As part of their “Still Smitten” tour, Manchester indie quartet Pale Waves returned to their hometown last Thursday to play the Ritz.

Their most recent album Smitten (2024) saw the band exploring a more dream-pop sound with an underlying gothic quality – what I imagine The Cure would sound like if fronted by Dolores O’Riordan.

Pale Waves swaggered onto the stage, claiming it as their own in mere seconds. They
launched straight into their set with dreamy hit “Perfume”, a perfect opener for the evening ahead. Straightaway, you were in awe of the band’s stage presence. Lead vocalist Heather Baron-Gracie’s New-Romantic style was particularly amourable, as she strutted around the stage in a black trench coat.

The guitar tones from both Baron-Gracie and Hugo Silvani reminded me of The Cure’s work on Disintegration (1989). Together with their simplistic storytelling, Pale Waves conjure a youthful, coming-of-age feel that really gets the crowd going.

Between songs, Baron-Gracie acknowledged the band’s return to Manchester after “too f**king long.” The band then played two of their grittier songs, “Lies” and “You’re So Vain” The frontwoman evidently has bite and wit as well as style, delivering the punchy lyric “I’m a princess, so gimme my crown.” while wearing an actual crown.

The band broke up their set with a perfectly chosen cover of The Cranberries’ “Zombie”. Again, just as in “Perfume” earlier in the set, you were immediately struck by Baron-Gracie’s lilting vocals and their likeness to O’Riordan. She certainly holds the candle closest to the late frontwoman’s unique vocals.

The chatter between songs was genuinely heartfelt, as Baron-Gracie repeatedly praised the city “where it all began” for the band. She dedicated their first ever single “There’s A Honey” to Manchester, infusing the bittersweet lyrics with a very northern sense of nostalgia. After a quick outfit change, the set continued with another crowd favourite, “Red” .

The band then took a deep dive into their discography with “She” a song they haven’t played live in several years. It creates a moment that, even to someone who wasn’t family or “in the know”, that was entirely heartfelt and profound. The moody, self-described “emo” track was quite sobering after so many upbeat tracks.

Nearing the end of their set, the band officially announced that from then on out it was “misery over” working through hits such as “Kiss Me Again” and “Television Romance” They closed the main part of their set with “Glasgow” a truly celebratory moment as one fan proudly waved a Scottish flag from the balcony. Someone even threw a bra onto the stage, which Baron-Gracie draped over the bassist.

When the band re-emerged for their encore, the singer was in yet another outfit. They kicked off with “She’s My Religion” a pride anthem with an overt 2000s influence. The poignancy and sentiment only highlighted as a lesbian flag made its way onto the stage, Baron-Gracie holding it up defiantly as the crowd cheered. This was followed by “Jealousy” its high energy and grunge guitar work making for a great closer.

Something that was so stark and thoroughly delighting, was the bands’ camaraderie and vigor while performing. The bassist and guitarist frequently locked in with drummer Ciara Doran, and the whole band’s love for playing was not only evident, but infectious.

Pale Waves were an absolute joy to behold live and, to a sold-out hometown crowd,  certainly did their beloved Manchester proud.