Nothing Shines On This Island: Chloe Slater at The Old Blue Last

If any of you have been on the indie rocker side of TikTok or Instagram as of late, there is a high chance you may have heard Chloe Slater’s tongue-in-cheek and pointed track ‘Nothing Shines On This Island’. And if you are anything like me, you simply cannot get enough of her fabulously descriptive, meaningful and fun lyricism. Pair this with awesome guitar riffs and rocking drum rhythms, I was immediately drawn to learn more about the young artist from Manchester writing these brilliant songs.

This led me to tunes such as ‘24 Hours’, which is equally cutting and refreshingly honest in its lyricism; and ‘Fig Tree’, an anthem where Slater criticises the way that the patriarchy and capitalist models profit on making women believe they need to go to any lengths to retain their youthfulness, or that as they age they lose their value. The title of the song refers to Sylvia’s Plath fig tree metaphor in her 1963 novel The Bell Jar, emphasising that women should be able to pick any sort of path they want, and that each path is equally valuable and successful.

Being a young woman at the start of many paths of life, I found Slater’s lyrics thought-provoking, relatable, funny, and appropriately sardonic at times. Therefore, when I saw she was performing at DIY magazine’s ‘Hello 2025’ showcase at The Old Blue Last in the heart of Shoreditch, I knew I had to attend (simply just to scream the iconic lyrics “Down it Zulu warrior, split the G!”)

So, in the dark upstairs of The Old Blue Last, the whole crowd was huddled as close as possible around the stage to see the acts of the night. Before Slater’s performance, we watched three other excellent female fronted punk, rock and indie acts. Starting the night for us, the energetic band Punchbag (who have released their debut single ‘F*ck It’ today!) got the whole room jumping up and down; the daring duo Disgusting Sisters owned the stage, having recently released their debut single ‘Killing It’; and Blossom Caldarone enchanted the whole room with her haunting vocals and heart-wrenching lyrics.

When the audience had been suitably hyped up and energised by these awesome acts, Slater came on and immediately stole the audience. Dressed in a sweater vest and blue jeans, donning her quintessential pearl necklaces, she looked exceptionally casually cool. Starting her set with a suspenseful ringing before diving straight into the punchy ‘Nothing Shines On This Island’, it was clear that Slater meant business. From crisp vocals and decisive guitars, to powerful bass and drum lines, the whole crowd was singing along to the song, which has become one of her most-listened singles.

Slater then sang recent single and another fan favourite ‘Fig Tree’, a song which clearly resonated and is adored by her fans, with the crowd dutifully singing along. She then performed ‘Death Trap’, a track from her May 2024 EP ‘You Can’t Put A Price On Fun’. Before starting the song Slater announced that this song was for those who have, let’s just say… ‘disagreeable’ landlords: the lyrics of the chorus being “The landlord is a peace of crap, we‘re twenty living in a death trap”. As you can imagine, the crowd went wild singing what many would consider lyrics they could relate to, jumping up and down during the repeated cries of ‘living in death trap’.

After a few more songs, including some from her then unreleased EP, Slater concluded the concert with her most listened song ‘24 Hours’ (a personal favourite of mine). Throughout the concert it was clear that Slater was having an awesome time being up on stage, with her great vocals and her natural charisma bringing each song to life for the audience.

The concert overall was a brilliant night to remember, with each of the acts performing spectacularly and bringing their own special and unique take to the stage. It was a great showcase of female talent in the punk, rock and indie scenes.

Make sure to check out Chloe Slater‘s new EP ‘Love Me Please’ released 5th February 2025!

Below are the links to each of the artist’s social media and music profiles, so you can check them and their music out!

Chloe Slater: Spotify and Instagram

Blossom Caldarone: Spotify and Instagram

Disgusting Sisters: Spotify and Instagram

Punchbag: Spotify and Instagram