LIVE REVIEW: Palaye Royale Still On Top Of Their Game During Energetic Lowlands Show

Palaye Royale are no strangers to The Netherlands. From early on, the band did very well in The Netherlands, and this excitement has only expanded throughout the years. It came to no surprise for us that the Heineken stage was packed, even if the band did play early in the day, with Dutch phenomena Froukje playing at the same time.

With already 3 albums under their wing and a fourth one on the horizon, Palaye Royale have no issues filling a setlist. With many fan-favourites, ranging from Mr. Doctor Man, Lonely and of course the popular 2021 release No Love In LA, Palaye Royale rushed through their setlist with one sing-along after the other, while spending most of their time at the barricade or in the crowd rather than on stage.

Palaye Royale have been working tirelessly the last couple of years to get where they are, and a packed tent at Lowlands very early in the day is the result of that. We cannot wait for the band’s upcoming album Fever Dream as well as the accompanying tour that comes with it.

In addition, later that day, Palaye Royale revealed they will be returning to The Netherlands for 3 shows next year in order to support the release of their upcoming album Fever Dream. The band will be playing in Paradiso, Melkweg and Poppodium 013.

LIVE REVIEW: Nova Twins Show Alt Music Is In Great Hands During Epic Lowlands Set

The alternative music scene is in great hands as long as Nova Twins are in it. The duo are rising in popularity quickly and their Lowlands set proved just that. While playing a very small stage on the festival, the tent was beyond packed, with many attendees trying to get a glimpse from the outside.

Armed with their brand new album Supernova, Nova Twins played an incredible show, with a lot of crowd interaction, which included the duo jumping in the pit. With songs from the new album that have already broken a million streams such as Antagonist and Cleopatra, Nova Twins showcases a variety of sounds and genres in the best way possible.

Their set sounded great, but looked just as great. Check out some photos from their set below.

CONCERT REVIEW: Sum 41 & Simple Plan Celebrate Roots During Epic Tilburg Show

What a bill. After years and years, Sum 41 and Simple Plan came together and even became friends. The result? A Whibley feature on the new Simple Plan album and a huge tour featuring both bands with Sum 41 as headliner due to their ongoing popularity in Europe. The best part? Both bands focused on old material just to put the icing on top of the already pretty epic nostalgia cake.

The opener for this beautiful evening was Cassyette, a creative mind from the UK who’s keen on reviving the altrock and punkscene, and could not have been on a better tour to do so. If you’re going to any of the remaining Sum/Simple Plan shows, make sure to get there early and check out Cassyette, or get a glimpse of the performance in the gallery below.

The last time we saw Simple Plan was in 2017 when they were on their No Pads, No Helmets… Just Balls anniversary tour, but no one seemed to mind a second show with focus on older music. After all, it was their earlier albums that shaped many of the fans’ childhoods. The crowd this evening was incredible diverse, made up of a beautiful mix of old and new fans. While new fans can most likely still relate to many of the band’s lyrics catered to the younger demographic, the old-school fans are mostly here for nostalgia reasons. A bunch of 30 year olds racing home from their office job, putting on their old band T and screaming about teen angst from the top of their lungs, and I say this with love because this statement resonates with me. Unequivocally and unashamed.

While the band did take a second to support the release of their new album Harder Than It Looks with the live rendition of Iconic, the majority of the setlist consisted of the band’s first two albums with the popular tracks I’m Just A Kid, Perfect, Welcome To My Life and Jump! all making an appearance. With a setlist consisting of many older songs, the show had barely changed from the last time we saw the band. Luckily it has been a few years, so even if it was familiar greatness, it was welcomed with open arms. Check out some shots of the band’s performance in the gallery below.

Just like it has been a few years since we’ve seen Simple Plan, quite some time has passed since we last saw Sum 41. With the band’s most recent album releasing in 2019 and of course a pandemic, it’s been a while. Unfortunately, we haven’t seen new Sum 41 music yet, but we do know there’s a double album on its way. This show however has a different focus than new music: All Killer No Filler and Does This Look Infected. Both albums are getting pretty old, and with its popularity still skyhigh, a tour to celebrate your roots sounds great. Sum 41’s show lasted for about 1h 40m, which meant the band could give some songs a slot on the setlist where that wouldn’t have been the case if this were to be a ‘regular’ show. Songs like Hooch and Mr. Amsterdam for example, giving the oldschool Sum fans a real treat and a unique experience.

When Sum 41 made a stop in Tilburg’s 013 in 2017 on the Don’t Call It A Sumback tour we’ve stated in our review that Sum 41 are back and ‘stronger than ever’. I’m not sad to have to retract that statement, as Sum 41’s show, enthusiasm and frontman Deryck Whibley’s voice is even stronger this time around. Match that with an abundance of steam cannons, confetti and fire and you have yourself a Sum 41 show anno 2022. There’s honestly no point in deep diving into the band’s musical talent or synergy, ‘cause with the amount of years and shows Sum 41 have under their belt, their musical prowess comes to no surprise.

To increase the amount of love for Does This Look Infected, Sum played a medley consisting of 4 songs off of the record, which made the total of songs played from this album a whoppin’ 9 outta 12. Of course the cover of We Will Rock You made its glorious appearance on this evening, as it has been consistently doing for years.

When the encore ended with the popular song Fat Lip, frontman Deryck Whibley had one more trick up his sleeve. While the show was really finished and the lights in 013 were already back on, the room went dark once more a few minutes later. In a room with about half of the fans left, Whibley joked ‘close the doors, this is a private show now’, before treating the fans to a solo performance of the emotional Catching Fire. A beautiful ending to a beautiful evening. Get a glimpse of what the greatness looked like in the gallery below.

CONCERT REVIEW: AJR Give Storytelling Masterclass In Tilburg

After a very succesful show in Melkweg Amsterdam before the pandemic, AJR are back with a new album and a bigger show. This time, selling out Poppodium 013, which holds double the capacity as Melkweg does, months in advance of the show. Armed with a new album and a new show production, AJR amazed on the OK ORCHESTRA tour.

Those who have ever seen an AJR liveshow know that you’re not just coming for the music, but rather for an experience that’s honestly quite unique. A redefinition of the word concert would not be misplaced. Starting their set with a funny video of a voice-over that keeps on making mistakes while reciding the start of the song OK Overture and eventually calling it quits because ‘who has time for this, we’ve waited 2 years for this’. A burst of energy both on stage and in the audience followed as the brothers came on stage accompanied by their touring band.

Kicking off with the popular Bummerland, AJR played all the ‘classics’, as well as a huge portion of their new album OK ORCHESTRA, which is home to the very popular BANG! and World’s Smallest Violin. AJR are natural entertainers and often chatted with the audience in-between of songs. While this may get annoying at some shows, AJR do it with such hilarity and humor, I’d honestly attend a comedy show hosted by the band. Singing happy birthday to fans in the audience, their ‘Elton John story’, AJR entertained for a good hour and a half, and not just through their music.

The great diversity in which the band entertained didn’t take anything away from their ability as musicians. The music unsurprisingly sounded amazing and vocalist Jack Met‘s dance moves are as hilarious as they are epic. AJR brought along a drummer and a trumpet player, who were involved in the show and responsible for the interludes as the brothers submerged off stage from time to time for a wardrobe change or to catch a breath.

An AJR show is truly next level, and at times reminded me of the exceptional Twenty One Pilots show many of us know and love. If you get the chance to catch this band live, do it. It’s an experience you are going to want to well.. experience. Eva van den Bosch was there to make some photos during their set to give you a glimpse of what the fuss is all about! Check it out in the gallery below.