Wembley Arena, London, November 09, 2024

“I’ve been waiting my whole life for this fucking moment,” Remington Leith utters, holding back the tears as he takes in what is currently happening. Every time Palaye Royale has come to London, they have hit a new heady height. Almost precisely seven years ago to the day, this band of brothers planted their flag in the ground at a sweltering Camden Assembly for their first UK headline show, kicking off a trajectory of growth that they’ve clearly had planned out since a life in music was just a hopeful fantasy.

From there, they conquered Shepherds Bush Empire, the Roundhouse and the Hammersmith Apollo, forever expanding their empire and showing how dreams really can come true. But here, in the vast surroundings of Wembley Arena, you can tell there’s something different. This feels more personal than another tick on the bucket list. It means so much more, pinpointed by how many times the trio stops to take in the atmosphere, thanking every soul that has found a part of themselves in their wonderfully vibrant world and found their way here for this momentous occasion.

Yet, what makes this event even more special is that the feeling of grandeur is mutually shared by everyone who has taken to the stage tonight. 

For I See Stars, who open proceedings in gloriously punishing fashion, this marks a moment nearly two decades in the making. A firm reminder of what sticking to your guns and striving through can earn you, as a throbbing ‘Ten Thousand Feet’ and new opus ‘SPLIT’ prove in screaming colour, introducing their sporadic fair to a whole new audience in the process.

For The Hunna, it is a moment to savour as the songs they have spent years crafting finally get to be delivered on a stage of the stature they were designed for. From the thrashing heft of ‘Fugazi’ to the pop-punk chaos of ‘I Wanna Know’, and not forgetting the eternal joy of ‘Bonfire’, every brush stroke feels like it belongs here. 

And for Hot Milk, it is the biggest realisation of their vision yet, showing more and more how far they are willing to push their creation in pursuit of total domination. ‘BREATHING UNDERWATER’ and ‘Glass Spiders’ send shivers down every spine in attendance, whilst ‘HORROR SHOW’ and ‘PARTY ON MY DEATHBED’ feel like true catalysts of chaos when delivered in a playground as vast as this.

It all equates to celebration being the mood for all, and as Palaye appear from the smoke and neon glow to cap things off in style, it’s clear that the thousands assembled know how important this is to them. Though each appearance over the years has got bigger and bolder, the brothers still deliver their music like they are still trying to make a name for themselves on the dive bar circuit. ‘Little Bastards’ and ‘Nightmares’ feel intensely raw, ripping and tearing at the eardrum with glee, whilst ‘Dying In A Hot Tub’ and ‘You’ll Be Fine’ embody even more of the hedonistic euphoria that they were inspired by. Playing without concern or pretence, letting every emotion rule the roost as it erupts from deep within, it makes every track feel more cathartic and crushing than the last. 

But that’s not to say that they look dwarfed by this space; instead, they look completely at home with so many places to launch themselves into. Whether Remington is surfing over the bodies before him in a ruby dingy or Sebastian beating at his guitar whilst leaning over the front row, the energy is palpable as it is infinite.

Though between the towering pyro and glistening sparkles, something more vulnerable is at play here. Earlier this year, the Palaye brothers lost their mother, Stephanie Rachel Cowper, the person they proudly hold up as the one who believed in them from the very beginning, after a battle with cancer. And the fact that she isn’t here to see her boys achieve such a prominent part of their adventure clearly hangs heavy in the chests of Remington, Sebastian and Emerson. Yet despite her physical absence, her presence can be felt in so many corners of their performance. 

The beautiful singalong that accompanies a stark ‘Oblivion’, that showers down through the closing crescendo of ‘Fever Dream’, the tears caressing down everybody’s cheeks during a thankful ‘For You’. These moments have been allowed to materialise because of the support she gave them throughout the years leading up to now, and they now serve as the most touching celebration of her and her love that there could be. “You guys would make our mom so fucking proud,” Remington states with endless pride glowing through his smile, and it’s impossible not to feel a bit choked up yourself realising how true that is. As a pitch-perfect ‘Lonely’ and rip-roaring ‘Mr. Doctor Man’ round out a truly spectacular display, it makes you wonder with heated anticipation where we go from here. If the sky was the limit before, then we are out into the stratosphere now, and Palaye Royale know that better than anybody else. Continuing to defy expectations and making even more of their grandest ambitions come true with every step of this unbelievable journey, nothing is stopping them from going bigger and bolder from here. But most vitally, whatever plans they have in store, they will always have the people who helped them climb here at the front of their hearts and minds. Every show from now until forever will serve as a tribute to that marvellous belief instilled in these three brothers, and that’s a pretty poignant and powerful existence to get to have.

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