Slift's American debut launched an all-out invasion for a sold out night at The Echo
It's an uncommon occurrence when a band has built up such considerable momentum domestically without ever having played a single show in the US. Such was the case for Slift, a French power-trio who's mythic space rock exploits have garnered considerable acclaim since emerging in 2015. Embarking on their first tour of American soil with a sold out show at The Echo as part of Desert Daze 2022's slate of warm-up gigs, Slift handily proved to an enthusiastic crowd that space is indeed the place.
Hometown favorites Death Valley Girls opened the evening with a tight set of hits that ensured the already packed-in audience was thoroughly prepped for the evening's orbital launch. Taking the stage bathed in neon blues and pinks and awash in waves of cumulating feedback, Death Valley Girls descended like otherworldly beings coalescing for the briefest of moments on our earthly plane to deliver the intergalactic gospel of kaleidoscopic oneness. Powerful, rhythmic percussion pulled the crowd in close for ritual initiation, laying the groundwork for one of the thickest and headiest sets the band has ever produced. There was something special in the air, an alluring darkness that cast a seductive shadow over the set, accented in brilliant flashes as frontwoman Bonne Bloomgarden's electric green mascara caught the light for fleeting moments of dramatic emphasis.
The incredibly deep low-end merged with drop-tuned guitar into a rolling, occasionally funky groove that seemed to channel the expansive desert in a manner not unlike that of 90s hard rock trailblazers Kyuss, The effect was like a breath of cool night air carrying the fragrance of wisteria and jasmine, an elemental spell summoned from the natural world. The whole set wasn't shrouded in darkness as Death Valley Girls pulled back the veil about midway through, embracing their characteristic exuberance as the band barreled headlong into their final songs. Featuring guest appearances by The Little Ghost and the Death Valley Girls' Kids Choir, it's a feat of wonder at how quickly and completely the band can shift gears and shed a skin into a wholly different but recognizably familiar entity without sacrificing a ounce of skill. Closing the set with a round of hugs, Death Valley Girls truly represent the power of camaraderie and unwavering inclusivity, a beacon of light inviting all to follow.
Somehow, The Echo had become even more crowded as the lights began to dim, heralding the imminent arrival of Slift before an audience thrumming with tangible anticipation. Pulsating electronic waves steadily built in intensity with a sound not unlike the descent of a gleaming spacecraft amongst the concentrated stillness of a pine forest at midnight. Arrayed across the stage in a straight line, drumkit front and center, Slift appeared almost without warning, transported from the far side of Andromeda to launch immediately into an all-out invasion of uncompromising sonic magnitude. Without a moment's hesitation the crowd erupted into a colossal mosh, humanity seething in the presence of these visitors seemingly from another reality.
Slift's holy trinity moved with lightspeed precision, full-on warp factor 10 as time and space appeared to bend and flex to the will of these unspeakably talented musicians, wizards of sound bestowing a glimpse of the terrifying beauty that exists just beyond the rim of event horizon. Conjuring the music of the spheres themselves, Slift's mesmerizing mastery seemed drawn from the pages of the deepest arcana, beyond the comprehension of the mere mortals caught in the unavoidable path of wonderous infinity.
In turns monumentally thunderous and indescribably magnificent, Slift expertly pushes the definition of space rock well beyond its science fiction tendencies, blending unspeakable Eldritch horror with terrestrial influences that fleetingly touch upon regional sounds from the Middle East and North Africa without getting caught within the confines of convention. Perhaps it is this inherent adoption of a galaxy of stylistic approaches that allows Slift to so convincingly construct a reality of their own making, one that informs and explains the wildly diverse crowd that had gathered this evening to witness what is truly a first contact event.
Slift concluded their historic set in grand fashion; the final song blossoming with furious awe like attack ships on fire off the shoulder of Orion as C-beams glittered in the dark near the Tannhäuser Gate. The rapturous congregation erupted into cheers as the band receded from the stage, the tumultuous tempest they had unleashed pulling back to reveal a celestial calm that imbued every molecule of air with a newfound sense of awareness, a celebration of our brief mortality and the privilege to have glimpsed behind the veil of eternity.
Slift is currently on their first Us tour. Stream their music on Spotify and follow the band on Instagram. Stream Death Valley Girls on Spotify and follow them on Instagram.
Slift upcoming tour dates
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Sep 30 - Desert Daze - Perris, CA, US
Oct 2 - Brick & Mortar Music Hall - San Francisco, CA, US
Oct 7 - The Crocodile - Seattle, WA, US
Oct 8 - Doug Fir Lounge - Portland, OR, US
Oct 9 - The Shredder - Boise, ID, US
Oct 11 - The HQ - Denver, CO, US
Oct 12 - The Bottleneck - Lawrence, KS, US
Oct 13 - Reggie's Rock Club - Chicago, IL, US
Oct 14 - Rumba Café - Columbus, OH, US
Oct 15 - The Bug Jar - Rochester, NY, US
Oct 17 – Sonia - Cambridge, MA, US
Oct 18 - The Hall, Elsewhere - Brooklyn, NY, US
Oct 19 - Metro Gallery - Baltimore, MD, US
Oct 21 - Asheville Music Hall - Asheville, NC, US
Oct 22 - The Earl - East Atlanta, GA, US
Oct 23 - The Abbey - Orlando, FL, US
Oct 25 - Bajo Circuito, Foro Cultural - Mexico City, Mexico
Oct 27 - Parish - Austin, TX, US
Oct 27 – Levitation - Austin, TX, US