Showstopper, pantie dropper, everybodys favourite shocker Peaches, brought her DJ Set to The Brisbane Powerhouse for one night of debauchery, theatrical attire and dirty electroclash.

As part of the Frankly! Pop Festival, Peaches was here to also promote her fourth album I Feel Cream, and in typical Peaches fashion- she creamed the crowd into ultimate submission. Often seen with a full band and a crazy posse of outrageous characters (for example, last year’s Parklife saw her stage entourage wearing strap-on dildos and engaging in some kind of faux orgy) Peaches ditched the baggage though not the excess. Sporting a large mohawk and bold as brass make-up, her outfit was a calisthenics costume meets erotic Eskimo meets 8 Mile.

As the well worn alter ego of Berlin-based Canadian-born, Merrill Nisker, Peaches, the artist, at 42 is known for her controversial lyrics and blatant sexual antics onstage. Even during a DJ set, Peaches is a live spectacle, better seen to be believed. The crowd assembled in The Powerhouses Turbine Hall reflected her wide demographic of fans. While the space was hardly filled to capacity, those in attendance knew exactly who they were there to see. From my vantage point on a hanging walkway suspended above the stage, I noticed the younger crowd were clumped towards the front, united by boundless energy and youth. Milling towards the back of the platform was a more mature crowd who appeared to be pushing ages the other side of 30. Not to be outshone by the teens, they swayed along to the set list with some recognition of the lyrics. It occurred to me that these may have been the real Peaches fans, the ones who were converts from her 2000 debut album, The Teachings Of Peaches.

Peaches began her set by teasing us. She sauntered onto stage, slow and unaffected by the cheers. Sitting on the table with her legs crossed, she flicked through her CD case with an air of nonchalance. Choosing an adequate CD, she spun around, placed it in the CDJ and began her set with a Peaches track. After a good ten minutes, she started to really bust out. Still seemingly ignoring the crowd before her, she mouthed lyrics and bounced around with ferocious energy. Peaches was just warming up.

The crowd were treated to a selection of Peaches staples and the entire I Feel Cream album. Notable vocal renditions included Talk To Me and Two Guys (For Every Girl). Filling out her set list were tracks that favoured minimal beats, sexy tempos and major guitar riffs – music that sounded gritty and sexual. AD/DC’s Thunderstruck was dropped with special enthusiasm. She also threw in some electro pop tracks, providing vocal support to the likes of Ladyhawke’s Paris is Burning.

In fact, Peaches contributed a fair amount of vocals to her set. At times, it appeared as if the music just overcame her and she felt the need to break out in verse. This allowed for plenty of impromptu stage antics, which usually consisted of jumping on tables with plenty of crowd interaction. Ending her set with perhaps her most famous song, Fuck The Pain Away from her debut album, I was pleased to see she could still rock it out with power, passion and vocal force. There was no encore for fans as Peaches simply told the crowd “I have to get off the stage now.” She left just as she entered – cool, calm and strangely unaffected. As she was packing up, a lone punter jumped on the stage and started a sexy bend and snap. Peaches ignored her. Obviously, no one upstages Peaches.