The Fat Angel Sings

London based four-piece Palace are a self-described alternative blues-rock group with an extremely laid-back style. The band formed in September 2012 and comprised Leo Wyndham, Rupert Turner, Will Dorey, and Matt Hodges. Their debut EP caught the attention of notable DJs and fellow London-based artist Jamie T.

The “Chase the Light” EP was released in 2015, and led to the band being championed by Beats 1 DJ Zane Lowe and BBC Radio 1 DJ Huw Stephens. The release also caught the attention of Jamie T, who reportedly hand-picked the band to support him at his London comeback shows in 2015. This hyped-up London four-piece live, breathe and record in a musical squat, but their converted space might as well be keys to the kingdom. Given near-unlimited space for the first time (they cite hours and precious pounds spent on crummy Camden studios, back in the day), they’ve settled into their groove. “It’s a complete saving grace to have this place,” says frontman Leo Wyndham. “In the beginning, we hardly practised.

Straddling arena-ready indie with something more subdued and mellowed out, the songs on the four-piece’s ‘Lost in the Night’ EP inhabit their own space. They don’t burst into view. There’s no desire to get heard right here, right now. It’s a subtle kind of routine. Anthems by those who’ve stumbled upon them.

Palace’s music might not assault the senses, but the way it latches to the conscience is frighteningly effective.

On ‘Bitter’, their simmering away standout, they sound like Wu Lyf brought up by a planet-saving cult. ‘Lost in the Night’ doesn’t give a great deal away, in sum. Instead it points towards a group that are winning people over when they least expect it.

“So Long Forever“

Palace set about recording their debut album in 2016 at the North London space the Arch. “So Long Forever” was produced by Adam Jaffery (Mount Kimbie, Django Django) and received favourable comparisons to artists like Jeff Buckley, Wu Lyf, and the Maccabees upon its release in November of the same year.

Going all drifty and introspective on us, and verging on Fleet Foxes melodic territory at times, Leo Wyndham sings of loss and grieving over piling textures. “You’ll be just fine, I’ve seen holy smoke out the windows,” he sings, saying goodbye to a loved one.

“Someone once told me that when someone dies you have to open the window to let their soul escape,” Leo said in a press release. “The Holy Smoke“. This song is about being in that situation which I was, not that long ago. It’s about losing someone close to you, and experiencing something quite spiritual in the moments after death – when by their side.”

“Life After“

The follow-up to 2016 debut ‘So Long Forever’ finds London’s Palace in solemn mood. They describe ‘Life After’ as “an album about loss and a manual to moving on,” referring to broken relationships and the forging of new bonds. But while they claim it is a “deeply optimistic” album born of “hope” it’s not exactly a feel-good record. With the band now a three-piece, following the departure of bassist Will Dorey, there’s an organic warmth to the arrangements on “Life After”, Rupert Turner’s guitar and Matt Hodges’ drums foregrounding Wyndham without ever stealing the spotlight, even on the more strident “Running Wild” (don’t be fooled by the title: it doesn’t represent a departure into freewheeling debauched rock-piggery). If there is a criticism it’s that, “Martyr” and “Running Wild” aside, there’s too little that really grabs the attention. Still, not many bands do better emotionally literate, melancholic indie that good at the moment.

Palace’s songwriting is mature and poignant, and pervasively sombre – as clearly signposted by the titles of the opening and closing tracks, ‘Life After’ and ‘Heaven Up There’. Both provide standout moments, with the former’s grandiose strings providing a foil to Leo Wyndham’s yearning lyrics: “after she’s gone I’m fragile like porcelain, I’ve been writing this song to help you breathe again.” The latter, meanwhile, floats through dynamic peaks and extended plateaus for a brave seven minutes.

There are some moments of respite to the heavy atmosphere. The pulsing snare and clean guitar arpeggios on ‘Younger’ provide a brighter alternative to some of the album’s more lumbering moments. ‘Running Wild’, meanwhile, is the most carefree offering on the record – a mid-tempo pop nugget that even features a guitar solo at its climax.

While Palace’s 2016 debut, “So Long Forever”, was an accomplished enough slice of grown-up indie, it did feel a little half-hearted in places. Although the songs concerned themselves with bereavement, the marital breakup of frontman Leo Wyndham’s parents and similarly weighty topics, at times there was a detachment to his delivery that seemed at odds with the subject matter. Loss is once again a recurrent theme on the London-based group’s follow-up – not least on the opening title track (“She’s watching from heaven/ She’s always beside you”) and epic closer Heaven Up There – but pleasingly, Wyndham sings with far greater confidence and conviction this time.

With the band now a three-piece, following the departure of bassist Will Dorey, there’s an organic warmth to the arrangements on Life After, Rupert Turner’s guitar and Matt Hodges’ drums foregrounding Wyndham without ever stealing the spotlight, even on the more strident Running Wild (don’t be fooled by the title: it doesn’t represent a departure into freewheeling debauched rock-piggery). If there is a criticism it’s that, Martyr and Running Wild aside, there’s too little that really grabs the attention. Still, not many bands do better emotionally literate, melancholic indie at the moment.

“Shoals”

Brought to life by the UK’s scattered lockdowns, ‘Shoals’ embraces a far more existentially reflective side of Palace. The glassier tracks float freely through; ‘Gravity’ ironically spirals out into the atmosphere with pining guitar rings dancing under vocalist Leo Wyndham’s languishing passages, while album coda ‘Where Sky Becomes Sea’ brings us down neatly to solid ground. Cadence is established on ‘Fade’ and is not matched again in the project, but deftly exhibits the capability of Palace to mobilise their intensity into different shades.

