En route to The Picture House, the Fringe’s home to the UK’s biggest burlesque night, there was just one day left of London’s golden games. The Festival Square deckchairs were full as fans soaked up the last full day of Olympic fervour.
Club Noir was right to catch on to the latest thing causing a national fever. Glasgow’s biggest burlesque names all added a punchier touch of God Save the Queen style patriotism to their numbers. Even Her Royal Highness herself stripped off to reveal a sparkly, Jubilee-red two piece before the Crown Jewels were on public display.
Other numbers that attracted an Olympic stadium style roar were crowd pleaser Vanity Kills who brought along a bottle of celebratory champagne, the Statue of Liberty who whipped some rhythmic gymnastic apparatus around her crown and the Highland Warrior Woman who used the feathers from her latest catch to accessories her outfit, before giving one of the gutsier performances of the night
It is worth knowing that Club Noir has a strict burlesque style dress code that should be adhered to and revellers really get into the swing of it. In fact, some of the costumes at the bar were stage worthy and the only rule is that anything goes: pink wigs, trilby’s, feathers boas, Roman Viking outfits, 50’s prom dresses, Playboy bunny ears, anything you fancy.
Club Noir is a marathon style event, lasting from nine ‘til three am, but by the time I had reached the finish line, even the performers themselves seem to be limping along. The Closing Ceremony, in great contrast to the high energy Opening number, was underwhelming to say the least. Performers held up colour coordinated hula hoops up in formation of the Olympic sign before throwing them into a disappointed crowd and shimmying off stage in dramatic costumes that barely saw the light of the stage.
Club Noir go for gold but fail at a few hurdles. They continue, however, to make their own piece of history by being the biggest burlesque night in the UK. If you want to a be a part of it, dust off your Roman Viking outfit and go find their regular night in their hometown of Glasgow.
