PALEFACE SWISS / STICK TO YOUR GUNS / NASTY – THE PALLADIUM
By Mia Palazzo
For my third and final show of the weekend, I had the privilege of attending Paleface Swiss at The Palladium. This was my third consecutive night at my all-time favorite venue. This tour, The Cursed Tour, is a 33-date North American run, with the Palladium show marking the band’s biggest headline performance in North America to date. With every stop either sold out, upgraded, or on low ticket warning, this was not a tour to miss. The lineup featured heavyweights in the United States metal scene, Stick to Your Guns, along with Belgian hardcore legends Nasty, who I can guarantee are worth showing up early for.
Kicking things off, Nasty delivered an absolutely relentless set. True hardcore at a venue this size is a rarity, and when it does happen, the energy is often lacking. That was not the case here. Within the first ten minutes, someone got knocked out, and barricade security scrambled to contain a massive fight, something I have never seen in all my years at the Palladium. Every member of the security team was needed, which says a lot about the intensity of the pit.
Despite their short set, the band packed in a mix of fan-favorite tracks and newer hits, including “Iron Grip”, which, on the recorded version, features Terror. The energy never wavered from start to finish. The crowd knew every word, and the movement never stopped. Their performance was a perfect example of hardcore at its finest.
Next up was Stick to Your Guns, a band I last saw twice in 2020. Even after five years, their fans remain just as wild. The entire floor was moving for their entire set. People were crowd surfing, moshing, and even attempting to get on stage and jump off the barricade back into the pit, which security was not allowing.
Their entrance set the tone immediately as they walked on stage to the 20th Century Fox intro, hyping up the crowd right away. The setlist featured songs from different eras of the band but focused on their newest album, Keep Planting Flowers, which was released in January and is a must-listen. The energy in the room was electric, with fans screaming along to every word, sometimes even louder than the instruments.
The highlight of their performance was the ending. They closed with “Spineless”, a clear fan favorite, which transitioned into “Against Them All”. The moment the opening notes hit, the entire venue erupted into a massive mosh pit. Crowd surfers poured over the barricade, and every voice in the room joined in for the final song.
Paleface Swiss
Finally, it was time for the band everyone had been waiting for, though the wait did not feel long thanks to the incredible openers. I have seen Paleface Swiss four times before this. The first time was at the Webster Underground when they were an opener playing to maybe 200 people. The next three times, they were openers on incredible lineups. Watching this band grow over just two years has been astonishing. From the beginning, they have deserved every bit of success they have earned. They played with the same eccentric energy to 200 people two years ago as they did to over 2,000 people headlining the Palladium.
Their setlist was the perfect mix of their newest album, Cursed, and older favorites. The show began with an eerie atmosphere, with only a giant hanging noose illuminated over the drum set as the drummer walked on stage. They opened with “Hatred”, the second track from Cursed, instantly sending the crowd into a frenzy.
A pit opened immediately, and crowd surfers flew over the barricade faster than I could get my viewfinder to my eye. This transitioned into “Suppressing Times” from their older album Fear and Dagger, a song that every single person in the room seemed to know. The show moved fast, almost too fast. Before I knew it, they were nearing the end of the set, playing “Please End Me”, one of my personal favorites.
The ending was the best I have ever seen from any band, not just because of the final songs “Please End Me”, “666”, “Pain”, and “Love Burns”, but because of the connection between the band and their fans. Multiple times during the set, vocalist Zelli jumped into the crowd and let fans sing into the microphone with him. The last time I was on the barricade for Paleface Swiss, he jumped from the stage and cleared the ten feet between the barricade and the crowd, landing directly on top of me. This time, he was more considerate and jumped from the barricade into the crowd, which I appreciated even though I was not down there this time.
At the very end, Zelli jumped off the stage and high-fived every single fan along the barricade, making sure no one was missed from one side to the other. The drummer then came down from his kit and tossed Haribo gummy bears into the crowd, which seemed to be much appreciated.
Paleface Swiss is truly a band that I have and will continue to recommend to everyone. Even if this is not the type of music you usually listen to, they are some of the kindest and funniest people in the scene. I am not sure it is possible to leave one of their shows without feeling completely energized.
To learn more about Paleface Swiss, check out their Website
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