Unlike vast swathes of the British population, Heather Baron-Gracie – the singer-songwriter of Manchester goth-poppers Pale Waves – won’t be settling down in front of the telly for a reality TV fix this evening. Not tonight and not ever.
“Love Island, that’s a show I always avoid,” she rants. “In terms of body image, shows like that are just so damaging. If you’re a teenage girl or boy, it just gives you this horribly distorted idea of what beauty is. That you have to be skinny and toned to be desirable. I hate it; it totally discourages people to feel positive about themselves, to be individual.”
That Pale Waves have not been tuning into ITV2 every night should come as no great surprise. After all, challenging and dismantling stereotypes is very much an essential part of this Manchester’s quartet’s modus operandi.
With the appearance of moody teenage goths, but armed with the sort of glossy, radio-friendly pop songs that Taylor Swift would be proud of, Pale Waves – Baron-Gracie, joined by drummer Ciara Doran, bassist Charlie Wood and guitarist Hugo Silvani – have graduated from Manc music favourites into bona fide national teen icons in the space of just two short years. Along the way, they’ve scored a Top 10 album (with last year’s debut My Mind Makes Noises); played several sold-out tours as well as supporting The 1975 and Muse at massive shows; and, most importantly, they’ve become hugely positive role models for young teenagers who don’t subscribe to the Love Island ideal of aesthetic perfection.
Indeed, just go to any Pale Waves show and you’ll be confronted by hoards of teenage girls, all sporting similar gothic make-up, singing along to every relatable lyric of lost love, self-doubt and body image.
“It’s the most amazing thing that you can influence someone’s life in such a way,” Baron-Gracie enthuses. “I love how our fans come to our gigs and really express themselves, be confident in their own bodies. It must so hard to be a teenager these days; there’s this constant pressure with social media to look good, to make it seem like you’re living this amazing, perfect life. There’s this whole culture of self-obsession. It does so much damage to mental health.”
It’s fair to say Heather Baron-Gracie has become much more aware of positive mental health over the past few years. As the focal point of Pale Waves (the band’s videos sometimes focus solely on her), the 25-year-old has, she admits, sometimes struggled with the intense scrutiny of life under the spotlight.
When Pale Waves first emerged on the Manc scene, around four years ago, Baron-Grace would, she recalls, “read absolutely everything that was written about us.” These days, however – having now confronted the more deleterious elements of pop stardom – Baron-Gracie is clearly less inclined to Google herself.
“For my own mental health, I’m not diving into the internet as much,” she explains. “When things really started happening with this band, it was quite a tough adjustment period for me. I was just seeing my face everywhere; doing photoshoots, videos, interviews. To constantly focus on yourself, that’s not a healthy thing. It’s a strange balancing act: to be the frontperson in a band, to reveal all these personal things about yourself in your music, while trying to maintain boundaries.”
Baron-Gracie’s intimate, heart-on-sleeve songwriting clearly lies at the core of Pale Waves’ appeal – though she hasn’t always been such an open book.
Indeed, if you saw Pale Waves in their early, embryonic phase, you’ll have witnessed a band whose songs were more emotionally reserved. The big turning point came, however, when drummer Ciara Doran – Baron-Gracie’s best friend since they first met at music institution BIMM in 2014 – urged her bandmate to open up and pour her heart out into song.
“It did take me a long time to open up as a songwriter,” she reveals. “Then, one day, Ciara, who knows me better than anyone, just said to me ‘if you want to be regarded as a really great songwriter, you’ve got to be more open and honest in your songs. I know you’ve got it in in you.’ That’s when songs like ‘There’s A Honey’ ( Pale Waves’ 2017 debut single ) started coming out of me. Songs that really made a deeper connection with people.”
Pale Waves will be hoping to make further deep connections when they perform at Heaton Park this weekend – supporting, to many people’s surprise, Manchester indie-rock giants The Courteeners. It’s an intriguing prospect – these awkward goth-pop upstarts performing to The Courteeners’ rowdy, raucous fanbase. Nevertheless, it’s a challenge that Pale Waves are clearly relishing.
“I’d never have thought of us and The Courteeners on the same line-up,” Baron-Gracie admits. “I’m sure some of their fans will absolutely hate us! But that was why I was more inclined to do this gig. I like the idea of playing to people who don’t who you are, and trying to turn them into fans. I love the challenge of it.”
Pale Waves play Heaton Park (supporting The Courteeners) on Saturday, June 15. They also headline Manchester Academy on Friday, September 27
