At this time of year the music press like to run their 'ones to watch' features and 2013 in particular is very exciting with an unusual amount of top new talent emerging, Bands like Peace, Haim, Fidlar, Savages, Swim Deep and Deep Valley will all be dropping their debut albums this year but the band topping all these polls and my personal faves before i had even seen them due to them operating out of Lambeth, my home borough are Palma Violets. The NME have recently named their debut single 'Best of friends' as the number one song of 2012 and their house parties at South London's 180 studios have already become the stuff of legend, we thought we better go and see what all the fuss was about.
I must admit i'd only heard about four tracks from the band before tonight's gig but after maybe half of their opener i turned to my missus and said "this is it, these are the real deal aint they?" she just looked at me with a massive grin on her face, sometimes you just know don't you, every now and then a band will just grab you, you can't explain it, you just feel it, instantly they've got you, it happened to me with The Libs, The Horrors, The Maccabees and now it's happened with Palma violets.
This was very, very special, i loved the Libs style dual frontmen thingy they do with Bassist Chilli and Guitarist Sam sharing vocal duties, you could see the chemistry between the two and the crowd buzzed off it, new Pete and Carl anyone? Drummer Will looks and plays like animal from The Muppets which is surely what we all dream of in a drummer and Pete's keys back most tracks with organ vibes that give them an instant old school classic feel. For the most part they are very tight and when they aren't it just adds to their ramshackle charm. It all just feels very natural and very real and this matters, i mean look at a band like Splashh, great tunes, great sound for sure but not a band to believe in, how many faux East London, 'look at me i wear the zaniest clothes and live in a bin in Dalston' bands do we really need? At tonight's gig The Palmas showed me that they mean it, for them it's about connecting with the fans, all in it together, They're a gang but a gang that wants you all to join in. They have got it all, the tunes, the look, yep, but they have that little bit of gold that most bands don't. That thing that tonight made a young lady get on her mate's shoulders and whip her bangers out, that thing that made the kids down the front storm the stage three, maybe four times. I mean, you dont get that with Alt-J now do you?
Setlist
Nitty Gritty
Venue: blinding, small, it's attached to The Boston Arms pub, just a big square room, good sound, hard to get to the bar but that's to be expected, next door to the tube, touch.
Crowd: mix of very young crowd surfing 'super fans' down the front and older curious types at the back.
Drinks: normal, nothing out of the ordinary to report.
Hair: Palmas look like they cut their own hair which is what i do, they look quality.
Ace face
Amie Lister,
Press/Booking agent administrator at Finger Lickin Management, 24, from Essex
What did you think of tonight?
Palma's were wicked, i hadn't heard that many of their songs but loved their sound so bought my ticket months ago. You could tell they attracted quite a young audience, probably due to their 'Best of friends' tune topping NME's poll which i agree is an absolute banger.
There were a few stage invasions, a few failed crowd surfs, girls getting their baps out, overall a decent night out and i'd defo go see them again.
What gigs and festivals are you looking forward to this year?
Festivals, i want to go to Meadows in the mountains in Bulgaria, Boomtown, Glastonbury and Secret garden party. Gigs i want to see include Jake Bugg, Cheetahs, Hey Sholay and i'd love to see The Black Keys again.
What was the last track that played on your Ipod?
Oasis 'Don't look back in anger'. I've been listening to the 'what's the story morning glory' album recently which is easily one of my fave albums after 'The Score' by The Fugees!
Nice one, cheers Amie!
If anyone wants to get involved in Dan In The Front Row get me on dannywoodlands@yahoo.co.uk.