Palace release their third album “Shoals” via Fiction. “Shoals” is a profound and pensive album, boldly exploring some of life’s greatest questions over its 12 mesmerising tracks. the album deftly explores three main existential dilemmas against a broader backdrop of wonder at the vastness and power of the ocean, concluding its arc with the stunning opus ‘Where Sky Becomes Sea’. through diving into themes of the subconscious, dreams and existentialism, “Shoals” is broadly a record about living with and processing fear. the album’s title is inspired by the seemingly unpredictable behaviour of shoals of fish, shifting rapidly in much the same way as our fears and anxieties of the world around us.

‘Shoals’ suffuses a sense of somnambulism, where Leo’s longing cries fill expanses of sonically rich moments, splashed with reverb-heavy chord progressions and speculative melodies. A more pure and intense sound, less manufactured and acutely heartfelt.

Palace have their biggest North American headlining tour to date, with 18 shows in 1,000+ capacity rooms across the US and Canada, including nights at Brooklyn Steel, DC’s 9:30 Club, The Wiltern in Los Angeles, and over a dozen more. Alongside the tour announce, the band shared “All We’ve Ever Wanted,” their first new music since the acclaimed 2022 album “Shoals“ “All We’ve Ever Wanted’ is about dreams and desires,” explains singer Leo Wyndham about the track that straddles the anthemic, lighters-aloft sentiment of Britpop’s finest and an artfully applied sheen of shoegaze noise.

“It’s about wondering if things ever can come to pass exactly as we’ve pictured them in our mind’s eye, and confronting the reality that things often don’t move in a predictable straight line. In the end, new growth seems to occur from the soil of the unexpected.” The track is taken from a new EP due for release this spring.

Palace have released the next single ‘How Far We’ve Come’. This song is the second track to have been taken from an as-yet-untitled EP, scheduled to be released sometime this summer. Speaking about the song, Palace frontman Leo Wyndham has said: “‘How Far We’ve Come’ is about an anxious and fearful glance into the future at what’s to come, with a sense of anger at the chaos we’ve created. It’s about the helplessness and hopelessness we can all feel sometimes knowing that time is ticking.” The previous single was ‘All We’ve Ever Wanted’, the first new music from the London band since their 2022 album ‘Shoals’, their third studio LP. 

“Lost In The Night” EP

Remastered version of the debut Palace EP. The blues is one of the most distinctive, instantly recognisable forms of music around. Yet this can often make it difficult to musicians to truly impact their own personality, their own beliefs over its legacy. Slowing down the tempo to a codeine funk, London newcomers and latest buzz band Palace have their own defiant take on the blues. Stumbling as if caught in syrup, the group have a spectral, sparse sound. It’s darkly beautiful, with twilight seeming to break through every note.

The blues structure is in there – from the deft triples on the drums to the slide guitar solo – but the group utilise this to craft something new, something strange and unerring. Think a mix of Buffalo Springfield and Come.

Released October 20th, 2014

On their second EP, ‘Chase the Light’, North London four-piece Palace go beyond initial buzz with a serious first step.

The follow-up to last year’s ‘Lost in the Night’ sees Leo Wyndham and co. furthering their spacious, romantic and effect-doused pop going up a few notches. Our second EP represents our development as a band really. It’s only our second ever EP and I feel it’s a more impressive body of work. It represents our progression musically, but also remains very much a Palace sound. It represents Palace in the present, how we feel and how our music seems to manifest itself, with lots of variation and range.

On the one hand, songs like opener ‘Head About The Water’ and stirring lead ‘Kiloran’ are potential arena-dwellers, but they’re also night lurkers, strangers tracing back their own steps when everyone else is fast asleep. It’s big, epic and ethereal – but also has it’s more tender moments, as heard on ‘Chase In The Night’ and ‘Settle Down“. It’s very much guitar music, a modern sound with a vintage twist.

Someday, Somewhere EP

‘I’ll Be Fine’ is out now to download and stream so go listen if you haven’t already. For anyone who’s been wondering what the artwork crops have been about for the last release ’Someday Somewhere’ and the latest track ’I’ll Be Fine’, they were taken from this painting, and these tracks are going to be part of an EP along with a new track called ‘Flesh To The Fallen’ that was released in October 2020. It’s going to be a digital release, but for the vinyl collectors out there we’re also doing a limited 12” vinyl edition which will include the bonus track ‘Trouble On The Water’ from the ‘Hoxa Sessions’ acoustic EP.

“Lover (Don’t Let Me Down)” 

Lover (Don’t Let Me Down) might be the band’s most affecting release to date. “Lover (Don’t Let Me Down)” opens the fold with wandering electric reverb, grounded by a softly secure drum pattern that reveals the 6/8 time signature. “Said it straight from the heart”, Leo Wyndham sings, like his life depends on it. In an interview with NME, the singer opened up the writing process, following a nine-month battle with COVID-19. “I felt very lethargic and heavy. I had terrible chest cramps. I started to fear it might even threaten my career”

The emotional significance of returning to music rings through in the dreamy track, giving the single a cathartic pull. Wyndham pulls in and out of falsetto, lifting your spirits up, and crushing them down all at once. Lyrically, the track deals in absolutes; “I love you I love you till the end of time”, offering profound proclamations of hope. However, all this powerful love is shrouded in Jeff Buckley-inspired electrics, shrouding the tale in melancholy.

At a galloping pace, the drums and gentle guitar embellishments ride us through the motions of love at its most intoxicating. You know it – that feeling when you can’t break free from the tunnel vision of one another.

The band have released an impressive array of 12″ singles

EPs

• Lost in the Night (2014)
• Chase the Light (2015)
• Someday, Somewhere (2020)
• Gravity (2021)
• Lover (Don’t Let Me Down) (2021)
• Fade (2021)
• Where Sky Becomes Sea (2021)
• Shame On You (2022)
• Friends Forever (2022)