Peace at the Scotch of St James

The Scotch of St James is one of the most charming venues in the whole of London. Thanks to its location – a spot close to St James’s Square, in the heart of Mayfair and behind the super cool gallery The White Cube – and its history, the venue is definitely a precious one. During the 60s the club was the temple of the underground scene, hosting artists like The Rolling Stones and Jimi Hendrix; now, 50 years after, it’s back in fashion, hosting the new contemporary gotha of indie music. The elegant environment of the club – wood walls, art decò aesthetic, the chic allure of Fitzgerald’s jazz era – totally lends a unique experience in the middle of London.

Considering the amount of teenagers present and the long queue outside the venue, Peace are the band of the moment. Having just released the new single Money, the band are promoting across the country, showing consistency in terms of sound with their first record In Love. It’s quite interesting to note that the first record of the band was called In Love, while their new offering is called Money: is this a change of prospective? A conceptual revolution? Can money buy love? Are they now in love with money?

The claustrophobic basement packed with screaming and jumping teenagers hosted the members of the band, who despite their young age know how to keep the stage and how to behave. The band entertained the audience in a very friendly way, playing songs from across their repertoire, for an hour-long show. Their pop-rock offers some 90s features mixed with a more contemporary sound à la Vampire Weekend, Bombay Bicycle Club, Tame Impala and The Crookes.

It can’t be said that the gig was bad, but unfortunately it wasn’t great. The reason behind this is the quality of the songs, which are to date not so sophisticated as they should be. Sure, the bad has big potential and that following this trend will mean they grow up exponentially, but they need to improve a few rough edges round their sound.

Lorenzo Cibrario

For further information and future events visit Peace’s website here.

Watch the video for Money here: