Written for The Music Fix
Far away from the hustle and bustle of the Christmas markets, The Ritz was unusually teen-heavy for this packed out show. Warmed up by support act Drenge, by the time Peace hit the stage the atmosphere verged on the ecstatic, a volley of clothing suggesting temperatures down the front were already riding high.
With just their debut album, March’s In Love to their name, the setlist was predictible, although every track was met with an approval rarely seen outside a One Direction show. Lead singer Harrison Kossier seemed to stumble mid-set, unsure what they were playing next. Given the largely identikit nature of their material, you feel for him a little.
What highlights there were came during the instrumentals, which proved that some talent lies beneath. While the group’s blank lyrics get in the way of the sonics, these instrumental breaks allowed their skills to really shine and show what Peace might amount to. Their take on Binary Finary’s ‘1998’, was the best song of the night; it offered a touch of creativity to their by-the-numbers performance, allowing their shoegaze-inspired jamming to simply play out, coming to a head as they slammed their instruments on the floor and walked off stage.
Returning for an encore, the quartet treated the audience to a seasonal tune with a cover of Wham’s ‘Last Christmas’; Kossier’s voice was rich and teamed up with the jangly guitar refreshed a long exhausted Yuletide track.
Life-changing it may not have been, but for a short while at least, Peace reigned over Manchester.
Emma Roberts 