No, this isn't a band. When the website first started it was meant to focus on all things entertainment, it was only over some months that it was decided we'd focus on music and leave the other bits to one side. Warren Speed ran a burlesque night so I called him up to talk about it. I hate phones.
Words - Suzy Sims
First published on Native.tv in Jan 07 http://www.native.tv/
(c) Niche News & Publishing Ltd
WARREN SPEED - HOUSE OF THE GOLDEN LOTUS
Clubbing and students. The two usually conjure up an image of sticky dancefloors, gloomy lighting, plastic decorations and possibly an ex-children’s television presenter on the box. But now there is a new option – the option of old fashioned glamour, wild and wacky entertainment, mysterious people and dangerous stunts. Welcome to the world of cirque-burlesque. Welcome to the House of the Golden Lotus. It’s a new night of hedonism and style launching in March. Burlesque isn’t as risqué as it was once considered; now it’s glamorous, exciting and a little bit cheeky. We spoke to one of the organisers, Warren Speed (aka performer Carrington!) from Growling Clown Entertainment.
When does House of the Golden Lotus launch?
The first show is March 10th in Newcastle University, a place there called The Bassment. It's quite a big venue. We've got a stage and we're dressing all the venue up to make a carnival kind of atmosphere.
Have you got any special acts planned for the first night?
Yes, we've got some circus acts, some burlesque acts, compere, there's bizarre walk-about characters. We’re going to make it like a freak show, so we'll have a freak show booth with various bizarre things inside.
Can you give us a clue? Or will it be a surprise...
We're trying to get an atmosphere kind of like the 1900s, the freak shows and the vintage old carnivals from years and years ago.
Is there any kind of dress code for the people who turn up?
Yeah, we're really trying to push a dress code where people can get dressed up. Not jeans and trainers kind of thing, more like top hats and getting dressed up for a kind of burlesque show, all the vintage styles like 1950s gangsters, bombshell kind of pin up look - a bit over the top with extravagant feather boas. Really like a vintage kind of style, really really glamorous.
Do they have many burlesque nights up Newcastle way?
No, they don't have many. I mean, burlesque's taken off quite a lot at the moment, it's making a bit of a revival.
Dita Von Teese has done quite a lot to help it hasn't she?
Yeah. There's more shows popping up all over the place, a lot of them are kind of small events.
What sort of age group are you hoping will come down?
It appeals to all. Obviously it does appeal to your typical kind of clubbing group and we're aiming it at the student market as well. The kind of music we'll be playing won't be dance style, it'll be more kind of vintage - swing, rock and roll, rockabilly, quite a bit of indie stuff as well. Not trance kind of stuff. It'll appeal to all age groups and there will be a lot of subcultures interested in coming to this kind of thing.
How much does it cost to get in?
£8 or £6 for students.
That's not bad for a club night is it?
No. We've got a few shows planned - there's Newcastle on March 10th, then we've got one at Middlesbrough's The Empire on 23rd March. With it being a new thing we're not sure how it will all take off but we've had loads of interest and we're hoping it will become a regular event. We've got a lot of ideas for the future; all the bizarre stuff to put on!
How regular, once a month?
Once a month would be good but we've had interest from all these other venues in Leeds, Nottingham and Manchester. Once a month or once every other month in a number of cities, so we've got a show every week, but in a different city.
You could try some of the music festivals as well...
My company actually organised the Comedy Festival in Newcastle so we could bring it into part of that. I mean a lot of universities are interested in using the show because they think this kind of thing will really appeal to students.
I think it will, it's so different to what's around really.
Yeah. We run a theatre show as well which is a pretty similar kind of live show - but obviously in a theatre so people are actually sat down to watch it. It's like a variety show really harking back to the old days of variety with modern acts. The club nights will probably have two fifteen minute performance sections; bizarre and burlesque performances, the occasional singer, something different for a club night really.
I saw a bit of burlesque at the Reading Festival last year actually and it did look so different.
It is, it's getting a lot of publicity at the moment and everyone's interested in it but I think with the music being a bit more retro, Fifties rock and roll -
A bit more stylish?
Yeah but still the classics that everyone knows. The main thing is to keep everyone dancing, so we're not going to play obscure things no-one's ever heard of. We've got good DJs (from The Black Jack Rabbit Martini Lounge and Jeepers Peepers) and people are there to socialise and dance, it'll just be a completely different way of going about it. I think with dressing up as well - in the current climate with burlesque coming back - I think people are just enjoying getting dressed up a bit more, especially in the kind of vintage style. We're hoping it's going to be really popular.
I heard you previously organised the Cabaret Excentrique - was that at the Newcastle Comedy Festival as well?
Yeah, that's the theatre show we run. That's happening again in Newcastle - well in Gateshead at the Sage, which is a lovely big venue. We've got theatre shows booked into that as well and we're hoping to do a proper theatre tour, hopefully at the start of next year.
Have you got any names of acts you'll be having on your opening night?
Yeah, Wild Card Kitty is a burlesque performer, Carrington! who is a male burlesque performer, Cheeky Chappies - a slapstick double-act - we've got a compere, we've got circus performers who will be doing aerial work and circus tricks.
Something a bit dangerous!
Yeah! Well we've got fire-breathers as well and fire juggling stuff. Hopefully it'll be something that's never really been seen before in the club setting. We're really trying to go out of town to make it so when people walk in it's just 'Wow!' Like walking into a different world, hopefully.
Well I think that's pretty much it. I hope it goes well for you!
Where are you based?
Portsmouth.
Hopefully we'll get down there eventually! We're hoping to get in at the Edinburgh Festival as well.
Oh that would be brilliant. You'd get loads of people coming in for that.
Let's hope so!
http://www.clubgoldenlotus.com
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