With only two singles released Palma Violets have quickly become one of the most-hyped and successful upcoming bands of 2012.
Palma Violets sweet success began many months before the band even officially released a single.
Throughout the whole of 2012 a cult following grew and expanded, gigs were regularly hosted in the south London’s notorious Studio 180 where around 60 lucky sweaty souls cramped into the studios to hear the bands energetic appearances.
It cannot be denied that Palma Violets growth in 2012 was anything but overwhelming. The band was and have been continuously hyped and featured in NME; a review of one of their gigs at Studio 180 claimed the band is the fresh and new rock’n’roll that they and alternative music enthusiasts “have been waiting for”.
The quartets fast rise to fame rapidly continued throughout the year. The band were spotted at their sweaty fevered gigs and were quickly signed to the legendary indie/alternative label Rough Trade – the home to albums released from the Libertines and the Strokes.
In August Palma Violets finally uploaded their first demo ‘Tom the Drum’ online on YouTube which has now been viewed over 43,000 times. The rough and raw sounding demo captured the band performing in an obscurely tiny room in Studio 180 that was barely large enough swing a cat let alone for a performance. This upload again pushed the band into the NME limelight where they were rightly highlighted in the radar tip of the day.
Palma Violets’ eagerly awaited debut single ‘Best of Friends’ was released in October 2012. The single was greeted with positive reviews as the band has been compared to the likes of the likely lads – The Libertines. ‘Best of Friends’ justified the hype that had been surrounding them and answered why they were becoming one of the best new bands of 2012. NME named the song that combined energetic guitar riffs with a knockout chorus to be the best track of the year and was further christened by Zane Lowe making it as the hottest record in the world. ‘Last of the Summer Wine’ was also accompanied on the ‘Best of Friends’ single which captured a mellower side to the Palma Violets.
Since storming the music scene, Palma Violets have already covered two NME issues in 2012 where they were called the ‘best new British band’. NME have both covered and made this bold statement previously about the Libertines, Arctic Monkeys and Oasis. With Palma Violets being signed to Rough Trade and having such a sweet first year the band could easily mirror their success.
Palma Violets ended their flourishing and successful year by unveiling the February release date of their debut album ‘180’ – titled after the bands house Studio 180 that has been notoriously known for hosting eccentric gigs and parties. ‘Step Up from the Cool Cats’ is the second single released from the debut ‘180’ that features a church organ echoing underneath layering frantic guitar riffs. With two luscious singles, fans can expect the Palma Violets’ debut album to be just as sweet.
Au courant noise 