No, this is not the working title of my next movie, and I don’t even know HUGH GRANT. Today’s post title references the story of a search for music and a wonderful friendship. Here we go.
One of the 25 outfits in my TOP 5 is, as you know, SLOWDIVE 🇬🇧.
Along with some singles, this band from Reading recorded 3 seminal shoegaze LPs between 1991 And 1995 on the legendary Creation Records label.
After that, they faded away, seemingly into my very large personal dustbin of “Indie What Ifs.”
There were numerous other projects by members of the band, but more about that in future posts. None of that music was a viable extension of the of SLOWDIVE.
(Slow) forward to 2014. There was exciting news. The band had reformed for live performances!
Through a bizarre councidence, I was in London and scalped my way in to see their first full recalibrated gig on May 19, 2014 at the London Underground in Shoreditch.
I stayed up all night after the gig and wrote a review for the genius website my pal BOBBY TOWNSEND runs called “Something You Said.”
Here it is:
https://somethingyousaid.com/2014/05/26/slowdive-rising-sparkling-return/
Some festivals and live events followed, along with rumours of a possible recording session.
Then, in 2017 – presto- a 4th LP- the eponymously titled “Slowdive.”
I remember being in Ottawa for a work conference and finding a CD copy on the day of release! I was so excited that my first listen was in my hotel room on the tinny speakers on my work laptop. Didn’t matter. SLOWDIVE was back!
What an LP it is. And as much as I was thrilled to have bc it, there was a tiny catch for the completist in me.
As sometimes happens, and for reasons that are a complete mystery, sometismes labels release LPs in Japan with extra, exclusive, tracks. So I learned about “Slowdive” – these was an extra track at the end of the disc entitled “30th June.” Ahhhhhh!
I made some effort to track a copy of the CD down but didn’t succeed. Eventually I found an audio version of the song on YouTube. But that was different than owning that edition…
So when I made my first trip to Japan at the end of March this year, my #1 music related mission was to find that CD.
I actually thought it was going to be easy. Not so fast buckshot.
No luck at numerous stores. I had lunch with musician KENNETH MAXWELL, a Scottish journalist living in Tokyo and friend of Group Member WALLY TBM. KENNY plays in SLOW COUNTRY and JIM’S TWENTY ONE. [See rex’s post from April 18, 2026 entitled – “Meet Kenny.”]
He searched the internet for the LP and had his Japanese born wife search as well. Crickets.
My mission had failed. I returned with some decent purchases, but not “Slowdive.”
Seeing WALLY in Ottawa a few days after my return, I thanked him for linking me to KENNY and told him of my failed search, thinking nothing of it.
Not to be deterred, and unknown to me, WALLY got on mission. He somehow located AND acquired the Japanese version for me!
What a pal! Thanks WALLY!
Now for the song.
So here it is:
9 years after release.
3 months after I returned from Japan.
Received on July 3, 3 days after the song title.
The song is so rare that I can only locate it on YouTube- it had not materialized on SPOTIFY.
Here it is- Enjoy it as I am!
(SONG 1698)
Play the Hidden Gems Loud Or Perish
7/10/2026
underground365 
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