Collected reviews, interviews and features on the band from various UK, European and US publications.
'One would think that Northern England's Slaughterhouse 5 are pretty brave for choosing the moniker of one of the literary world's most complex novels. "Wide Open" is multi-faceted in a way Vonnegut never knew. It's full of raw, ragged, fuzztoned guitars with staccato lyric lines and hallowed-voiced oo's and ah's burping along with the rhythm section.
Run to your garage and turn the volume up, and get a dose of Spring Fever's favourite tri-chord love medicine' - Meredith Chinn, Post Modern
'Slaughterhouse 5 from Mansfield, England, play furiously catchy pop tunes that sound like you're in for a deceptively good time - that is until you concentrate on the lyrics. There's a wild and desperate message in the songs that this quartet expresses to its listeners in a clever way. If you crossed the whimsy of the Beatles with the crucial ambiance of the Boomtown Rats, you'd wind up with Slaughterhouse 5. the pace is brisk and the lyrics are often lost within the musical distortions the band heavily favors. Nevertheless, the music soars frenetically on.
Wide Open has so many good songs on it that repeated listening will certainly find its audience favoring different tracks. After hearing the album twice, Inconvenience, Sometimes So Close and Only To Have You appear to be the standout tracks. On The Stupid Ones, the lyrics can be heard and fully appreciated. The closing song, No More Mr Nice Guy is a wonderful burst of aggression that brings the 14 track album to a brilliantly frantic conclusion.
The Slaughterhouse 5 line up is Davy Lawrence on vocals and guitar, Steve O'Toole on guitar, David Graham on bass and Graham Boffey on drums.
It appears I.R.S. has a hit on its hand with this one. Slaughterhouse 5 gives alternative music the shot in the arm it so desperately needs' - Kenneth Morton, Highwire Daze
'Slaughterhouse 5 is a band of built-in contradictions. First off, there are only four band members. Secondly, despite their upbringing in the economically desolate Northern England town of Mansfield, their music is bright, with a major chord celebration of classic British pop. Thirdly, the lyrics that accompany these exhilarating up-tempo tunes are usually somewhat mournful reminiscences of hearts and lives ravaged or love lost but definitely not forgotten.
Wide Open, the group's first full length album on IRS Records, displays 15 rakish and furious cuts which perfectly manifest Slaughterhouse 5's loyalty to the great songwriting traditions of Northern England, the lineage that started with the Beatles and Gerry Marsden, moved through the garage punk era, and picked up with the Buzzcocks and the Housemartins in the '70s and early '80s.
The gold-plated endowment of this outfit features Davy Lawrence on vocals and guitar, David Graham on bass, Steve O'Toole on guitar and Graham Boffey on drums.
With no hidden messages on Wide Open, the titles pretty much give the gist of each track, as on tracks like "Don't Go All Funny On Me," "Things She Did," and "That Is Not Love." I felt these cuts deserve to be in the spotlight. They're more nimble than quick, and powerful enough to charm mother with some over-the-edge guitar riffs and the sad but true to everyday life lyrics.
Overall, Wide Open exhibits the halcyon days of the post-punk era and today's return to those simple musical principles - a back to basics approach - which is at the heart of the slam, rumble, and talent of Slaughterhouse 5' - Steve Triolo, Musical Encore
Review of Birmingham University (UK) gig:
'There are only four of them, it turns out, but as the Cocteau twins once said, "Never let the truth get in the way of a swanky literary reference." It's probably an ironic joke at our expense anyway, so don't knock it. Far more suspect, culturally speaking, are their 1985 bog-brush haircuts and first year economics student fashion sense.
But sneering aside, you can't deny their way with a major chord triad and three part harmony (Watch it! - Muso Ed), epitomised by their cracking new single 'Pathetic Girlfriend' and at least 50% of tonight's set. Think of 'What Do I Get?' by the Buzzcocks, 'Here Comes The Summer' by The Undertones, and The Wonderstuff's 'Unbearable' and you might get the idea.
Their love of good old-fashioned catchy choruses can lead them down slightly bland and well-trodden MOR paths, and some songs tonight appear to be a case of string four chords together, accelerate, bounce around and hope for the best. Any lack of ideas, though, fades into irrelevance when they hit on a good snarling guitar hook and a soppy singalong chorus.
Five of each surface tonight, which is at least four more than most of their buzz-pop competitors.
They've got it in them to be a fine singles band, and then some - it's just a matter of not letting either their thrash punk tendencies or pure pop pretensions drag them too far off the rails' - Johnny Cigarettes, NME
'SLAUGHTERHOUSE 5, Wide Open (IRS): Buzzcocks with so much enthusiasm, they're about to blow apart' - ROX, Baltimore/D.C.
