The Moshville Times - Gig Review: Palaye Royale / Carl Barât / Charming Liars

Walking into the Albert Hall in Manchester for the first time felt like stepping back in time. It was great to see some of what I can only assume to be original features withstanding years of use.

With a very prompt start, Charming Liars took to a very cramped stage. You could instantly see how happy the band were to be back on stage, with confidence beaming from lead singer Kiliyan Maguire. With such little space on the stage, they could barely move a few steps each, however it didn’t dampen their energy throughout the set.

“Disco Elvis” seemed to be a popular track, released in 2020 and showcased Maguire’s strong vocals. Stopping to state that they were touring with headline act Palaye Royale 2 years ago before Covid wrecked the world, and that they are “Thrilled to see that we are all here together celebrating live music”, a statement that I feel rings very true for everyone in the music industry. Ending on one of their earlier songs, “Like a Drug”, the crowd were definitely warmed up and the venue seemed pretty much full, from what I could see.

A very different performance from Carl Barât was next, moving straight from song to song without much of a break between. However that didn’t stop the crowd from nodding along throughout the set. Sebastian Danzig of Payale Royale was spotted next to the stage, and then on the balcony above looking to be enjoying the performance.

“Glory Days” from Carl Barât and The Jackals’ debut album Let It Reign seemed popular with the crowd, along with the final song of the set “Bang Bang You’re Dead” from Barât’s band Dirty Pretty Things.

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As soon as the lights dimmed and Oasis’ “Don’t Look Back in Anger” began, the crowd was alive and singing every word (as expected for a Manchester gig… right?) as phones lit the venue. Opening the set with pyro was unexpected in a very wooden venue but only added to the visible excitement in the room. Deafening cheers began as soon as Payale Royale took the stage. Lead vocalist Remington Leith commanded the crowd from the moment they took the stage with “3,2,1… jump!”, and the room wasn’t still for the rest of the night.

To have the guts to jump off a stage as high as the one in the Albert Hall definitely shows some either bravery or stupidity… however the crowd loved it, especially the front row when Leith jumped up on the barrier. Comments like “Whenever we’re here we feel like we might as well be British” were welcomed by the fans.

A Pride flag was thrown up on stage, which Leith hung over Emerson Barrett’s drum kit for the rest of the night.

The energy was insane throughout the entire show, but the crowd took it to the next level during hits “Fucking With My Head” and “No Love in LA”. The first time Payale Royale played in the UK they performed for about 180 people which included most of their family, and now they’re selling out shows of over 2000 fans… although the band’s mum was still on the balcony! Sitting on the edge of the stage, Leith asked for everyone’s flash lights to be taken out and began the softer intro to “Dying in a Hot Tub”.

I don’t think I was the only one surprised when they began to play “Teenagers” by My Chemical Romance, but it was obvious that it was a welcome surprise with every word being sung back to them. With words of encouragement of “Go as wide as you f*ckin can”, the mosh pit grew to half the standing floor for “Mr. Doctor Man” from album Boom Boom Room.

As soon as the band left the stage, chants began of “one more song” before a piano was brought onto the stage for the encore performance of “Lonely”. I think Leith spent more time standing on said piano rather than playing it, along with climbing up to the balcony and having a run around the entire level before another brave jump back to the stage.

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Photos by Jack Barker Photography