The atmosphere shifts as soon as Peach Pit appear. Gone were the giddy smiles and chats, immediately replaced with loud screams as the band went into their first song ‘Brian’s Movie’, a country-twang infused indie track from their sophomore album ‘You and Your Friends’. The atmosphere of the room is fuelled by the band themselves as they jump around, with rhythm guitarist and vocalist, Neil Smith, thrashing his long hair all over the place as he conducts his signature headbang dancingguitarist, Chris Vanderkooy, was a highlight of the overall performance, however. His relationship with his audience is immense, always including them in moments of songs that are not specifically intended for singing, creating an incredibly interactive experience throughout the whole gig during his guitar solos by climbing onto barricades, throwing guitar picks into the crowd. While the band’s onstage presence and energy were indeed off the scales, it is hard to say the same for the crowd. Vocal as they were, there was a lack of physical energy than expected from a Peach Pit concert. As a Northerner, who has a soft spot for energetic shows that include jumping around and moshing, it could be said that the crowd at Concorde 2 was somewhat lacklustre in terms of physical energy.
PEACH
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O see one of your favourite bands for the first time is a feeling like no other, and mix that with the feeling of being at a gig for the first time since multiple lockdowns and restrictions over the years, and you have a highly anticipated gig. Standing in a crowd with people who love a band as much as I do was almost nostalgic. It had been so long since I had been to a gig like that- it was almost unfamiliar. Canadian indie-pop band Peach Pit were the perfect group to throw me back into gig life, a band I have loved since I was around seventeen years old. I was ecstatic to see live for the first time. The air of Concorde 2 was filled with excitement and giddiness as we waited for the band to come onstage, impatiently waiting as their entrance song ‘Going Up The Country’ by Canned Heat began to blare out of the speakers; a song that sums up Peach Pit perfectly with its goofy nature that plasters a smile on one’s face.
This does not mean, however, that the gig itself was disappointing, quite the opposite, I would say that this gig was one of the best I’d ever witnessed. With their nostalgic anthems such as self titled EP track ‘Peach Pit’, and their debut album’s singles ‘Drop the Guillotine’ and ‘Alrighty Aphrodite’ within their set, long-term fans were appropriately fed. Mix this with songs like ‘Give Up Baby Go’ from their most recent album ‘From 2 to 3’, released earlier this year, and the appropriate balance of slower songs such as ‘Everything About You’, and the result is a truly immense performance. Peach Pit were a truly impressive band to witness live, to see one of my favourite bands that I’ve loved since I was a teenager was a genuine honour, and while the crowd’s energy was somewhat lacking, the gig overall was a true enjoyment. A true testament to how entertaining Peach Pit are as a band, and a unit to be reckoned with.
ISSUE 3
Words and image by Rae Garvey 9
