slowdive, Beach Fossils @ Hindley Street Music Hall, Adelaide 4/5/2025
Wow! The dream shoegazer pairing of UK’s slowdive and New York City’s Beach Fossils was like a match made in heaven. This was a truly fantastic show and the perfect way to ease in to a Sunday night. I had to look twice at the tour poster when this was announced as I honestly couldn’t believe this combination was going to be on the same bill and right here in Adelaide to. After word spread like wild fire when both bands played here in 2023 I’m not surprised it was a huge crowd.
Beach Fossils are quite the unassuming band and their music speaks volumes to their brilliance. They aren’t shouting it from the roof tops but if you follow this genre of music closely it is highly likely you will come across them on Spotify and then be blown away. To have seen them now twice in two years is a nice score (supported Modest Mouse at Thebarton Theatre). The calibre of their set list bats deep and was filled with some incredible tunes from Somersault (2017) and Bunny (2023).
Right from the outset the class of Beach Fossils shone brightly starting with Don’t Fade Away and with a brief “how y’all feeling?” it was on to Sugar. The lush soundscapes they are able to create is something to be in awe of. With a “we’re Beach Fossils from New York City, thanks for hanging out with us” from singer/ guitarist Dustin Payseur it was What A Pleasure and Shallow followed with Payseur adding “it is good to be back not vibing the tech issues”.
This Year was fantastic and with the band asking for a full black out encouraging fans to turn on the mobile phone lights to “Illuminate us”. As their set moved a long you could pick the crowd favourites with Sleep Apnea and Down The Line up their as favs. There was plenty of gold tucked away in the back end of their set with Be Nothing, the challenges of tour life on Numb and May 1st. It was an awesome start with more magic to come.
With slowdive emerging from backstage Brian Eno’s Deep Blue Day it set the scene for the next ninety minutes or so. There was a lot more happening as far as the production with plenty of visual and LED lights to complement and reflect the mood of each song. Nothing seemed out of place and the way the set list was pieced together really did work famously covering their vast back catalogue.
The majestic Avalyn I opened proceedings followed by Shanty and Star Roving. There is an incredible dynamic that singers Rachel Goswell and Neil Halstead are able to bring. Small talk, apart from the occasional thank you, is clearly not their thing but considering the flow of the show and how each songs connects seamlessly it didn’t seem necessarily to slow things down with that.
Deep cut Catch The Breeze was sublime and the brooding No Longer Making Time continued in the same vain. It felt like a total immersive experience and not a typical gig giving fans something unique compared to the usual fare. Crazy For You was well received as was the massive popular Souvlaki Space Station. Wowsers! Chained To A Cloud was stunning and almost cinematic before venturing in to the indie pop-tastic Sugar For The Pill. Quintessential shoe-gaze moments came by way of Kisses and Machine Gun. In some well chosen rare words Goswell said “it is good to be back in Adelaide, I understand this is a very good day for Australia” referring to the election result.
The crowd were transfixed and captivated by the music and with the bold Allison, fan favourite When The Sun Hits and set closer Golden Hair (Syd Barrett cover) it was hard not to be. No doubt it would have been hard to top off these last three songs but they did when they returned for an encore with the nostalgic She Calls and the epic show closer 40 Days. The crowd showed their appreciation knowing that they had seen something quite incredible. As the band retreated back stage it was Brian Eno’s An Ending which seemed a well considered way to send the fans on their way home.
Live Review By Rob Lyon