Three suitably long barnets. Two electric guitars. One incredible moustache. The trio making up The Pale White certainly looked like an indie-rock band, and from the assortment of leather jackets, lager-drinking middle-aged men and winged eyeliner on show, I knew I was in the right place as soon as I passed through Oslo’s doors in Hackney Central.
Opening with That Dress, The Pale White set the mood for a bass-heavy set. A moody yet danceable track lying somewhere between Arctic Monkeys’ Do I Wanna Know and Muse’s Supermassive Black Hole, the band’s best-known song immediately riled up the crowd into an excited frenzy.
The Newcastle group has been supporting the Pixies for the past year, yet their own sound veers less towards eerie and offbeat surrealism, and closer to head-banging classic rock peppered with 90s influences.
Nirvana is one of their biggest inspirations, and this was clear on second track, How Far Can You Push a Man? As frontman Adam Hope sang: “The ceiling is deafening / And I’m close to the edge” a gritty, grungy bass ripped through the air, and one fan started madly swinging their jumper in time to the looping beat.
As Adam effortlessly commanded the room, his younger brother Jack became a blur of manic excitement as he slammed on the drums with energy and zeal. Bassist Tom Booth had a more nonchalant air as he delivered addictive basslines, closing his eyes and hunching over his guitar.
No time was wasted: the band cruised through an addictive setlist. Medicine delivered a reverb-heavy climactic beat with a moody undertone. New single Nostradamus, intense and unrelenting, caused the frontman to bound and spin across the stage in unbridled ecstasy.
‘as Swim for your life played out, its anthemic energy possessed the front of the crowd as they leapt, jumped and span with euphoric hysteria.’
My plus one and I were the only two people actually dancing – our peers limited themselves to a self-restrained yet eager head-bopping. Yet, as Swim for your life played out, its anthemic energy possessed the front of the crowd as they leapt, jumped and span with euphoric hysteria. This was a crowd of people who knew how to enjoy a gig.
There was brief respite with mournfully beautiful track Anechoic Chamber Blues, but then the volume cranked up again for closer Infinite Pleasure. As the room erupted into mania, drummer Jack leapt into the crowd and was held aloft. It’s no secret why there is so much love for The Pale White; an electrifying intensity lurks in their performance, and there’s an authenticity to their edge.
Elise Barry is a beat reporter for Hoxton East and Shoreditch and a student Journalist at City University.