Smooching from afar...

As if I didn't already love them to bits and pieces. Baby Bones of Club Smooch Brighton has gone and put my picture on the August poster. I'm the one in the middle. Now to get that video link working and I could perform via Skype....

And here come the waterworks....

So...I'm reaching back into my memory banks here. I'm usually quite like a goldfish in terms of memory length but this is important so I will share it with you.

My final Club Smooch was April 9th and what a show. We were dogged by poor lighting, terrible sound and a sparce audience. But nothing could dampen our party spirits and I most of all was determined to P-A-R-T-Y? Because I gotta!

Bea Devile and I had been working on a special double act, a one-night only affair that we'd been considering for such a long time. The WI cake bake. We are both almost obsessive about cake and had long said we needed to combine the two passions - cake and burlesque, in an all out food fight extravaganza. I got to play the ultimate in trophy wife stereotypes while Bea tried every possible way to sabotage me. It was slippery, it was messy and it was so bloody funny!

The Vegas Showgirls (me and Therese la Tease) and our gimp rocked it Pulp style and I got to debut my new balloon pop I mentioned such a long time ago. It worked so much better than I thought it possibly could and I've decided that I make a damn good blonde!

But the moment I was not expecting came when I was dragged onto the stage, like the oscars and given the most enormous bunch of beautiful pink flowers before Bob, Zerrin and the cast played me a leaving video of all my Club Smooch highlights. There were tears aplenty and it felt so surreal it just didn't feel possible that it was my last CS night. BW, who so rarely comes to my shows also shed a little tear.

I missed most of the performances unfortunately, including Marianne Cheesecake who was on straight after me. Also Coco Deville who I did end up seeing twice more over the next few weeks!

After managing to catch the last couple of acts we pushed back the tables and got down to dancing. Given the rare opportunity to cut loose being in my home town (I never drink much if I've got to catch the last train from god knows where), BW and I finished off a small bottle of whisky and boogied on down!

I don't know where the future of Club Smooch lies as the organiser looks to other creative ventures. What I do know is that the group of women involved in this night are the most fabulously creative, interesting, different, powerful and supportive group as I could have possibly had the pleasure of knowing.

I take my hat off to you ladies.

Stranger than Paradise

What a completely bizarre and wonderful night. Stranger than Paradise is an event run by Amanda Rogers & Sacha Dieu both of whom I hadn't actually met in person before this evening. When I arrived at the venue just before 9pm I asked to see Amanda and was pointed to a lady in a pink creation with flowers on her head and a tiny little dog in a leopard print coat on a leash.

Right, so it was definitely going to be a fun night then!

I met Sasha who would be on the decks later that evening and popped my stuff in the bathrooms which was unfortunately the only place to get ready. In all, the venue was really nice and would have been very comfortable if it wasn't for the owner, who was a bit of an a-hole. We won't go there though. No seriously, I probably wouldn't go back to that place. Despite the fact that the girls who worked there were really, super sweet and lovely, I would prefer not to take my business to somewhere run by a man like that.

Moving on!

The night itself was fantastic. After meeting Amanda's dog Sheba and getting changed for my first act, Amanda and I tottered off down to a nearby restaurant where their friend was having a birthday dinner. She had of course cleared it with the owner of the restaurant! We burst in, Amanda with a speakerphone, me in full burlesque regalia and proceeded to do a little skit in between the packed tables. Anyway, it was hilarious and they loved it and we quickly dashed off back to the venue.

I was doing Ne Touche Pas and La Belle femme en rouge. Honestly, I've got to shorten that name, it's a bit ridiculous really.

They both went very well, although by the time we were ready for the second act, both trying to get ready in a bathroom full of very drunk people and trying to take gloves off when it's really hot became quite a tricky affair! Although at least I didn't have my balloons stolen like the other burlesque performer (she got them back, don't worry!) who's name I stupidly forgot to get.

I should have photo's soon from Paul Raggity who also came along. He told me off for wanting to see the photo's on the mini-screen but I thought they looked good!

The music was great, I know I've said this before but the Trans-Siberian Marching Band playing 'The Final Countdown' might be the highlight of my life. Think of it like a gypsy-polka version and you'll kind of understand what it sounded like.

I also got chatting to the bass player of a number of bands who suggested I come dance to live music at their Thursday night gigs. I just need to find the damn flyer. If you're out there, please send me details! I've wanted to dance to live music for a while.

So, what else happened that weekend? The damn clocks went forward that's what! It caused havoc with the trains and meant I couldn't go back to Brighton that night. Amanda very kindly let me stay at her utterly adorable flat with her and Sheba. I love interesting people and their homes, book shelves in particular. Don't ask me why. Unfortunately it meant that I missed a bellydance workshop on Sunday I'd been looking forward to for a while but that's life.

I made it back in time for rehearsals for Club Smooch and that's the most important thing!

It was a really fun night and I can't wait for 1st May when we'll do it all again in a different place with one of my new acts, the honeybee balloon pop.

Next time I write I'll be telling you all about tonight's show, Club Smooch Spring Faire in Brighton. My last one! There is still a chance to get tickets if you're going to be in Brighton or fancy a night out by the shore. http://komediabrighton.ticketsolve.com/shows/23498194/events

See you there!

Smoochie, smoochie!

Club Smooch cast including flirtini's, bears, chaps and burlesque
starlets extroardinaire!

I love travelling for my work. Getting to meet new people, other performers, is very exciting and a lot of fun.

