I guess when I imagined a time where my life would become virtual, I had the idea that it would be like something out of Blade Runner or Total Recall. Little did I know back then that my virtual social life would consist of business apps, people who don’t know where the mute button is, and the reminders of a poor connection thanks to the buffering logo on my screen. Hmmm…this is definitely not what I had in mind.
I am sure I am not alone on this sentiment – many of my friends also feel like the virtual world just wasn’t ready for this change, well, no one really was, but yet – we persevere because what else is there to do? There is only so many films/series/cleaning/eating we can do before we go completely mental – humans a social being, we need to clans and communities.
So on this week’s blog I will tell you what events I have been attending and my thoughts on them. As always, please let me know what others events do you think I should check out as I am sure I am missing some real good ones.
- Virgin Xtravaganzah’s Sunday Sermon
To say that I’ve been obsessed with Virgin Xtravaganzah since I first lay my eyes on her about 18 months ago at TG’s Xmas Ball would be an understatement. Entertaining, controversial, talented, witty and ridiculously funny, she is the holliest of them all and each Sunday she gifts us her with her presence on IG live where she serenade us with songs and anecdotes. Part drag/part theater, this is one of the best virtual shows available IMOP.
Check her out every Sunday (free but do tip her, she is our Virgin Mother after all!!!) on IG here.
2. Marie Devilroux
If I had to guess the number of burlesque shows I’ve seen in my life, I am sure the number would be over the 100 mark. I love Burlesque, and this will sound controversial, but very few people know how to do it right. Marie Devilroux is someone I had wanted to see for years but always missed her shows until I finally saw her live at the opening of Torture Garden Berlin earlier this year. To say that she didn’t disappoint is an understatement. She was phenomenal, and for me, one of the best in the field. I knew she was good when my OH (who has seen many more burlesque shows than me, and usually talks during performances) just stood quiet and just watched her mesmerized.
Last week she did her first solo show on IG live and it was just as good as her live shows. She performed her casket act which was sassy, sexy and classy (and she has the most adorable cats). I do hope she continues to do these shows but she is also hosting a variety of other events so do check her out here.
3. Slimes
Slimelight, aka ‘Slimes’, is the longest running goth club in London (35 years and counting!). It is the place I usually tended to end up after a night at Reptile/The Big Red/Devonshire Arms, where I would dance to industrial beats while trying to keep my alcohol down. Slime is more than a club – it is an institution, the last of its kind in the capital, so of course it wasn’t going to let a pandemic get in the way of a good night! Every Saturday, from 10pm until the djs can’t keep going anymore (7am last time I attended!), a series of djs play a range of music over two Twitch live streams. Floor One usually plays dark techno / electro / ebm / futurepop / dark trance / aggrotech / tbm while Floor Two is goth / wave / old school ebm / industrial (the best floor!) Floor two usually is led by DJ Francesca who is soooo gooood!
Check their FB page here.
4. The Living Room Parties
The Living Room Parties are a series of virtual events ran by the same people that bought us Liquid Love (review here) Last week I attended their Hysterical Literature Online Playparty which was very interesting, as did I mention it was a sex party? No?? Well, now you know.
The party started with the host, the lovely Eyal, going over what the night was about and what the house rules were. Then we had a cabaret show which consisted of a pole dancing act, a musical act and then the ‘hysterical literature reading’ which was basically watching someone read a chapter out loud while their partners would distract them in all sorts of ways. When I attended there was only one reading but that was because of some last minute cancellation. After the readings, we had a small interval with a dj taking over the zoom party and then it was sexy time. Eyal gave us an introduction of how we could introduce touch to the night, regardless of whether we may be alone or with someone, and from there on it was all up to us. I must admit it felt strange at first watching people having fun on the screen, and seeing how everybody was doing something different, but it was also reassuring to see that even in challenging times, we can ‘keep calm and carry on‘. Oh! And there were some really cute and friendly people as well which was such a nice thing to find, specially when attending such an event for the first time. Play was optional, so you had a nice variety going on, with people casually chatting while others were definitely having fun playing.
The only downside to this event is the ticket price – they range from £10 to £20 (with discounts to NHS staff) which is way too pricey for what it is, considering other names like Crossbreed and Klub Verboten are doing similar things for £5-£8 range.
More info on their FB page here.
5. Klub Verboten
And how could I not mention my beloved KB? They have of course jumped into the world of virtual partying and have created a series of events, some run through Zoom, while others are through their own site. Last night I attended their first ‘Videokabine’ which was interesting to say the least. It consisted of four shows, over a hour long period, with a host and a chat room.
The host was the highlight for me – she was hilarious, witty and sharp. The first two shows were also very good – one of them was a real tough watch (blood/needle play) but I couldn’t look away. Sadly, things went downhill from there as the next two shows were nothing extraordinary. The last show in particular (I will only say these words and you can imagine the rest: cocktail – marshmallows – vomit -piss – fuck machine) was one of the worse shows I’ve ever seen. It wasn’t controversial; it was needy, fake, and without any meaning – it screamed ‘look at me’ too loudly.
I loved the concept of their ‘Videokabine’ so I am hoping they focus on getting better acts and continue with this series. Next week they are hosting a club night, so I will report on that.
More info on their website here.
|And here we have it, all the events I have attended in the last two weeks. What have I missed??
A Sense of Clarity 