There’s something about live music that instills a sense of calm and clarity within you. For Palace at Belgrave Music Hall on Thursday, that was amplified tenfold. It was easy to lose yourself under the blanket of sound that frontman Leo Wyndham draped across Belgrave, making the world outside seem as distant as it did unimportant.
Opening with ‘So Long Forever’, the crowd was instantly entranced by the band’s effortless fluidity and Wyndham’s haunting vocals. Bold yet shimmering with a tender vulnerability, the hour and a half set from the London four-piece glided by in a way that left you pining for more. The crowd sang back Wyndham’s deeply personal lyrics with a joy that expressed how much their songs mean to people, exemplifying how important Palace and their music are to their fans.
Palace’s soundscapes have a beautiful ability to transport you to a memory; whether you’ve heard the songs before or not, you’ll find yourself remembering times once spent. Sublime and intoxicating, the raw vocals glide over iridescent melodies in a way that takes you back to the past. Even with brand new unreleased track ‘All In My Stride’, a sense of nostalgia and personal connection felt attached to the personal song.
It was the perfect gig to let go of the stresses of the week, and move on to the next with Palace on repeat.
Words and Images by Meg Firth