Slow Hollows @ The Voodoo Room – House of Blues

Slow Hollows at The Voodoo Room – House of Blues – San Diego CA January 18th, 2018

Returning to San Diego after their single release, ‘Heart’, Slow Hollows delivered a hard hitting close for the Thursday night. Supported by Bad Kids and Raener, the crowd swayed from surf-punk to electro-pop between each set.

Kicking off the night, Bad Kids hit the stage with defining tunes such as ‘Def’ and ‘Woman in Red’. Coming straight from Imperial Beach some Bad Kids’ local fans were present jumping and dancing to their local South Bay scene favorites! Although, the rest of the audience was not very familiar to their sounds, Bad Kids teased a good impression on what their South Bay roots can show off. Each member swayed and rocked up to the point where Leon jumped from his drum set and took the mic stand to sing ‘Denial’. Proving their potential to new faces, Bad Kids did not disappoint having to call everyone closer to reassure that they were in on the fun.
Bad Kids’ all new EP titled ‘Seeing Ghosts’ drops the 22nd of January which can be reached on their Spotify, iTunes, and Bandcamp.

Next on the lineup was Raener, Daniel Fox’s own electro-pop band, straight from LA. Having performed with Beach Fossils and Slow Hollows, Fox’s own sound stood out as the most complex of them all. With auto-tune filled ‘have you been here before’ to bass driven ‘why’,Raener rode the crowd into a deep wave of indie electronic vibrations that shook one’s chests. Having a cheerful/passionate keyboardist dancing to each tune made a few chuckles as for influencing others in the crowd to dance as well. Despite performing such deep and intimate songs, the light management from HOB was unable to turn off the spotlights which in return juxtaposed the dark gloomy setting the sounds attempted to depict. Even blinded by the light, Raener demonstrated what indie electronic pop can do and further anticipated the hype for Slow Hollows.

Check Raener out through SoundCloud, Bandcamp, and Spotify!

Opening with the song, ‘Again,’ Slow Hollows delivered a somber opening to their San Diego show. Being my third to witness, I found myself swaying beside an audience mesmerized by Austin’s looks and deep voice. It can’t be questioned how recognizable the band is with Austin’s charming presence.

However, we must not forget the incredible bass playing Aaron presented through tracks such as ‘Dark Comedy’ or ‘Spirit Week’. Followed by Daniel’s beautiful trumpet fill, the songs struck our hearts towards a simple bittersweet atmosphere. That is, until Austin steps on his chorus pedal and strums the jazzy chords that define ‘The Art School Kids’. At that instant, the crowd went totally wild and unveiled the excitement that was held back by previous sets. To top off the night, Austin introduced their fresh new track, “Hearts”, which was released the day before.

The easiness of their performance was memorable for the San Diegan fans present at the show. This is noted due to the band’s appreciation and interaction with the audience on the small venue that is the Voodoo Room. Nevertheless, the most notable focus of the night was the surprise encore that was decided by Austin mere steps before stepping off stage.

With plentiful laughs and sways, it felt welcoming for the fans to spend their Thursday night on the smallest stage the House of Blues had to offer. Passing over just a few minutes off their set time, Slow Hollows finished their show with ‘Dark Comedy’. As noted with the past performances, the atmosphere was refreshing and welcome, and Slow Hollows gave one of their most exhilarating San Diego shows with the least amount of “slow” songs.

Slow Hollows Setlist:

Few minutes after the show ended, I walked up to Jackson challenging him on a game of Rock Paper Scissors. Though he hesitated at first, he accepted a single round. After the third count, Jackson lost the match picking paper, and I winning with scissors.

Check out Slow Hollow’s latest single, ‘Heart’, out on YouTube! In addition to the rest of their music through Spotify, iTunes, and Bandcamp to name a few.

Huge thank you to Zane Alexander from Alexander Booking for putting together yet another amazing show, and for letting us over the whole thing. Make sure to check him out on Instagram to stay updated on some amazing concerts.