Freak Slug at the Whole Music Club

March 22, 2025 at the Whole Music Club

7:30 PM doors | 8:00 PM show

A visual artist and painter as well as an unconventional, self-taught songwriter and musician, everything that fuels the creative output of Manchester’s Xenya Genovese, AKA Freak Slug, is about raw, authentic, sometimes weird but always totally true self-expression. She’s not one to sugar coat things; “I’m a lot, so it’s a lot to show who I am because some people might not like it,” she accepts. But in amongst the mix of an introverted extrovert, self described “avoidant” Leo rising, lives the sort of musician who can do nostalgic, ‘90s influenced and dreamy as well as eccentric and experimental. Down there, picking through the curious mix of sounds and feelings, lives Freak Slug.

Having moved from Manchester to London to study Fine Art at university, Genovese thought her path was already set. “I’ve been doing art since I was young. It’s been quite a surprise for me, doing this whole music thing…” she says. In some ways, the pivot to musician did sneak up on her. Where art was her career (or so she thought), from the age of 15 writing songs had just been a hobby; an outlet where she could see where her mind went with no external expectations. “From about 18, I was making music alone - experimental, fuzzy, lo-fi stuff; embracing mistakes and recording through my Mac mic. I was inspired by unique sounds and music with loads of imperfections,” she remembers. “It wasn’t what I thought I’d be doing so I was just going with the flow. Having fun was my inspiration, and seeing what I liked.”

Hugely influenced by ‘90s cult heroes like Ride and Mazzy Star, Freak Slug is all about hitting a mood. A big, vocal character IRL, Genovese acknowledges that, when it comes to more internal matters, she finds life less easy. “I struggle to feel, in all honesty; music that moves me is the only way that I can feel sometimes. So if I can make something that makes me feel things, that’s cool cos I don’t get that opportunity often, and if I can make other avoidant people feel things, that’s cool too.” She laughs: “I’ve got the energy, I don’t need to listen to fucking drum ‘n bass. I’ve already got that!”

A large part of the journey towards I Blow Out Big Candles has been embracing these parts of her personality. Collaborating with Jadu Heart’s Alex Headford across the record, the process became one of stripping it all back to the playful, spontaneous way Freak Slug began, back before Genovese had any eyes on her, when she was making music just for herself. Rather than polish her musical world up for her debut, she wanted to actively break it down. “My paintings are fucking weird and wacky and textural and authentically myself because no-one sees them. But with Freak Slug in the past, I was scared to fuck about [because there was more risk],” she says. “It’s just about not giving a shit about trivial matters, It takes a lot for me to care, so I like to show that car

Playful, fun, but not shying away from the darker sides of both sound and psyche, the result is a debut that builds a whole world for it to live in. I Blow Out Big Candles dreams as big and unshackled as Freak Slug herself.

FAQs

Can I attend if I'm under 18 years of age?

University of Minnesota-Twin Cities student U Card or 18+ with valid government-issued ID required for entry. Underage Persons can only attend if they are accompanied by their own parent or legal guardian.

Accessibility requests:

To request accessibility accommodations contact [email protected] or call 612-626-6919 by 03/12/25. We will do our best to accommodate requests made after this date.

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All ticket purchases are final and non-refundable.

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Event Venue

Whole Music Club, Coffman Memorial Union, Minneapolis, United States