"We were asked to do this kids' disco, in a barn, and the place was heated by a big industrial burner, and the fumes were so strong that I ended up getting high and dizzy until I couldn't see the frets on my guitar! In the end I just gave up and floated off into the stratosphere!"
So recalls David graham, bass player of Slaughterhouse 5. Inaccurately, irrelevantly but fashionably named after a book by top sci-fi pacifist Kurt Vonnegut, Slaughterhouse 5's origins are slightly more down-to-earth. Mansfield, Nottinghamshire, to be precise, where, according to guitarist Stevo Tool, "the normal means of artistic expression are mining, drinking and fighting".
They look like a collection of minor early '80s pop stars, but together they produce sweet harmony and a staggering amount of high-speed, thumping, throwaway tunes about domestic strife, drowning sorrows and sinking ships.
'Pathetic Girlfriend', the debut released in January, was one minute and 50 seconds of punk pop to compare with the best of The Undertones or Buzzcocks, exemplifying the Five's Miles Hunt-ish disgruntled boyfriend lyrics, classic Brit-pop harmonies and flat-out speeding buzz.
"Simple songs, simple sentiments, real emotions, real events," summarises frontman Davy Lawrence. And if you're still unconvinced, new single 'Things She Did' and the album 'Wide Open' will surely twist your arm out of its socket. And for the band, it'll mean a step up from the sordid trauma of play-anywhere tours - no more kids' discos or Darby & Joan clubs, God willing.
The band are set to tour America shortly, since the album (released there on IRS last month) unexpectedly received enthusiastic coverage in the press and on college radio. But of course, before a young band can taste the dubious delights of stadium rock and MTV, they have to do a certain amount of brown-nosing, as Davy explains.
"Miles Copeland (former manager of The Police, IRS head honcho and music biz luminary) came up to us at one of our London gigs to congratulate us and all I could say was, 'Fookin' 'ell, Miles - have yer been eatin' garlic? Yer breath fookin' stinks!' I think he was a bit offended but then he came up to me later and said, 'Hey, I love this guy - he's a character!'
"Roughly translated, I think that means he thinks I'm a twat!!" -Johnny Cigarettes, NME
Simple, non-Gothic tunes pay homage to a bygone era.
Ah, the simple pleasures. It's all too easy to apply the phrase "infectious pop tunes" to Slaughterhouse 5 (yes, like the Vonnegut novel) over and over until the music becomes malignant and needs to be removed by a medical professional. The hard part is quantifying exactly why this stuff is so addictive.
It's not terribly complex music - what few guitar solos surface only do so to function transitionally, without really blowing the listener away. New Musical Express described their music as "throwing four chords together, playing them really fast and singing some catchy melodies over the top."
"We've found that doing it this way, we enjoy it much more and that enjoyment communicates very quickly," said guitarist Steve O'Toole.
"And when we tried to be more sophisticated with the guitars, we found that we couldn't do it well," adds lead singer and songwriter Davy Lawrence.
The simplicity carries over to the vocals: although clearly built from emotion, they wouldn't merit an acapella album from these guys anytime soon. Not to say the singing is intolerable - it's just in keeping with the whole theme, adding to the impression of punk influence.
The punkness continues with the perpetually fast tempos; there's not a slow song to be found among the 14 tracks. (Even the closest swing at a ballad, "The Stupid Ones" moves along at a pretty good clip.) Songs are laced with bitter (dare I say "angry"?) lyrics, too. Tracks like "You're Not So Beautiful," or lyrics like "What am I supposed to do, / Not sing about those things you do? / Not sing about those secrets in your eyes?" contradict the uppity instrumentals by focusing on ravaged hearts and lives, lost but unforgotten love, and bitterly failed or abandoned relationships.
"There is the sentiment in the songs about where we live, which is a very depressing place, but we're just not about that," says Lawrence.
"I think the songs sound hopeful in that they're bouncy and the music is very fast and we use mostly major chords," he says. "We don't use many minor chords. We're not a Gothic band singing about bats in churches. We sing about people and things that happen to them in their day-to-day lives - but we put a colorful edge to it.
"Punk to me doesn't mean safety pins and Union Jacks painted on leather jackets," says Lawrence. "It's more a sort of get-back-to-basics kind of thing. Being basic and uncomplicated is sometimes the most effective way of getting your ideas across to people - of entertaining." - Christopher Klee, The UTD Mercury, Dallas TX
Arriving with little advance fanfare, the debut album from this British quartet whips a delightful froth of buzzing guitars, tight harmonies and infectious energy.
Following squarely in the tradition of 1970s punk-poppers such as the Buzzcocks and Undertones isn't a novel approach. British colleagues Mega City Four and the Senseless Things have mined similar territory.
