Pale Waves announce departure of guitarist Hugo Silvani: “We will miss him dearly”

Pale Waves have announced that guitarist Hugo Silvani is leaving the line-up, telling fans that they will “miss him dearly”.

The guitarist had been a part of the band since 2015, and the news of his departure was shared in a joint message from vocalist Heather Baron-Gracie, bassist Charlie Wood and drummer Ciara Doran.

“It’s with sadness that we are announcing Hugo’s departure from Pale Waves,” it began. “The last decade together has been filled with memories that will last a lifetime.”

The three remaining members revealed that the guitarist was leaving to focus on other projects, and added that they were “forever grateful for Hugo’s role in this band and the music we have created together”.

“Although we will miss him dearly, we wish him the best on his new adventures. With love, Ciara, Heather & Charlie,” they added.

At the time of writing, Silvani has not spoken publicly about his decision to leave the Pale Waves line-up, and it isn’t yet clear what “new adventures” he has planned next. The band have also not shared any information about who will be joining them as a guitarist.

As for Pale Waves, the band will be joining Louis Tomlinson on his upcoming arena tour this spring. The tour, in support of his new ‘How Did I Get Here?’ album, begins with a run of European dates in March, and will see the Manchester band join as support for the UK dates which kick off in Manchester on April 24.

They have also been added to the line-up for the 2026 instalment of Y Not, and the third edition of Yungblud’s own festival, Bludfest. This year, the latter will be heading abroad for the first time, taking place in the Czech Republic on June 27. Visit here for remaining tickets to all upcoming shows.

Last year, Pale Waves wrapped up their 2025 ‘Still Smitten’ UK and Ireland tour, which came in support of their 2024 album, ‘Smitten’, and saw them perform in places which often get “overlooked”.

That album was given four stars by NME, and the review shared that “‘Smitten’ is a loved-up record that’ll have you falling for Pale Waves all over again”.

“The fiery ‘Miss America’ is as urgent and defiant as anything on their last album, the dreamy ‘Thinking About You’ echoes The Cranberries, and ‘Seeing Stars’ is a burst of polished ’80s pop perfection,” it added. “But instead of echoing their greatest hits, Pale Waves constantly offer something new with a refreshing swagger.”