Music / Previews
Preview: Pale Waves, O2 Academy – ‘Vivid alt-pop sure to get crowds dancing’
Manchester quartet Pale Waves are back on the road, stopping in Bristol for a headline show at the O2 on October 9. The tour comes following release of their fourth studio album, Smitten via Dirty Hit, the record label home to the likes of The 1975, Beabadoobee and Been Stellar.
Smitten is a record showcasing the band’s most accomplished work to date, having developed their sound, confidence and identity. However, they haven’t strayed too far from the sound that has made them so distinctive since their formation in 2014 at BIMM Manchester, the sister college to Bristol’s branch.
Recent single Kiss Me Again is playful and flirty, reflecting on a one-night love affair, with the same pop sweetness and 80s style hooks of their earlier releases.
is needed now More than ever
“Kiss Me Again is about being reckless and enjoying a situation in your own messed up way that you know you shouldn’t be in. In my case, having fun with a straight girl.” explains frontwoman Heather Baron-Gracie.
The Manchester quartet dropped into Bristol at the end of September for an intimate show and to sign copies of their latest release, Smitten
Smitten was written over a two-year period, between the UK and US, but sees the band reflecting on their northern roots and the familiar sounds of their home city. A deviation from the thrash, pop-punk soundscape of 2022’s Unwanted, the new record is a collection of vivid alt-pop tracks, sure to get the crowds dancing at the upcoming tour.
Pale Waves are no strangers to Bristol’s O2, having last played there in February 2022 while promoting Unwanted. The band stopped by the city on September 29 to sign copies of Smitten and play an intimate stripped-back set at Rough Trade; The O2 will enable the four-piece to fully capture the euphoria and excitement depicted in the new album, and explore the infectious, anthemic sonics.
Think the glistening sounds of The Cure and the emotional resonance of The Cranberries’ Dolores O’Riordan’s vocals, as well as more modern pop-sonics of labelmates The 1975, then pair that with the visual aesthetics of a John Hughes movie, and you’ve got Pale Waves’ current era.
And with the strong, emotive range of Baron-Gracie’s vocal range, thwacking snares courtesy of Ciara Doran, and upbeat, jangling guitar riffs, Pale Waves’ headline is sure to be a grungy yet cathartic throwback to coming-of-age in the rich soundscape of the 80s, but for those who hadn’t been born yet.
Support comes from Swim School, a powerful, female-fronted indie-rock outfit, hailing from Edinburgh, who cite Pale Waves, among Wolf Alice, The Cure and Taylor Swift as their biggest influences. Expect empowering lyricism and punchy guitar riffs aplenty.
Of the headline tour, Baron-Gracie promises, “These will be the best Pale Waves shows to date. The UK is home for us so these shows are even more special and we’re so excited to get to play songs from Smitten live.”
Tickets for the O2 show on October 9 are available from palewaves.co.uk/live
Main image: Kelsi Luck
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