Pale Waves seem all the fuss at the moment. If they’re not being papped with The 1975 front-man Matty Healy, they’re in the studio with Radio X. If you’re fixated with the indie world, then everywhere you look, you’ll see something Pale Waves related crop up. But is it all deserved? The Manchester quartet played the homecoming leg of the tour to a sold out Sound Control – and here’s what went down.

First of all, I think that Sound Control could not have been a more perfect venue for a Manchester band to come home and immerse their fellow Mancs with their music. The intimacy and stripped-back basic nature of the venue felt like this gig really did mean something to everyone involed – and it was a reminder that Pale Waves haven’t ‘sold out’. Well, not yet anyway.

I was a bit surprised with Pale Waves opening with Television Romance as I thought they may have saved that in their arsenal as there final or maybe penultimate song. It shocked the crowd into action, which I’m sure had the desired affect for the band. With only two releases under their belt, it’s quite hard for bands to really keep a crowd engaged when they simply only know a handful of the songs being played. This, of course, is no fault of Pale Waves or the crowd, as they proceed to secure themselves as a mainstay in the indie division – slow and steady really does win the race in this case. Credit to both band and crowd though, who managed to keep bopping for the duration of the set.

The evening was rounded up with There’s A Honey (which now has over a staggering 2.5 million streams on Spotify) which was a fitting ending in my opinion. Slightly disappointing that the set only lasted 25 minutes but I could be moaning that I’d seen enough so I suppose that’s only a good thing.

I find it encouraging that I am sat here, writing about a band from Manchester in a optimistic and positive light. Listening to everybody bang on about the dreary Blossoms, who are from Stockport or Manchester, whichever they fancy at the time, I getting sick of Manchester as a hub for music. Thankfully, Pale Waves have restored some faith for me. A very talented group for whom the sky is the limit.

 

Matt Cooper

@mcooperwrites