But there is something very special about performing in my very own stomping ground of Brighton. Not only does it mean there's no late night train to catch, but I usually know everyone back stage and quite a few out in the audience!

Club Smooch is a Brighton institute as far as Burlesque entertainment goes. I have modelled for Curve Couture at a Club Smooch night but this was my first time performing at this night.

The atmosphere backstage was wonderfully exciting and friendly, much like when I was in high school and all the girls would congregate at one house to get ready for Friday night's party. There were girls and guys (don't forget the Dream Bears!) chatting and laughing, last minute snacking, dressing, glittering and hairspraying all over the shop.

I was debuting my new box (all puns aside please!) for my Living Doll act and it performed beautifully. Most importantly, it collapsed down at the end of the night so I could fold it into a bag, sling it over my shoulder and carry it off at the end of the night. An absolute dream compared to the cumbersome old prop I had before.

The whole night really felt like one big party really, and the best part of all was that BW came along for his first ever show! I'm pleased to report that he had a great time and brought another friend along who was also a burlesque virgin so to speak (BW has seen me rehearse so often he can sing every word of the songs).

They sat happily up the back with a colleague of mine from Pulp Press, Danny Hogan the talented writer of Killer Tease. By the end they were all looking very comfortable, whooping and clapping and BW has promised to come to the next one!

We all had ambitious intentions of heading downstairs for Born Bad, but with my plethora of props I decided I needed a cab and my bed for some well deserved beauty sleep.

...and yes. I do have a few more tales to tell...but you will have to wait for tomorrow for those!

The Isle of Style

I remember as a child being told that when you get older time starts to race. Of course at the time I thought it was the usual rubbish thing that grown ups would say to placate you when you're bored. If only I had realised how true it was!

It's been a couple of weeks since my last bit of backstage chatter and life gets infinitely more frenetic with every passing week.

The performance crowd are a superstitious lot by history. All that 'Break a leg' sort of stuff. Some performers find that certain things happen at the same nights over and over again. For example they may always have trouble with one of their acts at a certain night or their music never works properly at another, and so on.

I may very well be doomed to leave something behind every time I work one of DJ Suave's nights! The first time when it was Annie's Bar Burlesque it was my CD wallet with all my precious music, this time it was at The Glitter Room two weeks ago.

Not only did I leave my CD wallet but half my costume! I was in such a rush to make my train home I didn't even realise till Honey Wilde called me.
Honey, 'Hon, are you missing something?'
Me, 'Oh S***, my music!'.
Honey, '...and your bra, and your dress!'

Honestly, leaving things behind can be an expensive mistake to make. Thankfully the lovely Honey posted them back to me first class in time for my next gig!

Last weekend I had all the luck to be performing at the Isle of Wight's 'The Cream Tease'. Oh how I love a big beautiful stage! The very cute Lady Catalina and Stuart run this very professional night. If you are bound for the Isle of Style or are lucky enough to live there I would urge you to make a point of searching it out. Top class performers in a fabulous venue make for a very, very good show.

I met the Darlings Divine: Miss Cherry Pop and Miss Fan-Teasy, saw Banbury Cross again (we performed the week earlier at The Glitter Room) and The Divine Miss Em who I met back when Glitter Room was Annie's Bar Burlesque! We all sweltered away in the dressing room as we primped and preened, discussed Colleen in the latest goss mag and the merits of latex clothing, and avoided costuming up until the last minute to avoid decidedly unglamorous sweatiness and bra marks.

I had such a fabulous time I have my fingers crossed to perform there again soon, although next time I intend on staying the night in one of the sweet B&Bs nearby and really enjoying the Isle. The shame of travelling for work is that I don't often get to see much of the surroundings! If you have any suggestions of what to see when I'm there next then by all means drop me a message.

It was the virgin flight of my revamped costume for Na Touche Pas and from the audiences response I can only imagine it was a great success.

Speaking of costumes, you might have noticed recently that there has been a little change to my website. There is an exciting new tab at the bottom of the menu. 'Whatever is this tab for?' I hear you ask.

Well, over the next few months you will begin to see newer and more fabulous costumes than you've seen from me before, and you know I already love a little Razzle, Dazzle. It's all due to my collaboration with the Curve Couture label. Chrissie Nicholson-Wilde is the talented designer behind the label and her skill as a costumier has me very excited!

Ladies...she has a talent for making THE most flattering shapes to grace a woman's curves and makes exceptional occasion wear, wedding gowns and corsets so make sure to click on the Curve Couture tab and see what it's all about. Naturally I will have pictures of my new costumes up as soon as humanly possible!

I have to say I'm having great fun revisiting my collection of old musicals, vintage couture books and researching hairpieces from the various eras. I've also been converted to the dark side that is genuine Swarovski crystals. I've finally had to admit to myself that nothing really compares to their sparkle and despite the cost I am drooling over the colour chart as we speak.

So, what's coming up?

Tomorrow night, that's right, TOMORROW NIGHT is Club Smooch in Brighton Komedia! Can I hear a big WOOHOO! I always get a little excited to be performing in my home town and tomorrow night is no exception. There is nothing like the atmosphere when you know absolutely everyone backstage and all my friends can come along as well. I'm like a kid the night before Christmas!

So there is no excuse. If you're anywhere in the vicinity of Brighton tomorrow you will be sucked into the gravitational pull that is Club Smooch!

I will see you there.