TORONTO - Explicit electro-pop singer Peaches made a homecoming gig Tuesday night in Toronto one with plenty of show stoppers.
Thankfully, the props, odd costumes (or lack thereof) and energy only added to the sexual tension driving most of her material before a rabid crowd at the Phoenix Concert Theatre.
Heck, even ma and pa Peaches took the gig in, with daughter proudly bringing them out during the encore.
Backed by her tight three-piece band dubbed Sweet Machine, Peaches (born Merrill Beth Nisker) came onstage looking like a cross between Tammy Faye Baker and Elvira for the slow burning Mud from her new album I Feel Cream.
After shedding that over-the-top costume, the singer dove into Talk To Me, a polished bit of Kim Carnes-ish ‘80s pop as two female dancers strutted their stuff around her. Trying her hand at a moonwalk, Peaches worked up a healthy sweat for the rap-oriented Billionaire.
Sensing the crowd wasn’t quite up to her level of enthusiasm, the musician decided to crowd surf, warning all that the show would stop if she was dropped. Fortunately, there was no risk of that happening during Take You On and the punchy Show Stopper, the latter having her flexing her muscles as if to show her brawn.
Peaches delivers songs that aren’t really ones for summer driving with the roof down, but they do tend to stick after the initial listen. The fact the lyrics often talk about certain organs and erogenous zones, as is the case with simple but quirky Shake Yer Dix and Lovertits, is the sizzle on what are often decent musical steaks.
Yet she also provided plenty of eye candy, whether it was a green laser light reflecting off her jacket or a lightsabre-resembling instrument during More that had her looking like Peaches: Princess Warrior. Here Peaches was also helped out by support act Amanda Blank.
Announcing that it was a hometown show, Peaches doused the front row with what looked like champagne during Set It Off before the Depeche Mode-ish electro-dance nugget Lose You slowed things down a tad. The dance feel continued with the title track of her new album which was okay but nothing extraordinary.
It seemed to be the perfect set up for Mommy Complex, another crowd favorite that had several suspenders-sporting men onstage with Peaches doing some choreography before quickly exiting.
Introducing her band, and donning a huge chain with Peaches spelled out – one that would make bling-obsessed rappers jealous – the artist rounded off the main set with F--- The Pain Away from her album The Teaches Of Peaches.
Whatever props or shock rock antics she revealed early on, the encore was nothing but garage-inspired rock, especially during Kick It before encouraging fans to show their love by removing their shirts soon afterwards.
