Comedy Review: The League of Decadent Bastards @ The Sugar Club
So, last week I got an invite from the lovely Christian Talbot to go to this and I must say I was psyched up and ready to go…and then I got really sick. Throat infection and headache took over for the weekend! But fear not dear people, my friend Mairéad O’Reilly was on hand to head along in my place and below is her review of the night! Read on and enjoy! ?
When I received an invite to an evening of burlesque, cabaret and comedy I must admit I was a little unsure of what exactly to expect from the event. But as a curious soul who likes to dabble in something different whenever she can, I figured what the heck? And boy, was I ever glad I did!
From the moment I walked into the venue I felt like I had been welcomed into a family reunion of sorts. The atmosphere was friendly and almost celebratory, and there was a sense of anticipation in the air as if many of the spectators were seasoned fans of The League of Decadent Bastards. The Sugar Club is an ideal venue for a show like this, with its candlelit tables and plush sofas, reminiscent of a 1940’s cabaret club, all tiered so there’s nothing hampering your view of the acts on stage.
Speaking of acts on stage, we were spoiled rotten with the variety and quality of the performers who joined us. Over the course of the night I counted no fewer than 9 separate acts with a few headliners even returning to the stage in the second half much to the delight of the audience! The surreal evening began with a bang, or maybe a snap, thanks to the MC, Big Chief Random Chaos’ encounter with some live mousetraps (not sure his bare behind was too appreciative but it was a pretty good indication of what was to come!) This was closely followed by the very charming and charismatic Phil T. Gorgeous who even gave some audience members a private dance during his performance of “I’m Your Man.” Next up was a brief debut performance from Desdamona who sang a catchy upbeat tune before taking leave of the stage to make way for some tongue-in-cheek “culture” from ‘The Patriots’. The trio, who are part of Tumble Circus, brought us poetry, music and a thoughtful contemporary dance piece. Though it appeared that everything didn’t go according to plan (there were a few prop issues and one pretty significant wardrobe “malfunction”!) it didn’t stop the group from entertaining the crowd throughout their set.
Frank Sanazi then made his way to the stage and I was enthralled as he sang some of his old favourites ‘Third Reich’ and ‘Strangers on my Flight’. I even found myself merrily singing along to ‘Seig heil with me’ after Frank regaled us with tales of his ‘The Iraq Pack’ band mates, touring and rival bands like Sweden’s ‘The Flat Pack’ led by Allen Key! Next on the stage was the wonderful burlesque performer Ms Crimson Skye, who had the audience in the palm of her hand from the instant the first notes of ‘Sledgehammer’ began to play. She really showcased the cheeky comedic spirit of burlesque without losing any of its flirtiness with her tongue in cheek performance which saw her imitating a naval officer before teasing the audience with a banana and some whipped cream! The final act to take to the stage in the first half was comedian Chris Lynam. Being totally honest the 3 words which came to mind during his set were random, hilarious and looper! I enjoyed every second of the erratic performance which encompassed everything from poetry to impressions to magic tricks, no juggling this time though thanks to an incident with the apples… Surreal comedian or 21st Century clown I can’t quiet decide, either way Chris made me laugh so hard I was glad of the interval to give my face muscles some time to recover!:)
The second half saw Christian Talbot spoiling us with some Ferrero Rocher as he presented The Decadence Foundation’s plans to promote and improve decadence in Ireland. But what of the recession you ask? Well have no fear Christian has already come up with a simple but ingenious solution to recession proof decadence that just needs the aid of a few culchies to work, so I say grab your ivory back scratchers and join The Decadance Foundation in rolling decadence out nationwide! ? The Grim Squeaker, who seems to be partial to eating razor blades, then demonstrated his mind reading skills with a little help from his assistant Mr Orson Unwelle and a volunteer from the crowd. This was followed by a burlesque performance by the duo Siamese Scream inspired by ‘Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas’ which was interesting to say the least! Frank Sanazi reappeared on stage next with more of his punbelievable (yup I said it!) stories and cleverly composed songs including the hilarious sing along song ‘Big Bad Chairman Mao’.
Ms Crimson Skye also graced us with her presence a second time, though she was definitely channelling her dominatrix side more in this half, with a much feistier and erotic performance in a full body latex costume! For the closing act of the jam-packed evening comedian Chris Lynam returned, promising a strip tease, and what a strip tease we got! Once all his socks were finally removed Chris discovered he had an alter ego in the form of a bubbly blonde who really loves chocolate! She told us all about playing hard to get with her love interest ‘George’ before Chris returned to himself to end the show with a bang similar to how it all began. Although this time it wasn’t live mousetraps but a firework that was inflicted upon the bare bum cheeks* of Mr Lynam himself. The rest of the night’s line up provided some musical accompaniment to this spectacle, singing ‘There’s no business like show business’ to a standing ovation no less! (*definitely not something I’d suggest attempting at home for any reason!!)
And so ended a surreal adventure and a fantastic evening’s entertainment. I left The Sugar Club somewhat speechless (which is a pretty shocking turn of events for me obviously!) but happy to have added a few new favourite acts to my list. It’s said that ‘Life is like a box of chocolates’ and The League of Decadent Bastards is certainly a hand-picked couture collection sure to tantilize the palette of all who dare to dip in and indulge in their decadent side! So if you’re intrigued, and you should be, check out the ringmaster’s facebook page.