Slowdive Artistfacts

1989–1995, 2014–
Neil HalsteadVocals, guitar, keyboards1989–1995, 2014–
Rachel GoswellVocals, guitar, keyboards1989–1995, 2014–
Nick ChaplinBass1989–1995, 2014–
Christian SavillGuitar1989–1995, 2014–
Adrian SellDrums1989-1990
Nick CarterDrums1990-1991
Simon ScottDrums, guitar, electronics1991-1994, 2014-
Ian McCutcheonDrums1994-1995
Slowdive is a dream-pop shoegaze band that formed in Reading, England, in 1989. They were part of the 1990s shoegaze movement, a genre characterized by its ethereal and atmospheric sound, often featuring layers of distorted guitars and dreamy vocals.
The name "Slowdive" was inspired by a dream of bassist Nick Chaplin. It is also the name of a single by Siouxsie and the Banshees. They came up with the moniker at a school youth club where they used to rehearse.

"I just remember we were coming into rehearsal and sorting out names, and [Nick] saying 'I had a dream that Slowburn was the name,'" co-vocalist Neil Halstead told When The Sun Hits. "And Rachel was like, 'Well, how about Slowdive?' She was a big Siouxsie and the Banshees fan. I didn't know Siouxsie at the time, but I just thought the name fit."
Signed to Creation Records in 1990 and initially championed by the British music press, the band's reputation took a downturn when their 1991 debut album, Just For a Day, received middling reviews.
Slowdive had a hard time selling enough records to stay solvent, and Creation dropped them after the release of their third album, Pygmalion, in 1995. The band disbanded shortly after. They played their last show for 20 years in Toronto, on May 21, 1994.
By the 2010s, critics were evaluating Slowdive as not only one of the best shoegaze bands of all time, but one of the best artists of the 1990s. As their influence grew, they gained a cult following, and in 2014, the band reunited. Slowdive played their first gig for decades at the Village Underground in London on May 19, 2014. In 2017, they released their eponymous fourth studio album, sealing a successful return to the music scene.
Slowdive is often regarded as one of the pioneering bands in the shoegaze genre. Their use of dreamy, atmospheric soundscapes, heavily processed guitars, and ethereal vocals helped define the genre's sonic characteristics. Shoegaze bands that emerged later, such as My Bloody Valentine, Ride, and Lush, drew inspiration from Slowdive's sound. Their dream-pop and shoegaze music has gone on to influence such modern groups as Beach House, Deerhunter, Grizzly Bear, The 1975 and Tame Impala.

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