As on their 2015 debut ‘White Water’, The Slow Show’s new album ‘Dream Darling’ contains dramatic songs about love, death, failing and loss. Deeply affecting songs, which may move the listener to tears. Choirs and colliery brass lend The Slow Show a distinctly northern sound, with Rob Goodwin’s rich baritone reminiscent of Lambchop’s Kurt Wagner, though with a different accent.

As before, jazz and classical stylings underpin the band’s sound. A delicate varnish of Americana, sparse piano, guitar chords in minor keys, tender brass, swelling strings and choirs, each element combines to infuse the album with a northern soul. Goodwin’s sonorous vocals slow down the pace, and released from the hectic sounds of rock’n’roll, The Slow Show create space and time for closer listening, sharpening the senses even for the smallest details.

Their touching lyrics are often biographical. “Sometimes inspiration comes directly from decisions or mistakes we’ve made,” says Goodwin. “And sometimes, suddenly it is triggered by love or loss. Life changes constantly. Sometimes sadly, sometimes unfairly, and then again sometimes for the better. It was this constant change in our lives that inspired the recordings and hope and optimism have prevailed in the end.”

So ‘Dream Darling’ may report of personal failures, from showdowns and blows of fate to the mishaps of life, but the end of the day there is always hope. “It’s ok. Everything is changing, but it is nothing to be afraid of,” says Goodwin. “This realisation has informed us on this album.”

These sentiments makes ‘Dream Darling’ the ideal backdrop for contemplative autumn and winter evenings.

Together since 2010, The Slow Show had only played a few gigs before landing their first big break the following year when they were picked by BBC Introducing to support Elbow on BBC Radio 2 Live In Concert at Manchester Cathedral. That led to another breakthrough when Dermot O’Leary’s producer heard the broadcast and asked the band to play on a session on his radio show. In turn, a European agent heard them and asked them to play some unlikely dates abroad. Thus, a band who had barely played a note in their hometown found themselves suddenly unveiling all in European cities such as Zurich and Dresden.

The band’s debut album ‘White Water’ was recorded throughout 2014 in Blueprint Studios in Manchester, and released in early 2015 on Haldern Pop Recordings, becoming the first UK release on the label founded by the team behind Germany’s coolest Festival, Haldern Pop.

The Slow Show are:
Rob Goodwin (vocals, guitar), Fred Kindt (keyboards), Joel Byrne McCullough (lead guitar), Chris Hough (drums), James Longden (bass)