From seeing Master Peace open for 5 Seconds Of Summer a few months ago, to now watching him headline small pubs, and attending listening parties, he is an artist I want to gatekeep but also an artist I want to see thrive beyond imagination. He is immensely talented, knows how to engage an audience and his stage presence is next level. I was in awe of him when I saw him open for 5SOS, and I am even more in awe now, seeing him in his comfort zone and just absolutely killing it. The energy at a Master Peace show is crazy, it was the sweatiest I had ever been, and to be there with a good friend of mine, screaming the lyrics at each other was just so much fun – there are very few things in life that bring me that level of pure joy.

This show was taunting me, he released tickets as I was still financially recovering from travelling Europe, and playing the Sebright Arms, meant tickets were selling fast! But, I made it and I want to say a massive thank you to Peace & his team for having me for the day, I had such a great time!

The listening party was hosted earlier in the evening. He was at the door greeting everyone, and to be so personable to the people who show up for you, I think is so special, and it’s little moments like that, that build such strong relationships in the long run.
He played a variation of songs, some that are due out on his album that’s being released in October and some that may never see the light of day – my personal favourite was “stay on me!”, which is on the album (thank God). It had such a strong start, and I really enjoy that in songs, when there’s no build up, it just jumps right in, it was upbeat, sexy, and I can see that being a fan favourite.
Whilst at the event, he was talking about the process of writing, which sometimes only takes him an hour to finish a whole song, which shows an insane level of talent and artistic vision. He also spoke about producers he’d worked with, which is how he got the gig of opening for 5 Seconds Of Summer. When asking us all what we thought of the tracks, he was loud about honest feedback – if we didn’t like it, we had to state it, which ended up being really entertaining. It was what I imagine the House of Commons sounds like when they’re debating petitions.

The show itself was special, I have been to the Sebright Arms a handful of times, and whilst as a photographer I hate their lighting, as an audience member I do love their venue. Master Peace crushed it, the way he got involved with the crowd, singing in the middle of the pit was so fun, it’s always chaos when that happens at a show but it’s one of my favourite things to see how excited audience members get.
His vocals are incredible live, he has such a unique sound, and his songs are so recognisable. The way he goes from club/rave type songs through to melancholic/heartbreak songs, all whilst maintaining such an identifiable sound is unfathomable to me. He is just bursting with talent!
I couldn’t tell you what the setlist was for this show – I don’t know if they had any sheets on stage, but I can tell you, it was hit after hit, with some of his older songs mixed with his most recent singles. The show was just so high energy, even with everyone being so sweaty and it being so crowded, everyone was respectful of each other’s space, which can be rare to see at shows these days.
Hattie and George are fantastic additions too, Hattie is one of the most beautiful drummers I have ever seen, and she kills it. And George, whilst he hasn’t been with Master Peace as long as Hattie has, he’s gelled so well and fit right in, I quite literally couldn’t imagine a better line up. They are all so down to earth and easy to talk to, and you can tell how passionate they all are about being a part of Master Peace.

To quote my initial review in my long 5SOS post:
“But Master Peace (Ireland & EU opener), his energy was just next level, I can’t really explain it, but he just knew how to hype up the crowd, and the bravery it takes to open first, to people still entering the venue… I take my hat off. His setlist was banger after banger, he made time fly and truly I wish his set was longer. From chants to little dances to covering new songs in every European city, he made that show his own and I was completely in awe, and Hattie… the drummer, everyone’s in love with her and I do not blame them, I am merely one of many. To think he’s not headlining arenas himself already is quite frankly baffling to me, that man belongs on a stage, I’ve not seen a small artist like that own such a big stage so well, in a very long time. Master Peace, from the bottom of my little Londoner heart, I adore you, and wish nothing but the best, and the loudest success story for you.”

I really do believe he is one to watch, especially if you want to diversify your music taste and support smaller artists – we do not get these big worldwide household names, who can play arenas and stadiums without showing up for artists who are tackling these grassroots venues. Both of which are vital to the music industry, support local artists in local venues to keep the culture and love for music alive.
Uplift black artists, support grassroots and be a part of the reason music thrives.

A full gallery of photos can be found here!