Live Review: Palaye Royale - Albert Hall, Manchester 09/03/2022
With two years away from the UK, a new album to play and new tracks on top, Palaye Royale are living the fever dream.
Coming back to Manchester for the first time since February 2020, the brothers took over the elegant Albert Hall for a sold-out show full of big hits, sombre ballads, and even a sneaky cover from one of the biggest bands in alternative history. But before they took the stage, the crowd was warmed up by two fantastic support acts. The first being familiar friends of Palaye Royale and their fans: Charming Liars.
Charming Liars supported the band on their last UK tour before the global pandemic stopped all live music indefinitely, and while their own evolution is obvious, the love and adoration from the fans were even more so. Releasing their latest record Sonic Cinema at the end of 2020, this was finally their chance to show off how they’ve grown and the work they’ve been putting in while away from the stage. It was different, it was exciting, and it was obvious the three-piece were having the time of their lives on the Manchester stage.
The highlight tune of the set was the 2018 hit ‘Like A Drug’, a fun and electronic-influenced song with a catchy repetitive chorus. One of the later tracks on the set, it got the crowd singing, cheering, moving and grooving. With frontman Kiliyan Maguire’s charisma adding to the effect, it was easy to get the audience warmed up. The flames were sparked, and as the band finished, they were ready to get fanned.
The second support is one of great status in the UK indie scene and was praised as a personal hero to the band themselves. Following on was a fascinating set by The Libertines alum Carl Barât, which was a fun one for multiple reasons, depending on who would be asked in the crowd. Some may have also grown up on the music of The Libertines; some may only know the songs in passing; some may be less than familiar with it all, but either way, fun was had by the entire audience. Performing some hits from his days as the act’s co-frontman, it was a blast from the past and was an unexpected but fitting support slot for the American rockers. If fans didn’t know The Libertines before this night, they definitely left knowing them after.
Now it was time for the main show. The moment many fans have been waiting two years for. The show kicked off with ‘Nightmares’, taken from their 2020 album The Bastards, and it was an accurate teaser of the high energy and manic electricity that filled the venue straightaway. Finally being able to perform tracks from the album - which was released at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic - was a beautiful experience for the audience and the band, and it was obvious.
Along with the newly debuted songs, it’s not a show without revisiting the old fan favourites. With major hits returning to the live setting such as ‘Mr. Doctor Man’ and ‘Get Higher’, there was also the addition of a song that can solely be described as a fan favourite. Bringing back ‘Death Dance’, taken from the 2018 record Boom Boom Room: Side B, the audience’s reaction was immense and the room was jumping, bouncing, shaking in the best possible way.
This is an indication that more non-singles should come back to a live setting. They get the best responses and make the best live memories.
The show closed on a powerful piano-led rendition of their The Bastards single ‘Lonely’, bringing almost everyone to tears as it stood as the one encore song of the set. Beginning with frontman Remington Leith playing the song on piano, singing through the chorus and first verse before being rejoined by the band to fill the track out to its fullest potential.
For a hard-hitting and deeply personal tune, the positive response to its live rendition must have meant the world and more to the trio. Being the debut of the single on the tour, the reception guarantees its return to the setlist for this tour and many to come.
Palaye Royale are an act that have caused controversy with their live antics, to the point of being asked to leave venues and rumoured to have been banned from a handful outright, but they never let any of it bring them down.
Rock and roll still exists, and three brothers from America and keeping the heart beating and the blood pumping through the scene.
Words by Jo Cosgrove
Photography by Amelia Jones
