Peach Pit’s rise on the indie scene has been nothing short of impressive. Taking Manchester as a key example, the quartet have graduated from gracing smaller venues (such as the 550 capacity Gorilla), to headlining, and almost selling out Manchester’s 2500 fan threshold Academy. Having hosted artists such as Billie Eilish, Lady Gaga and AC/DC, the venue is fit to exemplify Peach Pit’s burgeoning fanbase. Hailing from Vancouver, the quartet boast a back-catalogue of four records and a handful of extended plays, the most recent of which – Magpie – is the subject of their current world tour.
Teasing their set coherence before heading out on a co-headline (“Long Hair, Long Life”) tour across the US and Canada, Peach Pit arrived in Manchester with the psychedelic-pop Briston Maroney in tow.
The support slot from Maroney saw the Knoxville singer-songwriter treat fans to a whirlwind journey of the best his discography had to offer.
From the fuzz-rock intonations of ‘Freakin’ Out On The Interstate’ to the infectious tones of ‘Under My Skin’ and more tender notes of ‘Body’, Maroney delved in and out of surfer rock as he carves out his unique place on the indie-pop scene.
With a short but sweet set of eight tracks and a vocal performance not dissimilar to Harrison Koisser (Peace), Maroney aptly warmed up fans for the arrival of the main act.
In a rare move from an indie band, Peach Pit entered the stage at a prompt and expected 9.10pm, met with almost overwhelming smoke machines and a deafening cheer from the crowd.
Their first return to the UK since their 2022 From 2 To 3 tour, this Magpie tour saw the band display their seamless performing abilities, alongside their charming on stage bro-mances that saw guitarist (Chris Vanderkooy) aimlessly flitting around stage, only briefly haltering to join up in a heated instrumental break with bassist Peter Wilton.
Despite being a tour in support of their most recent record, Peach Pit didn’t relent from treating fans to hit tracks from deep within their discography – with ‘Drop The Guillotine’ and ‘Alrighty Aphrodite’ proving themselves to be well-founded fan-favourites. Interweaved with more recent cuts such as the surprisingly downbeat ‘Psychics In LA’ (“Psychic got it for me / And she’s hangin’ off of some little noose”), the funk-inclined ‘Give Up Baby Go’, and ‘Am I Your Girl?’ that holds a mirror to situationships, the first half of their set was a well balanced offering of songs old and new.
In a heartwarming tribute to Liverpool duo Her’s, (who, alongside their tour manager sadly lost their lives in a road collision in Arizona whilst touring the US), Peach Pit performed their most distinguished cut ‘What Once Was’. While many covers struggle to do the original justice, the quartet’s soft instrumentation and soft vocals served Her’s well – a performance which seamlessly transitioned into the more upbeat intonations of ‘Techno Show’.
Keeping on the tribute vein, ‘Vickie’ paid homage to a close friend of lead singer Neil Smith, as he tongue-in-cheek jested that it’s lucky they don’t live in closer proximity to one another: “If you lived right down the street / Would I ever have to buy more weed when I’m low? / That’s a no / You’d walk over probably bitching that it’s so far… But I thank God you don’t live nеxt door to me”. Complete with jovial guitars and lilting vocals, ‘Vickie’ is a nostalgic and cloying remark at friendship that translates impeccably live.
The second half of their set ended with a duo of tracks that elicited an overtly auspicious reaction from the crowd; ‘Shampoo Bottles’ and ‘Private Presley’. The former reflects on the aftermath of a break-up, and having left everything preserved as it was; “Your cellphone charger’s still hanging from the wall / Haven’t chucked it all, like you’d think / Though you haven’t been around in weeks. The mellow performance from Smith was met with the crowd echoing the chorus verbatim.”
Where ‘Shampoo Bottles’ was drenched in heartache, ‘Private Presley’ opted for remarks on Elvis Presley’s life, offering detailed, grisly accounts, beginning with the stillbirth of his twin brother: “The folks could hear her howls / The cotton bed sheets blood, my son / One less when it’s all done”.
From his modest roots (“two room shotgun house”), experiences in war (“My voice is back home while I’m in hell”), the move from his hometown to Memphis (“Tupelo’s air still fills my lungs”), and untimely passing of his Mother (“Alone, except my songs you’re gone”), ‘Private Presley’ is a cleverly written autobiographical cut. At almost a decade old, the crowd’s reaction was a testament to the track’s lasting impact. With melancholy lingering, the band quickly departed from the stage, but fan’s feet remained firmly planted on the Academy’s beer-soaked floor.
Their much-expected encore consisted of their self-titled number and the rich-narratives (“Hey there, bud, how’d it go last night? / I woke up to a pair of shoes I’ve not seen next to mine”) of the six-minute long ‘Tommy’s Party’. With each song in turn being met with unbridled excitement from the crowd, Peach Pit ended the show on an all-time high.
Though the evening’s events may have ceded, the atmosphere hung around the fans as they parted ways into the chilly April night.
Words and photos by Lana Williams
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