Photo Credit: Kelsi Luck

Taking their ‘Still Smitten‘ UK tour to the South Coast, Manchester indie-pop quartet PALE WAVES embarked on yet another run of autumn dates as they did in 2024, this time to conclude their ‘Smitten‘ cycle by hitting up cities and towns that were not on the original tour last year. But their love for Brighton remained as they returned to the coastal town just 12 months later.

As the room turned to darkness, the room was filled with cheers from the packed room. The band made their way on to the stage, taking their positions while the intro for the opening song played through the PA before the song truly kicked in. Kicking off with ‘Perfume’, the Brighton crowd were all in from the start. Quickly leading into ‘Not A Love Song‘, a firm favourite across their fanbase and this was further demonstrated at the show with the sheer amount of those joining in.

Throwing it back to their debut with ‘Eighteen‘, OG fans let out a huge scream, and the bands latest single and cover of ‘Zombie‘ has gone down a storm since performing The Cranberries’ hit since the summer festivals. Now released as a recorded version, Heather Barron-Gracie’s love for Dolores O’Riordan not only shines through with PALE WAVES‘ sound and aesthetic, but she isn’t afraid of voicing it too. Rolling back the years once again, ‘There’s A Honey‘ remains a staple in the bands’ setlist, further encouraging fans to sing along once again.

PALE WAVES stage presence continues to be pleasing to witness. From Hugo and Charlie’s elegance, to Heather’s swaying head tilts and throwing her hair back, all whilst Ciara remains focused at the back. Collectively in their own element but a tight=knit unit. Barron-Gracie’s interaction with the crowd is just one of many factors why they are so adored. Rolling back the years even more with ‘My Obsession‘ and ‘Television Romance‘ before bringing it back to modern day with Heather’s favourite ‘Glasgow‘ to set up the grand finale.

Returning to the stage for just two more songs, the encore kicked off with ‘She’s My Religion‘ to pick up the pace after the brief interval, and the more punkier ‘Jealousy‘ capped off PALE WAVES‘ return to Brighton