Pale Waves – Manchester O2 Ritz – 28/09/18
It’s been an incredibly huge year for Pale Waves (8). The Manchester indie pop outfit signed to Dirty Hit in 2017 and have since been rocketed into the stratosphere of music as they dropped their hit single ‘Television Romance’ which turned heads all over the world. After a summer of new releases, touring festivals, America and more, Pale Waves are back to tour the UK with a sold out set of shows to kick out the year. With the recent release of their debut full length album ‘My Mind Makes Noises’, the hype for Pale Waves has hit new heights, so a sold out hometown show at the Manchester O2 Ritz is everything they need to kick off the album cycle with a bang.
The Ritz is packed from front to back with a hugely diverse crowd, as the Manchester indie quartet take the stage to strobe lights over the sound of a thousand screams, as they throw us straight into their huge single ‘Television Romance’. It’s hard to see them screened in smoke, backlit with blood red lighting and flashes of strobes, but it looks pretty cool and its well in theme with the new album. Frontwoman Heather Baron-Gracie glides around the stage throwing her body in all sorts of interesting shapes and moves, as she works her way around the stage singing throughout the set. Her vocals are as perfect live as they are on the new album, and backed with the tight band you could argue they even sound as good live as they do on record.
‘Kiss’ & the brilliant ‘Eighteen’ follow as the room bounces along to the upbeat chorus proving itself as a fan favourite early on in the set. With only their debut album to play through there’s no surprises in the set list this evening, however each track is played with great intent and it’s hard not to get involved during any part of their set.
It’s great to see a fresh faced young band with some real raw talent selling out venues like the Ritz. Pale Waves have a unique vibe about them, one that is widely compared to fellow Manchester band The 1975 both musically and visually. Even the frontwoman Heather has that quirky vibe to her live that Matty Healey has – shuffling around the stage overdramatically. But let’s face it, it’s not a bad comparison to have, however there is so much more to Pale Waves than that, and we’re sure to see much more of them in the months to come.
Recent single ‘One More Time’ and ‘Noises’ both follow one another to finish the set in a beautiful fashion. ‘Noises’ finds Heather jumping down into the chaotic crowd to finish off the song at the barrier before hugs and high fives see her leave the room as the guitars are left ringing out on stage.
With a couple more huge tracks noticeably missing from the set, it doesn’t take long before the crowd are demanding an encore. ‘My Obsession’ is the bands answer to the screaming crowd to slow things down a touch as Heathers beautiful vocals are once again on full display.
‘There’s a Honey’ closes the set leaving everybody singing together for one last time. It’s a set that Pale Waves have thrown everything at but we’re still left wanting more as the hour long set seemed to pass by in the blink of an eye. It’s not often we see such a diverse crowd of fans in the same show, but it speaks in volumes for Pale Waves as they have turned heads left right and centre, and will undoubtedly continue to do so after tonight’s display.
This is only the beginning of Pale Waves.
(PLEASE DO NOT CROP OR EDIT PHOTOS)
Photo Credit: © Danny Peart Photography 2018
