Pale Waves
@ Manchester O2 Ritz
28th September 2018
Coming onto the stage to hollers and screams from the crowd at the O2 Ritz, are none other than The 1975’s favourite band- Pale Waves. Having met in Manchester whilst at university, they have grown ever since.
Building up anticipation with flashes of strobes and red-light beams, they launch into opener ‘Television Romance’. Looking like a young, female version of Robert Smith, frontwoman Heather Baron-Gracie swaggers across the stage; ‘Manchester how we feeling?’.
Her vocals sound crystal clear, hitting the high notes so perfectly. The crowd sings along, acting almost like her backing singers. Pale Waves sound beautifully melodic, creating a heady, euphoric feeling that encapsulates the entire crowd, lifting everyone up at once.
‘Eighteen’ is such a good song from their new album ‘My Mind Makes Noises’, and it sounds even better live. It lifts your spirits up and is a great sing-a-long song, one that gets all the crowd dancing. The production for their performance is simple but effective, with Pale Waves making themselves the main focus of attention, without the need to add any fancy, over-the-top props.
‘So, do you guys like the album?’, asks Heather. Their debut album has been received well so far, with 4/5-star reviews from DIY Magazine, Line of Best Fit and NME. It shows a lot of promise for the band, with glimpses of talent that will be perfected over years to come.
‘This one’s for all the sweaty monsters’- and there’s quite a few of those in the crowd. The O2 Ritz is packed out, and people are lapping up every minute of Pale Waves’ set. Each song is introduced by a shimmery strobe light, illuminating the band, putting them onto this pedestal that everyone is looking up to. It is no wonder that they’ve captured the attention of bands like The 1975. They are so well rehearsed, with flawless vocals and melodies flowing out of them as though it’s nothing. The audience claps and screams after every song.
They bash out ‘The Tide’, a song for OG Pale Waves fans but one that is loved by many. ‘Manchester you are amazing!’, yells Heather.
Pale Waves tease the crowd by pretending to finish the set, only to come back out and end the night properly with ‘My Obsession’ and ‘There’s A Honey’.
They have let themselves shine during this performance, without the influence of bigger bands. They have proven that they are capable of living up to expectations, and that’s why their fans love them.
Follow Pale Waves on:
Twitter- https://twitter.com/palewaves
Instagram- https://www.instagram.com/palewaves/?hl=en
Facebook- https://en-gb.facebook.com/palewaves/
Spotify- https://open.spotify.com/artist/0wOej91SVqB1zcYkW6xUtA
Website- http://www.palewaves.co.uk/