Slo-Mo

Originally from Leeds, England, but later based in Sheffield, David Gledhill formed indie rock outfit Slo-Mo in 2001. Gledhill had previously played with an unsuccessful hard rock band, spending much of the late 90s in London trying to break into the local scene. He returned to his native Yorkshire to form Slo-Mo with Kim Woodward (bass), Tracey Wilkinson (keyboards), and Liam Oliver (drums). After experimenting with a sample package on his home computer, Gledhill came up with the basis for the band’s breakthrough single, ‘Death Of A Raver’. The combination of a rasping hard rock guitar riff and the sample of Brazilian singer Astrud Gilberto added great poignancy to this post-chemical generation anthem. The quartet’s debut, Lost Stones, was released in September 2003. The lyrics paid a big nod to Hunter S. Thompson and William Burroughs in terms of content, mood and the sharp use of language, a testament to the perfectionist qualities of Gledhill. Rather than being angst-ridden the album played out a series of stories, that could be developed into a superb road movie or cool film. Gledhill’s fascination with the macabre was evident on the track ‘Girl From Alaska’, chronicling an evening spent with an unhinged woman who tries to seduce him into her basement. This theme was carried over to the song ‘Love Hate Devotion’, which told the story of a manic girlfriend beating up her boyfriend until the police come knocking at the door. ‘Death Of A Raver’ was remixed for the club scene by Dave Ball (Soft Cell, the Grid). David Gledhill subsequently disbanded Slo-Mo to launch a new project, tagged simply Gledhill.