Hailing from the musical capital of the world, Manchester, music has to be in Pale Waves’ blood, right?
Years and years-worth of bands have trodden the city’s stages and music venues before them, and yet this band is still pulling off something new, engaging and worthy of our attention – they really do tick a lot of boxes.
Making music within the indie-pop scene, the band are relatable on so many levels because personal lyrics and first-hand experiences often define the genre. And so, you’d be hard pressed to find a Pale Waves song that doesn’t resonate with you in some way.
So, keen to learn how the band do this so well and discover what we can expect for the year ahead, we caught up with lead singer Heather Baron-Gracie this week. From Neighbourhood Weekender, to album number three, there’s plenty to come.
Pale Waves will play Neighbourhood Weekender next May alongside other big Manchester names.
So, your music is really infectious and approachable, what do you think is the key to this?
I absolutely love big melodies so I think that may be one of the things that makes the songs quite instant. I just love pop music as well, so I think that feeds through to all of our music, even the more alternative tracks.
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What kind of themes and issues do you like to raise with your music?
We like to be very honest within our music so everything is written from a very personal perspective. Hopefully a lot of those experiences are shared with our fans and I like to think they can relate across the different subject matters. Whether that be love, loss, relationships, mental health, sexuality and anything else we are writing about.
Who and what have been your main inspirations over the years?
We really are influenced by a wide variety of artists. On album one we were very much influenced by a lot of 80’s artists, especially The Cure. But my love of the music I grew up listening to came to the fore more on album two, as well as artists I have discovered more recently like Liz Phair and Michelle Branch.
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We understand you’ve started work on your third album, what can you tell us about it?
We have! I have been writing it in LA for most of this year and we have just started recording with a great producer called Zakk Cervini. I won’t talk too much about the sound before it’s finished, but I love everything we have written so far and think they’re definitely the best Pale Waves songs to date. Really can’t wait for everyone to hear!
The band have started work on their third album.
After some time out for various reasons, the band are gigging once again. They already have a load of tour dates in the 2022.
Starting on February 11, they’ll embark on a 12-date UK tour, visiting all the major cities along the way, including London, Nottingham and Birmingham. But rounding the tour off in the biggest way, will be their headline gig at Manchester’s Victoria Warehouse on March 1 – one that the band are really gearing up for.
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What can we expect from your big headline gig at Victoria Warehouse in March?
We really can’t wait to get back out playing to our fans. Our life as a band has been all about touring and playing hundreds and hundreds of shows, so it’s obviously been a super hard two years not being able to play at all. I think it will just be a real celebration if us and our people all being back in a room together and having an amazing collective experience.
You’re also playing Neighbourhood Weekender in May, of course.
Yes! We love festivals and are always so welcomed in the north. This will be our first festival back so we’ll try to make it a memorable one for everyone!
Neighbourhood Weekender will take over Warrington’s Victoria Park once again on 28 and 29 May, where Pale Waves will join the likes of Courteeners, Kasabian, Blossoms and DMA’s on an incredible lineup of talent.
The festival is located just 20 miles from the city centre and has plenty to offer on top of the music, too. From grabbing a pint down the local at the ‘Neighbourhood Inn’, to stocking up on festival essentials at the Corner Shop Rave, to silent discos in ‘The Library’, there’s so much to experience.
Tickets for the festival are on sale now and you can find loads of information here.
LF System, DJ Paulette and Turno announced as headliners for ‘The Drop’ music series
Thomas Melia
A returning music series is taking place in Manchester again and it’s bringing together even more great DJs for some fantastic live sets.
Titled ‘The Drop’, this music celebration is the mastermind of Skiddle and Headstock, who have collaborated to raise funds to support the music industry and mental health awareness.
Both the leading organisations put music at the forefront of what they do with Skiddle as a UK-based online ticket platform and Headstock, a hugely important music and mental health social enterprise.
‘The Drop’ is a monthly event series created to raise funds for several charities that exist to support the mental health of people working in the music industry.
Credit: Publicity Picture (Supplied)
This all-new event has support from The Warehouse Project, one of the leading nightlife and music entertainment spots not just in Manchester but the UK, bringing in acts from all over the world.
There are lots of music-tailored companies getting involved too including our very own music counterpart, Audio North.
