One of the perks of having this one great friend of mine, is she’s great for gigs. You wouldn’t understand even if I did try to explain, so I’ll leave a little mystery.
This is another review of a gig I went to recently. Ghost Town headlined, Palisades were their on-tour support and a local band supported too. I’ll be mentioning the music, the performance, and how the behaviour of a band can really add to the experience and give you faith in success.
On October 21st I went to my second gig in a week; which is crazy as I hadn’t been to a gig in so long before hand, now it was one after the other! When I was first invited, I didn’t realise who my friend was talking about, but then it clicked and I got VERY excited; Palisades! The gig was at the O2 Academy in our local area, and what a gig it was!
The local support was on first but we arrived a little late and sadly didn’t catch their set.
Ghost Town
I’m going to start with the headlining band, which is a little strange, I know. Now, I must admit, I didn’t know who Ghost Town were, a bad move considering they were the headliners, so had no idea what to expect from them. Although I’d usually try and give a band a listen before a gig, I find that sometimes it’s nice to be thrown into the unknown and get a first impression of them live and unedited. Again, the venue was quite intimate; a small, dark room with not too much floor space and a small capacity of around 250. Ghost Town came onto the stage full of energy and ready to perform, and a performance it was. Filling the stage with movement, they certainly put on a show. The first song they did was good, something I’d heard before (at this point I realised I did know who they were, if only vaguely). It was very well played, everything timing and talent wise was of a very high standard and the rest of the set continued with this, knowing how to please the crowd, with great interaction. The thing I enjoyed the most was when the singer and guitarist left the stage and the drummer performed an AMAZING solo. The fast beats and quick movement were absolutely mesmerizing. Another thing that really stood out to me in this performance was the fact they are a 3 piece (no bassist!) and the guitarist and vocalist swapped mid-set for a song, it was excellent and the guitarist can really scream! Overall it was a great performance.
Palisades:
Now, Palisades. I’ve listened to this band a few times and I LOVE their sound. What I personally think makes it so great, is they don’t fit a specific genre. Rock, Pop and lots of Synthy samples make up their music and it mixes together so well, only made better by the amazing vocals and lyrics. Palisades came on stage raring to go, you could see they were ready to enjoy themselves and entertain. Song after song features get vocals, clean guitars and superb drumming, all in sync with one another, the timing always immaculate.
Interaction with the audience was present throughout; and obviously important to them. Whether it was through encouraging clapping along, or just telling us how much fun they were having they kept us involved. Their stage presence is what really stood out to me. There was so much movement, however it didn’t one interfere with the standard of music. Nobody collided, there were no errors made at all and they made it look easy. You always do better at something that you enjoy and these boys clearly were enjoying themselves! For me, that is SO refreshing, getting the whole package, great music and an amazing performance live. I was already a fan of Palisades, but what I love about seeing a band live is seeing what they can really do and honestly, they didn’t fail to impress. My biggest peeve is when an artist/band has abused technology and sound nothing like how they are portrayed though EP’s/albums, but this was 100% not the case with these guys.
What adds even more to what makes them so great is the time they have for their fans. Standing at the merch desk they spoke to everyone they could, genuinely listening and having banter with everyone that approached them; talking to everyone with genuine interest and a smile on their faces. Many bands would charge a weeks rent for an opportunity like this, yet here they were, doing just that for nothing. Every time they spoke to a fan the first thing they said was “Did you enjoy it? Did you have fun?”, which is crazy when you think about how talented they are. I was lucky enough to have a good chat with them as they were staying at my friends house (if only I didn’t have work, I would’ve been there 100%… probably lucky for them I couldn’t be!). When talking to them it was great to see just normal people.
They really are just a bunch of cheeky young lads who just love to have fun; they were all so sweet with great manners. When talking to Aaron it was chilled out, like talking to an old friend, super easy (he even read the Enter Shakari post on this blog!). When talking to Brandon it was full of laughter and flirting, just messing around. He really is so cheeky! Lou, you can’t help but smile and laugh with him, he’s so funny and outrageous, friendly and easy to talk to with a jaw dropping smile full of humor. I only briefly spoke to Xavier when we arrived, before they played, but he seemed super sweet and my friend said he’s just like the others, a ton of fun. I unfortunately didn’t get to speak to Matt but from what I hear, again he is wonderful. Dave and Chad (driver and TM) were great to. Chad is one of the funniest people I’ve ever met, I did not stop laughing and Dave was lovely and friendly too.
Overall, I absolutely loved this gig. The boys in Palisades were sweet, down to earth and brilliant. If you haven’t already you REALLY need to check them out and try to get to a show next time they’re in the UK. Until then, check them out on YouTube and watch their videos!
Thank you to Palisades for the warm welcome and also the other bands, Ghost Towns and the local support, for a great show!
Leanne x
Palisades – No Chaser:
Music n What Not 
I'm a big fan of Palisades but haven't seen them in concert yet so this was a delight to read. 🙂
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They are an absolute JOY! You definitely need to get to a show when you can! We're super glad you enjoyed the blog, thanks for reading and commenting! Kirsty xx
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