The third installment of Nothing's curated Slide Away Festival came to New York and feature additional headlining sets from reunited greats Hum and Chapterhouse.
The scene that celebrates itself has been enjoying a massively hyped comeback of sorts of the past few years and suddenly it feels like shoegaze is bigger than ever before and Gen Z appears at the forefront of its lauded revival. For the second day of the 2026 iteration of Slide Away, the crowd felt wildly young despite the fact that three of the final four bands of the night had their hey days before most of the crowd had even been born (at least judging from where I was standing).
Making it in time to catch The Swirlies, I was instantly blown back by their charged-up riffs that swirled together, morphing into clouds of sonic stardust that were monstrous and heavy, their droning tones some of the more industrial sounding of the night. Grating metal strings seemed to scratch against their billowing melodies, creating something both harsh and wonderful all at once. Burying their vocals deep into the mix, their voices were barely audible under the blankets of distorted guitar, something popping up only to add the most subtle textures and hints of softness below the otherwise ravaging blasts of guitar.
Chapterhouse were the first of the headliners to take the stage and this weekend marked the band's first stateside shows in sixteen years and even despite organizer Domenic "Nicky" Palermo of Nothing's claim that they did a lot to get these guys here, the gang from Reading appeared settled in and wasted no time proving that they hadn't lost their touch as they elegantly sculpted these tunes back to life. Seismic guitar squalls anchored the band's lofty sound and things were given a much more dreamy glow for their particular brand of the genre. Things still got heavy, but there was less intensity in this set and as they celebrated the 25th anniversary of their excellent debut record, Whirlpool, the songs grew in comfort as the set progressed. Hitting us with the shimmering blast of "Pearl" was not just a highlight of their set, but one of the most rewarding tracks of the night in general. Swirling their bleary vocals with the rigid haze of their lush guitar strokes culminated in total state of euphoria that carried on into the night.
The festival has been the brain child of Nothing's frontman and songwriter since its inception and it was cool to see the band slot themselves in amongst their heroes. Playing in celebration of the tenth anniversary of their own record Tired of Tomorrow, the Philly group played one of the most low-key sets of the night, a tranquil vibe coming over the crowd, but not one that was strong enough to keep fans from starting up a mosh pit, even when it felt like a questionable move. Heavy head nodding and gentle sways felt like the move for a lot of the crowd, especially for these more delicate and intimate tunes, but others still circled up and got things moving, even when it felt like people were moshing in slow motion, the excitement was high and the young audience looked moved by the performance. Slightly picking up the tempo and turning the volume closer to eleven, it was becoming more and more clear that energy levels were rising and people were ready to turn loose.
When Hum took to the stage for only the second time since 2019 as well as since they surprise released their killer comeback album Inlet in 2020, things had reached fever pitch and as soon as they slammed into their mammoth bursts of blown-out guitar, the tension snapped and the room went into a frenzy. A massive pit opened in the middle of the crowd and took over a serious part of the floor as the alt-gaze icons immediately reminded us just how soul-crushing they can be at a moment's notice and how they can deliver such punishing riffs for quite some time. These roaring guitars swarmed the room and fueled the youth with an unstoppable force that had them going hard and taking no prisoners for the hour plus set we would all endure at the hands of these rock gods. Their set was monstrous and they did it all with what appeared such ease, standing casually onstage while ripping apart these beefy hooks that surged with a vengeance, their gargantuan presence wrecking havoc at punishing volumes. Matt Talbott's voice was another driving force in their set, his coolness and nearly deadpan delivery intermixed with such menacing riffs attacks with a meditative bite that adds even more strength to their already colossal sound. As soon as those opening notes to their breakout song "Stars" rippled across the room, things burst at the seams and pure chaos rained down upon us. Crowd surfers were everywhere and the pit swelled to a titanic size, everyone giving in to the moment and letting all remaining energy pour out with total adulation.
The entire night was an ear-splitting affair, heavy and loud in all the right ways. To see bands that have become so influential to a genre that has somehow hit this level was a really special way to get to experience them live for the first time and it's cool to see a new generation continue to celebrate a scene that, despite what its musicians may want to say, sure still seems to love itself.
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