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Quiet Houses, originally from Edinburgh, back in their city, at Christmas time, with friends and family in attendance, perfect ingredients for an amazing gig night. Hannah and Jamie came to deliver the presents home and they served up a treat for all in attendance. Cabaret Voltaire is an amazing almost claustrophobic venue, down in the cellars, arched stone ceilings, very dark and atmospheric but has to be the best way to see an upcoming band showcase their talents.
Hannah Elliott and Jamie Stewart are Quiet Houses, known each other for years and after writing songs together they decided to share their indie-pop music to the world in 2021. Now with a couple of EP’s released and a third on the way (3rd January 2025, save the date!) with an album on the horizon for next year. This was the second of a couple of special headline year ending gigs, the first in London, where they are now based and tonights event.
After a superb opening performance by Zoe Graham (see my previous review of Zoe!) Quiet Houses jumped on to stage, alongside drummer George Purnell and keyboard player Amy Jaggs , special mention to Amy as she only met band for first time a few days before the first gig but did an amazing job! The opening song, Ocean Avenue, was quickly followed by the latest single New Obsession which went down a storm.
After a hello from the guys we had 2 songs from the upcoming EP release, Carried Away and Facts & Figures, the latter about “growing up” in your 20’s both enthusiastically received. Next up was a crowd favourite and the bands biggest song to date Cold Water Swimming, a dreamy almost folky song which highlights Hannah’s ethereal vocals. After the applause has subsided we get my personal favourite song, See for Miles, a roller coaster ride of emotions, perfectly delivered. Another new notable song in the set is “I’m not yours” played for only the second time live and yes Hannah you did seem to remember all the lyrics this time!
The penultimate song is the duo’s most raucous, What My Heart Is For, a guitar driven catchy number with much rocking out around the stage. We finish up with yet another crowd fave, Hot & Clumsy, which has everyone singing and bopping along to. And before we know it, that’s all folks. A fantastic gig and a band destined for bigger audiences and bigger stages but those lucky enough to be in attendance won’t be forgetting this night anytime soon. If you only follow one new band next year , do yourself a huge favour and make it Quiet Houses, you will be glad you did!
LIVE REVIEWS
Slayyyter played her take on Turnstile’s ‘Birds’ onstage for the first time in Atlanta. You can watch footage of the performance below.
Slayyyter is currently touring with her ‘Wor$t Girl In The World’ show. She added the cover to her set at The Eastern on Monday night (September 21).
She sang ‘Birds: Slayyyter Version’ near the end of the main set, following ‘Brittany Murphy’. She then came back for an encore featuring ‘Brand New Chanel$’ and ‘Beat Up Chanel$’.
It was her first live performance of the song. She originally recorded it for Turnstile’s ‘Never Enough: Versions’, a collection of reworked tracks released on August 28.
The 22 track release brings together new interpretations of songs from Turnstile’s fourth album. Contributors include Elton John, Hayley Williams, Blood Orange, A. G. Cook, Faye Webster, Four Tet, Oklou, Floating Points, Nourished By Time, Alex G, Julien Baker and Mustafa.
Panda Bear recorded a new take on ‘Magic Man’, while Dying Fetus gave ‘Birds’ another interpretation rooted in death metal.
See Slayyyter perform the track live and listen to her studio recording here:
Slayyyter trades the original song’s hardcore intensity for a bigger electronic sound that feels at home alongside her latest album, ‘Wor$t Girl In America’.
Turnstile first released ‘Birds’ on their 2025 album ‘Never Enough’. The song won Best Metal Performance at the 2026 Grammy Awards, where the album also won Best Rock Album.
In its five star review of ‘Never Enough’, NME pointed to ‘Birds’ and ‘Sole’ as reminders of Turnstile’s hardcore beginnings. It also praised the album for “furthering their unique, pop-facing take on hardcore”.
Slayyyter will join Turnstile on another stage next month. She and Die Spitz are set to support the band at the University of Kansas in Lawrence on October 6 for the ‘Never Enough Tour Pt. 2’.
It has been a big year for Slayyyter. Her third album, ‘Wor$t Girl In America’, came out in March, and NME’s review highlighted its mix of “brash, sleazy pop” and late 2000s indie sleaze sounds.
Last month, she performed Hole’s ‘Violet’ for triple J’s Like A Version. Courtney Love called the cover “a delight” and encouraged Slayyyter to “keep wiping the floors with us”.
A few weeks later, Slayyyter took ‘Wor$t Girl In America’ to Reading Festival. NME’s live review declared that there was “undoubtedly a star before us on stage” and praised her “rasped, rocked-up delivery” and growing confidence as a performer.
