songkick.com
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London-based trio Palace have been touring the UK in promotion of their second album, Life After, stopping off at the fairy-lit ceilings of St Luke’s in Glasgow’s East End. Both the main act and the support, All We Are, brought a little slice of summer into what was a dreary Monday night – it’s no surprise that artists such as Van Morrison, Foals and Kevin Morby were some of the prevalent influences on their new album, adding to the soft bluesy alternative rock that’s so present throughout their music.
The Liverpool based group All We Are were the perfect openers. They played a new song L is for Lose, which exemplifies their branding as “the Bee Gees on diazepam” due to their mix of indie-pop with 70’s disco. Their signature track Feel Safe was my holiday song this summer for good reason, and performing it they brought the sun to Glasgow with the soft hues of their yellow and pink lights. All We Are have an electro-pop French vibe which is beginning to infiltrate bands on UK shores more and more.
It was time for Palace to grace the stage. The intimate atmosphere in St Luke’s created a connection between audience and band, especially during their song Veins, a fan-favourite, shown by the fact a couple next to me shouted out that they had a tattoo with lyrics to the song. The band explained that this was the first song they had ever written together, beaming at the crowd singing the lyrics back to them five years after its release. Due to the small venue and close proximity to the stage, the melodic bluesy beats of one of their most popular songs, Live Well, brought the crowd together mid-set, moving the slow swayers to dancing with their friends under a twinkling disco ball that spun and lit up the room. Before seeing Palace this had always been one of my favourite songs of all time, and hearing it live was clearly a special moment for many people in the crowd.
Many of their songs perfectly encapsulate the feelings of growing up, and their new album, Life After, would be the perfect soundtrack for a coming of age film. Especially their song Younger, which discusses the same themes as MGMT’s Kids, mirroring the act of growing up with nature, something that was clear in the imagery present on their album artwork.
Overall, Palace’s ability to hold the audience with a sincere performance combining old and new made for an ethereal atmosphere which perfectly portrayed the ideas of growing up, lost love and renewal.
