Phone bills all over the country will slowly be rising on account that Mothers’ Day is here. If you didn’t get your nearest and dearest parent a loaf of Victoria Sponge from CCK’s central shop don’t waste time…. get on the phone and start singing the praises…I suggest that the tune you use is a slightly altered version of Out Kast’s popular ditty Hey Ya!.
The picture shows Wilma F. and Betty R., two legendary mothers in a state of repose in a beautiful imaginary scenario.
Well, Prince William and Kate Middleton (you know the ones..always on the news, something to do with a royal family..), have finally decided on what cake to have at their wedding. The Welsh National Culinary Team have been chosen to bake the cake, to be unveiled on the 29th April. The cake, which may well have Welsh-themed decorations, will then be donated to the Centrepoint charity.
If you want to have your cake (and eat it too!), Coffee, Cake and Kink have a delicious selection of beautifully made and tasty cakes on offer. Check them out, and as you will see from the photos, there are even some serving suggestions!
A-wop-bop-a-loo-lop a-wop-bam-boo! Calling all LGBTQ hep cats and happening chicks (and all you ker-azy rockin’ Wotevers), Wild Thing is the happening place to be on Thursday 17th March, at the Retro Bar.
Wild Thing flyer courtesy of Joe Pop
This is the place that gathers the best in Rock n Roll, rip-up Rocksteady, girl group harmonies and the coolest music throughout the ages, courtesy of the talented (and Bearishly handsome!) Joe Pop and, this month, Dapper D from Nitty Gritty, with her soultastic sounds and skanking ska beats.
A place where the good and great (hairdos) can meet, drink and dance their dappily dancing boots away. Wild Thing (formerly Retrosexual) has that glorious mix of great music, cheap booze and gorgeous lovelies to bop and chat with, which is what all us happy (and slightly degenerate) LGBTQ folks look for in a fab night out. Tattoos are de rigueur (especially old school ones!) as is plenty of cleavage, whether ’tis on the same person or not.
So all you queers with attitude (of the best possible kind) or, indeed, everyone with a quiff to tease and a story to tell, get yourself down to Wild Thing. Hair don’ts need not apply!
Night of the Blue Stockings, photo K.James for Coffee Cake and Kink
Be upstanding for the fabulous Night of the Blue Stockings! We were lucky enough to go and see this popular and busy evening of cabaret and burlesque performance held monthly at the Bethnal Green Working Men’s Club last Thursday night, and what a glittering, fun-packed show it was. A host of hilarious acts with a warmth and sense of joy that would be hard-pressed to better, captivated their appreciative crowd.
Fancy Chance, photo K.James for Coffee Cake and kink
Our honorary Madam Chairperson for the evening was reigning Alternative Miss World 2009 and London’s Top Tranny 2010, Fancy Chance. Keeping things swinging, with her humour and audience interaction, she MC’d throughout the night between the other great acts on offer. She also delighted us with her own revolutionary act, taking us all the way from North Korea’s national anthem to good ol’ Yankee capitalism via an outrageously funny dance and rhythmic gymnastic display that had the audience on their feet and wanting more.
Honey Wilde, photo K.James for Coffee Cake and Kink
First act up was Justin Pants, with his alternative burlesque Action Man strip. If you ever wondered what Action Man keeps under his pants, well, yes, it is a weird, plastic non-penis. A very clever take on male stripping! Next up was Honey Wilde, the fantastic burlesque artist, with an avant-garde, in the most tongue-in-cheek way, musical performance of inventive cover versions of some 80s electro classics. Never before have two (yes, TWO!) toy pianos and a kazoo (!) sounded so good. The crowd both recognised and loved her amusing renditions of tunes by A-Ha, the Pet Shop Boys and others. Laurie Anderson could learn a thing or two.
Misster Blanche Dubois, photo by K.James for Coffee Cake and Kink
All the way from 1933, Depression era Kentucky (kinda), came songstress Miss Anna Kronist. Playing her guitar and singing quite beautifully, she entertained us with her songs about love, death and a Blondie cover in the style of down home Americana. A wonderful musical moment. She was followed by Misster Blanche Dubois, who was somehow able to blend drag with a lion costume! Singing ‘La Vie En Rose’ in an operatic, lionesque (trust me) chanteuse way, he then transformed into a kinky, burlesque striptease. The audience bellowed with laughter as we were treated to what a ‘naked’ lion can do.
Anna Kronist with Fancy Chance, photo by K.James for Coffee Cake and Kink
The Madam Secretary of The Blue Stocking Society is Audacity Chutzpah, and, as her name suggests, she certainly had plenty of both and more besides. She amused and delighted the house with a very witty sketch about being stuck on a desert island. It was an inventive and engaging act, which had the audience in stitches. Ending with a sing-along, in which we all happily joined in, this was a fantastic evening.
Audacity Chutzpah, photo by K.James for Coffee Cake and Kink
With tea and cakes on offer (a nice little touch) and DJ Josephine Shaker playing a suitably impressive selection of retro sounds in keeping with the ambience of the night, a very enjoyable and entertaining night was had by all. The lack of any pretension, the engaging nature of all the performers, and the unique blend of inventiveness and hilarity on offer, makes this a night out I can not recommend highly enough.
