Sound of the Sirens at The Slaughtered Lamb

Sound of the Sirens

The Slaughtered Lamb, London

24 November 2019

I was fortunate indeed that my most recent expedition to London coincided with a Sound of the Sirens gig.

Having thoroughly enjoyed their appearance at Band in the Wall back in March I had been keen to see them again and the unexpected opportunity was a very pleasant surprise.

The Slaughtered Lamb, a relatively short walk from Farringdon Underground Station, holds very regular music evenings. This was my first time there. The bar was packed out; there were people smiling out onto the outside pavement. As usual with such venues, the gig area was elsewhere - specifically, down in the basement. I arrived early, as I normally do - especially at venues which are new to me.

Curiously, the chess theme from Band in the Wall continued here.

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It is certainly an intimate venue, reminiscent of The Basement in York, only smaller. The loosely arranged chairs could be pulled as close to the stage as possible without actually being part of the show.

Sadie Horler provided very able support and was credited with making the tour bus chat more positive (although it is too hard to believe Abbe and Hannah are naturally negative people).

There was not too much of a gap before the Sound of the Sirens appeared. Time was spent chatting to the people either side of me. Everyone was friendly and there was a very relaxed atmosphere.

Abbe and Hannah certainly know how to put on a show. Their onstage connection is very strong. I still like the eye contact they give each other during the songs, which shows a deeper level of communication. 

The intensity of the songs is in stark contrast to the tuning-up chat, which shines a little light on the touring life, including tales of managing to lose everything and anything (there was an element of boasting when they drew attention to the fact they had two music stands) and also a frank admission of just how tough their wonderful fundraising effort for the London Marathon had been.

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The set list showed some changes from the Manchester show and there was talk of a new album ‘possibly’ following in 2020. There are new tour dates for the new year too.

If the music industry was more like it was a few decades ago then a song as brilliant as Together Alone would be daily radio favourite and Sound of the Sirens would be on our TV screens on a very regular basis. As things stand, we, the audience, are the main beneficiaries of the circumstances because we are able to see Sound of the Sirens in the most intimate of venues.

With new music and new gigs already on the way, it is time for more people to experience the wonderful music of Sound of the Sirens.

Follow all the latest Sound of the Sirens news over at their official website.

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