You know you are in for a crazy night when Peaches comes to town. Sunday night saw the Toronto-born, electroclash singer thrust her hips and then some in front of a sold-out show at Vancouver’s Commodore. The lady of the night glided onto the stage dressed in a pink pom-pom and gimp face mask. During the first few songs she slowly stripped away the layers while running, jumping and rolling over anything that came in her way. Several costume changes occurred on and off the stage—a floral, silk bath robe and hair towel; a white, Kylie Minogue-esque, gown that saw her face projected onto the wings for “Lose You”; a black swimsuit with an image of a hand giving the finger but pointing down to the thing in between her legs for “Boys Wanna Be Her,” and numerous leotards, XXX-rated capes and bling-bling chains.
Just when things couldn’t get anymore surreal, she told the crowd that she has cousins in Vancouver, and their names are Cousin Itt. Peaches was then joined by a half-naked, caveman style couple with gigantic Cousin Itt wigs who writhed around the stage during “Talk To Me.” To go along with the naked theme, Peaches demanded that the crowd take all their shirts off and wave them in the air. The crowd were hesitant which seemed to offend the in-yer-face singer, but she continued to shout at them and within a few seconds nearly everyone in the Commodore was swinging their shirts above their heads throughout “Set It Off.” Peaches’ keyboardist must have felt left out as he followed everyone else by removing his shirt, grabbing a blonde wig and providing an awesome impersonation of Iggy Pop for the hit song “Kick It.”
To go along with the naked theme, Peaches demanded that the crowd take all their shirts off and wave them in the air.
Peaches performed songs from her new album, I Feel Cream. Known for her bawdy lyrics about sex (which are less prominent on this record), her voice sounded more mature than on past albums. When I stopped paying attention to the circus-style show, I could actually hear the strength of her voice and ability to hold a note. It made me curious to see her perform with no costumes or crazy naked people running around dressed in wigs. Peaches finished the show with what she does best—performing “Fuck The Pain Away” dressed in a flesh-colored leotard with a neatly trimmed pubic area and flashing white lights. She proved once again you can take the girl out of the fuck but you can’t take the fuck out of the girl.
Words and images: Lauren Keogh