On Friday (10th April) West Yorkshire's upcoming band The Slates played an action-packed show at Sidney and Matilda in Sheffield, and the night was truly remarkable.
As the doors opened, the venue was becoming increasingly packed, with a mixed generational crowd down to the support acts.
The first act of the evening was Leeds band Acetate, and I was nothing short of blown away by them. Absolute energy and passion, great stage presence calling out to the crowd and getting them amped up. Acetate offered an array of indie music, including an upbeat, perfect-for-Friday-night track, ‘Out Tonight’, while mixing up the mood with the stripped-back emotional track ‘Olivia’.
With the crowd left absolutely buzzing and fired up for tonight, to the bar, refreshments in hand, and back downstairs for the next support act, Montello.
The boys graced the stage, with each having an air of confidence that they were going to lay everything they had out on this stage. Compared to the previous band, the music was still indie rock but slightly slower-paced with deep, indulging riffs. The band played a mix of released tracks such as ‘Suit & Tie’ and ‘Class Act’ full of jangly infectious riffs bordering on 60s-style rock.
With this Sheffield crowd ready to burst, eagerly awaiting the headliner, the lights lowered, and it was time for The Slates. They entered the stage like a band with decades of experience, despite only releasing music initially in 2021, and the crowd went wild for them!
The Slates are not only confident, but they almost revive the Madchester element with the track ‘Understand The Groove’ that offers this Stone Roses-style sound mixing. There are your classic '00s indie-style tracks like ‘What Have You Done?’ and then jangly sunshine chords in tracks like ‘Hello, Don’t You Know?’ which sound similar to bands like Cassia. It’s so refreshing to see a band that really can cross between genres so seamlessly, and each different style works for them.
What a night! Three bands, which offered something unique, all delivered and exceeded expectations.
Photo credit: Tom Sunderland
