Fellow concert hoppers, let me tell you about a French rock band named SLIFT. SLIFT is the best band you have probably never heard of until now. If you are a fan of pure, gritty psychedelic rock ‘n’ roll that is not watered down with radio-friendly hooks then look no further because SLIFT is the band for you. SLIFT announced via their social media channels on April 5th that they would come back to tour the States and visit Canada for the first time. I was beyond excited to see that the October 27th date would be their tour stop at Terminal West in Atlanta, GA. SLIFT’s first United States tour was in 2022, and sadly I could not attend their October 22nd stop at The Earl in Little 5 Points in Atlanta, GA. Joining SLIFT on their Fall 2024 North America Tour as opening support is the band California band Meatbodies.

SLIFT is an acid rock/space rock/psychedelic rock/stoner rock band from Toulouse, France that has been active since 2016. SLIFT consists of brothers Jean Fossat (guitar/vocals/synthesizers), Remi Fossat (bass), and Canek Flores (drums). SLIFT has released three (3) LPs, one (1) EP, one (1) live album, seven (7) music videos, and eight (8) singles. Their latest release is entitled Ilion (January 19, 2024) from Sub Pop Records, and it stands as one of their most ambitious projects to date. I randomly found SLIFT’s live album Levitation Sessions on Amazon Music and I was completely blown away by the first song on that record, Ummon. I dove deep into SLIFT’s discography after listening to this remarkable live album. I had to know their entire story. Another stellar live performance I highly recommend to help introduce you to their music is SLIFT’s 2019 Live on KEXP performance recorded live at the La Chapelle by le Studio in Rennes, France.

SLIFT

Meatbodies is a garage rock/garage punk/lo-fi/psychedelic rock/noise rock band from Los Angeles, CA. that has been active since 2011. Meatbodies consists of Chad Ubovich (guitar), Dylan Fujioka (drums), Noah Guevara (bass), and Casey Hanson (guitar/vocals). Meatbodies has released four (4) LPs and five (5) singles, and their latest release entitled Flora Ocean Tiger Bloom (March 8, 2024) is off In The Red Records. This would be my first time seeing Meatbodies perform live, and I was excited to see them in such a small, intimate venue. Imagine if King Buffalo and Ty Segall conceived a fuzz rock baby, then you would have the awesomeness that is Meatbodies.

Starting the evening, the Meatbodies cranked out “Reach for the Sun” to begin their energetic and fuzzy set playing “Reach for the Sunn” off their EP entitled 333 (released in 2021). Meatbodies followed up with a deep cut of their 2014 self-titled album Meatbodies. This would be my first time seeing Meatbodies perform live, and I hope they can swing back through Atlanta sooner rather than later. I dug their vibe and enjoyed watching Ubovich ripping and shredding throughout their set. And you could tell the crowd was feeling it too with so many people in the crowd shouting and applauding between each riffed-filled song.

Meatbodies

Check out the setlist from this evening’s set from the Meatbodies:

· “Reach For the Sun”

· “They Came Down”

· “Tremmors”

· “Void”

· “Cancer”

· “Move”

· “Fools Fold Their Hands (Grievous Evils Under the Sun)”

· “Hole”

· “Silly Cybin”

· “Mountain”

Show Meatbodies some love and follow them on Bandcamp today.

SLIFT

The time had come for the mighty trio SLIFT to take the stage to an exuberant crowd gathered on a cool Sunday evening at Terminal West in Atlanta. Sometimes I pinch myself because of how good the feeling is when you finally see a band you respect and admire for their inimitable creativity and their impact on the rock ‘n’ roll genre with their art. During both sets of the evening, the projector set up in the back of Terminal West played a never-ending loop of trippy, psychedelic designs, favoring a Rorschach test, that saturated the stage and all the performers all evening. SLIFT started their set with the first two songs from their latest release, Ilion, the self-titled track “Ilion” and the preceding track “Nimh” which both run over 20 minutes. This sonic introduction illustrated the mastery of each member of SLIFT as they took each audience member on a journey through their innovative and beautiful minds. This was a wild ride from start to finish as SLIFT melted minds with some of my favorite songs like “Ummon”, “Altitude Lake”, “Lions, Tigers, and Bears”, and “The Story That Has Never Been Told”. It is not often that SLIFT comes to the U.S., so the next time they tour the States do yourself a favor and catch them live.

Here is SLIFT’s setlist from their epic performance at Terminal West in Atlanta:

· “Ilion”

· “Nimh”

· “Ummon”

· “Altitude Lake”

· “The Words That Have Never Been Heard”

· “Secret Mirror”

· “Weavers’ Weft”

· “Lions, Tigers, and Bears”

· “The Story That Has Never Been Told”

Check out SLIFT’s online merchandise store and follow them on Bandcamp. Even though their latest record Ilion (Loser edition – red with black smoke limited edition vinyl) is sold out on their website, surprisingly, copies are still available via their Bandcamp page.

You can also hit that subscribe button on SLIFT’s YouTube channel. Unfortunately, after the Atlanta date, SLIFT played one last show on this North American tour at White Oak Music Hall in Houston, TX on 10/29 before flying back home to France. SLIFT has announced four (4) selected European dates in 2024 and already ten (10) European dates in 2025:

Here is SLIFT’s setlist from their epic performance at Terminal West in Atlanta:

· “Ilion”

· “Nimh”

· “Ummon”

· “Altitude Lake”

· “The Words That Have Never Been Heard”

· “Secret Mirror”

· “Weavers’ Weft”

· “Lions, Tigers, and Bears”

· “The Story That Has Never Been Told”

Check out SLIFT’s online merchandise store and follow them on Bandcamp. Even though their latest record Ilion (Loser edition – red with black smoke limited edition vinyl) is sold out on their website, surprisingly copies are still available via their Bandcamp page.

You can also hit that subscribe button on SLIFT’s YouTube channel. Unfortunately, after the Atlanta date, SLIFT played one last show on this North American tour at White Oak Music Hall in Houston, TX on 10/29 before flying back home to France. SLIFT has announced four (4) selected European dates in 2024 and already ten (10) European dates in 2025:

TUESDAY 17 DECEMBER 8:30 PM

Aix-en-Provence, France

6MIC

Tickets

THURSDAY 19 DECEMBER 9:00 PM

Rome, Italy

Monk

Tickets

FRIDAY 20 DECEMBER 9:00 PM

Bologna, Italy

Locomotiv Club

Tickets