Eastbourne kicked off the Turner Prize season with a lesson from the legend of feminist party-punk fabulousness that is Peaches at the refurbished Winter Gardens. In an evening that seemed to continuously out-do itself in terms of politically canny camp, the internationally renowned performance artist gave us an an exhilarating gig and a bold start to the prestigious art event for the town.

Without Peaches, there would be no Lady Gaga. Since the release of ‘The Teaches Of Peaches’ in 2000 she has provided the world with a diverse stream of absurd, filthy, provocative and meaningful work ranging from dance music and opera to theatre and film. What she and her team brought to Sussex was a drag-aligned burst of meticulously crafted costumery, confrontational commentary, and a massive dose of delight.

But it seems Peaches isn’t as well known as she ought to be. Admittedly, the fact the venue isn’t packed may be down to the train strikes (we sadly missed the supporting artists as a result). In any case, the crowd tonight is raucously joyful and supportive in every sense: midway through the set Peaches instructs us to “hold me up while I walk on you” before climbing onto outstretched hands. Thankfully, she’s wearing one of the more manoeuvrable outfits of the evening. One of the many things this artist understands is how to attack on all fronts, using multiple and incredible costumes throughout the show to grab our attention and make a point.

And there is always a point. The performance is a demonstration of the range of the artist’s talents, with the emphasis on demonstration. Whether they came for it or not, the crowd is confronted from the start with towering crochet vaginas, shocking pink shoulders, feminist and queer rights slogans, and a lot of flesh. But Peaches is no airbrushed diva. Sexual, powerful, feminine and unabashed, yes, but also very much involved in getting the job done. As she switches it up between songs, Peaches peels off layers and shares her big pants and bare body with us in all its normalcy and self-acceptance. As her 2009 track ‘I Feel Cream’ says, “every little defect gets respect”. The show ends with her packing up a suitcase with all her discarded gear in what could be a nod of solidarity to the grassroots realities of drag and queer performance for most artists.

So the gig will have ticked a lot of people’s boxes, even if they don’t have the same boxes as each other, and that is Peaches’ true genius. Because as much as the show was political, queer, feminist, drag-meets-burlesque, visual, challenging, etc… it was also musically stunning. With all that going on, it’s almost easy to forget that Peaches is, for many, primarily a music producer and she’s very good at it. It’s not simple to pinpoint a genre, but the show’s mix of bass-driven dance music which forms the framework for the performance sounds loud and proud through the venue’s system, reminding us why Eastbourne is finding itself the choice of the likes of Blur, Suede and other big hitters. When Peaches gives you a lesson, it’s never just on one subject; we all get to learn.

It’s also easy to overlook how well the open, basic stage suits the show. Peaches has toured in stadiums, but her act, her engagement, her movements are perfectly at home in a close-range, unpretentious setting like the Winter Gardens. With the venue joining the roster for the De La Warr promotions team, SOURCE is looking forward to more nights by the seaside like these.

Eastbourne Winter Gardens, Saturday 30th September 2023
Photos by Ollie Thomas