The Ex Okays, Peach Pit Rock the House at Foellinger Auditorium
by Rebecca Jungels
with pictures by Zoe Jacquat
As soon as I heard that Peach Pit was coming to Foellinger Auditorium on November 16th, I knew I had to be there. Peach Pit is one of my favorite indie rock bands. This Canadian, retro-inspired quartet has been described by an anonymous, local concert-goer as emitting “70s Christian-rock dad vibes” for their oldies-loving, ironic-seeming aesthetic. Clad in colorful vintage sweaters with unconventional hairstyles, the band’s discography consists of jangly, tight-grooving tunes that made everyone at Saturday’s show dance. I’d like to give a recap of the concert at Foellinger Auditorium, which I found to be an engaging, high-energy night that I hope will encourage the support of Champaign-Urbana’s own indie rock scene.The Ex Okays opened up the show, hyping up the crowd throughout the auditorium. I had heard good things about the Illinois-based band before, but this was the first time I had listened to their music, and I’m glad I did. Despite the minimal banter between songs, often transitioning right from one song into another, the Ex Okays had no challenge in getting the crowd entertained. After a few songs into their set, people were dancing and standing shoulder to shoulder in the limited space near the stage, and even people in the seated areas were standing up to dance. The band’s punchy rock songs sounded like movements of a modern rock concerto with their drum and guitar solos, building up an abundance of energy that got the crowd clapping in rhythm. For an opening, state-local band, I felt like the Ex Okays had done a fantastic job at getting the crowd’s attention. Finishing their set with long, energy-building drum and guitar solos, the Ex Okays had nearly stolen the show and had gotten the crowd well-prepared for Peach Pit.
When it was time for Peach Pit to perform, the audience’s enthusiasm and energy were unstoppable. With the band’s recent release of a new single, “Feelin’ Low (Fuckboy Blues),” the audience was excited to hear them play it live, as well as a few yet to be released songs. With the change in record labels from Kingfisher Bluez to the music giant Columbia, these new songs did have a distinct sound from their previous releases such as Being so Normal and Sweet FA – which both had several songs that were played during the show. However, the audience still seemed to enjoy the new songs, which seemed to focus more heavily on vocals than the showy lead guitar licks that were prevalent in previous releases. Despite these changes in the group’s sound, which seems to be heading more toward pop than rock, the crowd was pleased. I personally think I will need some time to let these new songs grow on me once they are released, but I appreciated the band’s openness in sharing what they’re been working on since their 2017 release, Being so Normal.In my opinion, Being so Normal is Peach Pit’s strongest work. Many of the songs are sad-tinged but maintain a groove that keeps the song – and the audience—moving. I was delighted that most of their set was devoted to playing songs from this album. Hits like Techno Show kept the crowd dancing. Techno Show was especially entertaining to hear after the lead singer Neil Smith explained the song’s backstory of going to an EDM show to impress a girl that he liked. Other hits were also played from the album, such as Being so Normal, Tommy’s Party, and Alrighty Aphrodite. The band also played their 2016 EP, Sweet FA, in full for the crowd.
Since Peach Pit’s discography is relatively small, it makes sense that the band played a handful of covers throughout the night to fill up their setlist. Aligned with their vintage vibe, Peach Pit played some fun oldies. Dedicating this song to all the dads in the audience, the band got the crowd on their feet with Pixies’ “Here Comes Your Man.” They also played a classic hit by Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers, “American Girl.” Throwing it way back to 1959, the band ended the night with Chuck Berry’s “Johnny B. Goode.” Young or old, everyone seemed to enjoy the broad range of tunes for the night.Overall, I found the night to be a great representation of indie rock and I was glad that there was such an engaged audience, even if the auditorium wasn’t completely sold out. Even far away in the balcony, people were dancing and having a great time. With so many hip-hop focused, larger shows in Champaign this past year such as FYG Fest, Spring Jam, and other shows at Foellinger such as Smino and Doja Cat, I was glad that the less commonly known genre of indie rock was represented with so much energy.Champaign-Urbana has a great and growing indie rock scene, and the community needs to come out and support it. I’m hoping that this high-energy, fun night has drawn more students’ attention to the genre, and that they will come out to shows for local rock artists and show the same amount of support as they did for Peach Pit & the Ex Okays. Ultimately, I think Saturday was great for showing the audience enthusiasm that I’d like to see at more indie rock shows in Champaign-Urbana in the future, especially for local artists.