LIVE FROM THE PIT: The Pale White, Lizzie Esau and Hot Stamp

A night jam packed with the latest up and coming talents of the music industry, The Pale White played at Oslo in Hackney. Only their second headline tour as a group, they showed London exactly what they're made of. 

The three piece indie rock band from Newcastle have been releasing music since 2016 and have been on the rise ever since. They supported the iconic PIXIES on tour in 2024 and then have set their sights on touring the UK ever since to bring their music to the fans before the release of their new album, 'The Big Sad' next month. 

The show started with the captivating Hot Stamp, playing to a great turn out, with the crowd giving the band their attention and cheering throughout. This Indie rock band have been around since 2022 and are fronted by a sister duo Jasmine and Poppy that knew exactly how to keep the crowds attention with the lead singer, using her natural angst and movements cleverly with the music. 

The band sported outfits right out of the 70s making them very cohesive onstage and perfectly matching the punk vibes of their music. The whole room was foot-tapping along with them as they played both old and brand new songs. Overall, the band gave a great performance. 

Next to take to the stage was Lizzie Esau. With her signature fairy wings, she caught everyone's attention right off the bat. Lizzie has been in the indie rock scene since 2020 and has opened for the likes of Baby Queen, Beabadoobee and The Amazons and it's clear to see how she has such an impressive resume already.

The room slowly began to fill throughout her set as she ruled the stage with her presence and talent. Her supporting band helped her along with great interactions between them and even being completely unphased by a technical difficulty, while playing into it and joking with the audience. The engagement of the crowd was impressive as they clapped and even sang along to songs they didn't know. Lizzie is beyond a doubt someone to look out for in the future.

As the time slot for The Pale White approached the room filled from front to back with roaring cheers the moment the lights went down. They opened with the track ‘Validate Me’ from their 2023 EP ‘A New Breed’ which instantly had the whole room singing along. It was also great to see despite only being a less than 400 capacity gig, fans had secured the front row from the very beginning waiting just for this set. 

Carrying on their set the energy only built and built with each song having a louder response than the last. Lead singer Adam took a moment to mention that he felt this show would be “Our definitive London moment” and we would have to agree, the energy in this show was special and the start of something great!

The second half of their setlist saw mosh pits starting to open as they encouraged the fans to move and boy did they respond. Even when playing unreleased songs from their upcoming album the energy didnt slow for a moment. That is until the rest of the band exited the stage leaving just Adam to have the crowd lift their flashlights and Lizzie Esau join him on stage for a beautiful duet. He took a moment to shout her out afterwards which is so important for a lead band to bring up their support acts with them, a delightful moment with witness. 

The last few songs of their set featured hits like ‘Swim For Your Life’ and ‘Infinite Pleasure’ which had mosh pits half the size of the venue opening up as drummer Jack Hope played a very long and musically impressive drum solo. The crowd went crazy. Once again it must be reiterated that the energy in the room was exceptional especially considering the size of the band and the venue. 

Publications such as NME have even scouted these guys as a "thrilling newcomer to the rock scene" and Out Of Rage completely agree and are excited to follow them on their journey. With the rest of the tour to play, their new album ‘The Big Sad’ out on the April 18th and a yet another tour supporting PIXIES across Europe this summer. They have a big year lined up and bright things on the horizon. If you don't want to miss out on the waves they will make, they are definitely a band to keep a sharp eye on in 2025.

Words: Amy Smyth

Photos: James Smith