The BurlyQ Blog

Ok so there is so much to write and as far as I’m concerned a picture speaks a thousand words; so have a couple on me…

(c) Donata Zanotti

Mamzelle FiFi and I on the night of the International Gala.

(c) Michael Prior

My bum… a popular shot for photographers…

So a couple of weeks ago I get a call from one of the guys who run a fab Burlesque night; Ska Burlesque, asking me if I’d come along and do some flyering in return for free entry to their night at the Macbeth on Hoxton Road. Free Burlesque?? Why of course I’ll come help! With the amazing added bonus that the lovely Millie Dollar was performing, then how could I refuse?

It was a mission and a half to make it to Hoxton Road; meeting the organisers at Old St. tube station we high tailed it across East London getting lost along the way and eventually making it to the Macbeth. The venue is really quite nice with a roof terrace upstairs for smokers and definitely room and a half to swing a cat. The only real problem that emerged later was with the stage… with Ska bands performing there were a whole load of instruments taking up all the room so when it came to the turn of the Burly-Q babes there wasn’t that much room for them to move. The true professionals that they were, I have to say all of the girls performing carried on regardless and shimmied on through.

Before I get on with the show I’ll tell you a bit about my adventure in flyering as much of East London as I could muster. The aim: Get to Brick Lane and back before 9 O’Clock. Having got a little lost on the way we asked for directions to Brick Lane… not the wisest move as it turned out… tottering around in my heels and seamed stockings (is there another way to flyer?) we managed to trek half way across London in search of Brick Lane only to end up walking down some scary looking side alleys where people didn’t seem too interested in a Burlesque night. Just as we were losing hope I heard a woman on her mobile; “Yeah… we’re just on our way to Brick Lane now” Success! So, after some subtle following we reached our destination and there was the occasional cry of ‘Oooh!’ which told us the job was done. Aside from a run in with a crack-whore and a few other suspicious looking characters the people we were most thankful to meet were some lovely London cabbies who pointed us back in the direction of the Macbeth, ten minutes to nine!

Having thought we wouldn’t make it back alive we declared the mission a success and set about ordering some well-deserved drinks. So who do I bump into looking absolutely gorgeous? The wonderful Foxtrot India who performed at the Tiger Tiger night of the LBF who had come to watch the show. And first up was Lydia Darling performing a double act with I believe Amanda Mone - but don’t quote me on that! Two girls on a tiny stage wasn’t quite so easy but they pulled it off all the same and I gave a hand with the pick-up as there was a lot taken off between the two of them. When I’d heard earlier that the Ska bands would be playing 45 minute sets I wasn’t too convinced that the whole thing would work… 5 minutes of Burlesque followed by an hour or so of music until the next - but the first band - Number One Station, were brilliant, and people were up drinking and skanking away quite happily and wait for the next act of the night, Bella Besame. Bella was a performer that I was aware of but hadn’t had the pleasure of seeing perform, and by golly she is one sexy lady!

I’d been able to introduce myself in the break to Millie Dollar who is absolutely lovely, and she came to the front with Foxtrot India and I to get the best view (and of course to have room to dance once Bella’s act was finished!) it really was a wonderful atmosphere. I disappeared a couple of times as I just got chatting to so many different people about Burlesque and what it means to them. Was nice to hear some different perspectives from the eclectic crowd that had gathered there; all in one room you had the burlesque fans, the ska fans and everybody that had just come along for a good time. And what a good time it was. By the time Millie Dollar took to the stage the party was in full swing, and her powder puff routine was just gorgeous. Having seen her stuff online I was blown away at how good it was in the flesh (so to speak) and what a top-notch performer she is.
Thanks Millie for getting me to the tube station in my rather drunken state!

So all I can do is whole-heartedly recommend a great night with friendly people, fab performers and cool music.

AND what’s more, I will be performing at their other venue, The Amersham Arms in New Cross on June 6th, so come along and join in the fun!

My latest act - due to debut at ‘Smooch Rocks’ at the Devonshire Arms, Camden on June 20th:

‘Diamond Dogs’

Tiara Diamond truly is ‘man’s best friend’, as she transforms beneath the glow of a full moon into a sultry, PVC-clad super-vixen…

For bookings email tiaradiamond@hotmail.co.uk

More about the LBF later… but for now I want to share some pictures from my first performance at Madam JoJo’s as part of the Hee Haw! Whore House for Finger in the Pie Cabaret…

Images 1 and 3 (c) Flavia Fraser-Cannon
Image 2 (c) Darrell Berry

For all those that missed it, we had a brilliant time. I spent the following two hours afterwards flitting between Madam JoJo’s and Soho Revue Bar to catch some of the LBF’s topless revue - though I have to say the crowd over there didn’t seem to be going for it like the Finger in the Pie crowd! Mariella Harlotta and Ruby Corsette were wonderful - though I’m sorry to say I was backstage for the first half so didn’t get to catch Aliens Ate my Schnitzel or any of the other lovely acts.

