Show Review

The Slip have slowly been developing its distinct sound and style since the mid-nineties. The three-piece, made up of Brad Barr on guitars and lead vocals, Andrew Barr on drums and percussion and Marc Friedman on bass, have earned a strong dedicated following in the northeast that has been continually growing. Their sound spans everything from free-form jazz to almost pop-flavored power rock tunes and everything in between.

A few days into their fall tour, The Slip stopped by Burlington to play a performance that at times, felt like a cozy family dinner and at others a timeless space voyage. They started the show with an unnamed debut that took off and went into overdrive as it progressed beyond the first couple minutes. The rest of the set features a lot of different moods and references. There were songs about living in Canada, migrating rats and Autobots and Decepticons. They also played one of the songs from their Surprise Me Mr Davis collaboration with Nathan Moore, “I Hate Love,” which speaks volumes about relationships.

The second set was more focused on the band’s musicianship and showcased less songs and more band interactions. About 15 minutes into the inspired set, the familiar tones of U2’s “Sunday Bloody Sunday” rang out of Barr’s guitar. They ran through an instrumental version of the classic, sandwiching it between the opener, “Paper Birds” and “Children of December.” The later number, with its funny and poignant lyrics based around all of the folks whose birthdays fall in the last month of the year and how easily forgotten those special days can be. The rest of the show was filled with magic, especially the soft spoken “Suffocation Keep,” which elicits eerie inward vibes that tug at the base of the internal universe in all of us. With well crafted songs and stellar playing, The Slip are going places fast. Catch them now, while you still can.