Palace at EartH

In the heart of hipster town Hackney, people hurried out from overground stations, fresh from the 9-5 and ready to kick off their weekend with a gig at EartH. However unassuming from the outside, the venue proved to be the perfect setting for Palace to showcase the deeply personal, new album Ultrasound.

The band, consisting of Leo Wyndham, Harry Deacon, Matt Hodges and Rupert Turner, have in the past been compared to the likes of Bon Iver, Fleet Foxes and Grizzly Bear for their melancholy alt-indie sound. Formed in London in 2012, Palace slowly built traction drawing listeners with their brand of relaxed and atmospheric music, before really taking off with the release of their debut album So Long Forever in 2016. This record, even eight years on, still holds a place in the fans’ hearts, with everyone rising to their feet and singing at the top of their lungs to the hugely successful track Bitter.

Many more releases later, the band has solidified themselves in the indie music scene. Their niche blend of introspectiveness, dynamically vast melodies, as well as lyrics that make the heart crumble, have attracted audiences globally, and their performance at the EartH was proof of their success.

Tickets for the gig sold out so fast for this preview of Ultrasound and the band decided to turn the concert into a live stream event as well, encouraging fans the world over to be part of the experience. Acting as a teaser for their upcoming tour starting in April, if the response to this album is as electric as it was in the EartH concert hall, the tour could become one of the band’s most successful to date.

On a first listen live, it appears that the album charts a journey, touching on themes of love and heartbreak, and unravelling the stories associated with these emotions. However, the band have concluded they wished to not represent their themes too clearly as to allow “for a broader interpretation by the listener”. Instead describing the record as “a beautiful tapestry of uncertainty, lightly dappled by the sunlight of hope”.

Despite some stagnant moments, the concert really kicked into with single Bleach. Setting the tone for the album, the piece provides dreamy melodies that had the crowd swaying. Following this, the new work continued an upwards trajectory of intensity until the end. With the support of a string quartet, the closing track Goodnight Farewell had the crowd in awe. A melancholic anthem from beginning to end, and a fantastic closer for Ultrasound that scored a well-earned standing ovation from the audience.

Palace are a band that clearly prioritise the importance of the artistry that is involved in the making of their albums. With every component so well thought out: the writing, the recording and performance. This live showcase, in its simplicity and atmospheric intensity, is something that all music lovers should hope to experience and would truly appreciate.

Camy Mortimer
Photos: Nick Bennett

For further information and future events visit Palace’s website here.

Watch the video for Bleach here: