IN our next edition of Radar Spotlight, we chat to Glasgow fast-risers Majesty Palm.
With just a handful of tracks out in the world, the duo are making a name for themselves with their layered and textured indie synth-pop sound, oscillating from the meditative and considered to upbeat and uplifting. Taking influence from the likes of The Cure and Tears for Fears in their appreciation of eighties synthesisers and beats, there’s an enchanting and undeniably infectious quality to the outfit – enhanced by singer Olivia McCosh’s sultry vocals. And already endorsed by the likes of BBC Introducing Scotland and the SAMAs, the pair are showing all the sings of having a very bright future ahead.
So, ahead of their debut at TENEMENT TRAIL on 7th October, we catch up with the band to find out more about them, their inspirations and ambitions. Don’t miss out – get your tickets here.
Tell me a bit about you and how did you start?
Olivia: So Majesty Palm came into fruition about two years ago now, but Cameron and I met roughly two years before that. Cameron had heard a song I had released with a band I was in previously and reached out to ask if I wanted to work on something with him, which we did, and from there we worked on a couple different tunes, one of which was our first single ‘Peace Of Mind’. I think when we finished writing that song we soon realised we were really happy with the sound we had managed to achieve and I think we also came to realise that we both shared really similar influences and the same vision for the musical direction we wanted to go in, which made us both really keen to start releasing music as a band, rather than just a collaboration between two solo artists. We mix loads of different influences and genres, but the music is pop at it’s core, which we both share such a passion for. We released Peace Of Mind in February of last year and have really just had such an amazing time releasing new material and playing shows.
Who are you influenced by?
Cameron: We both share a love for 80s music, which truly influences so much of the sound of the band. Bands like Tears For Fears, Simple Minds, The Blue Nile, are all bands that we look up to so much and definitely inspire us in the music that we make. We always bang on about how much we love Dua Lipa, it’s definitely something we bonded over in the beginning of us making music. She’s just such a staple in pop music nowadays and every song is an anthem, so it’s hard not to love her.
What has been your biggest moment as a band so far?
Olivia: We’ve been really lucky to have had some really exciting moments as a band over the last year or so, but we recently played a live session on BBC Introducing in Scotland which was a bit of a mad one for us to process. Doing something like that just feels a bit mental, especially when it’s live and it’s a show that we’ve listened to for so many years. Getting recognition in any capacity from a show like that is really cool but to do the live session was just something we were buzzing to be asked to do. Having our family and our pals listening in was as well, just made it feel really special, so it was definitely one for the books.
What are your dreams as an artist?
Cameron: We just really want to push ourselves to keep making music that we truly believe in, and have that resonate with audiences, to create a space for people to enjoy listening to our stuff and relate to it. We obviously have big plans for our future and would love to play festivals that we love, be on stages that we always dreamed of being on. Going on tour and sharing our music and connecting with people is something that we would love to be able to do also. We just ultimately want people to have fun and feel something listening to our music, and we hope we can achieve that with the band.
What can we expect from your set at tenement trail?
Olivia: We’re bringing a set that’s mixed with all of our singles and also some unreleased material – it should be really fun to play the newer ones for everyone and get some live reactions to them! The new ones are a bit different to our usual stuff as well and it’s going to be really cool to bring the set to Tenement Trail. We’ve got plenty of upbeat tunes that should hopefully get you moving!
What acts do you want to see on the day?
Cameron: There’s loads of bands playing this year that we are buzzing to see, so many talented local acts on the bill as well. I can’t wait to see Bottle Rockets, I’ve loved their last couple singles so I’m really excited to see them live. We also supported Rory James at King Tuts recently and loved his set, so definitely want to catch him again. Bands like Lacuna, Big Girl’s Blouse, The Big Day as well, it’s definitely going to be such a fun day seeing everyone.
What is your favourite festival memory?
Olivia: It’s quite hard to pick one, but the one freshest in my mind is seeing Olivia Dean at Connect Festival last weekend. I’m such a fan of her music and her energy on stage is just too infectious. I’ve seen her a few times now and I feel like I have so much fun during her performance, and her set last weekend was amazing. I was singing every word so loud which must have been really annoying for everyone around me, but I had a great time!
What else have you got coming up?
Cameron: Right now we’re working on new demos and continuing to write new music. I think some of the music we’re writing at the moment is the best we’ve done so far, it feels like we’re growing with each release and with the more elements we’re adding into the sound we’re trying to do something different all the time. We also have some really fun stuff coming up at the beginning of next year, all will be revealed soon!
