SECTION 25 @ THE SLAUGHTERED LAMB, LONDON

Following the release of their 13th studio album ‘Move On’, Section 25 performed a rare, intimate set predominantly taken from the new release alongside some classic tracks. Founding and remaining member Vin Cassidy, who has been the core of the band since the passing of his brother Larry, performed drums and vocals alongside his bandmate Stephen Stringer (guitar, keyboard, backing vocals), the duo using backing tracks to shape the full sound of their music.

Despite the reliance on backing tracks, their instrumentation maintained an experimental element with Stringer’s ominous, building guitar riffs alongside Cassidy’s rattling percussion in ‘Knew Noise’ and the abrasive Joy Division guitar of ‘Be Brave’. Moving to their new material which made up most of their set, the sound altered with more ambient electronics for the Tangerine Dream-like ‘Move On’; they played more off the new album with the electro-funk creep of ‘We Are On Our Own’ and the New Order sounding dance beats of ‘Gun for Hire’. The band share a lot with the sonic fabric of their Factory contemporaries and friends which showed in the funky percussive of ‘CVI’ so reminiscent of A Certain Ratio, also containing almost string-like pedal effects.

The duo played one further track from the new release in the way of post-punk funk song, ‘Back in the Day’, with its Madchesteresque vocal style accompanied by whiney CAN-like guitar. S25 ended their set on some classics, including ‘Wretch’ from their 1982 second album, ‘The Key of Dreams’, which was also brimming with psychey Gong-like guitar. The duo finished their set on the band’s well known single, ‘Looking from a Hilltop’, taken off their ‘From The Hip’ 1984 album, which was produced by Bernard Sumner.

15/06/24: Section 25 @ The Slaughtered Lamb, London.