In 2015 I was invited to speak at a digital marketing event during Canadian Music Week in Toronto. While in town, I mapped out the various gigs I planned to see, with the big one being Faith No More during their comeback tour. After Faith No More, I walked to the nearby Hard Rock Cafe, where there was a showcase happening for up-and-comers. One band in particular was hyped up pretty big, and they were set to hit the stage at midnight. Having my camera gear with me and always up for a shoot, I started snapping away. Little did I know that I was capturing a band that was primed and ready to reinvent a genre and ultimately create their own.
What I saw that night in Toronto was three brothers calling themselves Palaye Royale. They had made a name for themselves with their punk rock DIY attitude of doing everything themselves, building their audience, recording independently, and creating a massive buzz. This was a case where the record labels come to them instead of the other way around. Sumerian Records was that label, and as I remember at the time, it was primarily a metal label but starting to broaden its roster.
One could argue they set a precedence for others, including Earache Records with Rival Sons etc., which very likely kept these labels afloat during the dark days of illegal downloads. It’s easy to see why they would be all over a band like Palaye Royale, especially after seeing the show that night. These guys were young dudes, three brothers, who clearly had chemistry playing together, but furthermore, they were fusing two of my favorite genres; glam and early ’70s bluesy rock ‘n’ roll. Not to mention, much of the leg work was already done—they just needed help pushing them to the next level. Enter major record label.