Will say one thing though - after working tirelessly backstage at the festival, it was so refreshing to just turn up as a performer, get ready and do my thing… something I hope to be doing a lot more of in future… so watch this space my darlings, Tiara Diamond has just begun!

Ok, so it’s taken me this long to write up because it’s taken me this long to recover! The London Burlesque Festival is over for another year, leaving behind a trail of feathers and glitter in it’s wake… And what a festival it was this year! For those of you at Tiger, Tiger and Bush Hall, there’s a very good chance you would have seen me - as I was the lady dressed like this:

(c) Master David@ London Fetish Scene

By the third night I gave up on the heels and changed into some flats! Still - I managed a different hairstyle for every night so I didn’t do too badly. First up - Tiger Tiger…

After rehearsals on Thursday I went into the dressing room, plugged in my tongs and attempted (somewhat successfully) to barrel curl all of my hair onto the top of my head and smoothed my make-up on so I’d be as ready as possible when I arrived at the venue. When I got there I stood about a bit, not knowing what to do with myself and feeling like a bit of a lemon. But then I met the lovely Earl Okin who had just finished a sound-check and made me feel right at home. When Agent Lynch came in a second or two later I knew I’d be fine. We’d met before after a performance of hers at Volupte but I didn’t want to come in with ‘Hello! Remember me?’ as I was sure she wouldn’t, so I kept my mouth shut. In the toilets putting my false eyelashes on I bumped into her again - ‘So what act are you doing tonight?’ ‘Barbarella…’ ‘Oh great! I haven’t seen that one yet!’ ‘Didn’t I meet you before…?’ last time we met I was saying how much I wanted to see her Barbarella routine, and turns out she did remember me! Next up I was introduced to Alaska Blue who was doing the pick-up with me, who had on a fabulous flamingo hat, and turned out to be equally as lovely. Sean from ‘Beyond the Cabaret’ filled me in on my duties for the night and we began sorting out the reserved tables for the guests. There was a slight hiccup at the sponsors table (not enough seats!) but with some re-jigging we were able to get everyone sorted out in time for the show. And by golly we were packed!

It was a great line-up; Agent Lynch, Dangerous Dolly, Stella Plumes, Roxy Velvet, Chrys Columbine, Foxtrot India and the amazing Vicky Butterfly (now there’s a performer worth seeing!) and more! I must admit I was a little star-struck. Watching in the wings I got to see some first-rate burlesque dancers, and I was increasingly pleased with myself for having offered to help out. Aside from a few disgruntled patrons that weren’t able to see the show properly (bearing in mind the place was packed!) we had an incredibly successful night - with all items removed being returned to their rightful owners

The midnight show meant I got to see Vicky Butterfly’s Peacock Act plus a whole lot more wonderful performances, and for £5 entry, the audience most certainly got themselves a bargain! With the club not a particularly renowned venue for burlesque we got the occasional few asking what on earth was going on downstairs as they got a glimpse of some sparkle and skin; but more than a couple of them went off to buy their tickets to get a better look… it would seem that with burlesque taking over London on the 3rd of April, there was no escaping it for the general public. So why not give in and be fabulous for an evening? You’ll have a whole lot of fun!

Ok so I’ve been missing for a while but I do have lots to show for it!

My dissertation is finally complete and has been handed in, it’s a stage adaptation of Gypsy Rose Lee’s Burly-Q murder mystery, ‘The G-String Murders’ and isn’t too bad.. so long as you like the book! A soon as I can figure out how to convert my word doc. into .pdf format then I’ll happily distribute to anyone that wants to read it, or act it out if you really want to.

I also tootled along to the London Burlesque Festival volunteer’s meet-up and will be helping out as a French Maid stage-hand for three nights! A friend of mine is performing on the 3rd at Tiger Tiger, so I’m looking forward to picking up her frilly things; and I hope you’ll be coming along to see her take them off!

The London Burlesque Festival is running from the 2nd-6th April with events organised at Madam JoJos, Bush Hall, Soho Revue Bar and venues across London. Chaz Royal is bringing acts from International waters over to the capital for his 2nd Annual Burlesque Festival, including my favourites, The Fleshoticas! They’re performing at the International Gala on the 5th (Bush Hall) and the Topless Revue on the 6th (Soho Revue Bar), so if you miss them one night you’ve got a chance to see them again! Highly recommended.

