The start of the year has already brought some great artists to the UK. The headliner today has been on my radar since I saw the “Please End Me” music video. Tonight we see Paleface Swiss, on their “Cursed” album promotional run.
First up are Desolated, a hardcore Brit band that is taking the opening slot tonight. The band promised the heaviest song the crowd had ever heard and to DM them if not. As you look to the middle of the pit, you can see a mosh pit opened with about 5 people in it. To say this is a new band to most here, it’s great to see the crowd being receptive.
The vocalist was great at communicating with the audience. Whether playful banter or commanding the crowd to move. The crowd were more than happy to oblige. The band onstage was giving back that energy, and almost every member was jumping up and down (apart from drums for obvious reasons). The singer himself kept throwing some split kicks, on the stage already crowded by 3 members with string instruments.
The breakdowns for each song were going hard, but do you know what would’ve made it HARDER? Good lighting. I don’t know why I see so many bands nowadays skip discussions with the lighting tech and vice versa to really amp up their stage design. Backlighting isn’t stage design, it’s just the bare minimum. SO MANY BANDS AND VENUES DO THIS NOW. WHERE’S THE SPARKLE? WHERE’S THE PIZZAZ? Lighting techs come on, make us believe it’s a fun job to have.
The Acacia Strain have travelled from America to be the main support on this tour. The band have a strong fanbase here in the UK, having been around in the scene for a while. The band come well-equipped with some sick breakdowns and heavy riffs to get the fans going.
The start of the set, it seemed quite…clockwork. Band come on. In positions. Looking at each other checking all good to go. The band started and most of the energy was there in the pit. BUT. Once we had the first crowd surfers, it was like the tone changed. The singer is suddenly jumping and moshing around the stage. The guitarists sweatis dripping onto the floor, with every head bang.
The set from then on lit like a fire. Lights could’ve been better once again, but I won’t go into another rant. The pit had created space for the moshers and surfers were coming up periodically throughout. The harsh vocals were hitting and paired up with them drums, you couldn’t help bang your head.
Paleface swiss are a deathcore 4-piece hailing from Switzerland. Oh man. Where to begin. Immediately. Wardrobes. Yes. Finally. A band putting thought into their wardrobe always shows they’ve thought about how they present on stage and how to portray themselves. The lighting. FINALLY. More than one colour, no longer just backlight. We even had some smoke machines going off at drops. The stage was just immaculate. You can tell the band sat down to think about their stage presence.
The band themselves. No notes. The energy they brought to the stage was just second to none. The riffs. The bass. Just everything was perfect for a crowd to go heavy. The vocals go between harsh and rap on this new album (mostly harsh like but)- this is the secret ingredient to getting a hype crowd, I swear. You can’t go wrong with the combo. The vocalist was thanking the crowd numerous times throughout. Of course we had people shouting “Yorkshire”, then booing as the vocalist spoke of Manchester, “I don’t care if you hate Manchester”. I was cackling at the back of the room, writing this down. Then he said “not to be offensive, but Birmingham isn’t part of Yorkshire is it?” Again, a loud Boo. Making even the merch guys crack up. The vocalist filled the ego of the crowd, saying they were better than Birmingham (which is why he asked). An immense cheer.
The vocalist was great at communicating with the audience. Having us shout “fuck my life up” back to him before playing “Nail to the Tooth.” It was *Italian pinch emoji*. I could see the middle of the pit giving it their all. And when that drop happens with the rap esque screams, the vocalist came to the barrier and grabbed the hands of the crowd, pointing the mic to the people below. His vocals were so crisp and brutal, he made it look easy when stood at the mic stand. You would just look on in awe.
Paleface Swiss definitely knows how to put on a great show. Can’t compliment them enough, sometimes as a tog you just see these bands that absolutely blow you away. This is one of those. Amazing vocals and performances all around. The supports were great at hyping a crowd and getting involved. This tour continues til the start of March and then the band embark on a US tour til end of April.
Photos + Review
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PALEFACE is:
Marc (Zelli) – Vocals
Yannick – Guitar
Tommy – Bass
Cassi – Drums
The Cursed Tour
EU & UK Headline Run With Acacia Strain and Desolated Begins January 2025
North American Headline Run With Stick To Your Guns and Nasty Kicks Off March 2025
On Sale Now | Get Tickets HERE
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