Heather Peace, one of the Stars of BBC Three’s Lip Service, comes to Liverpool’s Masque venue with her band on Friday the 8th as part of a UK tour. Heather, who has also had major roles in London’s Burning and Ultimate Force, has a new CD out called This Is Me and I had a chance to chat with her about her parallel careers as both actress and musician.
I asked her firstly if she had any preference between the two, to which I got a very straight “No”. So, OK, I went onto ask her how she got into this business called show.
“ I started off, like most people, in school productions. I’d been playing piano since the age of 8 and was confident that I’d got that side of things sorted so I chose to concentrate on the acting and study the Stanislavski method. My first professional appearance at the age of 21 was in musical theatre playing the lead in My Fair Lady in Harrrogate.”
Heather’s first TV appearance was eight episodes as Andy Sugden’s teacher in Emmerdale. She went on to tell me about how the TV industry works.
“You really have to work your way up, go to the auditions and get noticed by the producers. The roles get gradually bigger as you become more well known but I still have to audition.”
She’s soon to start filming the second series of Lip Service but before that Heather’s embarking on her first UK tour of 500+ capacity venues.
“I’ve played before in smaller venues but I’m so excited about going on this tour. Jill Jackson will be playing in my band and also performing on her own. With the music I can do my own thing when I want as opposed to acting where you’re always relying on someone else to give you the work. The music is what I’m concentrating on for now.”
She had a record deal in the nineties and was signed to Simon Cowell’s label but things didn’t work out.
“It was at the time of London’s Burning when everyone who was in a major TV show seemed to be bringing a record out but the timing wasn’t right between the filming and the time it took to put a record out. But now with the internet you don’t need to be signed to a major label to get your music heard so now I’m in total control and my CD is selling well online.”
I asked Heather if her sexuality had had a negative effect on her career.
“Not at all, I’ve never been in the closet. Things were a bit different in London’s Burning and Ultimate Force when I was the only girl in a male world but things have moved on since then. My sexuality is a really positive thing, particularly with my music because I have a lot of lesbian fans.”
Competition
Win a meet & greet with Heather Peace
Fancy meeting Lip Service star Heather Peace? We've teamed up with Heather to offer one reader and a friend the chance to meet her before her gig at Liverpool's Masque on Friday 8th April. You will also win tickets to the gig and a signed copy of her album This Is Me.
So far, Heather is better known as DS Sam Murray in BBC Three's Lip Service, But her star as a singer/songwriter is rising quickly. She visits Liverpool with her band as part of her first UK tour and fans can expect a mix of songs from This Is Me as well as some new and classic covers. Simply answer the following question: Who does Heather play in Lip Service? A) DS Sue Murray b) DCI Sam Murray
By Andy Green