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Slag

Sep 25, 2025 By Nick Roseblade Photography by Nick Roseblade Web Exclusive

The last time I saw Faeser, they were called Rottweiler. Not much, apart from the name change, has happened. All the same members are there and the songs sound about the same. There are a few subtle changes, though. But first, the similarities. The gig still starts with an instrumental intro. The band plays a brand of loud and fast grunge that gives me the same feeling as listening to L7 in registration at school, instead of listening out for my name to be called. After the elongated intro section, lead singer Jess explodes onto the stage. I like this piece of pageantry. It shows that they’ve thought about the best way to present the band and deliver their live set. The new Faeser songs lean into glam a bit more, but still grungy. Guitarists Emia and Willow looked like they were loving to play off each other throughout the set. Massive chords. Catchy choruses and a nice bounce to it all. Jess’ voice sounds better than before. She has the power to fill the Green Door Store without a mic, at times, but more importantly, she can still croon and trill before sounding like a banshee. One of the problems with the name change is that they no longer play all the Rottweiler bangers. “Joyride” and their best song, “Man You’re Fearing,” aren’t on the setlist anymore, but “Sarah” is. Before it was all jagged anger, but now some of that has been smoothed down. I can’t work out if that makes it more poignant. Time will tell. The standout track of the set was their last single, “Revelations”. This is a massive slab of angst with whirlwind guitars. The future is looking up for Faeser. I still think Rottweiler was a better name and summed up their sound better, but Faeser still has their bark along with their bite.

Magda was up next. I hadn’t seen this quartet before, but I had watched a live YouTube session. It didn’t really make me massively excited as the band were very static and the songs felt slightly 2D. How wrong I was. Frontman and bassist, Max, opened their set by saying “We’re called Magda. We’re gonna play seven songs…” then they launched into the set. The music was a mixture of postpunk and postrock. Almost robotic drumming. Repetitive guitars that went LOUD and quiet. Driving bass and glacial keyboards. It was pretty great. Max’s vocals reminded me of driving past adverts on a motorway. You get the idea of what the product is, but a lot of it is missed. His vocals had a real drawl to them. When they played “Everytime,” I didn’t realise what he was singing. “Event Chime,” “Even Chain,” and “Every Crime” were what I thought the lyrics were until I worked it out. After every song, Max gave us a countdown: “Two down, five left…”. Despite his idiosyncratic manner, everything worked incredibly well. He was also very funny. “We’ve got t-shirts. They’re £10. Only large. And in brown”, then he added “We’ve got scissors though. We can cut them to your size. Or if you want a vest, we can do that. £10” then played the next song. At one point a plea was made “Does anyone have any drumsticks? We broke the first, second and back up pair. No? Actually, it’ll be fine”. The band hit hardest when they were locked in the groove and just played. It was something else. Everyone was in each other’s pockets. At times I didn’t want it to end. When they played their final song “It’s Not that Bad” I felt a pang of disappointment. I wanted MORE! Before it started Max said “This is our last one. We’re gonna go after this”. It was their best song. Intricate guitars that were slightly pastoral but very danceable. The propulsive bass and drums dominated with the keyboard sitting prettily on top. Magda are band to look out for. If they can sound this immediate and amazing with broken sticks, what do they sound like normally?

After a short break Slag took the stage. It had been a few months since I’d last seen them. Since then, they’d added a new bassist, toured A LOT and written some new songs. Opening with “Heaven” we truly were from the opening guitar riffs and Amelie’s lilting vocals. What was surprising was the majority of the crowd knew ALL the words for most of the songs. “Heaven” is incredibly catchy. It’s almost impossible not to have it lodged into your head after hearing it just once. Up next was “Private”. Another catchy banger. Throughout the gig keyboardist Seb and guitarist Dan, who flanked the stage like wingers, played off each other’s parts and hammed it up grinning and smiling like this exact moment is the best time of their lives. In a way I think it was. The band are SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO much tighter than the last time I saw them, but there is also an effortlessness to them. This only comes from playing A LOT and knowing your songs slap. And everyone sang. Slag don’t have a bad song. They’re either bouncy bops, thoughtful poignant think pieces or both. When their debut single “Ripped” was played Amelie need not have sung as the crowd had her back. At one point I just looked around the crowd. People were screaming their hearts out. Others had cardboard signs that had lyrics, song names and funny slogans for the band to see. I’d experienced this before at gigs, but stadium and festival shows. Not in small venues. It took me back. The gig ended with new single “Legs”. Considering this song had been part of their live show for a little while, but it came out at midnight the night before the majority of the crowd knew the words. During “Legs” Seb dove onto the crowd and was carried around for a few minutes before being deposited back on the stage. It was fun to see. Especially from the safety of the back of the venue away from stray feet hitting my head. As the last lyrics, and guitars, echoed around the Green Door I was taken aback. Slag are twice the band they were last time I saw them. And they were pretty excellent then. If Slag don’t become the biggest band in the world, then something has gone wrong. Slag wasn’t just the best band of the night. They aren’t just the best band in Brighton. They aren’t even just the best band in the south. They are probably the best band in the UK right now. Doubt me? Check them out for yourself. Slag are the future!