Since releasing their debut album, Statues, in early 2016, Black Peaks have been on the road almost non-stop and built up an insane amount of momentum leading to supporting Deftones at Wembley Arena, and also a tour with metal icons - System of a Down, through arenas across Europe. After performing in-front of thousands every night for the last few weeks it must be a strange feeling for the band to now be taking to the stage of the tiny Sugarmill in Stoke on Trent. Even if tonight’s setting isn’t as grandiose as the venues that Black Peaks will have become familiar with in recent times, the performance they deliver is certainly worthy of being seen in far bigger rooms and by far more people.

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Opener, Set In Stone, provides a perfect snapshot of what to expect from the band; moments of melody intertwined with chaotic catharsis. Frontman Will Gardiner erupts into life and stomps around the stage looking like an animal guarding its territory. White Eyes immediately afterwards shows the other side of Black Peaks, full of groove and huge hooks, having the crowd both singing along and headbanging at the same time. It is a big risk to play a new song so early in a set, but Can’t Sleep, goes down a storm and shows the band spreading their wings into slightly more mellow territory. Things don’t stay sedated for long however as the band launch into Say You Will and Saviour, both taking full advantage of Gardiner’s ability to transition from singing to screaming at the drop of a hat. The musicianship on display in Black Peaks is phenomenal and at times it beggars belief how only four people can weave such madness and technicality into every song; the fact that they are able to replicate it live without wavering once is really impressive.  Without doubt the highlight of the set comes right at the end with Glass Built Castles; all of the different facets of the band’s sound combine into one brilliant song built around a massive chorus which has been running through my head ever since the show ended.

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The biggest positive to take away from tonight’s show however is the youth of the crowd that Black Peaks have managed to pull in. Not only is it a testament to the excitement surrounding the band, but also to the state of the wider UK rock scene at the moment. That such a progressive and interesting band seem to be gaining such traction in 2017 is a great sign that rock music can still be relevant, fresh, and most importantly – bring in new fans. The on-stage announcement that they are going away for a while to write their second album was greeted by one of the biggest cheers of the night, despite Statues only being a year old, the excitement for new material, and the wait to see where Black Peaks could take their sound is clear to see. With this level of support behind the band, it’s not hard to imagine them making the move to playing bigger venues in their own right sooner rather than later.