Foreplay first: If you don’t know who Peaches is, perhaps this song intro from early in Wednesday’s Brooklyn Bowl show will help: “This song ain’t about your big dick. This song ain’t about your big tits. This song ain’t about your big ass. It’s about your big vagina.” From there, the Canadian headliner goes right into “Vaginoplasty,” a tale of empowerment off new album Rub.
Really, Peaches, born Merrill Beth Nisker, can best be described as a performer. She’s got a major set of pipes, but she also captivates the audience with her stage show, her dancing and the way she bares herself—literally and figuratively—for her art. No longer touring with background musicians, Peaches sets the music up on a Pioneer board, which rests on a stage that rests on the stage. When she climbs on that second stage, all hell breaks loose, one hypersexual electro-dance cut after the next. “Lovertits” arouses the crowd early. “Burst” pulsates as couples dry-hump in rhythm. “Boys Wanna Be Her” makes fans thrust even harder.
But as with a lot of sex, there’s more going on than the act. Peaches’ background dancers/performance artists dress up as unicorns and chase her during “Mommy Complex.” They’re chained to one-another during “Pickles.” And when “How You Like My Cut” plays, it’s a scene right out of Mad Max. The audience goes along with it all, Peaches connecting with them on such a deep level. She climbs on top of the crowd, not to surf, but to stand, and lets them know, “If I fall the show is over.” There’s no way this crowd will let its heroine down.
Things reach a climax toward the end of the main set. Symbolically, a giant inflatable tunnel is rolled out across the top of the audience, and as Peaches crawls through it, she absolutely rocks “Dick in the Air,” perhaps the best song on the new album. Before the crowd can catch its breath, she hits them in the sweet spot with “F*ck the Pain Away.” There’s an encore, but there’s no need; everyone here is spent.
