Rock'n'Roll Vs. Burlesque

I haven't been to Bodega since it moved to its new home on Ghuznee Street. It is decorated in the retro look, that is the current rage, and much bigger than its predecessor. The stage is small for shows and it did prove difficult for performers to be seen.

Sadly the time for this event was advertised incorrectly; the Facebook invite said it started at 8pm but that was when the doors opened, the show itself did not start till 9. The lead singer of the band warmed us up by telling us about the pole in his lounge that his and MisRed's child is better on than either of them. Um, ok. As always at burlesque events there were more females in the audience than males and most very well dressed

MisRed opened the evening with a tribute to 80's punk in a red wig and tights under cut off shorts. She appeared to have issues removing her tattoo corset so leaped into the crowd for their help. MisRed later told us she was going to America to perform, I sincerely hope the routine she takes there is more polished than this one.

LadySin performed two belly dancing routines. In her first her coin skirt was strangely paired with shirt cuffs, a little top hat and fishnets. The dance itself was more structured, more calculated than I am used to seeing in belly dancing, the choreography however could have been more dramatic. The later performance was more themed, she showed some emotion by singing along to 'Don't Say a Word' accompanied by a finger placed to her lips (a little too often).

Atomic Ruby who performed a superhero themed routine was a highlight. Her costuming; cape, gloves, boots and eyemask all in sparkly red were perfect. Best of all her set had a storyline; she moved from her superhero self to her street self, from corset and cape to boots and dress.

The band, the Rascal Kings, hit all the right notes, or at least didn't obviously hit any wrong ones. For a cover band they were pretty good. Most of the songs were dance-able but I switched off by the third song. I only stayed because there would be more burlesque. One or two songs interspersed between burlesque would have been better. I had expected 1950's Rock'n'Roll, perhaps modernised, to match the burlesque theme but they played music by the likes of Metallica, Guns N Roses and ACDC, I was one of the few in audience old enough to actually remember these bands. At one point the lead singer said "as I care about your ears, I'll tune up," shame they couldn't shut up - the sets were far too long. There was meant to be back up band but they didn't show up, the audience was informed of this with unnecessary vulgarity which took me back to primary school when swearing was still funny. It would have been interesting to see the burlesque routines performed to the live music, this was a wasted opportunity.

There was a graffiti on the wall in the bathroom saying 'run while you can' advice I took and left during the bands second set. Over all I was very disappointed with weak performances but I guess you get what you pay for.

Venue: Bodega, 101 Ghuznee Street
Price: $10