The Slew is what happens when Kid Koala (aka Montreal’s Eric San) and Dynomite D (Dylan J. Frombach) get tapped to create a soundtrack for a documentary that—like so many ambitious projects—never actually gets released. After spending about four years crafting this psych-rock-infused score, they had a full album ready to go (The Slew – 100%), even if the film it was meant for never saw the light of day.

Rather than let the music gather dust, Kid Koala decided to put it out into the world, making it available as a free download on his website (nufonia.com) and taking it on the road. To bring it to life, he enlisted New York DJ P-Love and the ex-Wolfmother rhythm section—Chris Ross on bass/keys and Myles Heskett on drums—for a short but intense tour.

Live in San Francisco

Stop number three of the nine-city Kid Koala Presents The Slew tour landed at The Independent in San Francisco on September 25th. The night kicked off with New York-based performer Adira Amran, whose set was a full-blown, sex-infused spectacle complete with props, backup dancers, costume changes, and an unapologetic mix of raunchy lyrics, cover songs, and nonstop ass-shaking. The crowd seemed to eat it up—though, as it turned out, some of that enthusiasm was courtesy of a sneaky background applause track.

Then it was time for The Slew.

With six turntables in action, Kid Koala and DJ P-Love kept the guitar and vocal samples rolling while Ross and Heskett laid down heavy bass grooves, rock-solid keyboard riffs, and pounding drums that gave the set a raw energy drum samples just can’t replicate. Despite the billing as Kid Koala/The Slew, the 70-minute set skipped any old Kid Koala material in favor of playing The Slew – 100% from front to back. That choice paid off—the performance was tight, with enough looseness to let the live instruments shine, the turntables feel organic (not mechanical), and each musician have their moment in the spotlight.

To top it all off, the night ended with a surprise: Mike Patton jumped on stage to lend his vocals to The Slew’s closing track, Battle of Heaven and Hell.