If you felt like you needed a break from work then Trix, Antwerp was the place to be last Tuesday. Palaye Royale was ready to rock & roll supported by Hot Milk and I See Stars.
Throwback to scene/emo/electronicore
First band on stage was I See Stars from Michigan, USA. The room was already quite full when they started but that was no surprise knowing it has been more than 5 years since we had the chance to see this band live on stage in Belgium.
After a short intro I See Stars instantly took us back to the old scene/emo days with their song ‘Drift‘. In the next song ‘Running With Scissors‘ they demonstrated what else they are famous for: a perfect mix of funky electronic beats and metalcore music which can also be defined as electronicore music. This song got people clapping and waving hands; there was even a little breakdown at the end but not good enough to get the mosh pit going yet… This was compensated in the song ‘SPLIT‘ where some people felt brave enough to start a little mosh pit. The fans also liked it when vocalist Devin Oliver climbed on one of the speakers at the side of the stage.
On top of that they ended their show on a fun note sharing a little secret: I See Stars will be back in Belgium next year. Don’t miss out!
Setlist: Drift – Running With Scissors – Break – Ten Thousand Feet – Calm Snow – Split – Anomaly
Rebel pop punk with Hot Milk
The room was quickly filling up when Hot Milk approached the stage, their energy blazing and instantly captivating the audience. The first songs ‘HORROR SHOW‘ and ‘I JUST WANNA KNOW WHAT HAPPENS WHEN I’M DEAD‘ demonstrated the perfect symbiosis between the main vocalist Han Mee and backing vocalist/guitarist Jim Shaw. The next song ‘ZONED OUT‘ started out with everyone jumping up and down. The song ended with a drum solo by Harry Deller which transitioned seamlessly into the next song ‘OVER YOUR DEAD BODY‘
Time to take it down a notch as Han asked the fans if it was alright to get emotional for a bit, right before the start of ‘BREATHING UNDERWATER‘. This song indeed hit differently and emotions flowed freely with a true apotheosis in the end with everyone singing the lyrics together “Feels like I’m failing, I’m dancing while drowning alone”.
‘PARTY ON MY DEATHBED‘ was the perfect song for Jim Shaw to showcase his vocal skills, both his clean rapping vocals as his screams. Great and energetic song, let’s get this party started! The last song will always means a lot to the band, as Han explicitly stated before starting ‘Glass Spiders‘ which is a song that explores themes like substance abuse, self-sabotage and burnout. No need to explain why this song means so much to the band, and to the fans altogether.
Setlist: HORROR SHOW – I JUST WANNA KNOW WHAT HAPPENS WHEN I’M DEAD – ZONED OUT – OVER YOUR DEAD BODY – BREATHING UNDERWATER – BLOODSTREAM – PARTY ON MY DEATHBED – Glass Spiders
Rock & roll showbiz with Palaye Royale
It was time for the main event of tonight. Palaye Royale is an American rock band from Las Vegas. They are all about partying and rock & roll and this night was nothing different. As soon as they got on stage the fans got instantly singing, dancing, jumping up and down… The party was officially in full swing!
Palaye Royale hit the road to promote their latest album, Death or Glory, released at the end of summer 2024. No surprise the title song got everyone dancing right away after the little drum solo by Emerson Barrett. Bass player Sebastian Danzig went off stage during the next song ‘You’ll Be Fine‘ , but the fans got even wilder when vocalist Remington Leith got off stage too. After greeting some of their fans, Remington followed the example of Devin Oliver and climbed on top of one of the speakers. The song ended with fireworks on stage.
Everyone clapped on the drum beat of next song ‘No Love in LA‘ before the crew got some party balloons out and threw them in the room. The party continued on the angelic tunes of ‘Dark side of the Silver Spoon‘. After a short musical intermezzo the band re-emerged for a more emotional song ‘Ache In My Heart‘. They definitely went far and beyond for their next song ‘Showbiz‘ for which the crew got an inflatable boat out in which Remington went on a little crowd surfing trip around the room.
The room lighted up when everyone got their (cellphone) lights out for the next song ‘Dying in a Hot Tub‘. Then it was time to shift gears for the more energetic song ‘Fucking With My Head‘ which even got to the point of a mosh pit emerging., beyond my expectation. At some point Remington asked where the party was at and first rows shouted back at him “Hier is dat feestje! Waar is dat feestje? Hier is dat feestje!”. Thanks to the fans they also know how to say “Danku” and “Ik hou van jou”.
When we tought it couldn’t get wilder than an inflatable boat and balloons, Remington got handed a big squirt gun which he used to spray all over the fans during the song ‘Pretty Stranger‘. He dedicated the last song ‘Fever Dream‘ to his mother, how beautiful!
After a short recess the band re-emerged for a couple of bis songs. Especially ‘Lonely‘ left an impression as the song started with Remington behind a piano. For the final song of tonight called ‘Mr. Doctor Man‘ Remington Leith went crazy one last time as he launched himself in the room to great some of his fans. A true showbiz man!
Setlist: Nightmares – Death or Glory – You’ll Be Fine – No Love in LA – Just My Type – Dark Side of the Silver Spoon – Ache In My Heart – Addicted to the Wicked & Twisted – Showbiz – Dying in a Hot Tub – Fucking With My Head – For You – Pretty Stranger – Fever Dream – Dead to Me – Lonely – Mr. Doctor Man
This concert was another great way to break the week and get some adrenaline pumping in our blood streams and filling our hearts with good vibes. See you next time!
