Peter Xan is uplifting underground rock music, one song at a time

Peter Xan’s “playground” is well and truly kitted out. With almost perfect spacing in between each item, you can’t help but notice the vast array of wall decorations in his east London studio space, as he invites NME inside through a narrow stairwell. “I’ve definitely pushed [using this studio]”, he says, describing how these four walls have become a hub for himself and other collaborators. “It’s like I’ve worn it like a pair of Doc Martens. I’ve definitely broken them in by now.”

Across the wall from a collection of Platinum awards for Rudimental – who own the space, and worked with Xan on 2022 single ‘Glow In The Dark’ – is a sketch of an elephant effortlessly balancing three animals on its back. There’s an array of guitars and a waving lucky cat perched on top of the monitors. Yet, it’s the giant, numbered Major Tom stamp, from a David Bowie collection, that Xan points out to us. “If you look on the wall, this place is called number 13. I’m born on the 13th. So there’s definitely a feeling that I should be here,” he says. “If I’m being indecisive, I turn around and see a 13 – I know I’m going in the right direction.”

Superstitious or otherwise, this is the free-flowing approach Xan brings to his music. He is currently preparing to unveil his new EP ‘God Save The King’ (due October 5), on which there are there are flavours of luscious, summery rock and a soulful vocal delivery, embellished by production from Speedy Wunderground’s Dan Carey and Fontaines D.C. vocalist Grian Chatten. Sonically, it’s an amalgamation of Xan’s east London upbringing, where the hip-hop, soul and African music that dominated his home life would initially stay separate from his growing interest in indie-rock.

Introduced to James Brown records by his grandmother at a young age, Xan became fascinated by the sound of a guitar. Yet, like many teenagers around the country, it was playing FIFA – also the title of a single on ‘God Save The King’ – that really opened the floodgates to guitar-based music. “A lot of the bands at the start for me were on FIFA. Franz Ferdinand, Gorillaz… it was definitely a catalyst,” he says. “It’s sick to see artists like Hak Baker getting in [the official soundtrack for] the game now.”

Xan began to bring together these cornerstones of his identity. “With [traditional] African music, it’s almost the antithesis of that rock”, he says. “But elsewhere, I definitely think in hip-hop, there’s a growing sense of wanting to be a rockstar.” Through innovators like Xan, these lines are becoming more and more blurred in 2023. Fellow east Londoner Deijuvhs is taking underground scenes by storm, fusing nu-metal with atmospheric trap beats, whilst genre-bending US rappers like Teezo Touchdown are equally as fearless.

Heading out to a village in Ghana to shoot the video for his recent single ‘Pressure’, a special something was unlocked as Carey’s mix was blasted out of a pair of speakers in the in the rural area. Hoards of people leapt on top of cars, describes Xan, circling him as a dust cloud swept over the scene. “It could get crazy, if I stayed there for six months and did shows – I’d become a Chief or something! There’s a lot of potential over there for that energy to come out,” he adds. For Xan, there’s already ambitions of curating his own festival in West Africa later down the line, tapping into a growing appetite for rock music that clearly exists across the continent.

While finding his feet with this new sound, he proceeded with caution in the wake of advice that was counterproductive to his message, he tells NME. “The more I go down the line, I realise that a lot of my initial ideas were just correct,” he says. “I don’t think my role is to do mad numbers – it’s to disrupt, shake up the status quo. It’s about the impact I want to leave on the world, even if it’s not understood initially.”

Never ones to follow the rules themselves, Damon Albarn, Andy Warhol and Christopher Nolan were all figures of inspiration for Xan whilst he was studying for his Art A-Level, alongside neo-expressionist artist Jean-Michel Basquiat. “In academic art, you have to justify your work, but Basquiat – he broke so many rules. I’m going into class, explaining that this guy, academically, is not following any of your instructions. I just love people who are relentless in their vision and that inspires me to be the same.”

It was this mindset that drew the attention of Carey. Xan leans back in his seat and takes a deep breath in; it’s story time. When the Speedy Wunderground owner invited Xan to his south London studio, a diary mix-up resulted in Xan momentarily crossing paths with Chatten, whilst he was finishing off his recent debut album, ‘Chaos For The Fly’. Returning a week later, he handed ‘Pressure’ over to Carey’s capable hands with a promise to “do something weird with it.”

Finding himself in LA at the same time as Chatten a few weeks later, this time Carey acted as the facilitator, working very much in Xan’s favour. “I see Grian’s in LA. I called Dan, he said ‘Yep, hit him up, here’s his number.’ Bob’s your uncle,” he says. “I pestered him for a few days, went down to the studio and we made two tracks.” Unequivocally focused on the task at hand, Chatten didn’t check his phone for multiple hours as they finished ‘Rejection Anthem’ – offering a rare insight into the Fontaines D.C. frontman’s skills as a producer. “It was definitely one of the better days of my life”, says Xan, beaming.

Hierarchy doesn’t exist in the studio, says Xan: it’s a level playing field. “I feel like when you’re an artist, you’ve gotta have that mentality because everyone’s the same,” he explains of his work with Chatten. “It doesn’t matter if he’s bigger, he’s just a human. He shits, he eats, he bleeds, he’s normal.”

As detailed on soaring new single ‘Hostage’, Xan is freeing himself from any uncertainty that may have hindered with his music in the past: “Release me from your burden,” he sings. Hellbent on inspiring a new generation of African rockstars, there’s a fearless sense of tenacity in his music. “Being a champion for outcasts, people who don’t really fit into social circles, I want them to feel they can come to my shows,” he concludes. “That’s the legacy I want to leave.”

Peter Xan’s new single ‘Hostage’ is out now. ‘God Save The King’ EP will be released on October 5, and he will also perform at Brixton’s The Windmill on release day

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