The nostalgic, mellow sound of Pale Waves reverberated around the corridor leading to Foundry on 10 October as my friends and I entered, running late. Unfortunately we’d missed the opener, Swim School, whom my friends had seen open for The Royston Club in spring and lauded highly, but immersed ourselves in the crowd while the four on stage performed the opening track and single, “Perfume”.
The stage and backdrop perfectly matched their latest record Smitten thematically, displaying a chandelier and marble bust washed over with moody lighting.
Next up was “Not A Love Song”, which I had expected would be a huge hit live, and I’d been correct. It’s easy to sing along to, has an anthemic chorus and just the right amount of angst. The indie-rock quartet from Manchester seamlessly wove together songs new and old despite their differing sonic eras, and although I’m not familiar with their less recent catalogue, watching them perform made me decide to dive deeper into their discography. Songs like “There’s A Honey” were new to me, but easy to learn the lyrics as they were performed, and incorporated a bouncing bassline that rang through Foundry.
“Gravity” was another song I’d been looking forward to hearing live, and it was indeed even better in person. Pale Waves’ albums make very enjoyable listening, but I think their live performance is unmatched by any recording – the instruments have a much fuller, richer tone and it’s so immersive. Lead singer Heather Baron-Gracie was able to show off her impressive vocal range here as well, and the Cure/Cranberries-inspired sound of Smitten translated perfectly to a live setting.
The varied setlist appeased all fans, as the band displayed their range by performing songs from each of their four albums, only playing tracks from the same record back-to-back a few times, and displaying their musical and thematic development. In terms of crowd interaction, the band were quite laid back, but their nonchalance works perfectly for them. It felt right for the nostalgic, reverbed sounds of Smitten, and contrasted nicely with more angsty tracks from the older records. I really enjoyed “Drive”, as Heather sang of ‘driv[ing] fast so I can feel something’ while never dropping the cool exterior. She donned a tiara sardonically during “You’re So Vain”, juxtaposing with her all-black ensemble and amplifying the bitter atmosphere of the song.
Perhaps this is hypocritical, being a more casual listener myself, but I was somewhat surprised by the crowd – audience members far closer to the stage than us showed less energy than I’d expected. I think Pale Waves had a great performance considering.
Later in the set, Baron-Gracie asked the crowd to choose between two songs, “Red” or “Unwanted”, and a resoundingly louder cheer went up for the former; choosing a song from the debut record over the penultimate album’s title track demonstrated the fanbase’s commitment, with the same choice made by audiences around the UK on the tour so far.
Back to back, “Thinking About You” and “Kiss Me Again” were some of my favourites – Baron-Gracie’s vocals combining seamlessly with the reverbed instrumental that washed over Foundry. Bassist Charlie Wood, lead guitarist Hugo Silvani and drummer Ciara Doran each put on an impressive performance, combining into a tight unit despite the relaxed tempo of most of the set, and I enjoyed being able to hear each instrument more clearly.
Towards the end, the audience handed a lesbian pride flag up to the stage, which Baron-Gracie donned for a couple of songs to immense cheering. Writing this now, her exact words elude me but more cheers and screams followed when she turned to the audience and shared her joy in being queer, then words to the effect of “don’t you guys just love women?”. It was heart-warming to see the band create a safe space through their music, one that was reflected back by the audience.
“Jealousy” was the encore, a grungier tune from 2022’s Unwanted with a punchy guitar riff. ‘It never ends, look at the shade of my eyes’ Baron-Gracie sang while pointing at her face. Her striking, Lavigne-esque image as a lead singer really emphasised the 2000s-inspired tune’s sound, as well as highlighting the Shakespearean allusion to envy. This song was a perfect closer and one that I found myself returning to on repeat for days after the gig.
Pale Waves are a great act to see live whether you’ve been a fan for years or never heard their songs before, with a laidback set and moody ambience. The four create a sonic experience that immerses the listener in their world of coming-of-age romance and wistful storytelling.