Peaches
20th February 2023
Powerstation, Auckland, New Zealand.
Review by Sarah Fleming. Photography by Doug Peters.
It seems almost appropriate for an artist such as Peaches to be playing on a Monday night, an evening usually reserved for recovering from the first day of a new working week. Instead, Tamaki Makaurau’s Powerstation is heaving with disciples ready to be imbued with the wisdom of The Teaches of Peaches.
It has been a long wait since Peaches last graced our shores, her shows at the now sadly defunct Kings Arms back in 2016 instantly proving that she has lost none of her bite, and that the sting in her whiplash tail is still as fiery as ever.
Celebrating the 20th anniversary of her seminal album, The Teaches of Peaches, and with a live show managed by none other than her partner and outstanding artist in his own right, BLCK CRCKER, anticipation was high for an evening of in-your-face music and visual delights.
Kicking it off, a little kiwi flavour first however, with our very own Theia gracing the stage with her numinous presence, a rather apt word for a singer who named herself after both a Greek goddess and an ancient planet that was said to have smashed into earth eons ago.
Soon to release her full-length album it was a pleasure to see Theia once again owning her space with tracks such as ‘Celebrity’ and ‘Candy’ and of course some Te Reo representation that could not be surpassed. Rocking a fabulous black and white satin ensemble with boots to match and of course her iconic braid, Theia was accompanied by the gorgeous Kylie on decks. Be on the lookout for Theia’s latest track ‘Crucified by U’ which drops this Friday.
By this point the room was humming, a variable collection of humans all brought together by the powerhouse that is Peaches, lining every available inch of space, many wearing representations of some of her iconic costumes that have graced her tours. Lights dropping, the room erupted into howls as Peaches made her way onto the stage via zimmer frame, vagina hat, booby slippers and a hot pink jacket with the year of her birth emblazoned across the back in gold sequins.
Seamlessly disrobing while changing into hot pink sneakers and playing her trusty Roland MC-505, Peaches hurled her zimmer frame across the stage as she launched into ‘Set It Off’ the crowd simultaneously whooping with glee as Peaches began to remove her brassiere while asking if it was too early in the set to do so.
This has always been the magic of Peaches, her ability to fly in the face of social norms, to be raw, un-sanitized and most importantly completely unapologetic for who she is as an artist and as a human being.
The Teaches of Peaches was a formative album for many, its simplistic yet brutally honest tracks building the foundations for not only other artists but for her fans on which to launch their own unapologetic personas. If there was any doubt of this, one only had to look out amongst the crowd, as hundreds of people of all ages, genders and sexualities belted out the lyrics in unison.
This already cracking beginning to the show however was like the calm before the storm; as Peaches moved through her set list the intensity rose, each track revealing yet another layer in the evolution of Peaches, the album itself that this show was in celebration of, lifted beyond the echelon by the addition of both a live guitarist and drummer (Bláthin and Tif Larson respectively).
‘Hot Rod’, ‘Cum Undun’ and ‘Diddle My Skittle’ rained down upon the audience, each track consumed with fervour as they danced and raised their hands out to this undeniable goddess of rock. Theatrical lighting, perfectly timed, illuminated the stage as ‘Rock Show’ threatened to bring the roof down, two dancers soon joining the fray.
At times it almost felt like an underground sex club in Berlin, simulated sex scenes, stripteases and more titties than you could shake a stick at prowling across the stage. But this wasn’t some cheap parlour trick, or titillation for the sake of it. This was an expression of empowerment, of communicating the words of the songs not only vocally, but physically, each choreographed move perfectly bonding with the song it was accompanying.
A guitar solo from the fishnet clad Bláthin, as they contorted themselves into what seemed like impossible angles, elicited screams of rapture from the crowd, this addition of live instrumentation a stroke of genius from production manager Ellison Glenn who created the show in conjunction with Peaches.
It is not often that one can state that every track hit its mark, but in the case of last night’s show, to say anything otherwise would be a complete fabrication of the truth. But as the big guns came out, the crowd embraced them even tighter as they dug deep and gave themselves over completely to songs such as ‘Boys Wanna Be Her’, ‘Pussy Mask, ‘Vaginoplasty’ and of course ‘Operate’.
‘Dick in the Air’ announced the arrival of a giant inflatable penis that ejaculated onto a few lucky fans below (with a little help from Peaches of course) before a double header encore saw the crowd rock out before enjoying a musical stand-up comedy routine full of enough terminology to make a nun blush.
Two solid, non-stop hours later, Peaches stood on stage, head held high, looking like she could easily have given a few hours more, her fans using every last available breath in their lungs to bestow upon her the adoration she so truly deserved.
Because if any artist could remind you what it truly feels like to attend a rock show where equality reigns and lifelong memories are made – Peaches is it.
Peaches:
Theia:
Were you there at Powerstation for this magnificent electro gig? Or have you seen Peaches perform live somewhere else? Tell us about it in the comments below!
Setlist:
- Set It Off
- Hot Rod
- Cum Undun
- Diddle My Skittle
- Keine Melodien
- Sucker
- Rock Show
- Suck and Let Go
- Sex (I’m a…) [Berlin cover]
- AA XXX
- Lovertits
- Felix Partz
- Shake Yer Dix
- Bodyline
- Boys Wanna Be Her
- Talk To Me
- Pussy Mask
- Vaginoplasty
- Operate
- Dick in the Air
- Fuck The Pain Away [encore]
- It’s All Coming Back to Me Now [Celine Dion cover] [encore]
Note: Ambient Light was provided passes to review and photograph this concert. As always, this has not influenced the review in any way and the opinions expressed are those of Ambient Light’s only. This post contains an affiliate link. If you purchase a product using an affiliate link, Ambient Light will automatically receive a small commission at no cost to you.
If you enjoyed this content, please consider donating towards the running of Ambient Light, covering expenses and allowing us to expand the coverage you love by visiting our PressPatron page.