The difference Slaughterhouse 5 has is an even more overt love of melodic, poppy hooks. "Sometimes So Close" sounds like a less polished Crowded House, while "Inconvenience" and "No More Mr Nice Guy" use an almost reckless exuberance to fuel their high-speed tunes.
Closer reading of the lyrics reveals some rather melancholic musings beneath the music's peppy surface, which only serves to make the songs even more intriguing.
"Wide Open" may not be terribly original or innovative, but its sharp, zippy songs have that magic element that makes a new group like this enjoyable: a sense of fun. - The Entertainer
There's also a healthy dose of Buzzcocks on Wide Open, the debut album by English quartet Slaughterhouse 5 (I.R.S.). Only a band that spent three years getting its act together in the remote northern mining town of Mansfield could sound this genuine singing unabashed love songs in the '90s, but like the Buzzcocks at their best, Slaughterhouse 5's enthusiasm sweeps you away.
From the opening "That Is Not Love" through "No More Mr. Nice Guy" 11 songs later, the melodies are effervescent and the beats are unrelenting, always a winning combination. - Request
Slaughterhouse 5 is one of those musical discoveries that's bound to bring a smile to the face of any devout Anglophile. The Mansfield band's debut Wide Open offers 14 tracks with energetic pop melodies and vocals that are unmistakably British. Lead singer and songwriter Davy Lawrence's lyrics are consistently clever in his observations on romantic affairs.
Lawrence is particularly impressive evoking the heartache of a man afraid of losing his girlfriend on the haunting "If She Leaves Me Again," which also boasts an exquisite pop melody. Elsewhere on the album, Lawrence is brimming with anger, as on "You're Not So Beautiful," "Inconvenience," and the final track "No More Mr. Nice Guy."
Even though Lawrence's lyrics often explore the dark side of love, the energetic arrangements and solid playing make Wide Open consistently enjoyable. Songs like "Right Next To Her," "Don't Go All Funny On Me" and "Things She Did" have an irresistible sense of fun. Slaughterhouse 5 also shows depth by occasionally switching from its usual frenetic approach to a more laid-back melody on songs like "The Stupid Ones."
Slaughterhouse 5 has been racking up comparisons to England's best pop bands, and judging from the music on Wide Open, this impressive new group may soon join that hallowed tradition. - Terrence Flamm, Illinois Entertainer
This four piece British pop band peels out of its native Mansfield, England, with its first full length release, Wide Open. It is a 14 song torrent of hyper-caffeinated, post punk music. It sounds happy and bouncy at first listen but a closer look at the lyrics reveals a sort of destitute sadness.
With guitars rockin' atop a solidly formed rhythm and an edgy pop vocal melody, this album is highly palatable and quickly burns through your ears to imprint and impress a sing along with each subsequent listen. - Jeff Leisawitz, Redlands Daily Facts
This frolicsome four-piece from working-class Britain has absolutely nothing in common with surreal sci-fi novelist Kurt Vonnegut. Frontman Davy Lawrence sings "Thiscouldnabeenabettertime/Thiscouldnabeenabettertime" on top song "Inconvenience," but it glistens razor-sharp, like something off the first Damned album. Ditto for "That Is Not Love" and "You're Not So Beautiful," which both clang open like a cash register and deliver a drawerful of jittery, jangled change.
Even the slowest song here - "Sometimes So Close" - sounds like a classic Raspberries 45 you might've once heard through the walls from your brother's room, and it's delivered with a poker-faced determination that'd make most A&R departments quake with fear. Bands aren't supposed to really mean it any more, are they? Nope, they should just lean back in that barber chair and get themselves groomed for MTV, right?
You may not see Slaughterhouse 5 picking up some pointy-shaped Video Award next year, but you can sure feel 'em all right, slamming square into your gut when you least expect it. Take the hit and like it. - Tom Lanham, Warp
A definite British sound comes from within the first few notes of this CD. Slaughterhouse 5 which is actually four (not five) guys from the northern England town of Mansfield, have a very Buzzcock type of sound. Something about the upbeat energy and overall poppy yet punk guitar sound, reminds me of something straight out of the late '70s punk era.
Each song is simple, straight forward rock, but done at a manic pace, thrown out at you in a bouncy, happy style, and over and done within three minutes. It seems that all 14 tracks of this CD are love songs, or rather, love-gone-wrong songs, with such titles as "That Is Not Love," "Don't Go All Funny On Me," "Pathetic Girlfriend" and "Things She Did." You would think that this would get a bit sappy or depressing after a while, but the irony is that SH-5 does all their songs in major scales, no minor chords at all!
