Razor Sharp and Red Hot: Master Peace Live at The Windmill Brixton

In a small, exclusive performance, the rising indie star shines blisteringly bright.

Exclusive gigs are always special. When an artist performs at a venue that they could fill ten times over, the distance between art, artist and audience can shrink into almost nothing. As Master Peace (Peace Okezie) took to the stage last month, the room sang, danced, and screamed in unity. At once, the 200-person gig seemed tightly enclosed by the vibrantly painted walls of the Windmill yet cavernous in sound and energy. Already stoked to a boiling point by a DJ set from JoyC - Peace’s equally talented sister - and the excellent Mudi Sama and his band, the crowd erupted at the crashing introduction of Peace’s opener, ‘Los Narcos’. 

A year on from its successful release, Peace’s debut album, How to Make A Master Peace, thrives as a live show. As he was joined on stage by guitarist Danny Snowdon and drummer Hatty Steele, the talented trio exuded performative flair. The instrumentalists match Peace’s relentless energy with their own as they headbang their way through the dizzyingly euphoric peaks of ‘Panic101’, ‘I Might be Fake’, and ‘Get Naughty!’. Their instrumental performances were imbued with a palpable sense of joy that rapidly infected the cheering crowd. 

Peace deserves credit for leading the Indie Sleaze revival that has been brewing over the last few years, and the various influences from Peace’s array of 2000s Indie forebears ebb and flow throughout his performance. At once nostalgic yet cutting-edge, the distorted vocals of ‘Shangaladang’ evoke the harsh tones of M.I.A., whilst the electronica-infused ‘Heaven’ is reminiscent of early Calvin Harris. Almost signalling the end of an era, Peace played his debut album in full, a rarity in the streaming age of singular virality.

In fact, the release of his new single, ‘There’s No More Underground’ that morning defied the streaming system altogether, available only as a free download on Peace’s website. The song, in conjunction with his shows at the Windmill and the following week at the Sebright arms, brings attention to “how normal people like us have been pushed out and priced out of doing anything”. The song and his two exclusive performances were love letters to the people that support him and other underground artists, venues and music. The links for the (only £5) tickets for both gigs were circulated first on Peace’s discord, where he regularly chats with fans. The flood of messages of love and support on there after the gig attest to the strong sense of community he’s building. 

Beneath this wholesome exterior, ‘There’s No More Underground’ is Peace at his thundering, abrasive, and unapologetic best. Blaring guitar tones aside, his lyrics are rooted in the political discontent of exclusion, with a cutting realism that breaches new lyrical ground for a Master Peace track. Bleak cries of “There’s no more underground; where do we go?” question the impact of the mass closures of grassroots UK music venues in recent years amid increasing renting and living costs. Subsequently, the climactic hook “They’re cutting down the Amazon to make more room for Amazon” takes aim at the environmental damage incurred by the growth of mega-corporations. The song, like its release format, sees Peace becoming increasingly comfortable with taking greater risks. The song’s edginess is a welcome new direction for Master Peace, and the audience wholeheartedly embraced the track’s jagged edges during the song’s first-ever live performance.

All drenched in sweat and with the audience in complete awe, the show came to an end with an encore of the ballad-like ‘Dancing With a(nuva) Man’ and Peace jumping into the crowd for a triumphant rendition of ‘Home’. Wandering through Brixton with my ears ringing, it seemed unlikely that I’d be able to match that experience any time soon. Breaking boundaries, creating communities, releasing music his own way and selling out rowdy, euphoric shows, Peace is doing what nobody else is doing right now. Master Peace, and the community that makes him who he is, are special. With a prestigious Ivor Novello award under his belt and a second album close to release, all eyes are on Peace to see what he does next. 

Image Credits are Attributed to the Writer