The Gatsby Club
Have you recently seen Summertime played on the outer-edge of a handsaw with the bow of a violin?
How about a fire-breathing burlesque dancer or a couple of mime-artists singing “fascists sing love songs too” a cappella in close harmony? If not, I’m afraid that you missed out on the launch night of The Gatsby Club - Glasgow's first 1920's themed club night!
Ok, no one welcomes me in an American accent, which I’m a little disappointed about, but everyone is dressed for the part and soon The Creative Martyrs take the stage to compere the evening with their own bizarre brand of vaudeville humour featuring skits, gags, the rolling of many an r, and ukulele-cello infused jazz songs. Before Markee de Saw & Bert Finkle took the stage who could have known a handsaw could wail out in tune to a piano? But the dynamic duo aren’t just a one-trick pony or novelty act, far from it, Markee has a wonderfully stirring singing voice and Bert has keyboard skills to match
Our hostess Miss Hell’s Belle, “a heady mixture of sweetness and sensuality,” graces the stage, and moves with all the finesse and that certain air of romance which draws in our attention as she teases us with her translucent shawl to a burlesque treat! We enjoy the jazz stylings of Christine Bovill and Michael Clark who delight us with warm renditions of some classics like Cole Porter’s suggestive Let’s Do It (Let’s Fall in Love). Taste characterises Cat Aclysmic’s burlesque performance which is all at once flirtatious and refined. She reveals to us the contents of a letter which simply says “Goodbye” drawing an “awww” from the crowd. While she looks rather forlorn at first she soon thinks better of it and sets it alight for our entertainment before introducing us to her aptitude for swallowing and dancing with fire.
The Creative Martyrs assimilate us all into a sing song about the end of the world, giving each section of the audience their own part to vocalise which results in a multi-layered cacophony before the last act, Swing Sensation, take the stage to play us out with a seventy-minute selection of trad-jazz, an authentic act honed to perfection.
The Variety Show ain’t dead and “this house ain’t dry.” In fact a list of authentic cocktails have been engineered for our evening’s taste, so make sure you get down to the next Gatsby Club night, grab yourself a Long Island Ice Tea, Rusty Nail or Harvey Wallbanger, sit back, relax, and enjoy the show.