In our next Band Spotlight, we chat to Chester-based indie-rockers, Peaness about their music and inspirations.
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S] Hi guys! How are you today?
Hi! Good thank you! It’s the new year! Feeling pretty excited about the coming months.
S] In what ways if at all does Chester inspire your sound?
Sonically not so much, but lyrically, it’s hard not to write about the city you live in, and draw inspirations from relationships and events built here. There’s excitement and passion in Chester’s music scene right now, so that also gives us more motivation.
S] What would you say your biggest challenges are as a band?
Travelling. Oh my good god we’ve had some horrible public transport experience. None of us can drive you see, so if we’re playing a show, we go by train, or delayed train, or rail replacement bus, or no where at all for 40mins. It also means we rarely stick around to party after either, which can be pretty boring.
I guess the other thing is people struggling with the name. But we just find that kind of funny. Taxi drivers and people you’ve just met are the funniest. Goes one of two ways “HA that’s brilliant” or “Wtf…bye…”
S] What keeps you guys passionate outside of music – think specific people, places, movies and such?
I really enjoy movies, sci-fi, post-humans destroy the planet kinda vibes. We all really loved Charlie Brooker’s new season of Black Mirror (and the last two), SO great.
S] Talk to us about the inspirations behind ‘Same Place’ and where that came from in terms of ideas and experiences?
It’s really a reflection for our personal lives here in Chester. At some point most of us reach a wall or a “what am I doing with my life?!” moment, but then you talk it out with a loved one, or go for a walk alone, breath, reboot, and write a song about it. It’s about feeling grateful for everything you have, even if it feels boring or r sometimes. It could always be worse.
S] What has been a career highlight for you?
The last two years have been amazing for us, really, so it’s hard to pick one. But I’d say it’s when our first Peaness vinyls arrived in a massive box all the way from Canada, after waiting months and months for pressing and shipping. To finally open the box and see your band name on a vinyl was incredible. And people actually buy them too! That’s just so heart warming.
S] We deal a lot with this question, as a band based in Chester, how would you respond to people saying move to bigger cities like Liverpool or Manchester to find success?
We’ve definitely heard it before as well, and it has been tempting in the past, I lived in Liverpool for a year or so, and Rach really wanted to move to Manchester – we all really love Manchester – but we believe that it doesn’t matter a great deal where you band is based.
You’re not going to find success gigging three times a month in the same city, the key is to travel. But Chester is alright, lots of young people are sticking around after uni and stuff now. There’s a really nice scene of bands and artists that all support each other like: Campfire Social, Denuo, Sustinere, Kidsmoke, and Mountainface!
S] If you could come up with a Frankenstein’s monster for the Peaness sound – the head of Sleater-Kinney and the arms of Belly for example, what would it be and why?
Haha! That’s a fun question. When we started playing we wanted to sound like Sex Bob Omb, so they can be the main body. We’ll have Courtney Barnett as the head and brain. Beatles heart <3 Then the rest we’re not so sure about, so you can decide on the limbs for us!