Night of the Blue Stockings, photo by K.James for Coffee Cake and Kink
The Janus Sisters turn it on. (photo: K James)
You step out of the fresh, cold air that is Bethnal Green on a Thursday night and join the queue that’s just inside the entrance of the local Working Men’s Club. You can’t quite tell what lies behind the swing doors…but you do start to notice that almost everybody knows what to expect from the evening’s entertainment. And they can’t wait till it gets going.
Inside, there is a warm and welcoming space with a careful plotting of chairs and tables: the crowd swells unobtrusively. The four corners of the hall already buzz with activity. The bar hogs an area in the back, and opposite (in a more contained area) is a delightful cake stand manned by “Hooray Henry”. Small red lights and a mirrorball… a makeshift changing area…songsheets…and raffle tickets.
Tricity (Vogue) and Audacity (Chutzpah) have us in order! (photo: K James)
My tickets are sold to me by a handsome, well-dressed lady. When I say well dressed, I mean it. The bandages are a result of this lady’s tooth being removed: moreover, the tooth (and the pliers that removed them) are the first prize in the raffle. What I am trying to say is this: I am in the presence of Audacity Chutzpah, one of the clown lynch-pins of the Blue Stocking Society. And I’m looking at a horribly funny (or teribly witty if you prefer) portrayal of a character to which I find myself particularly drawn.
I haven’t started to tell you about the night of Burlesque and Cabaret itself, but the exchange between Ms. Chutzpah and myself speaks volumes about why the Night is so much fun. It’s about an open, attentive and active audience in league with a group of dedicated and enlightened peformers. It’s not over reliant on technology or a high budget – that’s a good thing. And there is a good mix of music, movement, minimal clothing and mime.
Ginger Blush goes to work in an egg (photo: K James)
The opening act on this particular night was a new routine devised by Ginger Blush, featuring herself as a newly-cracked chick emerging from…an egg. It’s quite bright, very feathery and leaves a miniscule area of mess.
Kate Lucas is an up-and coming comic: she filled her spot with songs about stalking, loathing (a cheerful number called ‘I hate you, Bastard’) and self-advertising. I like musical comedy a lot, so this went down well.
Here we present Lambchop Magoo presenting herself. (photo: K. James)
Ms. Lambchop Magoo’s act was next. This was a popular routine given by a very determined performer: when she sets her mind to what her actual routine will be, it always amuses and works out well. On the night we got both mathematics and burlesque: and when Ms. Magoo shows her hair off to crown her moves it was rightly greeted with cheers and calls.
Shirley Windmill’s big British marrow was another hit of the night. This was partly because the routine grew to an unusual length, surprising everybody (including Ms. Windmill herself). Never mind though: she stretched herself to new heights, and with the crowd’s support left the stage triumphant. The marrow was not damaged.
Then there was Hannah Ballou, who delivered a small set of stand-up comedy from an American perspective: nice. Also the Janus Sisters, a musical double-act joined at the (one) hip, seemingly put together by an all-knowing theatre God. Creating their laughs by turning, revolving and revealing their instrumental dexterity, here was another success.
Show business: our guest host (or is it?)
The Blue Stockings’ honorary host for all of this was the delightful Kiki Kaboom. Hers was a busy night: she appeared in a number of guises and fetching costumes (most of these are reproduced here in the gallery), led the audience in a nonsensical bout of ‘Military Fitness’ and (best of all) sang in a commanding voice about the needs of her ‘pussy’.
All this…and I still haven’t quite covered (if that’s the word) the raffle, the surreal sing-a-long and other incidental jollies. And I’m not sure that I’ve done justice to the small group of artistes led by Tricity Vogue (Madam Treasurer, chanteuse, order keeper) who made the night as sharp, bright and brilliant as it was. I do know it was well worth the journey east.
I went back to the Bethnal Green air much the warmer inside: my mind a fizz of names and props, and my hair thrown back covering the patchy spots. I can recommend that you take the Blue Stocking Society to your hearts yourself by reserving that last Thursday in the month, taking a bus or a tube to Bethnal… and paying them a visit.
Tricity Vogue on the origins of the Blue Stockings
We love Valentines. We like it lovey-dovey, we like it kinky, we like it as that day when you stick two fingers up at the world of dating and relationships and revel in your own company… and because we love it so much, we’ve got lots of events and a competition.
And now… selected from a short-list of three qualified lurve couplings, CCK is proud to present the picture that will help you (dear reader) to supply a suitable caption!
What we have here is a still from the new Disney movie called Tangled which seems to be based on a story by the Brothers Grimm. The course of true love, eh? Can you tell us what these cartoon characters would say by way of a Valentine greeting?
still from the Disney film "Tangled"
Even as I speak, members of staff are rummaging around in the CCK goody-good-good jar for a mix of prizes…details of which will come in an update of this blog. Stay tuned!
It’s not far away now… so should we pamper, or no? Short of ideas for a loving serenade? Well there’s still time to think of something appropriate. How about one of Paul Simon’s greatest hits: 35 years old and still quite a classic. The chorus lists 5 of the 50 Ways There Must Be To Leave Your Lover and leaves it to you – dear listener – to figure out what the other 45 are. Now there’s a lovely way to spend an Valentine’s evening. Can’t think of anything else I’d rather do.
By the way, you should check out our store for more ways of making the night suitably sexy (or suitably soppy, if needs be).
Just slip out the back, Jack…
