It would seem it's impossible to talk about new upcoming bands without drawing comparisons from bands of the past like the The Libertines who still manage to generate such nostalgia and excitement over music today. However, no comparison to the likes of Pete Doherty and Carl Barat seems more relevant and fitting to Sam Fryer and Chille Jesson, the two front men of Palma Violets. Before attending one of the highly anticipated NME Awards Tour gigs in Bristol of which Palma Violets appeared on the bill, I was like many others, undecided on where I stood with Palma Violets. As a huge fan of The Libertines I found the comparison ridiculous, as comparing a band who have been on the music scene for five minutes with just an EP to rely on, against a band who revitalized guitar music and inspired the likes of Arctic Monkeys, seemed some what ludicrous. Whilst waiting outside the Bristol o2 academy, everyone appeared to be most anticipating the performances of the upcoming band from Birmingham Peace and Miles Kane, but such anticipation for Palma Violets appeared to have been sidelined. Peace opened the night with a new single from their upcoming album 'In Love' which despite being a bold move for a band with such a limited back catalogue, managed to fulfill the expectations of every person in the room and set the bar high for the night. When Peace ended their set with 'Bloodshake' the love and devotion from the fans was firmly cemented, with the audience singing along to every word, and even members of the audience sacrificing their view of the stage, to crowd surf to the front in the hope to come in to closer proximity with the band. Peace delivered an impressive performance and set the standards high for the rest of the night, but still there was no one talking of Palma Violets, who were next on the bill. However, everyone's mixed expectations were completely up ended once the four members of Palma Violets entered the stage, embracing the screams and applauds of a crowd which were unified by the energy Sam and Chille managed to exert within the room. Palma violets began their set with 'Rattlesnake Highway' from their new upcoming album '180' which managed to en capture that raw and scratchy punk sound that many polished and clean bands like 'Swim Deep' seem to be missing. Through out their set Sam and Chille would come close to colliding with each other, which seemed so reminiscent of the 'Carl n Pete' days. When the audience was presented with a familiar song they knew, 'Last of The Summer Wine' they responded with shouting the lyrics back at the four members with a sense of complete devotion and appraisal, thus suggesting, that they are definitely worth the hype and anticipation they have been receiving in the media. The pinnacle of their set was when they performed NME's number one track of the year 'Best of Friends' and with the performance they gave, they certainly lived up to that accolade. The whole crowd was jumping, and recklessly pushing each other around, embracing the post punk vibe that Palma Violets en capture. At the end of 'Best of Friends' Chille jumped into the audience of whom welcomed him in open sweaty arms, completely breaking down the barrier between the fans and the band. It was possibly the most sweaty and energetic gigs I have ever been too, and I think every member of that audience who witnessed that performance felt that Palma Violets had proved their point. It's hard to translate that live and energetic sound into recording, which is why I think most people have been undecided on the band, however Palma Violets appeared to stand out the most out of all of the acts playing that night. As soon as their set ended, the whole room was filled with echoes of their name and people were genuinely shocked at how good of a gig they managed to put on. When it comes to comparing Palma Violets to The Libertines, from the performance I saw, I don't think it is such an unfair comparison to make. It isn't just the chemistry between Sam and Chille which resembles the structure of The Libertines, it's the complete devotion and focus they have for what they're doing, a focus of which The Libertines lost. Only time will tell whether they can truly fulfill such a comparison.
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