And today (last bit of news) I went and had my hair and make-up done as screen legend Rita Hayworth, and had some pictures taken as part of my friend Faye’s Specialist Make-up course. The photographs will be coming in a couple of weeks so stay tuned for them, but for now here are a few shots of me in the artists chair;

Enjoy! x

Rehearsals have begun for Lisa Devaney’s HeeHaw Whorehouse, due to be performed at Madam JoJo’s on April 6th as part of Finger In The Pie Cabaret. Go to their website to pick up tickets! I will be dancing my début as Cindy Brandy Candy, the purdiest gal at the HeeHaw Whorehouse, so be sure to come along and check it out. We’re the first act of the evening, (doors at 7pm, show at approx. 8pm) so even if you’re planning to shoot off to Chaz Royal’s Topless Revue - which starts at 9pm at Soho Revue Bar, there’s no reason why you can’t swing by and catch us first! Here’s a little preview picture of the cast, courtesy of Madam Devaney…

And a little description of what you can expect…

‘Cabaret meets Appalachia in Lisa Devaney’s Hee Haw! WhoreHouse, an Americana slapstick comedy that will have you a hooting ‘n a hollering and begging the bar for a swig ‘o moonshine. Inspired by the backwoods of the USA, where hillbilly fashion can still be spotted on Main Street, you’ll enjoy a finger-licking, foot-stomping good time at this hilarious whore house, and if you’ve only got pennies in your pocket, there are plenty ‘o rock-bottom bargain bin prices on offer to help even the poorest of the po’folk leave with a smile on their face.’

It should be a lot of fun… for both the performers and for the audience… one member in particular! So come along and join in for a rootin’ tootin’ good time!

What a lot of lovely ladies! My friend and I were both Bethnal Green virgins, having always intended to, but never actually got around to seeing what all the fuss was about. Thursday night was our chance to do just that. I arrived disastrously late to meet my friend (apologies again!) wearing a black and white polka-dot dress and a fab white fluffy shrug (not pictured) that I picked up in Germany last year. Why is it that no matter how much I rush to get ready I still wind up late? Oh dear…

Me wearing said dress at an LBF fundraiser last year.

So, back to the matter at hand. Arriving late I meet my friend (whose Victory rolls you could tell looked great, but had suffered from standing around waiting in the wind for half an hour…) and we walked from the tube station cautiously down the high street, looking left and right until we found Pollard Row, which we ambled up even more cautiously just in case we’d taken an ill-fated wrong turn. If I could make one suggestion to the management it might be that outside the building they have large neon signs with the obligatory arrows and ‘Girls! Girls! Girls!’ flashing on them, just to make the place a little easier to distinguish.

I’m not entirely sure of the history of the Whoopee! Club at Bethnal Green, or how it came to be that a little burlesque haven was tucked away in a working mens club, but I can only imagine (as in… this is a complete stab in the dark) that it’s in some way down to Jo King, as Goodtime Mama JoJo was certainly the heart and soul of the show. Although she reminded me somewhat of my Mum which was a little disconcerting, (my Mama was certainly one for a good time…) it was lovely to see her looking out for the girls when the judges gave them a hard time.

The acts were surprising good (having not known what to expect); we came to take a look at the competition and certainly saw that in the girls that performed. First up was Goldie May, whose clockwork doll routine was funny, sweet and sexy. You’ve got to hand it to a girl that can look good, dance, sing and make people laugh. Poor thing had lost the key from her key-hole… but luckily she could be “manually operated”! It was really very good. Other acts that stood out were the ‘Flapping Tappers’ who did a brilliant comedic dance routine, a geisha act and a surreal toreador who fought a plastic sheep then seduced a bull by taking her clothes off.

The venue was a little smaller than I think we were expecting but there was certainly room enough to swing a cat (not to mention nipple tassels…) and we even managed to find ourselves a seat for the second half. I think one thing that would put me off performing there would be the regular staff of the club; standing at the bar sipping our drinks a big long haired man came and stood in front of us to get a better look, and for some reason, his ogling, rather than appreciation, seemed to cheapen what the girls were doing. I didn’t like that much. Burlesque tends to draw a particular crowd, unlike ordinary mainstream stripping, and when there are people in the audience that wouldn’t care if the girl was wearing a neon g-string and nothing else, then it isn’t as much fun anymore. I completely understand the nature of the game, Burly-Q wouldn’t be where it is without men paying to see some naked flesh; but nowadays it’s the women in Burlesque that define what they do as an art-form - be that as performers or audience members. Without respect of the art you may as well head down to some sleazy club, where the girls will take their clothes off quicker and you’re likely to see a whole lot more. I know I’m acting like a purist, and I really have no right to, but this thing that I love, I hate to see tainted… and now I’m off my moral high-horse I’ll finish what I started.

Tournament of Tease: If you want to see good quality performances from rising stars of the Burly-Q then I thoroughly recommend a visit - especially if you’re on a budget (entry £8, drinks approx. £3 each), Burlesque Bargain ladies and gents, what more could you ask for?

Right then Ladies and Gents, who is going to Tournament of Tease this evening? It’s at Bethnal Green Working Mens Club, doors open at 8.30 show starts at 9.30. Can’t make the class with Jo King beforehand, but I will be there with some girls from the workshop to scope the competition!

Now then, decisions decisions… whatever shall I wear?

This was my first attempt at victory rolls and from the front it didn’t look too bad… bit more practice and I’ll be a pro! All I can say is thank you Ruby Rose! x