The Rock N’ Roll Circus is back. Started several years ago by Yilan expat band The Deadly Vibes, the event has settled on a formula for good old-fashioned, risque fun: a revue of 1950s and 1960s retro rock and burlesque dancing.
This weekend’s “circus,” now in its third run, takes place tonight at 89K in Taichung and tomorrow at VU Livehouse (地下絲絨) in Taipei.
With the exception of the Vibes, all of the performers hail from Japan, and one of the featured acts is “Miss Cabaretta,” a Tokyo burlesque dancer.
Also appearing is Ed Woods, a band playing psychobilly, a combination of punk and rockabilly. The trio draws inspiration from 1950s sci-fi and B-movie horror flicks and performs songs with titles like Monster Trash and Mutant-Z. The band members also dress for what they call “Trash Rock ’n’ Roll,” donning bandanas and flannel shirts and sometimes covering their bodies in green or blue body paint. Expect to get covered in gold and silver glitter as the lead singer wields a wind-blower at one point in the show.
The Minnesota Voodoomen of Tokyo are fans of 1960s British Invasion rock and adeptly look the part, sporting mod haircuts, matching suits with black ties and vintage-looking guitars. Their sound is a slick mash-up of 1950s American surf rock, the Kinks, early Beatles and punk. The Voodoomen’s drummer, who gave his name only as “Pete,” said in an e-mail that the band hopes the audience will “dance and sing along with us.”
Keeping the party moving throughout the evening will be DJ Harry the Hampstead Heath, who spins 1950s and 1960s rock and Motown but wants to prove that British Invasion is “still alive in the 21st century.”
The Deadly Vibes will also perform, and between sets there will be games for the audience with give-away prizes to match the rock ’n’ risque theme. In the past, audience members have won panties and bras emblazoned with the words “The Deadly Vibes,” free shots of whiskey, flying V pinatas and dildos. There will be several new prizes and surprises for this weekend’s shows, say the Vibes, who are expecting to match the attendance of their last shows, which saw up to 200 people a night.
“We have a trademark name, I think people know what to expect ... come out, act silly, have a good time,” said singer Jason Copps.
The crowd at a Rock N’ Roll Circus event isn’t the typical rock club audience, he said. “It tends to attract a lot of people that don’t really go to shows that much.”
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