Currently, there are three big headliners that have just been announced and these acts are certainly music champions in the dance music scene, featuring LF System, DJ Paulette and Turno.
LF System has reached incredible heights thanks to their unforgettable tune ‘Afraid To Feel’, which has now racked up nearly 500 million Spotify streams globally since its release in 2022.
Manchester music legend and Haçienda queen, DJ Paulette has also seen huge success with her mind-blowing mixes and soundtracking various music events.
The final headliner to be announced so far is Turno, who has played out to crowds of 10,000 at WHP and is respected for his eclectic drum and bass beats.
DJ Paulette is always lifting our energy no matter where she goes.Turno is about to bring some drum and bass bangers.LF System are ready to show off some well-crafted mixes.Credit: Publicity Pictures (Supplied)
‘The Drop’ kickstarts on 27 March for the Spring season with international DJ and producer Turno from 6:30-11pm, with sets happening every month following, tickets are already available.
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Following on from this is the sensational LF System are taking over with a coffee table set joined by some special yet-to-be-announced guests on 24 April – tickets HERE.
Finally, DJ Paulette will be bringing those massive rave bangers and combining it with her usual charismatic energy on 15 May – grab your tickets now.
Cage the Elephant at Manchester O2 Apollo – as electric, explosive and energetic as ever
Daisy Jackson
Candlelit dinners, intimate moments, cosy nights in – OR, for a few thousand of us, a Valentine’s Day spent putting our eardrums to the test and watching a slender rock star wriggle about for two hours.
I know which I’d choose, any day of the week, because despite a five-year break from touring, Cage the Elephant remain one of the most electrifying live acts on the planet.
And frontman Matt Shultz still remembered to get us flowers, flinging dozens of red roses into the audience. What a romantic.
The six-piece, formed back in 2006 in Kentucky, are back in town for the first time since early 2020.
In that time, Shultz experienced a medication-induced psychotic breakdown, something he’s spoken publicly about and that he addresses on stage, saying he feels ‘grateful’ to be back performing.
Cage the Elephant have got a new-ish album with them in Neon Pill, but they don’t give it much weight in the setlist, which is mostly filled with songs from Tell Me I’m Pretty, Melophobia and Social Cues.
For long-time fans of the band this is a relief.
It’s hard to beat their tracks like Trouble with its zig-zagging bass, the surprisingly moving Cigarette Daydreams which has an entire room belting along, and the slow-build, semi-Western anthem that is Ain’t No Rest for the Wicked.
They get off to a very strong start, firing through Broken Boy, Cry Baby and Spiderhead before they pause to say hello to a crowd that’s been suitably loosened up by the glam-grunge sound of Sunflower Bean, the New York outfit whose lead, Julia Cumming, is either teetering on fiercely high platforms or otherwise thrashing her bass from her knees.
As usual with Cage the Elephant’s staging, most of the kit is crammed into a third of the stage. You need A LOT of space for a firecracker frontman like Matt Shultz, not to mention his guitarist brother Brad.
I can only imagine how chaotic their house was growing up, but they’re the most entertaining siblings in rock n roll and yes, I’m aware how inflammatory that sentence is on a Manchester page.
There’s even a guitar smash towards the end from Brad, which I didn’t think was a thing we were still doing. In this economy!?
The energy they bring to the O2 Apollo is never-ending, like during Mess Around when it seems that Matt might wriggle out of his own skin, Cold Cold Cold where he gets so giddy he can’t keep both feet on the ground, and Sabretooth Tiger which is intensely lively.
The hardest working person in the crew is the poor fella trying to keep Matt spotlit as he judders and slinks back and forth across the stage.
Cage the Elephant clearly LOVE Manchester, even enquiring about the status of Big Hands (yep, still thriving).
And by the time we hit the encore, wrapping up with Come A Little Closer, it’s pretty clear this crowd loves them right back.
Cage the Elephant setlist
Broken Boy Cry Baby Spiderhead Too Late to Say Goodbye Good Time Cold Cold Cold Ready to Let Go Neon Pill Social Cues Halo Mess Around Trouble Ain’t No Rest for the Wicked Skin and Bones Rainbow Telescope House of Glass Sabertooth Tiger Encore: Back Against the Wall Shake Me Down Cigarette Daydreams Come a Little Closer
Hannah Starkie -
3rd November 2021 
