Pale Waves
w/ Inheaven
The Chapel
San Francisco, CA
March 27, 2018

Photos and review by Jared Stossel.

Without even hearing their music, there's something striking about Pale Waves. It's harder to put into words until you've heard their music. And then it becomes easier once you've seen them in a live setting. Invoking the style of artists from the 1980s like The Cure and The Smiths, the Manchester based Pale Waves are poised to take their spot among the upper echelons of indie-pop royalty, and their live show at San Francisco's The Chapel only further solidifies their ranking among the genre. The band have, to date, only released five singles and a four track EP. Their set last just barely over half an hour, and yet the venue was packed with people late on a Tuesday night, hoping to get just a bit of time with the English four-piece.

Opening the show was another high-caliber indie-rock act, INHEAVEN. The South London-quartet, who are touring in support of their 2017 debut self-titled album, were well received by the crowd in attendance. No matter how you break it down, this was an incredibly solid and well-rounded bill. Two band bills can be risky; you may walk away only liking the headliner and thinking the opener was a complete waste of time. But when both bands are firing on all cylinders, it makes you extremely grateful that you took the time out of your evening to get out and see a show. It further justifies you spending that extra money you made that week on a ticket.

With both a stellar opening set from INHEAVEN and an entrancing headlining set from Pale Waves, it was clear that fans were definitely left wanting more. But hey, it's more of a reason to come back next time around. I'm hoping that we'll be seeing a Pale Waves full length by the very end of the year. You can check out their debut EP, All The Things I Never Said, to hold you over until the time comes.