Peace triumphantly returned to the Pyramids in a haze of smoke and groove filled euphoria. The four-piece released their sophomore album, Happy People, earlier in the year, which peaked at number 12 in the charts. The album contained dance-shoe purchasing tracks like ‘Money’ and ‘Lost On Me’, which confirmed the bands spot near the top of the mountainous UK indie music scene.
The concert began before the concert began. In a local Wetherspoons we sat scanning menus and trying to ignore calorie counts, while across the room Doug (guitar) and Dom (drums) enjoyed the very best of what Wetherspoons had to offer. Stunned admiration filled the eyes of the nearby denim clad teens, while the elder generation in the pub barely blinked in their direction and were quick to take their table once they left.
The endless queueing system at the Pyramids meant we missed the entirety of YAK‘s short performance, but we arrived in the venue to a cloud of smoke, and an excitable crowd. Splashh were up next. I have been a fan of Splashh since I interviewed them in first year, their music transports the listener to a psychedelic beach of moaning and synth. The quartet began their set in a typical low-key style, letting the music do the talking. The audience reacted poorly, fiddling with smartphones and chatting loudly to their peers. Whether I projected my own feelings of discontent onto the band, or they really were annoyed at the startling rudeness of the crowd I can only guess. The band performed solidly, introducing their new material, ‘Pure Blue’, into the set.
Peace performed next. The audience filled up quickly in anticipation of their set, and I was quickly shunted to the front by hordes of teenagers (a social group I can no longer count myself a part of). The band launched into their material, old and new, with ‘O You’, ‘Wraith’, ‘Follow Baby’, ‘I’m a Girl’, and ‘Money’ causing riotous behaviour in the audience. Harry Koisser (singer) drawled out the lyrics, adorned in his own bands merchandise.
By the time the band begun their acoustic section, I had weaved out of the crowd and stood comfortably at the back. Since Koisser was alerted to harassment at concerts, he tweeted that security would be increased. The bouncers at the front of the stage certainly seemed more alert, with any kind of destructive movement being registered by their eyes. While I certainly felt a little safer, the drunken stupidity of many of the teen members of the audience certainly did not benefit my hungover state.
The most interesting part of the concert were the remixes of their earlier material, with new drum rhythms and slower guitar, Koisser crooned out vocals teasingly to the crowd who reacted just as he knew they would. The encore brought with it a hasty cover of ‘Last Christmas’ by Wham, and all too early reminder of the upcoming festive season, and the track I had been waiting for; ‘World Pleasure’.
Overall, the gig was lively, fun and entertaining. The band knew what they were doing, but perhaps too well as they appeared slightly bored by their current situation. I hope this band continues to build its loyal fan base and attempts to fill bigger venues and support larger acts. They have the perfect manners and consideration to be a band at the top: they care for their fans, they create timeless music, and they are just generally extremely cool with their fame. Peace will forever hold a place in my heart.
