Prepare to dance: This year's Peacock Society was pure musical alchemy

Peggy Gou, Squarehouse

Critics and fans alike continue to describe Peggy Gou as a rising star. Let’s be clear here: the South Korean artist no longer needs to stake her claim. It’s taken her just one year to go from relatively unknown artist to sharing lineups with artists like Jackmaster and The Martinez Brothers. Watching her play, you wouldn’t be able to guess she debuted on the international scene just over a year ago. Confident and dynamic, Gou pulled off all kinds of unexpected yet flawless mixes during her set on the festival’s second stage, the 5,000 capacity Squarehouse. Soon into her set she dropped Maurice’s ‘This Is Acid (A New Dance Craze)’ before moving into driving, soulful house cuts like Alexander Robotnick’s ‘Undicidisco (Justin VanDerVolgen Edit)’ and ‘Norm Talley’ by Travlin. Given her early billing - she played from 1am until 2:30 - it wouldn't have been surprising if the crowd’s reaction to Peggy Gou was a little muted. Yet when she dropped Outlander’s ‘The Vamp’ towards the tail-end of her set, the dancefloor exploded - a clear indicator of her growing presence, and her talent of reaching for a well-placed classic.