The Teaches of Peaches

I want to preface this review by stating that I knew nothing about the musician Peaches when I attended her concert last night at Northcote Theatre in Melbourne, on the eve of International Women’s Day. I requested review tickets based on a friend’s recommendation – you have to see Peaches, she’s right down your alley.

Why didn’t I know about Peaches? Probably because while she was touring the world in the 90s with her sexually liberating and empowering awesomeness, I was encased in a very traditional, sexually repressive Cypriot culture in the Australian diaspora, with my Greek-Orthodox religion constantly preaching that I would burn in hell if I had sex before marriage – and I think this reality was clearly reflected in the largely white demographic of the audience. Lucky for me, I liberated myself from all that later in life, writing the poetry book Love and F—k Poems to get it all out of my system.

I have to say, I have never seen anything quite like Peaches. I expected a music-type concert, but I would categorise it more as performance art. Everything from the music, to the lyrics, to the provocative and sexy costumes, to the jaw-dropping creative props, to her wild guitarist and drummer and supporting dancers/movement artists, had a role to play in this very exciting enthralling, politically-charged feminist show where sexy and nudity was very much the norm.

Transported back to the 90s with the electronica/techno/rock/metal sounds of this non-stop, 2.5 hour Peachathon, I could not keep my eyes off the stage, in total shock at what was playing out before me, yet anticipating with delicious excitement what Peaches going to do next – and the deeper we went, the naughtier it all became.

Everyone on stage was constantly interacting with the audience energy, Peaches even carrying out parts of her performance while crowd surfing. With punchy, confronting, fearless, unapologetic and raw lyrics, she tackles both the personal and political, claiming her body as her own, and not giving a f—k what anyone else might think, everything from abortion rights to body hair. Her overt sexual expression was so liberating that if my legs could have held me up for longer, I would have liked more please!

I was inspired on so many different levels by Peaches, as a woman who has always been shy of her own body, as an activist and feminist, but it also tapped into my sexual needs and put a cheeky grin on my face, like I wanted to run home and be very naughty with the current man in my heart (if only!). As I was standing in the crowd, I was thinking that my teenage daughter needs to see this, but with an 18+ rating on the show, it wouldn’t be possible. Yet in world where our kids can access so many harmful images with a click of a button, it is my view that pro-feminist Peaches actually counters so much of this harmful imagery in a healthy, liberating way, and should actually become part of school curriculum. What a great show to watch on the eve of International Women’s Day. Ten stars!  

Koraly Dimitriadis