Their lyrics are a bit sad, and about failed relationships, but they seem to make light of it, rather than whine, with upbeat rhythms and a steady, quick pace.
On "Sometimes So Close," I thought they sounded a bit more like Squeeze with the way singer Davy Lawrence sounded, rather than the Buzzcocks, who they are usually compared to. Maybe it was the harmonies. But when "Things She Did" begins, it's very similar to the Buzzcocks' "Everybody's Happy Nowadays," so I can see the resemblance.
There is that definite back-to-basics punk appeal that makes this a really fun CD to listen to. SH-5 is supposed to be touring heavily this year, and I hope to get to see them somewhere. - Gail Jeanne McCracken, Metropolis
If you are a hardcore alternative fan, then you will love Slaughterhouse 5. Though their name sounds heavy metal, they are a cross between R.E.M. and Poi Dog Pondering. Their unique style of pop alternative should be getting considerable air play on college radio soon.
It's pretty hard to ignore talent like this.
Slaughterhouse 5's new LP Wide Open is in stores now and is full of 14 great tunes. Even the titles of the songs are something to see. Check out these: "Pathetic Girlfriend," "Don't Go All Funny On Me" and "The Stupid Ones." Great guitar, drums, bass and vocals!
These guys are destined to make it. A tour would be nice in the near future. - The Paisano, San Antonio TX
Given the name, I expected a maddened, heavy, thundering five piece band… What I got was a cheerfully upbeat and energetic four piece, serving up huge chunks of fresh roasted pop a la mode with a punk sauce. A tasty concoction. - B-Side Magazine
Enthusiasm and talent will get you everywhere. Just ask the fellows in Slaughterhouse 5. Quick, rollicking tunes. Think Clash…early Clash. Throw in pop harmonies and a sense of humour.
Slaughterhouse 5 sound like they started jamming at a drunken bash years ago and never stopped playing, or drinking. - Tom Cornell, Music Revue
Fast tempo pop brimming with hooks out the wazoo. Yessir, another UK band in the tradition of the Buzzcocks and the Wedding Present, churning out confessionals that whizz by almost too fast to grasp, but don't worry; you'll be bopping around too much to care. Their approach is a little less manic than the above mentioned lineage, a little breezier in fact, which is jus' fine to these ears.
Summer love is in the air and this is a fine mating call to blare out of your window. - Bob Lukomski, Buzzz
(Pathetic Girlfriend EP)
Stomping, ebullient shouty bits on the title track, whose title nonetheless inevitably suggests the Stuffies' "Cartoon Boyfriend". Which is apt, as the 5 are pretty much in that irrepressible, flailing camp.
"If She Leaves Me Again" is a sight more huggable, itching along with a nearly frantic, naggingly derivative riff reminiscent of about a million things from early PWEI to, um, The Chesterfields.
On the whole, a messy little knees-up that appears not unpleasant to this correspondent, though millions might yawn and disagree. - Jennifer Nine, Melody Maker
"She's never heard the Senseless Things/She only likes the family shows." Now there's a line and three-quarters! By-passing the crap name, Slaughterhouse 5 are simple souls armed with guitars of the bouncy variety and a spirit petulant and positive enough to make old men of us all. Undoubtedly distant relatives of Resque and Ludicrous Lollipops, but then again I'm the kind of sad git who actually gets off on the urgently obvious. So sue me. - Simon Williams, New Musical Express
Ne vous laissez pas abuser par le nom peu engageant d'"Abattoir 5", car les Slaughterhouse 5 sont aussi pacifists que le roman fantastique de Kurt Vonnegut don't ils ont pris le titre. A peine connus en Angleterre, où ils sont signés sur un label indépendant, les Slaughterhouse 5 sont aux Etats-Unis les chouchous des college radios et ont décroché un contrat pour le reste du monde avec IRS, dont le boss, Miles Copeland - peut être nostalgique des premières années de Police - est venu les voir à la fin de l'un de leurs concerts londoniens. Originaires de Mansfield, un ville du nord de l'Angleterre ou, selon Steve O'Toole, le guitariste, les seule expressions artistiques connues soient boire, se battre et descendre à la mine, ils ont, depuis leur formation en 1990, déjà plusieurs tournées anglaises à leur actif (avec Stiff Little Fingers, Midway Still et Dodgy) et une tournée aux Etats-Unis, seul endroit où soit sorti - pour le moment - leur album. Issue du punk période 1977-1980, leur pop simple et spontanée, entre Ramones, Buzzcocks et premiers Clash, rappelle par ses mélodies les Wonder Stuff à leurs débuts. - Le Newcomer
(Things She Did EP)
'Can't resist going "woooagh!" all the time' - Stuart Bailie, NME