Interview: Peace

Peace's Dom Boyce discusses ambition, partying and his bands joyous new record.

Born into a city with a music scene that could previously boast the likes of Black Sabbath, Judas Priest and Electric Light Orchestra, Peace have brought the West Midlands back to basics with their brand of anthemic indie music, teamed with youthful enthusiasm and a unique ability to write uplifting music. This was brought to light with their joyous debut record In Love, and as they prepare to release their second album Happy People, the bands drummer Dom Boyce answered some questions on how the quartet have progressed.

Happy People has been described as having ambitious spirit with the potential to touch the lives of millions. This statement suggests that Happy People is a million miles away from the bands 2013 release In Love, which hints that they have perhaps developed their sound and music ability - an exciting thing to hear. However, when asked about what new elements have been introduced on Happy People Boyce didn't exaggerate. "I'm not sure if there is anything. It's not like we can say we've got a keyboard player in but we do have strings on the record. The biggest change is the approach to the way things have been recorded and the way the songs have been written". This is despite the fact that Peace have brought back Jim Abiss - the same producer from In Love. Peace have nearly waited two years to release Happy People and during that time you would have thought that they would have been able to enhance certain elements including their musicianship which Boyce confirms. "Over the time since the first record we have developed our ability to play our instruments and record songs," states Boyce. This can only be a positive thing as it shows the band going from strength to strength.

Since their debut album Peace have toured all over the world and been able to enjoy new things and new cultures, giving them the chance to write about different experiences. Boyce hinted that In Love was primarily about frontman Harry Koisser when explaining that "when writing Happy People Harry did look out to other things other than himself - which isn't to say that the first record was purely self-indulging or just about him because it wasn't - but I think maybe in this record there's things that are specifically related to other people and other things that are going on outside of Peace." It has been said that Happy People has a glorious sense of adventure and this change again shows us that Peace have developed over the past eighteen months. Boyce was keen to point out that "if you're a Peace fan or even if you're not, you'd be interested in what Harry has to say on this album". From the tone of his voice when talking about the album and the track 'Money' in particular, it's clear that he is extremely proud of the album. "When I hear that song back it reminds me of the enthusiasm and excitement that we had when we went back in to the studio. I'm proud of that song and I find it rewarding to listen to and play."

This pride and confidence shines through when the topic of the music charts is brought up. Peace's previous album charted at number sixteen and Boyce is in no mood to suggest that this album will do worse. "It would be silly to say that we don't care and we don't want it to be in the top ten because of course we do, because that then results in more people coming to your gigs." It's great to hear a band think this way - wanting success whilst not sounding arrogant - but even if the album wasn't to chart in the top ten Boyce states that "we wouldn't call it a day if Happy People didn't make the top ten and we'd still be happy to carry on." This shows Boyce's immense passion for the band's music whilst remaining optimistic,

Having unveiled a lyric video for track 'I'm A Girl' from Happy People it was interesting to learn how much say Peace themselves have in their always unique music videos direction. Boyce said "When we agree to co-direct a video a video with a director that's when it never works, because you've to lots of strong minded people approaching the same goal. It either works if we do it 100% or 0". It's refreshing to hear a band wanting to be part of all aspects of their music including videos rather than shying away from it all.

Peace have toured with some very reputable bands including Bombay Bicycle Club and the Manic Street Preachers and through doing this, Boyce and the band have learnt an awful lot - how to balance the writing process of being in a band and then the other side of being in a band, aka getting really drunk at parties. When asked if these bands ever offered Peace direct advice however, Boyce said "We've never sat down or been sat down by other bands and been told here's how you could do this, because that's a bit uncomfortable. But you do definitely learn things and pick things up being on tour with these bands". This demonstrates the level of respect that Peace have earned from their prestigious tour-mates. The most important thing that Peace have learnt according to Boyce, is this balance of being professional and partying. "When you first start out in a band there's no one there to stop you from doing the gig and going out every night and getting really drunk at parties. It's only when you see bands that you really like and want to be as successful as them you think 'hang on, the don't go out and get drunk so maybe we should tone it down."

