Credit: Carina Jirsch

In a month of news about the veil or not to veil, it was almost a relief to see Merrill Beth Nisker mount a banister and gyrate to the beats whilst waxing lyrical about the gender agenda from beneath a glittery hood through which her bright eyes challenged us to label her. Peaches was at the Forum and all the freaks and misfits, cross dressers, gays, straights and pretenders that no longer raise an eyebrow to the liberal mind were out to sing along and maybe even Fuck the Pain away with her.

Onto the stage in a silver hot-pants space suit and the show starts up to Impeach my Bush. The crowd go nuts and it seems there is a lot more politics at this disco than most Friday nights. We’re about to fire walk though the genres and more costume changes than the average west end show – all of course on stage.

Not only does this woman blend the sexes into a third identity she can shake a beat, rock the house and actually sing sweetly on the odd note. During the show she manages to channel Salt’n’Peppa, Mark Bolan outfits, storming glam rock, electric shapes and a frankly sexy flying V axe. She sings, she grinds and she dances in her bra and panties imploring you to shake your tits and Shake your Dix, while the band dances in synchro'.

One thing that threatens La Nisker’s place as the queen of arch-disco that night must be her insanely charismatic drummer, Samantha Maloney. The blonde and butch sticks-woman took front of stage for plenty of the set and still managed presence when seated in the more traditional seat at the back. This fact was indeed acknowledged in the bizarre Speeches of Peaches at the start of the encore. The band were rewarded with medals, the drummer taking first place and then rather sadly a schmaltz fest ensued as the biggest medal went to Peaches herself.

In total the weight of ‘issues’ on Peaches’ records might lead to expectations of a pulpit rather than an amusing and sharp disco complete with giant inflatable penis. There’s far more fun to be had on top of the main themes. It seems that Louis XIV was right, politics are so much better when there’s sex.