It’s been awhile since I’ve seen a new buzz band on the cusp of stardom. Now a grizzled veteran, I tend to stick to more known music factors, much to my own distaste. But you know, as you get older you really want to be efficient with your time and sometimes taking a chance on a new band is a risk you don’t want to take. Something about the charming singles that UK band Pale Waves put out struck a chord and so here I was, Thursday night at the Baby G.
With three hit singles (maybe … I don’t know what constitutes a hit these days) released this year, Pale Waves have become popular enough to do a stateside tour. The enthusiastic crowd at the tiny confines of the Baby G further strengthened the notion that it was a worthwhile trip. The group has an interesting aesthetic. Visually, they are clearly inspired by the ’80s goth look with heavy eyeshadow, dark lipstick and generally dark clothes. In contrast, their music was comprised of mostly sunny, effortless pop. So read what you will into that.
For a relatively new band, the group sounded pretty polished live. Lead singer Heather Baron-Gracie really only has two moves on stage, the first one involving her tilting her head 45 degrees sideways while the other is an arm thing similar to what the Backstreet Boys did in their video for Backstreets Back:
I guess in time, she will develop more moves. One criticism you can make about the show is that the band’s songs all are … kind of very similar. When you hear them on Spotify or whatever, you usually just hear one of them at a time so it isn’t overtly obvious. However in the context of a 45 minute set, the string of songs put together start to blend. Whether or not Pale Waves makes it to the next level might very well hinge on their ability to diversify. With hits like “Television Romance” and “New Years Eve” already out there, it’s clear they can write catchy, fun pop songs. I guess the question is … what else can they do? I guess We’ll find out in time.
