Photos and Review by Gaby Smith.
If you’ve listened to Tyler the Creator’s Flower Boy or Frank Ocean’s Blonde, you may be familiar with Austin Feinstein, longtime collaborator of the two artists and the lead vocalist of the Los Angeles band Slow Hollows. Formed in 2013, the band released three albums before amicably disbanding in 2020. Four years later came the revival of Slow Hollows as Feinstein’s solo project with the release of his fourth album Bullhead and its supporting US tour.
On the night of March 26th, eager teens and twenty-somethings in Doc Martens and denim jackets slowly descended the neon-lit stairs from the street and filled the dimly lit Cafe Du Nord, a historic San Francisco speakeasy-turned-concert venue, in anticipation of Slow Hollows’ return. I had seen the band’s original lineup perform on that same stage almost exactly four years prior (mine and my boyfriend’s first date, coincidentally — a fond memory of mine) and was excited to see how their sound had changed with time and a new direction. As I looked around at the crowd, their shag mullets and vape clouds illuminated by the blue and red stage lights, a wave of bittersweet nostalgia came over me — this was so high school. 
Supporting Slow Hollows was New Zealand-based artist P.H.F. (Joe Locke), who delivered an explosive, high-energy performance to hype up the sleepy crowd. As breakbeat chops and heavy electronic beats played on his laptop, Locke hopped offstage and performed passionately among the crowd. Even as someone entirely unfamiliar with his music, it was difficult to keep from bobbing along to the booming drum beats and grinning at the artist’s lively performance just a few feet away from me.
Shortly after P.H.F. finished his last song, Slow Hollows took the stage. By this point, the room was filled almost to the back, and rows of people eagerly anticipated the band’s first show back in the city in four years. Wasting no time, Feinstein immediately began with a fan favorite, “Spirit Week,” from Slow Hollows’ 2016 album Romantic. The crowd lit up, recording shaky, hyper-saturated videos on their phones as they bounced along. Catchy guitar riffs reverberated through the room, with Feinstein’s ghoulish vocals just floating above the punchy instrumentals.
One might describe the show as “no-frills,” with setlists scrawled hastily on coffee filters and half-full cans of Modelo among long cords and pedal boards littering the stage. All attention was on the band — Feinstein’s impassioned vocals and plucky electric guitar, the steady beats of the drum, the quartet’s cool Californian affect. A highlight was the band’s performance of “Tired,” one of the band’s few love songs, off Bullhead. Atop sparse guitar strums, Feinstein moodily sings, “I wish I knew you every step of the way / I’m tired of everybody but you.” At this point, all the couples within my line of sight started gazing lovingly into each other’s eyes and making out, so I stopped looking around and focused my attention back to the stage.
The show crescendoed with an edgy, fast-tempo performance of “Dark Comedy,” from their first album Atelophobia (2015). Feinstein solos with the electric guitar before the bass and drums join in, and the crowd goes wild. The song is a stark contrast to the previously played, introspective and subtle songs off Bullhead; it’s more teenager-y – loud, in-your-face, unapologetic. It’s safe to say that Slow Hollows’ sound has changed dramatically since its genesis, a product of Feinstein growing up.
Feinstein and the band bid farewell to the crowd, but, like always, acquiesced to their chants of “one more song!”. The band schlepped back onto the stage, poorly concealing their smirks and picking up their instruments for a final song. “This is a song we haven’t played in a while, because… well, we just haven’t. But we’re going to play it now,” says Feinstein before playing the riff of “The Art School Kids / The Political Kids,” another Atelophobia song. This song is even punchier than the previous, with fierce riffs and a drum beat that make your head buzz, but quiets down after the eruptive intro to accommodate Feinstein’s nonchalant vocals. Nonchalance is Slow Hollows’ M.O., evident with a final “thank you, get home safe” nicety before exiting the stage for the night at 9:45pm. The quick show was a blessing in disguise, because I got dinner at Denny’s and still made the bus back to Berkeley before midnight.
