SOFT PLAY

The first of the two supports was Shame. A loud and angry band with an underlying post-punk vibe. It was early in the evening so they didn't illicit too much of a response from the crowd but that didn't stop them putting on a very energetic show.

After a short while on came the next band, Life, who after a short bit of poetry from a bald and bearded man (a friend of the band?) launched straight into their set. With more of a crowd gathered they got more of a reaction, with some people jumping about and generally being more energetic. There was a few fun instances of call-and-response between the audience and Life's frontman, who really threw himself into the performance, getting up close and personal to the crowd for the closing song.

Again, another break, this time longer to setup the array of gear needed for the main event! The energy and the tension in the air was palpable, the crowd swelled and grew, and the murmur grew and grew until finally... Slaves!

They first played Sockets, which was like a smack in the face. The whole audience near the front pushed and shoved and the room became a throng of limbs and pent up aggression released at last. The energy was insane! From Slaves themselves, they threw themselves into it and honestly I'm still in awe at how they can multitask the way they do, with Issac singing, drumming, and generally flinging his whole body around, with a tendency to step away from his kit before throwing himself through the air at it.

Slaves made use of a lot of songs, according to the venue their set began at 8:30 and they stopped at 9:55 thereabouts. They blasted through their discography, mostly their breathless grimy hardcore punk with a few breaks for a sing-along breather, though they never seemed to be playing the songs faster to get through them, nor did they ever forget the banter! And oh, the banter was good! Something I learned from the night, mentioning "Kent" in a room with 2500 people predominantly from Yorkshire, will illicit boos! "Yeah, boo Kent. You paid money to come and see a Kent band, you idiots" quipped Laurie. We chanted "Yorkshire" back, no worries!

They played a lot of different materials from across their albums. Had amazing stage presence and really got into it and by extension, got the crowd into it. Plus! The lighting was really cool as well, really helped with that animalistic primal attitude of the night. I cannot say this enough but the crowd REALLY goes crazy. You hardly stand still. If you want to be up front (and I recommend you do, because Issac and Laurie really get in your face and that's pretty cool) just get there early and hold your ground, clinging onto it. Stand slightly behind the front and you're in the pit and trust me, that thing will ERUPT when Slaves come on. The pit is lots of fun and really gets you into it, but if it's not your thing no worries, just be wary of it if you don't like it.

To sum up! It was an amazing night and I will not forget it, and I'll definitely be seeing them again! Go see them and make sure to have fun, you'll not regret it!

I cannot remember all the songs but I'll do my best:
Sockets, Play Dead, People That You Meet, Consume Or Be Consumed, Take Control, Angelica, Cheer Up London, Feed The Mantaray, Fuck The Hi-Hat, The Hunter, Spit It Out, Hey, Lies, Hypnotised, Same Again, Are You Satisfied?, Where's Your Car Debbie?, White Knuckle Ride and Girlfight. Those are all I remember off the top of my head!

The last time I saw Slaves live in Liverpool it was in the claustrophobic and sweaty intimacy of The Hold in the Shipping Forecast, a venue which was bursting at the seams with just a couple of hundred in attendance. This is different - this is the O2, a cavernous and industry-standardized venue in comparison. With an expectant sold-out crowd already stirred up into a near frenzy, Isaac Holman and Laurie Vincent take to the stage amidst a pea-souper of dry ice, the pair dressed as they always are, immaculately and effortlessly smart-casual. As usual it is not far into the set until Isaac is stripped bare to the waist, just as the music is stripped to the bones by a ravenous breath of rancid air blowing directly out of 1977, as any re-invention of the punk genre clearly ought to be. Slaves reward their ever-growing army of followers with a storming set of emerging classics, including recent singles Cheer Up London and Sockets, your author's personal favourite Despair and Traffic, the always crowd-pleasing Where's Your Car, Debbie? and White Knuckle Ride, complete with the alternative slowed down ending, all culminating in the barely controlled aggression that is the tour-de-forcefully anthemic Hey, a song to which it is physically impossible not to move at least twenty-three parts of your body. Cool, retro, contemporary and relevant, Slaves are arguably the most exciting live band in the country. Je suis Slaves. Wonderful !

