BOOM BOOM BURLESQUE! Explodes onto the scene
Posted on 07. Apr, 2012 by T.T. Tassel in Event Information, Main Articles, News
What do you get when you bring together an English Drag Queen, the best DJ on the Burlesque scene, and some of the top Burlesque performers Finland has to offer?
Yes that’s right not only do you get one hell of a night out, but you end up with Boom Boom Burlesque.
Exploding it’s way onto the Finnish Burlesque scene, Boom Boom Burlesque showed just why it deserves it’s place on the Finnish Calendar.
The venue for all this talent was Navy Jerry’s Rum Bar in Helsinki, so a big thanks go out to them (I am not sure if they were fully prepared for what was to happen when they agreed to host it). The venue is a bit of an odd shape, and does not lend itself to this kind of event very easily, but with some small adjustments it proved it could do the job and provide us with a unique experience. The closeness of the audience and the performers at first may have been a bit intimidating for everyone, but once warmed up that was soon forgotten, and made use of by some, but more on that later. However the cosiness was to be the cause of some problems for the performers gaining access to and from the stage. The venue was sold out by the time the show started, and those of us lucky enough to be inside were not going to be disappointed.
Once inside there was a choice of two bars, a Tiki bar, and a larger main bar, both of them serving special Burlesque themed drinks for the evening, you could also order food, I was unfortunate enough not to be able to try this as the kitchen was closed by the time I went to order mine, but the look and the aroma coming from other peoples plates was so pleasant.
Keeping us entertained while we waited for the start (and of course providing all the music for the evening) was probably the best DJ on the Finish Burlesque scene DJ Fiona Timantti. What can anyone say about this lady that her music can’t say for her? She has just the right music for the events, and her own look is just stunning, and even when something was thrown at her at short notice she was still able to provide appropriate music, and provide it in a swan like manner.
Our hostess for the evening was the ever lovely Lamey Crackhouse, her winning way with the audience had them doing just what she wanted, even to the point that she got some of the guys in the audience to join in and do a little Burlesque for us. How did she do this, well as was said the venue was very cosy, so this meant that at times people wanted to cross from one side of the stage to the other, this meant walking in front of whoever was on stage, so if you crossed the stage when Lamey was on you had to pay the price and Burlesque, one such victim was Kimmo Soljasalo, and I have to be honest here and say, sir if you read this, and you want to take up a new hobby I think you just found one. Thanks to Lamey I know I will never again look at certain vegetables the same way, as I am sure most of the audience wont, Lamey you are the best bitching whore we know, don’t ever change.
The first acts to perform for us were Lucie Good Ness, Pepper Sparkles, and Marie la Mint.
Lucie was demonstrating just how a girl should keep cool in the long hot Finnish summers, her performance was as always cool, even though she had possibly the hardest task, that of being the first act on stage, she pulled it off with true excellence and set the tone for the rest of the evening.
Pepper Sparkles was the first of three performers (that I know of) that gave us the premier of their new act. What a performance it was, this was Pepper at her best, all the hard work certainly paid off (I hear that there was over ten thousand sequins sewn onto her costume, by herself).
Marie la Mint is the kind of secretary that bosses can only dream of, but sadly work gets in the way, as much as she tries to take your mind off of profits and losses, still it is good to have a dream.
The next set after the break was not going to let anyone down, and if anything Tin Ker Bell, Millie Mimosa with Wivian Wondrous, and Mimi de Froufrou turned the night up another level.
Tin Ker Bell certainly kept the audience awake even if she was feeling sleepy herself, her performance was adorable, I am sure there would be many offers to be her teddy bear.
Millie and Wivian performed with such energy that they could of put power stations out of business, real high octane entertainment.
Mimi gave us all a real treat with her traditional Burlesque performance, that by the way she did with true style. Her enjoyment really shone through.
Time for another break and refreshments before we entered into the second half of the evening, what pleasures awaited us we could only imagine, but were soon to find out.
Vera De Vil, Gigi Praline, and Unelma took us into the second half, and what a second half.
Vera made me love the colour purple even more than I already did, (and yes it is my favourite colour), so now I have even more reason to enjoy that fantastic colour, thanks to a fantastic performance.
Gigi is always an absolute pleasure to watch. This was no exception. Her costume maybe black, but she manages to make it shine so bright it could be gold, just like her act.
Unelma was the final performance for this section, and again what a performance it was. I was really happy when she did one of my favourite tunes from Cabaret, and did it so well.
We had our final break before the last group, and what an ending they had for us. Marie la Mint with Mimi de Froufrou, Sandy Jungle, and Bettie Blackheart.
Marie and Mimi joined forces and returned to lead us into the final set. Their combined energies were as always a pleasure.
Sandy Jungle had the hard task of following all these performances, and she pulled it off with ease. Her costume looking so appropriate for a wonderful spring day (taking our minds off of the recent snow), she moved around the stage with such elegance.
The final act was introduced as the Queen of Finnish Burlesque, I for one agree whole heartedly. Bettie Blackheart brings everything to the stage, and then she brings that little bit more. I really have no words for how much I enjoyed her performance.
So that was the acts, and they were amazing, all of them. In between all these wonderful acts there was one person other than Lamey on the stage, and they also deserve a mention, for doing a really good job, and that is the pick up girl Mimosa Varjo.
Finally I send out my congratulations to Milova Penestrada, the wonderful organiser of this event. No matter where you looked she seemed to be there, be it on the door greeting the audience as they came in, or with the performers making sure they were looked after. She managed a fantastic night for all involved, and I look forward to future events organised by her.
Sorry for the long review, but I did not want to leave anyone out as they were all so wonderful. Finnish Burlesque is truly the Noble House of Burlesque.
If you still want more, or you just want a small glimpse from the event we have a short video courtesy of Lassi Patokorpi that you can view from here.
All pictures are courtesy of Rhia EvilDressmaker (my official photographer).
T.T. Tassel (Your undercover agent in the front line of Finnish Burlesque).