Radar Band Of The Week No:82: ‘Peace’

Leading the new charge of Midlands indie – one trampy house party at a time
peace

Back home in Birmingham, the four boys of Peace have become so popular that they’re practically being given the keys to the Bullring. “People have said we’re an inspiration for them starting a band,” says bassist Sam Koisser, incredulously. “It’s ridiculous.” As one third of what singer (and Sam’s brother) Harry describes as a “tri force” in Brummie indie – completed by the city’s other rising heroes Swim Deep and Troumaca – Peace are the poster boys for the UK’s most promising new scene. Brought together by some of life’s key moments (birth, education and, er, street fights), they’re now building momentum outside of their home city, propelled by support slots with The Vaccines, jaw-droppingly exciting songs and enough roguish antics to put Jordan Howler to shame.

For these boys, being boring isn’t an option. At one London gig they finished their set by setting off fireworks, while they’ve already garnered a support network of obsessed fans who turn up at gigs with peace tattoos and logos shaved into their heads. More pressingly, one now very-ex fan in Leeds is after their blood after an altercation over some cider (“We’re going to fuck him up if he comes to our next gig,” jokes drummer/chief troublemaker Dom Boyce). Indeed, where duller bands would spend the hours leading up to a big show cautiously preparing, Peace like to warm up with, erm, a raucous house party.

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“The last one we did ended about an hour before we had to go and play another gig at a proper venue,” explains guitarist Doug Castle. “The door got kicked down and then in the morning there was a tramp asleep by the fireplace, dribbling, with a wet patch around his groin. He was wearing our friend’s bathrobe. We couldn’t get it off him.”

They might party hard, but they put in the hours too. Spending the last year taking things slowly, the results, such as the lilting tropicana of ‘Bblood’ and the blistering, Pearl-Jam-gone-Madchester assault of debut single ‘Follow Baby’, have been nothing short of stunning. They’re perfectionists, they say, so the wait for an album could be a long one – but judging by Peace’s track record so far, it’ll be worth it.

Rhian Daly

Need To Know:

Based: The Midlands
For Fans Of: The Maccabees, Foals
Hear It: ‘Follow Baby’ is released on April 23 via Deadly People
See Them Live: Peace tour the UK throughout March
Believe It Or Not: Harry once got him and his friends a week off school to clean up a canal. “I think we just picked up beer cans,” he remembers, adding: “I want to save the British canal system.”

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This article originally appeared in the March 17th issue of NME

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