Canadian indie rock band Peach Pit played a colorful show for an eager Kemba Live! crowd on the evening of Saturday, September 20th. The show is the latest in the band’s global tour in support of fourth album Magpie, released on October 25th of last year to Columbia Records.
The Vancouver-based band’s lineup includes singer Neil Smith, guitarist Chris Vanderkooy, bassist Peter Wilton, and drummer Mikey Pascuzzi. Founded in 2016, Peach Pit have come to be known as one of the biggest names in 2010’s indie with genre staples such as “Alrighty Aphrodite”, “Tommy’s Party”, and “Shampoo Bottles”, and they continue their steady climb with this solid release.
According to Magpie’s press release, via Sony Music Canada, the album’s name originates from an experience on tour in Australia, where the band witnessed flocks of wild magpies. On his songwriting, via the album’s press release, Smith stated that he “‘thought it was interesting how these birds can be good and bad omens,”’ which he connected to the drastically different directions in which his life could have turned based on different crucial decisions.
Peach Pit pulled another classic inspiration for Magpie from The Beatles’ discography, especially present in the album’s more psychedelic flair, with “the end result [of] Peach Pit’s most sonically kaleidoscopic record yet,” according to their press release.
Peach Pit’s live presentation subtly reflected this kaleidoscopic nature with a colorful light show. The Peach Pit live experience was overall quite pleasant and approachable. The stage was set in a podium-esque configuration, both satisfyingly symmetric and conveniently staggered so that each player was optimally visible. Their lightshow featured side lighting which cast huge, enchanting shadows of band members onto the color-washed walls beside them.
My one true qualm with the experience had nothing to do with Peach Pit themselves, but rather the venue’s weaponization of the band in their continued war against Columbus’ ear health. While I am no acoustics shark and mostly unbothered by the minutia of live sound quality, at the risk of sounding old, there is no reason that drums should be so loud, especially for a somewhat soft rock band such as Peach Pit.
Nevertheless, a consummate professional and overcomer, Pascuzzi’s skilled playing distracted from the volume. If anything, the inordinate volume put a spotlight on Pascuzzi, and he rose to the challenge, with his drumming making songs such as “Alrighty Aphrodite”, “Give Up Baby Go”, and “Magpie” self-titled really come to life.
The band as a whole sounded great; there is really no better description than to say that they sounded like Peach Pit but live, which I mean as high praise. Smith’s vocals were nice and consistent, and Wilton held it down. Vanderkooy’s expressive playing was a wonder to watch, similar to AC/DC’s Angus Young at times, but rocking more politely. He, Smith, and Wilton all had a way with the crowd, and were engaging performers— so engaging that they were worth assuming a humbling tiptoed stance for much of the concert to catch glimpses over tall men’s heads.
Beyond being great performers and players, Peach Pit seemed down to earth. I was taken off guard by the band’s touching cover of “What Once Was” by tragically departed Liverpool duo Her’s. Because of their shared iconic status in 2010’s soft indie, Peach Pit and Her’s fanbases overlap quite a bit. Peach Pit seemed humbled to honor the fallen legends as fans themselves, and there was a general sense of connection through shared grief.
Peach Pit are easy to enjoy, and easy to root for. Their live experience is comparable to that of Vampire Weekend, with underlying sentiments of goodness and the kind of stability that makes me inclined to think they will be around for the foreseeable future, continue to release good music, and probably play a greatest hits tour in 30 years or so— which I would certainly attend. If you ever get the chance to see them, Peach Pit are worth the evening.
Show Review: 9/10
Setlist:
- War Pigs / Magpie
- Drop the Guillotine
- Black Licorice
- Brian’s Movie
- Give Up Baby Go
- Outta Here
- Tell Me You Love Me
- What Once Was
- Techno Show
- Wax & Wane
- St. Mark’s Funny Feeling
- Shampoo Bottles
- Not Me
- Alrighty Aphrodite
- Private Presley
Encore:
- Peach Pit – Neil Solo
- Everything About You
- Tommy’s Party
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