A Night of Chaos and Emotion with Paleface Swiss
Paleface Swiss took their latest EP, ‘The Wilted’, on tour across Europe and the UK, leaving a trail of shaken venues in their wake. It is hard to imagine a better Saturday night than the recent stop at London’s Troxy, where the band tore through their set and had the entire room in motion. Yet the night was not defined by mosh pits and chaos alone. In line with the emotional weight of the EP, the show carried a deep sense of vulnerability. When the band stripped things back for an acoustic moment, the venue lit up, and ‘River of Sorrows’ brought a deeper meaning to the night, offering a brief moment to breathe amid the intensity.
The night erupted in a surge of energy and chaos as Stick To Your Guns set the pit in motion from the very first song. Bodies collided and the room came alive, immediately establishing the intensity that would carry through the rest of the evening. Treating the crowd to favourites like ‘Invisible Rain’, ‘Spineless’ and the longtime staple ‘Amber’, the band pulled from across their catalogue, performing tracks from ‘Diamond’, ‘Disobedient’, ‘Keep Planting Flowers’ and even a nod to ‘The Hope Division’. Long before the headliners took the stage, the night was already in full chaos, with Stick To Your Guns firmly to blame.
On the second round of “facing the mosh pit”, Static Dress took the stage. Less aggressive than the opener, they instead brought a surge of creativity and screamo-infused energy that captivated the crowd, who were more than ready for another wave of crowd surfing. The performance began under dimmed lights with a striking visual setup: dozens of ’90s-style TVs flickering with static, each displaying the band’s signature face motif.
For those unfamiliar with ‘Face.’, the track opens with a heavy, pulsating instrumental intro driven by distorted guitar riffs. Behind the band, the same monochromatic wallpaper that has become their visual trademark reinforced their identity, making the stage unmistakably theirs. They tore through standout tracks such as ‘Clean’ and ‘Push Rope’, before unleashing the setlist highlight ‘Human Props’ midway through the performance, and closing with the haunting intensity of “Crying on big screen. Remember everything you did to me”.
As the night approached its finale, the audience pulsed with anticipation — and then it hit. Paleface Swiss opened with the fierce, screaming intensity of ‘I Am a Cursed One’, with Zelli unleashing his powerful vocals as flames erupted across the stage. The venue lit up, sending waves of energy through the crowd as fans surged forward, fists pumping and voices raised in unison. Kicking off in Dublin last week, ‘The Wilted’ tour brought the EP to life just months after its January release, with several tracks already cemented as crowd favourites.
The band tore through songs from the EP with searing, chaotic energy, seamlessly blending them with fan favourites from ‘Cursed’, ‘Fear & Dagger’, and their debut album, ‘Chapter 3: The Last Selection’. Each track hit with full force, keeping the crowd locked in from start to finish — screaming, crowd-surfing and even joined by Zelli himself as he stepped into the crowd to sing from atop the throng.
Near the end of the set, Zelli commanded the crowd to sit on the floor, only for the room to erupt moments later as everyone jumped up screaming along “Let me sleep… I’m wide awake”. Following ‘River of Sorrows’, Ron Deris joined Paleface Swiss on stage for a heartfelt acoustic performance, with the crowd lighting up the venue in a truly unforgettable moment. And of course, the night would not have been complete without Jesse and Josh from Stick To Your Guns joining the band for ‘Instrument of War’, sending the crowd into overdrive once again.
Later, Marc Zellweger reflected on the band’s beginnings, recalling their London show back in 2022 at the beloved New Cross Inn. It was a powerful and motivating moment, highlighting just how far the band have come — from those early shows to now releasing a killer EP that has firmly earned its place among my top releases.
From Stick To Your Guns’ relentless opening chaos, through Static Dress’s creative intensity, to Paleface Swiss’s emotional and explosive headline set, the night delivered on every level.
