Single Review: Peaness - What's The Use?
Let me tell you about a small city on the North Wales/North West of England border with a big ol' history. Chester is an ancient city; the Romans had Deva (as it was known back then) as their 'Capitol of the North'. It's location was key - the walls that overlook the city allowing visibility to help ward off the rebellious Welsh from attacking. The Amphitheatre can still be visited, despite the short-sightedness of the Council, allowing half of it to be built on in the early 20th Century.
That's where the history lesson ends.
The music scene in Chester is a small, yet passionate one. The city often gets overlooked for touring shows, lying as it does almost equidistant between Liverpool and Manchester; but things have certainly improved in recent years. Venues such as The Live Rooms, Telford's Warehouse and Alexander's have continued to bring great live music to the area; the addition of St Mary's Performance Space - a former church with amazing acoustics - has added even more depth.
Balla (Back L), Rachel (Back R), Jess (Front)
📷 Derek Bremmer
There has always been good bands and musicians from Chester. Mansun experienced chart success with several albums in the late 90s/early 00s, but not many have experienced success beyond the touring circuit since. Perhaps the most likely band to do so have been Peaness. Yes, that is their name and NO, you don't say it the way you think.
Comprising of Jess (Bass/Vocals), Balla (Guitar/Vocals) and Rachel (Drums/Vocals), the Peas have built a reputation for up-lifting and life-affirming Indie Pop with a sublime sense of melody at the heart of their songs. Playing a perfectly positioned set at Green Man festival in August and then a recent tour with Maximo Park, gave Peaness a fresh impetus after 18 months of frustration- not being able to play or record much meant they amused themselves by producing their own Happeaness podcast. (Listen below)
Back with new single 'What's the Use?', self released on their own label Totally Snick Records, Peaness seem reinvigorated after gaining inspiration from the restrictions of the pandemic. The promise of an album is soon to become a reality and 'What's the Use?' gives us a peek into how that might sound. It plays very much to the band's sizeable strengths. Jess' sweet and wholesome vocal is underpinned with a hint of exasperation at events beyond her control and it reminds me of the wonderful early 00s band Angelica - the singer of which Holly, went on to form The Lovely Eggs with her husband David. The lyrics encapsulate the stasis of helplessness and a distinct lack of purpose:
What's the use? I should just hide. Another long sigh, pours out of my face.
The backing belies the despair of the lyrics - like all good indie bands should. Balla's catchy and melodic guitar hook keeps the music lighter than perhaps the subject matter would encourage, but manages to get an effect most bands could only wish for. Rachel's drumming is tight and has a playful groove to it; it's perfectly complimentary to all that surrounds it. The vocal harmonies fuse together beautifully as the song progresses, inspiring the nervous system to encourage the raising of goosebumps - you can almost feel the Serotonin altering your brain chemistry.
It's clear from 'What's The Use?' that the Peas adore playing together as a band. They're a sum of their parts and the solidarity of the their band experience is very much front and centre - above what any one individual provides. If you've ever seen Peaness live then you'll know they rarely play without big beaming grins on their faces; it's often matched by their audience by the end of their set. 'What's the Use?' adds impressively to their already hugely enjoyable body of work- it's likely the smiles of band and audience a-like will pour out of their face once the album arrives.
You can buy or stream 'What's the Use?' from all the usual places, but we recommend you buy from Bandcamp. You can also follow Peaness on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook.
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