What Went Down: Blues & Boobs

We have been working with S-bars for over a year now, and this relationship is a real cornerstone in our community. We share a deep love and hold mutual respect for each other’s work. It is a profound act of trust to hand over an event, which we have lovingly and painstakingly curated, into the hands of a host. At that point where the host takes the mic and begins the show, the night belongs to them. And with S-bars, we always know that we’re in for the best hosting, and even better poetry. In the hours before the event, they were sending our group chat voicenotes, full of giggles and last minute ideas: What if I tape a sign that says Blues and Boobs to my back so that the audience have to yell it out every time I turn around? I told you, working with S-bars is so much fun. 

Like any great cabaret, the acts were about variety. We had Anna Adetiba play the sax to open the show. Listening to Anna’s improvised blues set feels like sinking into a warm bath. You never want it to end, and she offers every note with total intention. Beatriz, our dancer for the evening, joined Anna on stage in an improvised dance. Together their acts fused and blended, Beatriz elegantly twisting her body to the music as if she had heard it before. When Beatriz took to the stage solo, she brought a new kind of energy to the space. Urgent and exciting, her dance got us all toe-tapping and moving to her beat. 

I think it’s safe to assume that everyone who was at the event is still thinking about Jesse’s set from the cabaret. They regaled us with a (very detailed) story from their recent dating history – I won’t go into the sordid details because you won’t believe me and because Jesse is the only one who can tell this story. But believe me when I say the whole room, including us in the Clitbait team and those working behind the bar at Dona, all had to keep our jaws from hitting the ground. No sooner had we recovered in the interval when Jesse took to the stage again, this time to do an interpretative movement performance featuring a foot mannequin and hot sauce. You had to be there. 

The reactions say it all

Next up Garance Lois, an accordion player, serenaded us with songs in French with their huge antique accordion. If that sounds extremely romantic, it is supposed to. We could not get enough, each and every one of us was swaying to the music. We ended the night with a little dance lesson from Beatriz, for which the whole audience rose to their feet. Dancing together felt like the perfect way to end our beautiful night. None of the Clitbait team stayed until the late hours (organising events is tiring) but rumour has it that some audience members were spotted making out on Dona’s pink plush sofas. We told you cabaret cures January blues…

By Laila Ghaffar, Co-Founder

All Photos by Elsa Pearl