To fully understand Palace’s music it’s necessary to know where it’s made. Tucked away down a side street in deepest Tottenham, ‘The Arch’ is a creative nerve centre packed with young artists, designers and musicians where the band (Leo Wyndham: guitar, vocals, Rupert Turner: guitar, Will Dorey: bass, Matt Hodges: drums) rehearse, record, unwind and, if needs be, sleep. If the power cuts out every now and then, that’s just part of the appeal.
“It’s damp and it’s dark, and it’s on a meter - so you never know when the lights will go off,” explains Leo of this grungy outpost of bohemia in London’s over-mortgaged heart. “But the atmosphere of the place seeps into the music.”
But then, Palace are all about atmosphere. Released last October, their extraordinary debut EP ‘Lost In the Night’ suggested a lovesick Foals, and earned rave reviews and radio support from everyone from XFM’s John Kennedy to Fearne Cotton.
Their new EP - their first with support from Fiction - is better still. Lead track ‘Head Above Water’ is a sensual, sun-streaked love song worthy of Jeff Buckley, while exquisite examinations of warring emotions (‘Settle Down’), the power of love (‘Tomahawk’) and self doubt (‘Chase The Light’) come with a subterranean stillness which suggest you’re in The Arch with them. ‘Kiloran’ meanwhile, might just be their most majestic stadium-sized ballad yet. However, its raw reverb-drenched sound only scratches the surface of Palace’s creative ambitions.
Funny, self-assured and almost horizontally laid-back, conversation reveals enthusiasms for artists ranging from John Fahey (Leo) to Prince (Matt) to Neil Young (Rupert) to Sharon Jones and The Dap-Kings (Will). It’s the infinite possibilities music offers which really excite them, however. “We’re interested in telling a story through the music,” explains Rupert, citing the rhythmic influence of Tinariwan on their songwriting process. “For example, the first two chords of Ocean Deep just sounded like the ocean, so the lyrics were written to fit the feeling of the song rather than the other way around.”
“We’re really into exploring unconventional tunings,” adds Leo, citing the influences of everyone from King Krule to Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan on their dusty, other-worldly sound. “It allows us to go to places other bands can’t go.”
It wasn’t until all four arrived in London at the turn of the decade, however, that they started thinking seriously of forming a band. “We started rehearsing as a three piece in the summer of 2012 with Rupert on bass,” explains Matt. “It didn’t really work, but even then we were playing two songs from the e.p - ‘Veins’ and ‘I Want What You Got’ - although in much more simplified versions”.
When Leo’s younger brother Wilby – responsible for both the band’s name and their stunning artwork - opted out of playing bass, the final piece of the Palace jigsaw came with the recruitment of fellow schoolmate Will. A reggae obsessive, his less-is-more approach acted as the perfect foil to the sparse but intricate guitar patterns of Leo and Rupert.
Following a successful first gig at The Wreck in Camberwell word soon spread about this band who married the woozy intimacy of indie rock with arena-sized melodies. However, even as Soundcloud plays escalated and gigs started to resemble A&R conventions, it took the vision of maverick indie Beatnik Creative to convince the band they were onto something. “Ali (Raymond, label boss) did an amazing job persuading us that the songs sounded good as they were,” explains Matt. “We thought they were too budget, but he was right.”
If the subdued atmosphere of their music has had the critics in a lather, it’s the vulnerability of the lyrics which strikes a chord with fans. Both intuitive and poetic, lines like: “I’ve played heart-strings before but not in your key” (from ‘Bitter’) tap into an inner turbulence most people feel but can’t quite express. ”The darker and more depressing lyrics are more fun to write,” says Leo with a grin. “But I think a lot of people can relate to the idea that life sometimes feels shit and depressing, especially as you’re not really allowed to show emotional weakness.”
Launched with a riotous show for the EP at St Pancras Old Church, Palace have since won over every audience placed in front of them. No mean feat when you consider these have ranged from lairy Jamie T fans to topless jugglers to tearful fans. But then as Matt points out, Palace are made for bringing people together. “We’ve had a few comments about our music being good baby-making music, which is nice. It’s sex music, basically.” Palace: spreading the love.
