QR music review: the slow readers club aren't fond of being idle

Three years after their album Cavalcade, The Slow Readers Club are back. But, did they
really go away? Not in the traditional sense anyway. Querying what the reasons were for
such a gap between releasing projects, what quickly became abundantly clear to this writer was
that this band are by no-means fond of being idle. “We spent a fair bit of time touring
Cavalcade”, answered Kurt, the guitarist and backing vocalist. In fact, they supported James
on their Girl At The End Of The World tour in May 2016, and a variety of gigs right through
to December of the same year. Through these exertions, a “whole new audience was
found… (which meant) we carried on touring longer than we’d anticipated”, much to their
increasing fanbase’s adoration.

Formed from the ashes of the band Omerta, it has been a long road for these bandmates
to the successes of 2018. Answering the rallying cry of Aaron Starkie, the lead vocalist, the
friends pulled together to release their first music under the title of The Slow Readers Club
in 2013. And once you’ve learnt of the difficult beginnings they’ve had, it is impossible to
not be impressed by their intense determination to succeed, whilst maintaining their day
jobs. Of their own admission, and as many musicians would similarly attest, it is a long,
difficult journey in this world. They had to “grow a lot”, and tentatively hope they have
“improved musically, as writers and performers”. Not only this, but their means of album
production has improved too .“Until recently with Build A Tower had a very DIY sort of set
up for releases”. It is this sincere, grounded approach which ultimately endears them to
their fan base. A fondness which is wholly appreciated by the band, who are thankful for
their “amazing fan base who do a lot to support us and continue to spread the word far and
wide”.

Now, they are setting out on their biggest headline tour ever and are eager to “celebrate
how well the album has been received”. On the 12th October, they are playing at the
infamous Limelight venue and the band are eager to lose their Belfast cherry. It promises to
be a very special night for Slow Readers’ fans as they experience the “extra special
atmosphere” of such an intimate gig.

The Slow Readers Club play The Limelight Belfast on Oct 12th .

By Rory Hughes