I left Yes with a feeling that I’ve been missing out. I would call myself no more than a casual fan of Pillow Queens over the last few years, always making sure to listen to their new releases but never buying one on record or heading to catch them live. April release Name Your Sorrow is their best album so far, though, and it definitely increased my desire to see them on stage. From very early on in their set, after a very well-handled microphone malfunction, it was clear that many other people in the room have been quicker to get to grips with how good this band are than I have. I am struggling to think of the last time I saw a crowd so emotional, so attuned to every word the band was uttering, so ready and willing to scream every lyric back towards the stage. There was a lot of love for Pillow Queens in that room.
And it really didn’t take me long to understand why. Once they finally got their microphone to work, they ripped through energetic versions of the two opening songs from the new album; ‘February 8th’ with its moody bass, powerful drum line, and hypnotic chorus and ‘Suffer’ with its great, dirty guitar line. It was a great way to kick off the show, and you could tell the band were blown away by the response of their fans. That feeling only increased when they later ‘slowed it down’ with ‘Blew Up The World’. There was a moment when vocalist Pamela Connolly seemed to be looking out into the room, surprised by how nearly every person seemed to know all the words to an album that only came out in April.
One thing that really strikes you when watching Pillow Queens on stage is the confidence. Not only do they effortlessly replicate and often improve their songs on stage, but they also seem to be so comfortable with each other and the talent they possess that when something goes wrong or they slip up, they shrug their shoulders and carry on. There is a practised assurance that I suppose comes from having a fanbase that clearly adore you. Having been that casual fan previously, there were a few older songs in the set that I only vaguely knew. At those moments, I watched the faces in the room with awe.
For me, personally, though, most of the absolute highlights did come from Name Your Sorrow; an emotional ‘The Bar’s Closed’, a fun and raucous ‘Friend of Mine’, and an intense ‘Heavy Pour’. And my standout song from the LP kicked off the encore and became the standout moment of the set as well. ‘Like A Lesson’ is the catchiest, most engaging song I’ve heard from the band and it totally lived up to that billing here. If I was still mostly a casual fan when I arrived at Yes on Saturday, I left the room as something much more than that. Swept along partly by the emotion and love in the room, I was also utterly convinced by the stage presence and performance of the band and will now be spending a whole heap of time with their work so far.
Before I wrap up, a quick mention for support act Sarah Crean: she repeatedly apologised for the depressing nature of her songs during her set, promising they were a bit chirpier on Spotify. I enjoyed her set, and her in-between songs chat, so much that I have already checked out that claim and can verify she was telling the truth. Her songs are witty, truthful, and worth your time. She even made me enjoy a Bruce Springsteen cover, for fuck’s sake. Queue up her latest EP as soon as you have finished listening to Pillow Queens.
Words by Fran Slater
Picky Bastards 