On March 25th , I got the exciting opportunity for press at Peaches’ show at La Rosa. Peaches had been on my radar because of her new album (No Lube So Rude), and I was familiar with the song Fuck the Pain Away, but otherwise I went in blind! I’m glad I did- this was such a fun concert, and I never knew what to expect.
Going in, I really enjoyed Pixel Grip as the opening act. My co-MD Kirby had been trying to get me onto Pixel Grip for a while, so I was psyched to see them listed as openers. Like I expected, their music was exactly my vibe- I’m such a sucker for gothy electronic darkwave. I’m glad I got to see them live and will be adding to my playlist. Their performance was sexy and synthy, a way different energy than the act to come.
Peaches, in sharp contrast, opened the show wearing a mass of flesh lumps with two dancing phallic flesh lumps next to her. After the first song, she asked us if we were ready for the Peaches Experience, and I absolutely was! Her costumes only got weirder after that, with outfits ranging from a sasquatch suit, to what looked like an inflatable hemorrhoid (I mean that in the best way), to a flesh-colored bodysuit with hair on her nipples and crotch. I particularly enjoyed the last one- I thought the nipple hair was hilarious and appreciated it from a feminist perspective.
Her costumes were sexual in an anatomical definition of the word. They weren’t making an effort to be sexy or sultry- yet remained undeniably anatomical. The concert was pushing the limits of what “sex” and “gender” represent, and it was visible in every aspect of the performance. One of the interesting things I noticed was that in the third act of the concert, the backup dancers presented with sexual characteristics of both women and men- they had their nipples covered yet had leather jockstraps with bulges. It created a space for us as the audience to think about gender, and sex, and why we treat them the way we do, while watching Peaches absolutely kill it on stage. I couldn’t help like there was something vaguely and humorously blasphemous about all of this happening in a church-turned-venue, but it was also kind of perfect for Peaches to perform in a spot where you could buy drinks from a former confessional booth.
Peaches is such an incredible and dynamic performer, and her performance, like her music, broke the boundaries of a typical concert. She walked to the back of the venue over the hands of the crowd- a vaguely Jesus-y moment under the arches of the former church- and then rolled over the audience’s outstretched hands to perform at the back. After having successfully shifted the crowd’s energy to the back for an incredible moment, she walked through the audience to return to the stage.
There was always something to look at or a particularly raunchy part of a song to laugh at, and the whole show kept a high energy. I was laughing so hard during Dick in the Air! Hearing “Take it like a real woman not Ayn Rand” while the dancers were humping the air with huge fake cocks had me DEAD. Seeing Operate, AA XXX, Boys Wanna Be Her, and Fuck the Pain Away live were incredible, and I had fun hearing the songs from Peaches’ new album, “No Lube So Rude”. My only complaint- not enough people were shouting the lyrics during Fuck the Pain Away! It’s too iconic of a song to not have everyone sing along. The Peaches experience delivered in every way possible- I wasn’t sure what to expect going in, but I left devoted to the Teaches of Peaches.
The rest of Peaches’ tour dates can be found here, as well as her new album “No Lube So Rude”.
Thank you to everyone at co-sign for this experience!