A dank winter night in Sheffield didn’t dampen anyones enthusiasm as indie high rollers, err, rolled into town for a date at the Queens Social Club in the Steel City.
Up first are all-female four-piece, The Moon, who have just signed for the same label, Columbia Records. It’s hard to know what to make of this outfit; with the inevitable comparisons to the likes of Haim, The Moon don’t possess quite as much attitude, though their slightly gawky demeanour and infectious grinning meant they could get away with it.
Then on came Peace, to rapturous applause from the young crowd. Newies such as Lost on Me and Money were well received, while fan favourites such as Bloodshake and Wraith sent the crowd into a frenzy. Annoyingly, as soon as a slower number bagan, such as California Daze, out came a clamour of smart phones, taking the opportunity to hit up Instagram instead of being absorbed in the moment. The band themselves sounded brilliant; Harry and Doug’s mellifluous guitars floating well above the crashing drums and soothing bass, achieving a noise near to that of album quality.
Whilst the crowd, ranging mostly from barely-legal tweens to “are you really eighteen?”, seemed more concerned with dancing with their hands thrust in the air, regardless of song (the attempt to start a wall of death to the rise-and-fall B-side, ‘1998′), than paying a great deal of attention to the band. The somewhat routine evening took a turn towards mayhem during the encore. when fans clambered onto amps at the front of the stage, forming a tight knit wall of people a foot from Peace. A few unlucky stragglers fell, with one girl falling flat on her face, looking concussed. Management attempted to swell the horde, but it was no use. With Doug looking delighted, and Harrison bemused, the set ended in chaos and confusion to new favourite, World Pleasure. As Dom said, Peace love the energy they get from their adoring, NME nominated fans, and they feed off it. Queens Social Club was bursting with it, and it was unbridled, manic energy. The crowd left as Happy People.
Peace are currently touring the UK, with tickets available on their website http://www.peaceforeverever.co.uk/ Their second album, Happy People, is out January 9th.
