Peach PRC, a hyper-feminine pop star from Adelaide, Australia, came onto my radar in mid-2020, when she shared a satirical little acoustic version of a song mocking her ex-boyfriend - one that would later accumulate 23 million streams on Spotify and earn her an APRA award nomination three years after its official release. 

A queer, feminine crowd dressed in tones of baby pink looped around the street, with fans eagerly exchanging friendship bracelets and pastel flags. Sixteen months on from her debut headline show in the UK, hosted in gay club HEAVEN, the eager energy of her crowd was just as palpable then as it was now. 

Having snagged myself a VIP ticket, I was one of few privy to Peach’s soundcheck and Q&A session, where inside jokes were shared (no, in all honesty, I still don’t understand the pigeon thing!) and she performed a cover of Sabrina Carpenter’s song ‘Juno’. 

Before Peach took the stage for her full performance later that evening, we were joined by Luca George, a Kiwi artist whose stage presence blossomed as his set drew to a close. Moving from behind the mic stand, he began to settle into performing for a 1500-person-strong crowd, he had a grace to his act - showing high potential for the 21-year-old.

By the time that Peach stepped onto the stage, the crowd was thrumming with energy, and this was reflected in the way the lyrics to ‘Perfect For You’ - a Paris Hilton interpolating track - reverberated around the room. Being deep into a crowd singing of queer joy was uplifting, and even Peach herself couldn’t stop herself from smiling at the crowd’s passion.

Another particularly notable part of the set was Chloe Dadd’s performance on the guitar. An artist in her own right, she did an incredible job of hyping up the crowd whilst absolutely killing it on guitar, specifically during the bridge of ‘Favourite Person’ where she supported the singer excellently. She drew my eye during the set repeatedly with her charisma.

Midway through the set, Peach stepped off stage to prepare for a brief dance performance on the pole - a nod to her past as a stripper. For a moment, Peach PRC reverted to Peach Porcelain, and got the crowds’ hearts racing as she donned seven-inch heels and twirled around the pole like the professional she once was. The vibe of the room quickly changed, as she returned to the stage for a more sombre performance. 

There was not a dry eye in the room when the setlist slowed for ‘Dear Inner Child’, with Peach holding strong throughout the deeply emotional song, singing “Forget that love is earned, ‘cause it’s always deserved.” Yet, she didn’t linger on the lower moments of the set, instantly throwing the crowd for a loop as she jumped into the upbeat single ‘Forever Drunk,’ which featured a series of backing dancers with grins on their faces as our tears dried up. This was, confessed by Peach during soundcheck, to be one of her favourites to perform live - and the jumping of fans around me made it clear as to why. 

The set featured two covers, one of ‘Taste’ by Sabrina Carpenter - with the pronouns aptly changed to “You’ll just have to taste me, when she’s kissing you,” and the other being the early-noughties club classic ‘Everytime We Touch’ by Cascada. 

The night closed out with a rendition of her latest single, ‘Time Of My Life,’ where a sweet fan-project surprised Peach when she returned to the stage. The crowd held up flags, sharing that they’re “Having the Time of My Life,” and even the pop-star grabbed a flag and danced around the stage with it. Closing out her performance to resounding cheers, I know that the next time she’s back in the UK, it will be bigger than ever.