Get to Know: Peaness

We first fell in love with indie-pop trio Peaness when their debut EP No Fun appeared on Bandcamp last year, duly winning the hearts of unsuspecting listeners across the length and breadth of the DIY scene, right through to BBC Radio 1's Huw Stephens.

They've since put out a 7" on Canadian label Kingfisher Bluez, and they'll join some of the most exciting acts in the North right now for Stay Fresh Fest, a new festival at Manchester's Deaf Institute on 24 September.  

Catch them alongside Leeds' premier DIY crew Cowtown, Liverpool's formidable Pink Kink, Glasgow's pop-happy Catholic Action and a clutch of great Manchester artists (Shaking Chains, Francis Lung, Kyotoya and Ethan & The Reformation); but before that, get to know 'em below. 

The Skinny: When and how (and why!) did Peaness begin?

Jess: We all went to the same uni, did the same course and lived together for a bit, so a few years after graduating we started messing around, writing and practising, bedroom style. This was 2014. We called ourselves Peaness for a joke, but then we couldn't think of anything worse or better so just stuck with it.

Why? COS BEING IN A BAND IS GOOD FUN!

How would you describe your sound in one sentence?

Pea-pop! Three-minute melodic pop songs.

What are some records/live experiences that have been really influential on you as a band?

Playing with some really cool and nice bands early on. We've played with a lot of bands on the (now former) label Fortuna Pop!, and groups like Mammoth Penguins, Chorusgirl and The Spook School made a lasting impression on us with how helpful, supportive and just lovely they all are. Being nice is cool.

Tell us something people would be surprised to learn about you.

We're not very rock'n'roll, if at all. We usually ask if our free beers at gigs can be swapped for coffees, or just bog standard tap water. And we usually jump straight back on the train home (we can't drive) and go straight to bed. I guess that's surprising? Cos stereotypically, people in bands party hard? Idk.

We can only conclude that your song Oh George!, a scathing attack on former chancellor George Osborne, was hugely influential in his dismissal to the backbenches. Who else’s careers are you planning to ruin through song and why?

Amazing isn't it. I wonder if we do hold such power? If we did, the obvious choices are Trump, Tories in general? Haha, Katie Hopkins can do one as well. Maybe we should write a love song for Jezza, give him an extra helping hand. <3

What does Chester mean to you?

Home I guess, even though we're all from other cities originally. It's pretty, full of history and quiet, but close enough to Manchester, Liverpool, North Wales. So it works pretty well for us going by train to gigs all the time. It feels like more young people are sticking around in recent years, instead of moving to the bigger cities. So stuff is happening.

We're really looking forward to seeing you play on 24 September, and to having several of the most exciting bands in the North right now all on one bill! Which of the other acts are you most looking forward to watching?

All the bands on the bill are really cool! We're really stoked and happy to be on the same bill as them all. Catholic Action are who we're looking forward to seeing the most though.

What does the rest of the year have in store for you?

Gigging lots. At the start of October we're back in the studio to do our second EP, which should be released by the end of that month/November sometime. Then we're gonna pick a single to put out on 7" with Odd Box Records. We're also back in Manchester for A Carefully Planned Festival at Soup Kitchen in October.

And finally: What do you like to do outside of Peaness? Any projects we should know about?

We all have full-time boring-ass jobs that suck any life we have left out of us. Boo. But when we're not working or writing or practising or gigging, we all like playing Pokémon Go! Haha. But the biggest project is Peaness.

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Peaness play Stay Fresh Fest with Cowtown, Catholic Action, Pink Kink, Ethan & The Reformation, Francis Lung, Kyotoya and Shaking Chains, The Deaf Institute, Manchester, 24 Sep, 4pm, £6
They also play A Carefully Planned Festival, Manchester, 15-16 Oct