Pale Waves
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Pale Waves haven’t played in Southampton since 2018, but they made a welcome return tonight, playing in the industrial setting of the dockside Engine Rooms. This is an old warehouse, surrounded by garages and overlooked by docked cruise liners and container ships. It has the feel of some of the music venues you see in TV and films with all the exposed industrial structures adding to the atmosphere.
Taking advantage of the bar rush after the support band, I slipped quietly up to the pool of waiting photographers, getting a spot directly in front of the left hand speaker tower where I would be bathed in the rich tones and be stunned by the intense lights.
When the set started, the band poured songs out with an uninterrupted flow from walk-on music, through ‘Perfume’ and the adjoining ambient introduction to ‘Not a Love Song’. The crowd participation was turned up to max, with the first verse of ‘Eighteen’ being a collective effort.
The sonic intensity was increased during this track, making the sound really punch through the room. They say a cat’s purr can be a healing thing, so bass tones vibrating my rib cage and internal organs may have increased my lifespan somewhat.
Their set spanned all four albums and one of their EPs, All The Things I Never Said, with ‘My Obsession’ making a very welcome appearance despite not making it onto a long player. It solidified for me just how great their most recent album is.
When it was all over, the crowd were momentarily stunned and it took a moment from them to awake from the daze. When they did, various chants rose up in request for more, which came in the form of ‘She’s My Religion’ and ‘Jealousy’.
The set list was wall-to-wall hot tracks and the performance brought the energy needed to make the cold steel frame of the building vibrate with warmth.
The reasons fans are so smitten with this band is no mystery, though where Charlie was at 5 am remains one.
Set List
- Perfume (Smitten)
- Not a Love Song (Smitten)
- Eighteen (My Mind Makes Noises)
- Lies (Unwanted)
- You’re So Vain (Unwanted)
- Zombie (The Cranberries)
- There’s a Honey (My Mind Makes Noises)
- Change (Who Am I?)
- Red (My Mind Makes Noises)
(Heather vs Charlie heel stomp competition) - My Obsession (All The Things I Never Said)
- Kiss Me Again (Smitten)
- Television Romance (My Mind Makes Noises)
- Glasgow (Smitten)
Encore
- She’s My Religion (Who Am I?)
- Jealousy (Unwanted)
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