Peaches and Amanda Blank

PEACHES and I Feel CREAM in my pants:

After a long day at the office, I was on my way to meet my lady friend Daphne for a night of “the teaches of” the foul-mouthed, feminist, electro-clash, costume changing, shock rapper-rocker, Peaches.

As we walked into the show room, we could hear the crowd buzzing with anticipation.  To my dismay, Amanda Blank had already performed but I could tell the time for Peaches was near.  Suddenly, the lights dimmed.  There was a silence followed by a roar as Peaches and her three piece band, Sweet Machine set the stage. "Oh my god, they are giants vaginas," Daphne said to me, wide-eyed and giggling.  They looked like Cousin It from The Adams Family stomping around with a microphone and a whole lot of attitude.  I was at my first Peaches concert and about to get a Sweet Machine cherry popping.  I was scared and excited.

From the first chord, Peaches' stage performance was a continuous flow of high-energy, hilarious wigs, and amazing costumes.  She changed more times than Cher, and had lightning bolt makeup on her face similar to David Bowie.  Androgynous and sexy, she was.

Some of my favourite outfits included a “XXX” black and pink luchador outfit, as seen on her video “Take You On” and a shiny gold spandex one-piece with a heavy Run DMC looking gold chain around her neck. I should mention she later had it spinning around her neck like a hula-hoop trick.  I thought her head was going to fly off!

And her music, sex rhymes and gritty electro beats at its best.  Peaches pushed the limits of gender identity with her explosive rants about feminism and sex.  Not only did Peaches a.k.a. Merrile Beth Niskers play almost all instruments for her songs and programed her own electronic beats, she also produced her records, including her latest release, I Feel Cream.  This potty-mouthed hedonistic dirty girl even moved from hometown Toronto to Berlin with her Roland MC505 groovebox and PVC bodysuits to promote her raps and raw sounds.  Here she teamed up with Gonzales, Simian Mobile Disco, Soulwax, Digitalism, and Shapemod to create the album.

Many tracks from I Feel Cream were heard at Le Metropolis including “More” and “Lose You”.  She even belted out “Talk to Me” with an amazingly on and never tired voice.  Her sexually charged lyrics and stage performance, not to mention classic tracks such as “Lovertits” and “Fatherfucker”, were nostalgic and futuristic, aggressive and glamorous.

This show stopper, panty dropper and self-proclaimed “stage whore” was making the audience dance all night long to her revolutionary sound and hardcore lyrics.  She had a glowing crotch and even pulled out a “lightsabre wanker rod” choking out heavily distorted sounds.  This former elementary school music and drama teacher even went crowd surfing and sang an entire track while standing on her audience, warning “Don't drop me”! She also had a single green laser light cutting across the ceiling incorporated in her solo performance.  White lights that looked like bubbles and images of her and other artists were projected on glamorous garb.

My most anticipated part of the show was her performance of “Fuck the Pain Away”.  Stick in hand, Peaches stood on the bass drum wearing a huge name-inscribed chain and banged the cymbals to this classic hi-hat beat.  At one point Peaches fell and spat fake blood on the audience and all over her face!  I was immediately reminded of a classic GWAR concert.

As the night progressed, the music rocked harder and faster with punk and metal inspired tracks.  She even encouraged the audience to take off our shirts and swing them high in the air.  The lights were shinning bright on us. I had my metal horns up and was yelling my brains out!

After a second encore, it was clear that this wild child, who celebrated her 43rd birthday the night before, will “rock out with her cock out” until the end.

Peaches is a must-see! If you can't attend every Peaches show in the world I highly recommend you listen to her new album I Feel Cream at least twice and maybe once in the shower.   

Recommended tracks:

“Talk to Me” from I Feel Cream (2009)

“Fatherfucker” from Fatherfucker (2003)

“Lovertits” (Feist cover) from Open Season (2006)

“Fuck the Pain Away” from The Teaches of Peaches (2000)

-Sugarface Kelly

Check out her show Beat The World Saturdays 12 pm to 2 pm.