Taverne Tour Day 1: Slash Need – For When You Want/Need to Let Loose

“Slash Need is like, my favourite band,” said a friend as we chatted between sets at Le Ministère. “It’s just fucking crazy. I love it.” When I said I had never heard them before, his excitement doubled down, a knowing look of ‘you don’t know what you’re in for’ painted upon his face. Within 30 seconds of Slash Need’s Dusty Lee and Alex Low (along with their two backup dancers) taking the stage, I completely understood the hype. The aesthetics of the group were the first to take me in. Lee, dressed in latex and with her face painted in severely fierce makeup, stood over us with the utmost confidence, like a monarch overseeing their populace. In the back, we had Alex Low, who was the embodiment of ’80s vice sleaze in his leather jacket, orange glasses, and fingerless gloves. 

As the first song started, the floor began to shake, both from the glimmering yet grimy instrumentation provided by Low, along with the rapidly escalating motion of the crowd around me. The music itself felt like the sexy, dirty, unapologetically depraved club beats of the future, turning the entire room into a red-light district of breathless bodies and breakneck beats. Equal parts glamorous pop and jagged experimentation, the energy never dipped, thanks in large part to the captivating confidence of Lee and their two balaclava-toting backup dancers.

I can honestly say that I’ve never seen a set quite like Slash Need. My friend was right—it’s just fucking crazy. I’ll see you on the floor at the next one.

photos by Stephan Boissonneault