Jeni Pillai gives Peace a chance

At first glance, Peace appear to be yet another so-cool-it-hurts, indier-than-thou, guitar band. Just have a look at their haircuts and you’ll see where I’m going with this. But after seeing them play at the Lexington on Tuesday night, I can confirm there’s definitely more to them than that.

They stormed straight out of Birmingham this year, along with bands like Swim Deep and Troumaca, to introduce the London music scene to a sound that it hasn’t heard ina while. I’d even go so far as to say that it’s comparable to the Grunge movement in the mid-80s, of which Peace are the equivalent to Nirvana. Big statement, I know, but listen to the EP and you’ll get it. No but seriously, LISTEN TO THE EP. It’s one of the most exciting (and delicious) things to come out this year and if the debut album (expected to be released in the Spring of next year) is anywhere near as good as the EP we’re in for a treat.

Before the band took to the stage, a 5-piece from Cambridge called Carousels played their set. The combination of their lo-fi sound and soothing male-female dual vocals produced something that wasn’t easily forgettable, as so many support acts are. However, there were some issues with the sound that meant it was a real struggle to hear the vocals over the guitar. I have no idea what they were singing about. They certainly made an impression though, judging by the rush of people clambering over each other to grab the EPs they were selling at the back of the room.

Peace started their set with ‘Ocean’s Eye’, a song with all the roguish charm and twanging guitars you could want from a good old indie record. It’s when they played ‘Follow Baby’, one of their most popular tracks, that we got more of an idea about what sets Peace apart from the rest. The slurring, scratchy vocals coupled with the screeching guitar injected the room with a massive shot of adrenaline. There was something about being in the midst of a crowd of hipsters chanting the line “we gonna live forever baby” that did feel slightly surreal. ‘Li’l Echo’, the B-side to ‘Follow Baby’, has a haunting tone to it that rings in your ears long after it’s finished and suddenly made the gig feel even more intimate. Then ‘California Daze’ provided a change in mood; calm descended and I genuinely thought we’d have to get our lighters out and wave them in the air at some points.

The highlight of the night for me was when they launched into ‘1998’, a cover of the Binary Finary track of the same title. It fizzled into a massive Pink Floyd-esque jam at the end and, at the risk of sounding cliché (which in itself is a cliché, ha), I have to admit it was quite magical. Everyone just seemed completely mesmerised by what was going on on-stage, and that’s pretty rare because jams like this can feel so indulgent the crowd loses interest. Not this jam. This was a good jam. To finish the set, they played ‘Bloodshake’, a song reminiscent of an early Foals improv’ with Harry (Harrison Koisser, singer) drawling “we spit blood in the sun, we spit blood in the ocean” over it. There’s a bit near the end that wouldn’t sound out of place in an xx song as well, so they’ve covered all bases there. It’s a firm favourite with the band’s fast-growing fan-base and, along with the white confetti that exploded over our heads, created the perfect finale to the show.

Peace are a band that seem to be growing exponentially (had to drop that in, we’re at Imperial guys, embrace it). They’ve certainly come a long way since I saw them supporting the Mystery Jets earlier this year. The grungy yet elegant atmosphere of the Lexington provided the perfect environment for Peace’s grungy yet elegant sound. They say they make music to “fuck you in the heart”. After Tuesday night, I kind of agree.