Peace, Koko, London

New Year’s Eve is often a disappointment due to high expectations and promises made to celebrate the end of one year and beginning of another in style. Peace, however, tonight prove that they’re more than a match for it, playing their biggest headline gig to date and providing a memorable night for the lucky crowd at Koko.

Since the band’s swift emergence in 2012 and excellent debut single ‘Follow Baby’, they’ve signed a major label deal, released the brilliant ‘Delicious’ EP - with suitably juicy artwork - and found themselves on a never-ending touring schedule. Not to mention new additions to their ever-growing eccentric clothing collection and their very own billboard. All for them to revel in moments like tonight.

They emerge shortly after midnight, bursting straight in to new single ‘Wraith’, with its filthy groove and slick hooks executed perfectly, as they go on to deliver a relentless set, including a huge sing-a-long during ‘Califonia Daze’, the crowd returning every word sung by frontman Harrison Koisser with added vigour.

Despite multiple anthemic moments, it’s the improvisation and experimental side of their set in which they thrive most. At one point they lead the crowd jovially in to Cyndi Lauper’s ‘True Colours’, which quickly transcends in to the grungy riff of ‘Follow Baby’. The highlight of the night is the band’s rework of Binary Finary’s ‘1998’, which is staggering live as it towers in to a multi-directional thriller, and is reminiscent of The Stone Roses’ ‘Fool’s Gold’.

Peace may have standout songs, but it is the way they seamlessly combine them that creates the exhilarating experience. There are funky moments of jaunty guitars, languid sun-kissed intros, mouth-watering choruses and dirty, grungy noise.

One hour in to 2013, the Birmingham boys have triumphantly played their biggest show to date, and for everyone inside Koko are the first they have the pleasure of listening to this year.