What did YOU do with your Sunday?
Whilst the rest of the world is nursing their hangovers, watching re-runs of the X-Factor, doing a spot of DIY or cutting up veg for a Sunday roast, what were the socialites of London doing? You know the ones I mean… the types that explore the finer things in life – glitz, glamour, feathers and a touch of silk. Nope, they weren’t hanging out in the Selfridges window displays, they were having ‘Late Late Lunch’ – literally.
I stumbled upon the ad for this evening of entertainment in TimeOut magazine. Tucked away in the corner of their ‘101 Things to do before you Leave London’ feature, the snippet obviously turned heads. Within hours of scanning the article, my crazy-event loving mates had bombarded my inbox with “let’s do it”.
Unfortunately, my pals had already booked tickets to the Erotica Expo (kids these days… honestly) so I found myself at Turnmills near Farringdon on my lonesome, chatting to the bouncers while the organisers put the finishing touches on their secret burlesque grotto. With a deep breath, I delved deep into the candle-lit basement for an evening of cabaret, frills and laughing gas.
There’s no doubt the burlesque scene in London is undergoing somewhat of a resurgence. It’s now the ‘in’ thing and if the bustling crowd at ‘LLL’ was anything to go by, the craze looks set to stay. There were barely enough seats to host all the frilly knickered butts. I had to move twice – but I guess that’s the price you pay for being an inquisitive solo journalist. From the moment I entered the flickering red atmosphere I cursed my boyfriend for being late (a stag weekend in Eastern Europe and a delayed flight… a likely excuse.) If he’d known about the roller-skating waitresses in fishnets and cute panties he may have made the departure deadline.
You see, alone is exactly what you don’t want to be at an evening like this. It was most definitely a place for friends to meet and glam up (or down… the atmosphere was delightfully unpretentious). To my left, a woman in a fully sequinned jacket sipped wine with a top-tailed companion. To my right, a woman in her ‘daggies’ did exactly the same. One man’s exclamation as he entered the abyss said it all – “FABULOUS”.
How the girls on roller-skates managed to stay upright and remain infectiously cheerful was beyond me. How they also managed to distribute (and gulp) nitrous gas was even more of a mystery.
If anything, a lack of seating was the only downfall but the smiling faces around me indicated that the flowing wine and food more than made up for it. After all, there’s nothing like knowing you got one of very few tickets. And hey, who needs to sit all night when you’ve got a new dress to show off and cabaret to swing to? It’s all the more reason to arrive early m’dears. After the success of Sunday night, I can see the event moving onwards and upwards.
On that note… “Would you like some laughing gas?” The lady next to me was obviously a gas-filled-balloon sucking virgin. As the purple plastic deflated her eyes lit up and she let out an almighty cry “Oh my gawd… that was SO great… I’ve never even smoked anything that does that!” And it’s all legal folks.
Nearby, a beautiful bustling woman in a frock looked around at the happy punters gathered in front of a staged bathed in pink light. As chief hostess Anna Theraza stroked her blond ringlets she beamed. “This is the first time I’ve organised the event.” Let’s hope she takes the glitter-encrusted reigns again next time.
As the cabaret acts fired into action and the red lights bounced off the red satin curtains, I vowed that next time around, I’m having what they’re having. All I can say is, I’ve rallied my mates, put the date in the diary and am securing tickets well in advance for the next ‘Late Late Lunch’.
Sunday 17th December is the next date with diva dancing destiny and the event is exclusive to 150 ‘Late Late Lunchers’. Expect Madam Jo Jo’s Ruby Venezuela. Funk, Soul and Hip-Hop wax spinners galore. It goes without saying, if feathers float your boat; this is one to book now.
