Mid-October saw the third in London’s Festival of Sins series, an event being staged every other month in Camden by Lustreality Promotions. The theme on Saturday October 13 was ‘Pride’, and the night featured performances by Bella Besame, Crimson Skye, Global Citizen, Rapid Fiction, Twisted Cirque, Villain, Gem J’adore, Susie Wong and performance poet Ernesto, and a fashion show by Degenerotika Clothing.

The Festival defies an easy description: held at the Purple Turtle, it is far from being a large-scale fetish event, but it is rapidly gaining notoriety as one of the most debauched (and certainly most novel) variety shows around. Past performances have included Carrington (male burlesque), Kaori’s Latex Dreams fashion show, Simon Subvert ‘the gory magician’, Susie Wong and Dangerous Dolly

There’s no escaping it: the venue is tiny for such an ambitious event. But the organisers used what they had well, and fitted in a chill-out room, a dancefloor, two stages, a raised cage for pole dancers, an art gallery and a mini-shop without crowding or intruding on valuable space — a triumph in itself!

Guests are treated well. Tonight, they were greeted at the entrance by purple gimp-suit-clad, stilt-wearing performers from Twisted Cirque and free gifts included glitter, mirrors, chocolates and limited edition ‘Pride’ cocktails were handed out with mini-programmes at the door.

Introduced by Ben — the gloriously debauched and decadent presenter — the show began at nine with burlesque performer Bella Besame combining stripping, cooking and handing out Bakewell tarts to the early arrivals (yes, guests are treated very well!). By the time the next act — dark electronica band Global Citizen — had finished, the venue was packed. There were latex creations, UV cybergoths, burlesquers, corsets and high heels — and that was just the men.

The acts were well paced with enough music in between to dance to but not enough time to get bored, and there were walkabout acts throughout the evening, too, so you could be entertained right wear you were sitting — very handy for anyone wearing ballet boots.

‘There were walkabout acts to entertain you right where you were sitting — very handy for anyone wearing ballet boots’

Bands Rapid Fiction and Villain were up next, the latter getting an explosive reaction from the audience with their Scissor Sisters-meets-Freddie Mercury-meets-Marilyn Manson sound and their cavorting onstage. The DJs allowed us some recovery time, playing techno, industrial, noise and some random tunes thrown into the mix, while Twisted Cirque stripped a young lady naked onstage and bodypainted her. There was even time for a little shopping. The bands sold CDs and other merchandise in the chillout room, Sweet Polly Rose provided a stall full of retro-inspired jewellery and other accessories, and there was a gallery of fetish-themed erotic art, all of it for sale.

The pole (which is for the pros and the public) got its first workouts courtesy of Susie Wong and Nyuszi before Gem J’adore came on to perform her burlesque routine. I was looking forward to seeing the performance poet Ernesto’s act, which was advertised as a display of homo-erotic poetry. Nobody mentioned stripping, until he got naked, that is! Very unexpected, but that of course was the point. And I can report that his poetry was well-written and memorable — even without the nudity.

Bella Besame’s second turn, as a very naughty nun, was followed by Crimson Skye, who took obvious pleasure performing a medical-themed burlesque with her friend the severed head — an act that managed to be both gory and erotic at the same time.

The night’s headline attraction was a much-anticipated fashion show by Degenerotika, the clothing label of Slovenian designer Tea Bauer. Tea incorporates surrealist, gothic, industrial, fetish and haute couture influences into her creations in latex, PVC, satin and leather. All her designs are made to order, and her customers tend to be as individual as her clothing. The show’s models (including yours truly) were given striking hair and make-up by stylists Jessica Bell and Matej, and my impression when we left the stage at midnight was that it had been a roaring success!

DJs Kate and Problem Being played a mixture of dance and old rock until the night ended at 3am, with the venue still very full and people applauding when the lights came on — the mark of a job well done.

This was truly a variety show, and the way the mix of genres fitted seamlessly together was genuinely impressive. ‘Something for everyone’ is an over-used expression, but one that really does apply to these Festival of Sins nights. The acts are of uniformly high quality and among the most original in their fields. Each night is as unique as the acts that make up the bill, and the next— ‘Greed’, on December 15 — could not come more highly recommended.

‘Something for everyone is an over-used expression, but one that really does apply to these Festival of Sins nights’