Following the release of their 2023 sophomore album, “Yard,” the Midwest emo shoegaze band Slow Pulp has been on a nationwide tour. I got the opportunity to see them perform live at the HI-FI in Indianapolis, Ind., and they certainly didn’t disappoint.
The venue was small, but the energy from the expectant audience of about 700 people was palpable. At 8 p.m. the opening act, Free Range, started their set. While I had never heard their music before, they were a perfect choice to open for them, playing a blend of songs in a similar style to Slow Pulp. Not only that, but the crowd was fully engaged from the first song they played.
After a handful of songs, they wrapped up to introduce the main event, but the audience tried to convince them to play an encore. Unfortunately, they informed us that the venue wouldn’t let them go over their allotted time, but it was apparent that it meant the world to them that people wanted it in the first place.
To the delight of the crowd, when Slow Pulp came to the stage, they played a perfect combination of songs from their newest album along with some older tracks here and there. They are great live performers, especially the guitarist, who got the chance to shred on some of their more upbeat, rock-leaning songs. However, the star of the show was clearly the lead singer, Emily Massey, who had a great stage presence and impressive live vocals and even broke out a harmonica for their fan-favorite heart-breaker, “Broadview.”
The first standout song they played was the up-tempo “At It Again” from their debut album, “Moveys.” They followed it up with their driving rock songs, “Cramps” and “Worm” from “Yard.” By the time they got to their summer anthem “Slugs” they had the crowd wrapped around their finger, with the people singing along to every word. They followed it up with their most popular song from “Moveys,” which is the emotional track “Falling Apart.” Near the end of the night, they played their hit single “High,” followed by my personal favorite, “MUD,” and for the encore, they played “At Home,” both of which were incredible to see performed in a live setting.
The production itself wasn’t all that noteworthy, but for a fan of the band, it was a perfect concert, with them demonstrating everything that makes their music so appealing in the first place, only in a live setting which makes it even more impressive. If you haven’t heard of them and you like Midwest emo, I’d definitely suggest you give their music a chance.
Slow Pulp: Yard Tour Review
Following the release of their 2023 sophomore album, “Yard,” the Midwest emo shoegaze band Slow Pulp has been on a nationwide tour. I got the opportunity to see them perform live at the HI-FI in Indianapolis, Ind., and they certainly didn’t disappoint.
The venue was small, but the energy from the expectant audience of about 700 people was palpable. At 8 p.m. the opening act, Free Range, started their set. While I had never heard their music before, they were a perfect choice to open for them, playing a blend of songs in a similar style to Slow Pulp. Not only that, but the crowd was fully engaged from the first song they played.
After a handful of songs, they wrapped up to introduce the main event, but the audience tried to convince them to play an encore. Unfortunately, they informed us that the venue wouldn’t let them go over their allotted time, but it was apparent that it meant the world to them that people wanted it in the first place.
To the delight of the crowd, when Slow Pulp came to the stage, they played a perfect combination of songs from their newest album along with some older tracks here and there. They are great live performers, especially the guitarist, who got the chance to shred on some of their more upbeat, rock-leaning songs. However, the star of the show was clearly the lead singer, Emily Massey, who had a great stage presence and impressive live vocals and even broke out a harmonica for their fan-favorite heart-breaker, “Broadview.”
Are young people actually more radical?
The first standout song they played was the up-tempo “At It Again” from their debut album, “Moveys.” They followed it up with their driving rock songs, “Cramps” and “Worm” from “Yard.” By the time they got to their summer anthem “Slugs” they had the crowd wrapped around their finger, with the people singing along to every word. They followed it up with their most popular song from “Moveys,” which is the emotional track “Falling Apart.” Near the end of the night, they played their hit single “High,” followed by my personal favorite, “MUD,” and for the encore, they played “At Home,” both of which were incredible to see performed in a live setting.
The production itself wasn’t all that noteworthy, but for a fan of the band, it was a perfect concert, with them demonstrating everything that makes their music so appealing in the first place, only in a live setting which makes it even more impressive. If you haven’t heard of them and you like Midwest emo, I’d definitely suggest you give their music a chance.