Manchester punk-rock band Pale Waves topped the bill on the first day of the 2024 Bobapalooza Arts and Music Festival, held at the Filinvest City Events Grounds over the weekend.
In an interview with the press before their performance, members of Pale Waves shared their excitement to meet their Filipino fans.
“But we’ve heard amazing things about the culture that you guys are so friendly and so nice, and we’re just excited to meet the people that actually like [our] music. So, I’m expecting a really good show,” said lead singer and guitarist Heather Baron-Gracie.
Asked about their setlist for the festival, Heather from Pale Waves explained they’d be focusing on their classic hits.
“There aren’t any new songs yet because we’re recording our album right now, so they wouldn’t be ready to play live,” she said. “However, we are playing a song we haven’t played in years – ‘My Obsession’ from our first EP. We love the song but somehow haven’t played it in a long time. We’re excited to bring it back for the Philippines.”
Heather also emphasized the importance of representing the LGBTQ+ community through their music.
“Obviously, our sexuality is a major part of who we are,” she explained. “So whenever we can represent that, we feel it’s important. It’s a big part of Pale Waves, and it’s always amazing seeing the impact of playing songs like ‘She is My Religion.’ You can see on people’s faces how much it means to them, that they feel heard.”
“We create a strong community,” she continued, “one that fosters acceptance and safety for everyone. We try to do this wherever we go, and we’re excited to bring that energy to the Philippines at this festival. It’s a huge part of our band, and we hope to recreate that feeling here.”
The members of Pale Waves also expressed their desire to collaborate with rock band The Band Camino and London-based Filipino artist No Rome. Photo by Aram Lascano