Peace, The Cluny, Newcastle

Photo: Ruth Kilpatrick
Despite both bands on tonight’s bill hailing from Birmingham, they have sold out a local show in Newcastle tonight. This is testament to the power of music. Doesn’t matter where it originates from, if it’s good, it won’t stay local for long.

Superfood open the show with a set that they have tried, tested and one over various crowds with in Birmingham. Their songs go down well with the already rather rammed room of Peace t-shirts and leather jackets. They have much in common with Peace; for starters they have a keen ear for melody and secondly they know and utilise the power of backing vocals.

Their set is strong with no slow numbers or noodling instrumentals; it’s just short and sweet fun from start to finish. And what a finish! They end on their trademark ‘Superfood’ song, that acts as a theme tune for the band and provokes the biggest reaction from the crowd.

The immediacy of Peace’s music becomes clear tonight when the fans sing back almost every word of the choice cuts they choose to play from their recently released debut album ‘In Love’. Even B-side ‘Scumbag’, which gets an almighty live rendition, is lapped up by the mass that has gathered at the front to get a better look at Harry and co.

Peace aren’t just hit-makers either, they are now trained crowd-pleasers. Guitarist Doug has a Newcastle football shirt thrown at him and of course, he adorns it hastily and continues to kiss it and cheer back at the crowd. They love it. Well, save for the bewildered fan post-show looking for Doug to try and get the shirt back.

Mostly avoiding any on-stage banter, they let the songs do the talking. It doesn’t take much. From the opening drum roll of ‘Follow Baby’ to the euphoric riffs and choruses of ‘Toxic’ to the call to arms of ‘Lovesick’; the crowd are as far removed from ‘peaceful’ as possible.