Gig review - by Kat Toby Slater Portland Arms, Cambridge 12 October 2000 Toby Slater is a group containing a person called Toby Slater. Please don't be confused. My Toby Slater (the man) experience for the day started when I was flicking through Melody Maker and came across a review of a band called Thirteen:13. It said, and I quote: "They've both come a long way since Catch, a proto-Dum Dums (forgive me, Father) who snacked briefly on the scraps of Britpop's table of plenty." And why do I mention this? Because Toby Slater (the man), frontman of the eponymous band, was the singer/songwriter fresh-faced indie kid of Catch. Toby Slater (the man) was once signed to a major label. Toby Slater (the man) grazed the UK Top 40. Anyone who has backissues of J17 can verify this. The Present: Toby Slater (the band) is a five-piece with Toby on vocals and guitar, Nick and Craig on guitar, Mark on bass, and Matt on drums. Toby Slater (the man) is still a singer/songwriter, still fresh-faced but far from green, and may or may not like being referred to as an indie kid. Toby Slater (the band & the man) is not signed to a major label, and seems to have no desire to be. Toby Slater (the man) runs a popular website at www.tobyslater.com where visitors can listen to his music via several formats, including MP3 (there is a distinct pro-Napster stance). Oh, and when the official awards site was hacked, Toby Slater (the band, presumably) was reportedly awarded the Mercury Music Prize. All of which brings us to the classy city of Cambridge, to the back of the Portland Arms. In a darkened room, the support act, Room To Move, expertly thrash their way though high-quality renditions of the kind of songs you expect to hear in a small, dark room at the back of a pub. Don't misunderstand, they deserved an audience of more than three, and they were good. They just teetered on the edge of generic, and I fancied something else, something beyond that. I've done the backroom guitar band gig a thousand times. Boys, I know it's a tiny room and a tiny disinterested crowd but it's not just a means to an end, it still counts as a performance. Lights up. Bar bloke offers snacks. A few people float in, pints in hand. Some guys fiddle with wires and guitars. I've seen this. I've been here in Camden, in other towns. There's no charming novelty to grafitti'd loos any more. Sorry, I am not the easily excitable puppy dog gig goer I once was. But we whisper when Toby walks in. We surreptitiously watch him prepare his things. We saw the flyers in the pub, in the ladies' toilets, on the floor. ŚtHINgs aRe gOINg to CHanGE AroUNd hEreŠ˛ Even in my attempted gig reviewer state of mind, I felt a little bite of anticipation. Toby Slater (the band...are you following this?) take to the stage. Toby jokes that this is their warm up for Wembley. Their last show in Peterborough was supporting Buffy The Vampire Slayer stalwarts (they are the band behind Oz's Dingoes Ate My Baby) Four Star Mary (who also successfully pioneered music over the internet), and it was a sell-out. So a small crowd and some folding chairs might not seem palatial. But the band launch into The Next Life and they have our full attention. Between that and Alibi, Toby Slater (the man) confesses to having flu and apologises if he shares it with the audience. However, he still manages to hit all the right notes for the rest of the evening, as well as playing guitar on around half the songs. Ritalin, not yet available on the website, is a hidden gem, whilst Begging Rebecca is simultaneously sweet and sinister. Grins appear on several audience members as the anthemic Dumb Blonde starts, but the empty space makes everyone too self-conscious to go with their natural instinct to jump up and down. I know you all wanted to! Guitarist Nick also rises to the challenge of playing as fast as he can. All in all, Dumb Blonde elicits the most crowd response. A personal classic. Stressing it isn't about Cambridge, next comes Shitty Old City, followed by the heartbreaking For You with moves from pretty to achingly beautiful when performed live. It all concludes on Things Are Going To Change which is an energetic finale that leaves a rapt audience and ravaged mic stand. Tonight Toby Slater (the band) proved that a polished, well constructed sound isn't something that appears once you sign to a corporation as if by magic. Unsigned bands everywhere should be afraid. Toby's performance was captivating as he looked his audience in the eye, and stamped, paced, and flailed his way through the set. Notably, his delivery was effective as he went from pleading his way through Begging Rebecca to singing about losing control in Things Are Going To Change and promptly doing so. He is also fortunate enough to be one of a very small number who can carry off wearing grey cardigans. Well, just about. All in all, Toby Slater (the band) gave me what I wanted, something that needed no allowances for it being a small venue or an unsigned band. Speaking to Toby Slater (the man) after the gig, he seemed reluctant to believe our gushing, saying their upcoming London gig (their first) will be better. If so, I will move heaven and earth to be there. Toby Slater (the band, the man, the website, the whole fucking shebang): We like you. We're depending on you. Visit Kat's site at www.deathbyglitter.co.uk comment on this article e-mail this to a friend start a discussion [about i-drive] Problems? Questions? Suggestions? Contact me: mail@tobyslater.com back to top back to contribute section back to home page

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