Article by: Jason Robey

The Peach Kings brought their show to the Rebel Lounge in Phoenix on their first national tour on Sunday night, and left the crowd chanting for more. Phoenix locals New Chums kicked the night off with a 30-minute set, mostly from their debut E.P., Tuolumne, named for frontman Seth Boyack’s California hometown. New Chums are relatively new on the scene, having only been playing together for a little less than a year, but in that time they have honed their catchy pop-driven rock sound and began to gather a following. Bassist Greg Winters and Drummer Ben Hedlund kept a tight rhythm throughout the set for Boyack and guitarist Chad Bergman, as they tore through upbeat crowd-pleasers such as “Bad Part of Town,” “City With No Dreams” and “Come On, Come On.”

With the audience sufficiently warmed up, the stage was set for The Peach Kings to tear through an hour long set of their sexy twist on the bluesy garage rock sound recently popularized by artists like Jack White and The Black Keys.

From the opening riff of “Lonely” to the closing chord of “Fisherman,” the band kept the energy of the room high and the enthusiastic audience loved every minute. When vocalist Paige Wood didn’t have a guitar in her hand, she was dancing around her side of the stage and playfully taunting guitarist Steven Dies, as he jumped around his side with a spirit and animation that kept the audience watching their every move.

Highlights of the show were the singles “Mojo Thunder” and “Fisherman” and their raucous cover of The Stooges’ “I Wanna Be Your Dog.” Following their closing song, the band walked off the stage to audience chants of “one more song!” Alas, they will just have to wait until the next time the band makes it to the valley.