SLUTEVER
HIFI DELI, LA
06 JUNE, 2015
A foreboding neighborhood can't hide a welcoming place. Off 4th St in
downtown LA, behind a red steel door and up the steps lies the
performance space known as the HiFi Deli. The old upstairs space was warm and welcoming, with both a bar and a green room, and a quick pop up to the smoking area on the roof revealed an enviable skyline view. With almost a year passed since the last time we caught up with Slutever, it seemed an opportune time. Fresh off of dates opening up
for Speedy Ortiz and Chastity Belt, LA duo Slutever were up for it,
kicking off a full night's bill, presented by Swiss Family Robinson, with a blazing set that leaned heavily
on their latest, the self-released cassette Almost Famous. Jumping straight into its opener "Smother",
the band never looked back, starting with Nicole Snyder on guitar and
Rachel Gagliardi on drums. Dropping into last year's single "White Flag",
(which gained an interesting second life through a Girlpool cover on a
tour only covers EP, where the two bands did each others songs), they built up steam and followed with
"Maggot", another highlight from the cassette, prefaced by Rachel
declaring that the song really is about killing insects in your
apartment...Unfortunately, sicker minds have taken the chorus to heart,
("I'll get revenge, pour bleach on your head, and now you're dead"), and turned it into a handy kiss-off to exes.
Flipping the script instrument-wise, they pulled a quick changeover with Nicole moving to the drum chair, and Rachel taking up the guitar,
blasting through "Teen Mom" and finishing with a cathartic take of
cassette closer "Open Wide", brutalizing the coda over the audience's pre-emptive applause, then pulling the plug mid-feedback. Even from the opening position, Slutever left an imprint on the night.
