Peach pit

Last Wednesday the British Columbia band Peach Pit brought their shimmering sounds to Columbia, Missouri. The band performed at Rose Park, a cozy outdoor venue with charming fairy lights guiding the eye to the stage. The weather had threatened rain all day, but the skies cleared just in time for an unforgettable night. They were accompanied by opener Miya Frolick, who warmed up the crowd with a very heartfelt set, connecting with the audience by performing bittersweet acoustic songs.

Peach Pit’s touring lineup includes core members Neil Smith on lead vocals and rhythm guitar, Chris Vanderkooy on lead guitar, Peter Wilton on bass, Mikey Pascuzzi on drums, and honorary fifth member and all around utility player, Dougal McLean on violin, guitar, synth, organ, percussion, and backing vocals. This band’s musical chemistry is palpable, each song was a showcase of their ability to play off of each other, resulting in truly mesmerizing and hard hitting musicianship.

Peach Pit kicked off their set with an homage to Ozzy Ozbourne playing “War Pigs” as an intro for “Magpie.” It was a one-two punch, an absolute killer way to begin the night, the energy between the crowd was explosive, Wilton’s bass rumbled through the crowd. “Brian’s Movie” featured Vanderkooy playing slide guitar on a double neck guitar in a way that was reminiscent of an indie rock Jimmy Page. “Give Up Baby Go” had a twangy chord that felt right at home in Missouri, like the band had momentarily swapped their Vancouver indie surf-rock sounds for something from the Ozarks. “Outta Here” also carried that Missouri with beautiful violin work from McLean throughout the song.

One of the biggest standout moments of this show came from their cover of “What Once Was” by Her’s. It was a wonderful tribute to the late, great band that everyone in the venue was swaying and singing along to. “Alrighty Aphrodite” was another strong moment that night, it brought Smith to the edge of the stage, mic in hand singing the lyrics to one of their most iconic songs powerfully. They ended their main set with “Private Presley,” a showcase of the whole band's talents. Beginning with Pascuzzi’s iconic opening beat that gave the song its backbone, McLean’s violin added a haunting energy to the song alongside Wilton’s pulsing baseline. The energy was at its peak as Vanderkooy ripped gnarly solos supported by Smith’s riveting rhythm guitar. It was a triumphant end to their main set.

Their encore felt all encompassing of everything that makes up Peach Pit. It began with Smith coming out solo, with only an acoustic guitar. He began to explain how the band came to be whilst strumming gentle chords allowing the audience to visualize the story as he was recounting it, it made the fans in the audience feel all the more connected to the band. Little did the crowd know, Smith was telling this story to preface “Peach Pit,” explaining that this was the first song he had ever played his bandmate Chris after asking him if he wanted to start a band together while they were both under the influence. “Peach Pit” carried even more warmth on that September night with the last traces of summer in the air. The full band then rejoined Smith on stage to play “Everything About You” before closing with “Tommy’s Party.” As “Tommy’s Party” came to an end, no one was standing still. The entirety of Rose Park, the band included, was head banging, jumping, dancing, and singing along until the very last note.

This September 24th show in Columbia came in the middle of Peach Pit’s Fall Quest U.S. tour promoting their most recent release, an “expansion pack” of their 2024 album “Magpie.” This deluxe album includes a dance version of Am I Your Girl, a new song “Tell Me You Love Me,” a feature from Sir Chloe on “Did You Love Somebody,” a tenderly charming take on a perfect song, “Crying, Laughing, Loving, Lying” by Labi Siffre, a full band rendition of “Your Long Black Hair, “Magpie” live in Bangkok, and four previously unheard demos.

Every Peach Pit song is uniquely catchy in its own right. Whether it be one of Vanderkooy’s sweet riffs, Smith’s wistful voice, Pascuzzi’s precise and powerful drumming, Wilton’s hypnotic basslines, or any number of the things McLean brings to each song, Peach Pit creates music you just can’t help but connect with.