LIVE REVIEW: Peace @ The Fleece, Bristol 22/04/2013

Originally published at Gigwise: http://www.gigwise.com/reviews/81188/peace-@-the-fleece-bristol-22042013

Monday night saw Peace, one the most talked about new bands of the year take to the stage at Bristol’s most intimate venue, The Fleece. The Birmingham band released their debut In Love a couple of weeks back, toured with the NME Awards and have subsequently sent fans and critics into a frenzy ever since. Their astoundingly strong debut has resulted in a near sell-out tour, and this small and personal show was something to be very excited about.

Their backdrop was a large peace symbol, the lighting moody and atmospheric. As the band took to the stage, dressed like 90’s grungers with their starburst electric guitars and shabby hairstyles, they certainly looked the part.

They began with ‘Delicious’, a Stone Roses-like, gently thudding intro that’s chorus quickly sent the crowd insane. The sound quality was spectacular; Harry "Harrison" Koisser, the bands charismatic and incredibly rock n roll frontman revealed to the audience a camera lodged into the neck of his guitar, filming them throughout the show.

‘Follow Baby’ took the energy in the room to an unbelievable level, while they sang, “Follow baby, we’re gonna’ live forever baby,” it felt iconic. As they blasted through their album, thrashing about the stage and kissing each other (a lot) Peace put on a first-rate show.

The frontman then claimed that this was, “One of the best nights we’ve ever played” much to the delight of everyone present. They ended with the 10- minute- long, Binary Finary cover of ‘1998’ taken from the EP Delicious. Normally, if a relatively new band were to drop a mostly instrumental track of this length at a live show it would go down like a lead balloon. Yet, Peace’s rendition had the adverse effect.

The encore was ‘California Daze’, a dreamy, melodic rock track that was written whilst the frontman was promoting a club night in their native Birmingham, standing up all day with one of those big arrows pointing to the venue. They wrapped up their most killer track and biggest hit ‘Bloodshake’, inviting everyone to come and join them at a nearby pub afterward.

It was one of those gigs that just felt special. The kind of show that you will brag about to your friends in the future and say, ‘I was there’.

ALBUM REVIEW: Major Lazer - Free The Universe

Originally published at Notion Magazine: http://www.planetnotion.com/2013/04/24/album-review-major-lazer-free-the-universe/

For someone who has never really bought into that whole ‘Sean-de-Paul and Blue Cantrell’, faux-Jamaican thing, Major Lazer have repeatedly surpassed expectations. Take their 2009 smash ‘Pon De Floor’ for instance, which still gets even the most rigid of movers to lose their shit on the dance floor to this day. But, just what is it about Diplo’s dancehall side project that enthrals even the most cynical amongst us to shamelessly bop along to just about anything they put out?

Think back to 2009’s Guns Don’t Kill People…Lazers Do, a record that put Major Lazer on the map in a big way, attracting the attention of Snoop Dogg (sorry Snoop Lion), Beyoncé and No Doubt. Whilst Major Lazer as a collective rose to the lofty heights of A* notoriety, one half of the outfit, Switch, decided to do just that and quit, citing “creative differences” – that old chestnut – leaving Diplo holding the reigns.

Did this deter him from putting out another record under the guise of Major Lazer? Of course it didn’t. One can’t help but wonder though, how the outfit would fare without it’s other half? ‘Get Free’, Free the Universe’s lead single was an absolute summer smash last year, with its gentle thudding and dreamy, low-fi sound. Opener ‘You’re No Good’ lends vocals from the magnificent Santigold, and albeit repetitive, is what any Major Lazer fan would no doubt have been striving to hear.

The album boasts an eclectic list of collaborators, including Ezra Koenig from Vampire Weekend on track ‘Jessica’, an unexpected union that somehow works. There are also appearances from Shaggy and Wynter Gordon on ‘Keep Cool’ and Laidback Luke and Ms. Dynamite on ‘Sweat’.

It has been one very long winter, but who’s first in line to provide a string of summer jams to accompany this welcomed and greatly needed shift in season? Why it’s Major Lazer, of course. Working just as well solo, Diplo has efficiently served up another dose of beguiling and genre-colourful dance floor bangers.

I'm excited about these guys.

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