The release of Happy People could prove to be an exciting chapter in the life of Peae and its clear that Boyce speaks about his work with pride and passion like all good musicians should. He also has his feet firmly on the ground and knows not too carried away should Happy People prove to be a successful record. Boyce ends the conversation by touching on the bands future with an infectious youthful exuberance: "whether it be our fourth album or twentieth, I would love to be sat here talking about it and being excited to go on tour and play it all live."

Peace Live at The Haunt

Peace Live at The Haunt

Peace walk on to the stage bathed in a sea of flashing lights and the audience packed in to the sweat pit that is the Haunt in Brighton applaud furiously as they catch a glimpse of their indie heroes. Peace are here to indulge them with their clever mix of indie songs tainted with pop influences.

After the explosion of their debut album In Love back in 2013, Peace released their second, heavily Britpop influenced album Happy People. They thrive on groove laden, reverb infected indie pop that relates to their hometown of Birmingham. Other bands from that particular scene have faded away, but Peace have managed to maintain their reputation and have become one of the most talked about bands in recent years.

Set opener ‘Higher than the Sun’ has all the classic Peace elements. Douglas Castle’s Echo drenched guitar and front-man Harry Koisser’s subtle voice singing a happy and optimistic chorus. All the members of Peace command the stage extremely well. Their confidence in their music has grown hugely since they first started out which is shown when we are treated to the first flavour of Happy People. Peace dive straight in to ‘Money’ the first song they put out from the new album. It’s full of texture and colour more specifically royal blue and yellow as shown on the album, and upon hearing it live there is a sense of a band who know they are at the top of their game. Koisser struts around the stage with arrogance and swagger whilst the other members are intricate and on point musically. ‘Lost on Me’ a big hitter off the new album goes down a treat. The song got the audience singing along in unison despite the fact it might have been the first time many of them had heard the song live.

The classics from the first album also make an appearance in the set. ‘Lovesick’ transports everyone back to 2013 when Peace first reached our ears. This gets the whole venue jumping as does ‘I’m a Girl’ with its huge chorus and catchy lyrics. As the set ends with the funky Happy People closer ‘World Pleasure’ Peace have left a lasting impression. It was a gig which was floorless and proves once again that Peace are just one step away from breaking into the mainstream. 

Peace Interview (Dom)

Peace Interview (Dom)

In February this year I had the pleasure of interviewing one of the members from one of the most talked about bands of the last five years. Peace. I spoke to Dom the drummer who spoke to me about the new album Happy People, touring, partying and where he see's Peace in 5 years. Enjoy! 

Peace: Happy People Review

Since the release of their debut album In Love it’s clear that dandyish Midlands-based indie pop act Peace have a distinct knack for churning out typical pop songs with an indie twist. In Love was an album that encapsulated happiness, which lead to positive thinking. That album had its clear influences and now Peace are back with their second album entitled Happy People and as the title which suggests, they haven’t strayed too far from their happy sounding influences.

Upon first listen Happy People sounds like a standard and steady second album where nothing has been tampered with. Everything is a little more polished and professional. The album starts with track ‘O You’ which begins with something you might hear in an old Victorian music box, and then as frontman Harry Koisser sings about wanting to “change the world that you love in”, the melodic guitars that Peace have become famous for kick in. It’s not the greatest album opener as it’s slightly sluggish and takes a while to get going but it leaves you wanting to listen on to see if the album improves (which it does).

Peace have a good ear when it comes to choosing what works in a pop song and the first track that stands out upon first listen is the heavily pop-based ‘Lost On Me’ which has an incredibly memorable and catchy chorus but like the album as a whole it feels like we’ve been here before with Peace, it’s all very melodic and catchy but it feels like a work in progress. There are however two tracks in particular that make you stop and think about the direction Peace perhaps want to go in; those tracks follow each other on the album.

‘Money’ is an extremely funky song with a killer lead guitar introduction in which Koisser sings about the power that money has over people and the subsequent track ‘I’m a Girl’ is a song about the rejection of male stereotypes which has an immense chorus combined with heavy guitar riffs – something that Peace haven’t added in to their music up until now and it works really well with all the musical elements Peace are known for. ‘I’m a Girl’ is almost the perfect combination of pop, rock and glam.

Judging by Happy People it’s clear that Peace are still are work in progress. They have the potential to go any way they want to, whether that be making an all-pop album or combining elements of various genres. Happy People is a step up from In Love but there are still some screws that need tightening.