There’s nothing like a sexy party to work off Thanksgiving Dinner, and anyone that was smart enough to not go shopping was at the biggest sexy party in town. We had Wallpaper, Oakland’s synth funk wunderkinds, we had Amanda Blank, Philly’s naughty synth-hop diva, and the queen of raunch, Peaches, to show the kids how it’s done. (Hopefully with a condom.)
With Peaches, Amanda Blank and Wallpaper it’s sure to be a show. A show in the sense that it’s filled with alter egos and antics. Well, at least that’s the case with Wallpaper. Ricky Reed was super fresh tonight, pimp cane and all, but It didn’t take long for Reed to ditch the pimp limp and get it crackin’. (Editor’s Note: I decided to name his look “Indie Pimp”: a combination of thrift store chic, chains, and cane.) They opened with the 1st single off DooDoo face “I Got Soul, I’m So Wasted” and the party was no doubt off and runnin’. Reed, like always was joined by Arjun Singh’s drumming which is full of personality on it’s own. Singh’s kit is rather simple, kick drum, snare, high-hat, a crash and a ride; it looks super small next to his animated playing, as if he’s playing a toy kit from Costco! He raises his hand above his head for the snare hits and has a way of rhythmically sitting up, then down for playing the kick drum, it’s like he uses his entire body to play the drums not just his arm and legs. Singh’s energy is only matched by Reed’s has he dances, then sips from his red Dixie cup, and then dances some more.
One of the highlights of the set was a cover of the Bell Biv Devoe classic, “Poison.” It showed of both Arjun Singh’s amazing skill as a drummer and Reed’s true talent as a soul singer. It’s possible that this is a novelty project, but they put a lot of effort and musicality in to the performance, leading me to think that this is a true homage to both Prince & The Revolution-era electro funk and mid-90’s new jack swing.
The crowd really took a liking to Wallpaper, by the end of the set when they played “It’s My Birthday” it looked as if the entire crowed of The Regency was dancing. Wallpaper did their job perfectly by setting the mood for Amanda Blank to come on with Peaches to follow.
After Wallpaper, the stage was set with a drum kit, two laptops, and four turntables. A drummer and two djs took the stage to play some remixes, including the Yeah Yeah Yeah’s track “Heads Will Roll” and Madonna’s “Vogue.” It was really cool, and the live percussion really complemented the sound nicely. During the last few bars of “Erotica,” Ms Blank came out in a black sheet. After a few moments, she tore the sheet off, and revealed a tiny black minidress. Her performance band was really good, and her performance was solid, but aside from a song that included elements of Romeo Void’s “Never Say Never,” none of her songs stuck with me. I give her about two more years to hone her songwriting, and I think that their could be great things coming from this project.
Peaches seems to be the kind of girl you’d be intimidated to sleep with. She may possibly hurt you or be supremely bored by what you have to offer. This could be due to her aggressive styles and lyrics, or the stage persona that she explodes with.
Her band first came on the stage wearing these Cthulhu masks that made it seem like they were going to eat the audience amidst a mass fornication. Then Peaches appears and wore this massive costume that looked like was made from human hair and borrowed from the set of Sesame Street.
After stripping off this huge costume Peaches then wore this pink Mad Max outfit while making sexy gestures. The sexy gestures were of course prominent throughout the night.
I got to see Peaches walk the rail of the photo barrier kicking at people and their cameras (they got a fair warning), crowd surfing, crowd walking, a barrage of punches, blood, and inappropriate touching.
During the crowd walking she started wailing punches down one someone who, according to Peaches, stuck their fingers in her minge. This may have been the point she cut her thumb. The cut thumb did not seem like a minor scrape as she battled with it throughout the show. Her instruments were getting stained and she kept wrapping a towel around her hand to control the bleeding.
Peaches still gave a massive performance despite bleeding profusely everywhere. The costume changes alone must have gotten into the double digits. This demands respect as some performers may have ended the show early.
My favorite songs were the heavy metal themed ones, possibly because her band can rock it so hard. But it’s also Peaches vocals that add to the awesomeness. I was convinced I heard the best song of the night while she was pulling a Joan Jett. But then she comes out and sings a sweetly-toned song and I realized the range she has as a musician.
Peaches is not just an act (although there is no doubt she is an act) but she’s a talented performer who gives it all to the crowd. Neon-lighted keytars wielded by hot band members, crazy light-stick instruments, costume changes, multi-media rocking, and crotch LED’s.
I left the show respecting her and her band, but unsure on whether I’d need to go to another show of theirs. It was cool to see and be surrounded by a whole bunch of hot girls, but in the end not necessary for a repeat.
Here’s The Setlist:
Mud with Blade Runner intro by VangelisTalk To MeBillionaireSerpentineShow StopperShake Yer DixI U She/Tombstone mashupMoreBoys Wanna Be HerYou Love ItLose YouI Feel CreamMommy ComplexFuck the Pain AwayEncore:OperateSlippery DickTake You OnEncore 2:Kick ItRock ‘n’ RollSet It OffMud with Blade Runner intro by Vangelis
Talk To Me
Billionaire
Serpentine
Show Stopper
Shake Yer Dix
I U She/Tombstone mashup
More
Boys Wanna Be Her
You Love It
Lose You
I Feel Cream
Mommy Complex
Fuck the Pain Away
Encore:
Operate
Slippery Dick
Take You On
Encore 2:
Kick It
Rock ‘n’ Roll
Set It Off
Additional Reporting By David Price and Dakin Hardwick
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Editor’s Note:
Admission to this show was granted by the management of the performers, but neither the writers nor the photographers were paid for this review. And, the managing editor begs to differ concerning Peaches performance. I will return many times over, and had a blissful time. I also believe she spit vomit on to the crowd just before the track “Fuck The Pain Away.” It seems that the nausea was brought on by the blood loss.
Pouria: Did you happen to see an argument or fight between a black guy and a white girl with a white guy at this Peaches concert? Did you see security take anyone out? Also, do you have any more photos that show the crowd at the concert? Thanks so much. Julia