Peach Pit Spreads Christmas Cheer At The 18th Annual Kingfisher Bluez Christmas Party.
Held at The Commodore Ballroom and hosted by the “Kingfisher Bluez” record label, the Christmas Party is an annual fundraiser concert series in which local bands perform a matinee all-ages show and a 19+ evening show. One hundred percent of the concert’s earnings are donated to “1-800 Suicide and Crisis Centre B.C.” This year’s Christmas shows were both headlined by the band Peach Pit. With genres ranging from indie folk, alternative rock, shoegaze, R&B soul, and punk, the party had something for everyone.
The all-ages matinee showcased artists such as Luke Beach Bown, Norsu, Cyrus Jordan, Kill Your Darlings, and Computer.
Computer is a six-member, experimental, post-punk powerhouse. Performing songs from their three-month-old debut album Station on the Hill, Computer commanded the stage immediately. The energy in the room during their set was palpable. The performance was high-powered and enthralling. Fueled by wailing saxophone trills, gritty guitar tones, complex percussion, vibrant synths, and raw vocals, Computer commands your attention with its calculated chaos. Frontman Ben Lock floated throughout the stage, pacing while shaking his energy into his hands. The way he carries himself on stage reminded me a lot of Fontaines D.C. frontman Grian Chatten. It's as if their bodies are overflowing with energy, and they have to walk and shake it off to let some of it spill out. During their set, every member was moving around. Someone was either jumping, headbanging, or stomping around. You could sense the passion that they all have for performing. Their enthusiasm bled into the crowd, causing spirited mosh pits throughout the venue. Their set was far too quick, but incredibly strong and dynamic.
“They were the first band to get the floor bouncing,” crowd member Abby Roy stated (the Commodore Ballroom stage is on the second floor and is known for “bouncing” with high-energy crowds). With songs like “Dissolution Use” and “Weird New Vocation,” it was hard for the crowd to stay still.
Finally, it was time for Peach Pit. The crowd cheered as each member gleefully danced onto the stage in a line, dressed as candy canes. It felt like I was watching a children's Christmas recital in the best way. Only these were five grown men, whom I cherish deeply. They have made it their tradition to dress up for the Christmas shows, and this year was no different. Wearing all-white outfits with some sort of red tape on their clothes as stripes, and (my personal favourite) cardboard candy cane face cutouts. Smiling, singer Neil Smith thanked the crowd for coming out and said that they'd be performing their debut album Being So Normal in its entirety for everyone. The crowd cheered as the beginning riff of their song “Drop That Guillotine” began. This specific album contains a handful of heart-rending songs such as “Private Presley,” “Hot Knifer,” and “Tommy’s Party.” Throughout their set, I couldn’t help but chuckle at times when they'd start playing a particularly gut-wrenching song, only to look up and see them dressed as candy canes. Their set concluded with an encore cover of Sufjan Stevens’ “Did I Make You Cry on Christmas Day? (Well, You Deserved It!)”.
With only an hour and a half of turnaround time for the evening show, the venue emptied out to an already forming queue. The evening’s lineup was much different than the matinee. There were multiple punk and metal bands, which caused large mosh pits and foggy venue windows. The mosh pits at the evening show were intense and exciting. This show had bands such as Nick Griffith, Lilex, Cherry Pick, Bloom Effect, Emma Goldman, Tall Mary, Water Margin, Club Sofa, Flat Earth, and finally, Peach Pit.
Peach Pit’s set was the same as the matinee (which received zero complaints from me, as I love their first album). The only difference was that their “costumes” were a little tattered the second time around; their red tape stripes were now starting to curl up on the ends, and guitarist Chris Vanderkooy's candy cane mask completely folded over his eyes during the first song. Although his mask was failing him, Chris didn't miss a beat. After the first song, his wife rushed to the stage and helped him rip it off. The evening set was just as good as the matinee, if not better. After their performance, each member threw their candy masks into the crowd. Multiple people could be seen trying them on and taking pictures in them, laughing and smiling. Peach Pit definitely knows how to spread Christmas cheer. With that, the 18th annual Kingfisher Bluez Christmas Party had come to an end.A beautiful event showcasing some of Vancouver's amazing local bands and helping aid “1-800 Suicide and Crisis Centre B.C.”.
