BPREVIEW: Paloma Faith @ Genting Arena 21.03.18

Paloma Faith @ Genting Arena 21.03.18

Words by Ed King

On Wednesday 21st March, Paloma Faith performs at the Genting Arena – with support from the Liverpool based jazz and soul artist, XamVolo.

Doors open at the Genting Arena from 5pm (Forum) and 6pm (Arena), with XamVolo performing at 7:30pm followed by Paloma Faith’s headline set at 8:30pm. Tickets are priced at £40.45 / £51.75 depending on your position within the arena, as presented by SJM Concerts/Gigs and Tours.

For direct show information, including full venue details and online ticket sales, click here.

Paloma Faith is out on tour with her fourth studio album, The Architect – coming to the Genting Arena to play one of her final England based shows, before heading out for two dates in Ireland and two dates in Australia. Paloma Faith has further UK dates planned for June, July and August, including the inevitable appearances across the festival season. For direct information on all the Paloma Faith shows announced for 2018, click here. 

The Architect was released in November 2017, entering the UK charts at No1. No small achievement. Mind you, Paloma Faith’s previous three albums all hit the double platinum markers in the UK albums charts. So no small achievement times three, times 600k, and counting. And to think Epic Records wanted to wait a while…

Championed by Radio 2, Paloma Faith was invited to headline one of a series of special concerts from the broadcaster as part of The Architect’s introduction in last year. And despite a somewhat overzealous smoke machine, the show introduced a breadth of new content to Faith’s already fervent fanbase.

Inspired by the call to arms of common concerns and compassion that Marvin Gaye presented with What’s Going On, Paloma Faith’s fourth album moved away from the tropes of relationships, heartbreak, love and loss – exploring a more socio-political landscape and the issues we all face within it.

The album’s opening track, ‘Evolution’, features a soliloquy from Samuel L Jackson about the dichotomy of masculinity, with writer and political/social activist Owen Jones offering a reminder of the basic human rights much of society had to fight for (and our responsibilities to honour those who fought for them) in ‘Politics of Hope’.

But love is always at the heart, and even if it embraces socio-political thoughts, ambitions and endeavour, The Architect is not an outright political record. It’s a human record.

Plus, a Paloma Faith show is just that, a show. And the arena tour that’s supporting her latest LP is set to be packed with all the soul and spectacle the world has come to expect from this unique artist and performer. 

‘Til I’m Done’ Paloma Faith (live session) 

Paloma Faith performs at the Genting Arena on Wednesday 21st March, with support from XamVolo – as presented by SJM Concerts/Gigs and Tours. For direct gig information, including venue details and online ticket sales, visit www.gentingarena.co.uk/whats-on/paloma-faith 

For more on Paloma Faith, visit www.palomafaith.com

For more on XamVolo, visit www.xamvolo.com 

For more from SJM Concerts/Gigs and Tours, visit www.gigsandtours.com

For more from the Genting Arena, including full event listings and online ticket sales, visit www.gentingarena.co.uk

BREVIEW: Paramore @ Genting Arena 14.01.17

Paramore @ Genting Arena 14.01.17 / Eleanor Sutcliffe – Birmingham Review

 

 

 

Pics by Eleanor Sutcliffe

Hot on the heels of their fifth studio album, After Laughter, Paramore play to a packed crowd at the Genting Arena, with only a handful of tickets left in the Gods of the 15,683 capacity venue. Not bad for a Sunday. Not bad for any day.

Paramore are back in Birmingham for one of only five dates on the UK leg of Tour Three, with support from Philadelphia’s mewithoutYou, before heading across the globe for gigs in Australia, New Zealand and South Asia.

And the line up looks strong, replete with Zac Farro (one of the original members who left the band in 2010) and three additional touring musicians making up the Tour Three ensemble. But an even more palpable strength tonight comes from the crowd.Paramore @ Genting Arena 14.01.17 / Eleanor Sutcliffe – Birmingham Review

Kicking off, quite literally (as Williams demonstrates her ability to boot you in the face, should she want too) with the first single from their last album – the poignantly penned ‘Hard Times’ – Paramore belt out a set of classic hits from their more rockier albums, alongside a smorgasbord of pop nuggets from After Laughter.

But even whilst delivering their earlier rock fuelled singles such as ‘Ignorance’ and ‘That’s What You Get’, there is a undeniably pop tinge to the Paramore on stage today, something a smattering of the near 16,000 strong crowd might have taken little getting used to.Paramore @ Genting Arena 14.01.17 / Eleanor Sutcliffe – Birmingham Review Although some things never change, and by the time one lucky audience member is brought on stage for ‘Misery Business’ the entire arena is joining in and singing along.

Paramore have both a loyal fan base and a chequered history, with the Hayley Williams fronted band changing its line up several times in recent years and steering through some publicly choppy waters. Williams is the one with the record deal, but the arguments over ownership and copyright have spilled off the stage and across the internet since Jeremy Davis first left the band in 2005.

Paramore @ Genting Arena 14.01.17 / Eleanor Sutcliffe – Birmingham ReviewThen there’s their move from rock, to pop rock, to pop, which seems to have been consolidated with Paramore’s latest LP. But the fevour of their fanbase has clearly mitigated any on stage issues or revolving door quabbles, as the energy that fills the Genting Arena tonight stands testament to the songwriting and success Paramore are responsible for.

