Dream Magazine, Astrobrite, Glare, Film School, and Tanukichan showcased the ever-evolving genre, and put me on the verge of developing tinnitus.
Armed with proper hearing protection and a Red Bull, I was ready to experience Slide Away in all its glory. I’m not typically fond of music festivals; I’m terrified of pushy drunk people, anti-paying $18 for a Modelo tall boy, and despise standing for hours in the hot sun. I contribute my Slide Away stamina to the festival being held indoors. I made it the whole 8 hours! My high school self would be impressed.
LA jangle-gaze band Mo Dotti opened up Slide Away with high energy songs reminiscent of early-90s My Bloody Valentine. Frontwoman Gina Negrini’s vocals meshed perfectly with the sounds produced from the rest of the quartet. Surreal visuals were projected onto the screen behind the band, adding to Slide Away’s dreamy atmosphere.
Another LA band, Peel Dream Magazine took stage following Mo Dotti. Peel Dream Magazine’s music was the most dream-pop adjacent band present at Slide Away. After their 30 minute set, I found myself a new set of songs to yearn to.
Chicago-based Astrobrite was third on Slide Away’s lineup. A side project of noise pioneer Scott Cortez, best known for founding the seminal group Loveliescrushing, Astrobrite’s ethereal performance proved that shoegaze is still alive and well. Even after 30 years of shoegazing, Cortez still has it.
Fourth on the lineup, Texas-based Glare performed a set that combined shoegaze with elements of nu-metal. I noticed a plethora of Slide Away fest attendees decked out in Glare merch the second I stepped into the theatre; the floor definitely felt more packed as Glare began playing. Performing songs from their Into You and Heavenly EPs, this performance illuminated shoegaze’s ability to seamlessly blend with other genres.
San Francisco and LA-based Film School’s 45 minute set marked the halfway point of Slide Away. The California five-piece continued to fill the Belasco with distorted guitars and ambient vocals, but nonetheless brought their own unique touch to the festival, performing songs like “Tape Rewind” and “Lectric.” Five hours into Slide Away, and Film School continued to demonstrate shoegaze’s versatility. Despite effects-laden riffs and noisy choruses uniting all eight bands, Film School’s performance showed that shoegaze is anything but repetitive. At this point in Slide Away was when I began to realize how tactile experiencing live shoegaze is; there’s nothing comparable to the feeling of effect-laden instrumentals rushing through your body.
San Francisco’s Tanukichan coupled witty lyrics with fuzzy instrumentals during her 45 minute performance. Frontwoman Hannah van Loom’s delicate vocals acted as a stark contrast to doomy basslines and reverbed guitars, this juxtaposition notable on songs like “Radiolove” and “Escape.” Van Loom gave an extraordinary performance that earned her a snaking merch line after her set.
An hour before midnight, Nothing began their headlining set to raucous cheering from their devoted fans. As Nothing is notorious for their disdain of playing full-album shows, hearing their 2014 album Guilty of Everything in its entirety was something special. Seeing the band switch out original musicians throughout their performance set against visuals featuring Renée Jeanne Falconetti in The Passion of Joan of Arc was truly one for the books. Palermo is a force to be reckoned with on stage, holding his listeners captive whether shredding or delivering a reflective speech. Nothing’s headlining set was the ultimate way to celebrate Guilty of Everything’s 10th birthday.
After experiencing eight hours of shoegaze, I plummeted back to reality the second I heard “Perfect” by Ed Sheeran playing in the Uber home. Slide Away Los Angeles wasn’t for the faint hearted; it was a marathon of music that showcased bands across myriad subgenres. Palermo’s thoughtful curation of bands allowed the inaugural festival to honor shoegaze’s rich past while highlighting the genre’s exciting future.
It’s no wonder that teenagers continue to fall in love with shoegaze over and over again.
-DJ Y/N AKA Audrey Serrano
Photos by Lydia Ace