Punk-rock duo, Slaves, tell tales of what it’s like growing up, not in the grime of an inner city but "beautiful spa town" Tunbridge Wells in Kent. And they do it with a mix of thrashing, fast-paced, raging songs and onstage banter between the duo: vocalist/drummer Isaac Holman and guitarist/vocalist Laurie Vincent. This was their debut in Nottingham and after headlining an NME show previously and news that they are set to play American taste-making festival SXSW, the anticipation was high. "I love you more when you’re angry with me” screamed Isaac during White Knuckle Ride, then She Grew Old, a song about "those girls who can't keep their knickers on". Charming. Where’s Your Car Debbie is the standout; angry yet catchy and apparently about Isaac's fear of meeting Bigfoot in their hometown while walking a girl back to her car. The remainder of the set includes the fifteen second, Girl Fight, about the duo watching a catfight on the cobbled streets of Tunbridge Wells, before the set closers Nervous Energy and Beauty Quest. Slaves are masters of effortlessly angry punk-rock. Go see them, you’ll be in for a treat!

Not been to Hobos before despite only living 30 minutes away. Nice intimate venue which was good to see considering SLAVES were playing. Filled up quickly due to the sold out pre-order tickets. Got hot and sweaty quickly too and pretty much turned into a giant mosh pit by the time Isaac and Laurie had warmed up. Not for the faint hearted but madly energetic and ideally the best way to enjoy a band like this. SLAVES are always great to see live but I recommend you try and catch them at one of the smaller 'back-in-the-van' venues...before they get massive.

Awesome concert at Strom (München) last night. The place was alive and moshing! Great communication with the audience, loved the walk across the bar (left) and merchant stand (right). Laurie jumped into the public at the end and we lifted him up high before returning him to the stage.

Would have loved at least one encore but that's becoming a trend amongst some bands.

Support band Alligator had a phenomenal stage presence and incredible tension. You had this feeling that Alligator could, at any moment, jumo into the audience and start a fight.

Ladybird was very similar to slaves and did a good job with getting the crowd buzzing. I’d probably go and see them at their own gig. But Slaves, Slaves was the best band I have ever seen live and I’ve seen Arctic Monkeys. They opened the show with shutdown and I wish I could live in that moment again. Their interaction with the crowd made it even better. They didn’t play certain songs such as sockets but I think that’s because Issac broke his fingers the previous night so there was a substitute drummer. But even so the whole thing was 10/10.

Seen Slaves numerous times in last 2 years as they've risen from unknowns to selling out big venues. This at the uea being by far the biggest crowd I've seen them play to (ipswich swan last year. About 12 people. Where were you lot then?! :-P) and they are looking comfortable with their ever increasing fan base. Technical hitches (Lauries guitar malfunction during Shut Down) and an unfortunate end to Hey! resulting in Isaac ending the night with a ride to hospital probably weren't on the agenda but the crowd left beaming and bouncing. Top lads.

Man what a show these 2 can do, i was lucky enough to be at the barrier at their concert and even managed to touch laurie as he was infront me A LOT! God the energy they made. Everyone was going at it, so many people ended up leaving in just their underwear which made the night funnier! honestly this was the best night ever so so happy i got to see these live and will definitely make sure i see them again whenever i can, just brilliant

Absolutely spectacular! I felt as if I was at a festival - the sound was so big! The setlist was banger after banger after banger and the crowd was crazy (which is good). Can't wait to see them again one day.

Energy packed, turned a Monday night into a Saturday! Good mix of all the albums. Crowd were loving it..Slaves give you a 100% performance every time! Catch them if you can, you won’t regret it.