Plus Hayley Williams is a ferocious front woman, exuding inexhaustible energy as she flits across the stage and talks, with some candour, to the Birmingham crowd. Not least about the “safe little place” she finds on stage.

And it can’t be easy to be in her shoes sometimes (especially whilst head high kicking themselves across a Sunday stage) but Paramore seem as confident as ever tonight – in both their new direction and in the army of fans that will seemingly follow them wherever they lead. Or to the Midlands, at least.

 

 

 

Paramore @ Genting Arena 14.01.17 / Eleanor Sutcliffe – Birmingham Review

Paramore @ Genting Arena 14.01.17 / Eleanor Sutcliffe – Birmingham Review

Paramore @ Genting Arena 14.01.17 / Eleanor Sutcliffe – Birmingham Review

Paramore @ Genting Arena 14.01.17 / Eleanor Sutcliffe – Birmingham Review

Paramore @ Genting Arena 14.01.17 / Eleanor Sutcliffe – Birmingham Review

Paramore @ Genting Arena 14.01.17 / Eleanor Sutcliffe – Birmingham Review Paramore @ Genting Arena 14.01.17 / Eleanor Sutcliffe – Birmingham Review

For more from Paramore, visit www.paramore.net 

For more from mewithoutYou, visit www.mewithoutyou.com 

For more on the Genting Arena, venue details and further event listings, visit www.gentingarena.co.uk

For more from SJM Concerts/Gigs and Tours, visit www.gigsandtours.com

BPREVIEW: Paramore @ Genting Arena 14.01.17

BPREVIEW: Paramore @ Genting Arena 14.01.17

Words by Ed King / Pic courtesy of SJM Concerts

On Sunday 14th January, Paramore come to the Genting Arena in Birmingham – performing one of only five dates on their UK tour, with support from Philadelphia’s mewithoutYou.

Doors for the Genting Arena open at 6pm, with mewithoutYou on stage at 7:30pm and Paramore kicking off their headline set at 8:45pm. Standard tickets are priced between £34.24 – £48.93 (inc fees) depending on positioning within the arena.

Amplify Hospitality tickets are also available for £135 (inc fees) which offer a variety of perks – including VIP check in, access to the private lounge, alongside complimentary drinks and dinner. As promoted by SJM Concerts, for full gig details on Paramore at the Genting Arena and links to all available tickets, click here.

*At the time of writing no more standing tickets were available. Extra arena tickets have been released by the promoters, but this gig is looking like a sell out so you might want to move a little quicker than usual.*

Paramore have been on the road with their new album, After Laughter, since summer last year – playing six UK and Ireland dates in 2017, including one night at the Royal Albert Hall (…just, imagine, that one). The Tennessee now trio then embarked on an extensive Tour Two of North America and Canada, from September to October, before confirming their Tour Three return to Europe with gigs in Spain, France and the UK from 7th to 20th Jan. To stay up to date with all Paramore tour details, direct from the band, click here.

Released in May 2017, via the Warner subsidiary – Fueled by Ramen, After Laughter is the fifth studio album from Paramore.  After Laughter also sees the return of Zac Farro, one of the band’s original members, who announced in Feb 2017 that he was back with Paramore to record and tour their new album.

Once again produced by Justin Meldal-Johnsen and Taylor York (who worked together on the band’s previous and eponymous album) After Laughter has received widespread acclaim from fans and the music press alike, with Rolling Stone surmising it as ‘a gorgeously produced, hook-studded record with cocked-eyebrow trepidation adding a jittery edge.’ Indeed, it is the bittersweet lyrics from Hayley Williams that seem to be gathering the most attention from After Laughter, with some uncomfortable scars seemingly part of the creative force behind the band’s latest LP. And after a quick Google search through some bizarrely bitter statements and retrospective foot stamping, you can understand why.

But for the fans it’s business as usual, with renewed fervor at Zac Farro’s return and a sell out show zeal supporting Paramore’s latest road trip. After Laughter’s lead single, ‘Hard Times’, reached No6 on the Billboard Hot Rock Charts across the pond and was officially certified ‘Silver’ by British Recorded Music Industry (that’s selling over 200k copies, to you and me).

Subsequent singles ‘Told You So’ and ‘Fake Happy’ both beat a Billboard Hot Rock Top 40, whilst the album itself climbed even higher – reaching No1 on the same US chart and No4 on the UK’s Official Album Chart.

So it seems you can’t keep a good thing down after all, no matter how publicly some corners of the world might try to – ‘and I bet everybody here is just as insincere’. Well, quite.

‘Fake Happy’ – Paramore 

Paramore come to the Genting Arena on Sunday 14th January, with support from MewithoutYou – as presented by SJM Concerts/Gigs and Tours. For direct event info and online ticket sales, click here. 

For more from Paramore, visit www.paramore.net 

For more from mewithoutYou, visit www.mewithoutyou.com 

For more on the Genting Arena, venue details and further event listings, visit www.gentingarena.co.uk

For more from SJM Concerts/Gigs and Tours, visit www.gigsandtours.com