Live Review : Palm Reader + Blanket + Dead Romantic + Sobriquet @ The Corporation, Sheffield on November 24th 2022

Opening the show on tonight's 4 band bill was Sobriquet. They come across as being an extremely charismatic band who made no trouble with covering as much of the small corporation stage as they could. Musically there was quite a bit to take in. They had hints of hardcore, nu metal, emo, and some catchy choruses to boot. On a technical level, they were all extremely sound musicians, and this made for an enjoyable first band of the night, which set the precedent for a night of all-round great music. I would not be surprised if Sobriquet became a band that people start to clock on to, and from the response they received from the crowd in Sheffield, they’ve probably made a fair few new fans already, myself included.

Up next was Dead Romantic. It was easy to see what Dead Romantic were trying to do, write absolute stadium level songs of which seemed massively inspired by the likes of Architects, Bring Me The Horizon, etc. All the staples of these bands were covered, a nice use of electronic sampling, crushing riffs and massive, massive choruses, which were so easy to notice that by the end of the song, you could probably sing along yourself. Dead Romantic seem desperate to perform these songs at the level of which they were written for, and this comes across in their on-stage performance. You can tell within the first few minutes whether or not a band has “IT,” and Dead Romantic certainly had that instant impact, for me at least.

Final Support act Blanket offered a bit of a calmer reprieve to that of what preceded it. One thing that struck me instantly is that they reminded me a lot of the softer tracks that a band like Loathe would produce, (evidenced by the fact that they have Kadeem France perform guest vocals on one of their recorded tracks). They are not necessarily mellow songs by any means, they were littered with huge, wall smashing riffs, yet were mellowed out through the use of soft, Chino Moreno-esque vocal hooks that brought their music to an intricately designed middle point of not being too soft, or too heavy, but just right. Blanket was the perfect palate cleanser to the bombastic nature of the opening two acts, the three of which were perfectly booked to build the perfect amount of anticipation for the night's headliners.

In the 5 minutes leading up to Palm Reader taking the stage, it is apparent that Corporation is by no means sold out. To me this is baffling as one would have assumed prior to this show that Palm Reader would be a big draw in a venue like this. They are the subject of constant praise in my close and wider social circles, and we all share the same sentiment that there should be more people at Palm Reader shows. This is proved as soon as the band make their arrival. Opening with the impeccable ‘Willow’, the vocal power of Josh McKeown instantly captivates those in attendance and is the type of song that would absolutely annihilate a 2/3000 capacity venue, let alone a 100+ish capacity nightclub. 

One of Palm Reader’s biggest strengths is their ability to take the audience on an auditory rollercoaster. The opening of ‘Willow’ starts off as a haunting affair, with only Mckeown’s vocals and a single guitar, however the introduction of the rest of the band leads to a slow building crescendo with a satisfyingly raucous and jubilant chorus. It is this niche that Palm Reader have carved for themselves that makes them the band that they are. Songs such as ‘Inertia’ and ‘A Bird And Its Feathers’ follow this same template without feeling like each song is a carbon copy of those around it. Throughout the course of the band's hour-long set, Josh McKeown acts almost as the conductor as well as vocalist, with his free flowing and natural stage presence, producing a visual dynamic that adds colour to the rest of the band's performance, one that makes the audience feel, and believe in every single word he says. 

However, when stepping away from the intimate, delicate parts of their music, Palm Reader knows how to level the place too. Songs such as ‘Swarm’ and ‘Internal Winter’ provide such a visceral assault on the senses that smacks the audience square in the face, as opposed tugging at their emotions as per their mellower tracks. This level of balance is one that shouldn’t be scoffed at and is an exceptionally difficult feat, especially when you consider that despite the increase of aggression; they remain expertly crafted songs with sombre messages and anecdotes that lyrically, remain ever as impactful as their more intricate songs. 

In a previous review I have done of the band, I mentioned how they were masters of their craft and that they are wise beyond their years when it comes to musicality and lyrical maturity, best exemplified through their whirlwind live performance, yet they somehow keep getting better.

Check the “In The Flesh” page for more photos! Palm Reader, Blanket, Dead Romantic