Words: Laura Mills
Photography: Kelsi Luck
Just weeks after releasing their fourth album ‘Smitten’, Pale Waves have now embarked on a nationwide tour across the UK and tonight’s stop is The Foundry in Sheffield.
Entering the venue, it was dark with punters packed around the glowing stage lights eagerly awaiting tonight’s support act, Swim School.
Alice Johnson commands the stage with a powerful, strong presence and gruelling riffs, contrasting with sweet vocals. If Wolf Alice, Pale Waves and Avril Lavigne had a love child, it would be Swim School.
Their set warms up this northern crowd perfectly, and before they play their last track of the night, Alice asks the fans “Who’s ready for Pale Waves?” leaving the crowd cheering as loud as they can.
Next up, what we’ve all been waiting and pining for since the ‘Smitten’ tour announcement was made, Pale Waves grace the stage which is decked out like the ‘Perfume’ video with statues and greenery.
Before launching out into the set, Heather Barron-Gracie’s voice is blasting out of the speakers, finishing on “And I was Smitten” into a seamless transition into our first track of the night ‘Perfume’. One of their latest tracks from this fourth album, followed by ‘Not a Love Song’ another one from the new album and both some of my favourites from ‘Smitten’ making this an excellent show from the start for me.
I have never seen anyone command a stage like Heather Barron-Gracie: she knows every single person in this room adores her, we cannot take our eyes off her and she exuberates professionalism and confidence through every note she sings.
We move through a variety of fan favourites such as ‘There’s a Honey’ and ‘Change’ from some of the early Pale Waves days. The band are on top form tonight and the crowd mirror this energy singing along to every line with them. The atmosphere is electric, but we’re nowhere near the peak, and the energy continues to rise.
She is definitely the Queen in UK Alt Rock in my mind, but this is demonstrated further when she wears a tiara during ‘You’re So Vain’.
As we move into ‘Television Romance’ and ‘Eighteen’ where Pale Waves started, this is where the band most look at ease. They’ve played these tracks time and time again, but there is nothing monotonous about their expressions as they exuberate pure joy while they play.
Each beat of the drums is potent within the track and filled with pure passion. Each riff is crisp but lively and sparkly, and Heather’s vocals are just the cherry on top.
The set ends on ‘Jealously’ – one of my all-time Pale Waves songs and it is simply delicious every time I hear this one live. It’s one I never get tired of and eagerly wait for, and a superb choice as the final song feeling utterly climactic.
