Returning to Nottingham after a string of intimate sell-out shows at the Bodega back in February, Peace took to the stage at Rock City on Friday night to deliver a stonking set featuring their best hits from their albums “Happy People” and “In Love”.
Support was provided by Hackney based indie rockers Splashh. Their brilliant but short set featured songs from their 2013 debut “Comfort” – but the highlight was the airing they gave to their new single “Pure Blue”. With its punchy bass, dreamy sound and cinematic quality, it had the crowd jumping and singing along to its catchy hook right from the start.
Looking round Rock City, it became increasingly apparent that this was a very young crowd. There were teenagers everywhere, and face glitter and wavy garms were out in force. There’s no denying that Peace’s sound has struck a chord with teens of today – their angsty lyrics summing up the teenage struggle and their idealistic nature perfectly. The youthful crowd brought a chaotic energy to Rock City and as a result the atmosphere was electric. Before the four-piece had even taken to the stage people were throwing bottles of water, chanting and moshing.
When Peace finally came out, the crowd went wild and the rushing began in earnest as they played their first song of the night, “O You”. Every single song played was brilliantly received by the crowd, with outbreaks of dancing and singing for each track. The band were as slick as they’ve ever been, with the swagger of an experienced group – they know their set well and have got it down pat. They raced effortlessly through the first half of their set, before slowing down for an acoustic segment; “Someday” in particular showed off front man Harry Koisser’s impressive vocal range. Fan favourite “California Daze” also got an airing, with the enthralled crowd singing along to every single word and filming the whole thing on their phones.
Even though the set was 90 minutes long, Peace never lost energy and kept up a good rapport with the crowd (before launching into “Perfect Skin” Koisser roguishly remarked that “You gotta keep hydrated if you want perfect skin.”) The first half ended with two golden oldies – their Binary Finary cover of “1998” which sent everyone into a frenzy, and the psychedelic “Bloodshake”.
Back for the encore, drummer Dom “Boycie” Boyce played a killer solo before Peace launched into “Lovesick”. The gig appropriately ended with “World Pleasure”, and Rock City went crazy, with people crowdsurfing, hopping on each others’ shoulders and generally just feeling happy. Bassist Sam Koisser taking centre stage for his funk filled solo rounded the gig off brilliantly.
All in all, Peace were on form and churning out the hits. They brought a sprinkling of indie magic to Rock City, and it would have taken the hardest of hearts not to get swept up in the fun of it all.
by Betty Owoo
Photo credit: Steve Gerrard Photography (stevegerrard.com)
Comments