Minimal electro-punk rocker queen hits the Barrier

By GRAHAM REID

There are places you'd expect to find electro-rocker Peaches: in the pages of rock magazines doing a photo shoot with Iggy Pop; her last album (with the X-rated title) in the best of 2003 lists; dancing on a bar in her adopted hometown of Berlin; possibly even in court for her use of profane language.

Maybe the last place you'd expect this exciting queen of cussin' and sexually graphic, musically primitive electro-punk would be on Great Barrier Island last weekend at the time of Mussel Festival.

But the sometimes bearded vixen and personal art statement has been on the Barrier for a few days resting up before her Kings Arms and Big Day Out appearances. Some questions were in order.

Was this your first mussel festival or do you make a habit of finding such events when you are touring?

Oh, I didn't go to the festival, I avoided it because the Barrier people told me it was a rip-off. They said, 'Don't go there, it's five bucks for a glass of wine'. But I did have insanely large mussels here in Auckland. I was shocked, I'd never had such large mussels. On the Barrier I went to the beach to do some diving, which was ill-fated, went to the hot springs, did some tramping. It was great.

Great Barrier is known as a hippie hangout. Your take on hippies?

I didn't see any but on the Barrier there must be real hippies. If you're going to live on the Barrier you'd have to be. But hippie for the sake of hippie fashion or hippie style I'm not into. A real hippie isn't a hippie, right? They are just a real into-it person.

You say on the album that you don't care about anything (or words to that effect). We're sure you do. About what, though?

People have these preconceived notions about what I'm doing and who I am, so I wanted to let them know I was more than that and didn't care what people thought - in the same way 25 years ago Joan Jett would have said she doesn't care about her reputation. It was updating that idea.

Preconceptions? You're from Canada. We think of Canadians as being nice people like that lovely Celine Dion or even that amusing little skater Avril Lavigne. Why did you turn out so different?

I don't find Avril Lavigne and Celine Dion so similar. I think I'm actually being pretty direct and saying what people say.

I'm not buying the package you've got to be in. I'm trying to expand on that and usually you think of Canadians as sticking to their own package. We also have this New Zealand-type complex, too, like Australia equals the United States for us.

On one of your songs the lyrics consist almost solely of the words "rock'n'roll". Does that about sum it up?

Yeah, what else do you need for rock'n'roll than to say "rock'n'roll" a bunch of times?

But you were once in a folk duo and taught young kids?

We were called Mermaid Cafe, it's from a Joni Mitchell song, and I kinda just fell into that because my friend had a few songs and so did I. We played at a little club and they liked it so we played every week for a year and a half.

That's where I realised I was a musician because I hadn't really performed before that. But then I realised I wasn't into that music.

And teaching kids? I had this acoustic guitar but - like what I'm doing with Peaches - didn't buy into the way they thought of as creative learning. I thought kids weren't taught creative process and that's the most important thing you can give a child ... I was trying to do a more processed-based thing and not have them dress up and their parents clap for them or whatever.

Primitive electro-punk seems your beat of choice. Three influential albums in that genre that those turned on by your music should check out?

The reference points were more like the Stooges for the rock'n'roll thing, [Finland's] Pan Sonic who are like slow-motion heavy metal, and someone like Salt'N'Pepa. Or Missy Elliott.

You have two shows here, how will they be different?

The club show will be sweatier, sexier, more raw and insane. And the Big Day Out will be just another in a long line of whatever.

Peaches are only the third most popular fruit in North America. Why didn't you name yourself Apple, or even Orange?

It didn't have anything to do with the fruit, it had to do with the Nina Simone song Four Women and the way she says "peeeeacheees" at the end.

It was the most passionate singing I'd ever heard. I wanted her to be singing to me - so I had to change my name.

Performance

* Who: Peaches

* Where: Kings Arms, tonight. Big Day Out, Boiler Room (dance tent), 3.15pm

* nzherald.co.nz will feature updates throughout the day from the Big Day Out beginning at 12pm on Friday.