Rocktographers recommends that you make sure the kids are in bed and the boss isn’t behind you at your desk when you read this review. It’s going to be full of curse words, adult situations, and photos of said situations.
Victoria. A town where concertgoers tend to know what they’re in for at any given show at Sugar Nightclub: solid music, expensive beer, and your above average concert experience.
But when Toronto’s Peaches made her Victoria debut, it bent the minds of the average music fans. Some may have even been broken.
New York rapper Quay Dash opened up the evening with a highly energetic performance but, at points, her vocals were overwhelmed by the booming bass notes created by her DJ.
Getting past the vocal issues, Quay Dash spoke confidently on issues she faced growing up in the Bronx as a transgender woman in songs like Queen of NY, off her debut album Transphobic. It was clear by the strength and powerful flow Quay Dash exuded why Peaches had picked her to open for her on this tour.
Earlier this year, Merrill Nisker — or as she is better known, Peaches — was asked to guest curate a portion of the Sled Island festival in Calgary, AB, adding her unique taste, style, feel, and distinctly Peaches vibe to the festival’s lineup. For years, Peaches has been highly regarded in the fringes of the Canadian music scene, and it was exciting to have her finally play her first ever Victoria show.
It’s hard not to comment about the spectacle that is a Peaches concert. The word risqué doesn’t even come close to summing up what the audience sees during the dozens of costume changes (or costume removals). The overtly sexual nature of of the costumes and actions happening on stage during a Peaches concert elevates it to a more theatrical performance piece; something unlike what most of the audience would have ever experienced before.
From the moment Peaches was escorted onto the stage by two dancers in ghille suits made of Santa’s beard, it was clear that she was going to capture your attention for the entire show. Dressed in a giant fluffy pink suit, it looked like she’d murdered a Muppet and now lived inside its furry skin. It wasn’t long before her dancers returned adorned in giant vagina masks and little else, gyrating to a crowd unsure of how excited or shocked they should be (hey, it’s Victoria).
In the meantime, Peaches had stripped off her Muppet skin to show her bare chest to the audience (sort of). All seven of her breasts were hanging out for the world to see. She and her dancers would spend the better part of the evening in some state of undress during their many costume changes. Some can’t quite be unseen.
It’s not often you get to see an entire room chant “DICK! DICK! DICK!” or ask “Whose jizz is this?” during songs like Dick In The Air. The clear winner of the evening was when she performed Rub off her latest album of the same name. Rocktographers recommends not watching that music video at work like we did. Oops.
After performing arguably her most recognizable single, Fuck The Pain Away, Peaches grabbed her suitcase and waved goodbye to the audience, signalling both the end of her show and her current tour.
Here’s hoping the next tour brings her back to our little island for another much needed dose of Peaches.
