Review: Victoria Nugent
Photos: Charlyn Cameron
It wasn’t a typical night out, but as the Old Museum in Bowen Hills came alive for the Bohemian Masquerade, it promised to be a spectacular evening. The event was spread out over two large rooms and a verandah, with decadent costumes and masks adding to the amazing atmosphere.
The first room started out with house music, before transitioning into a range of DJs and bands which got the crowd dancing.
The second room had the wider range of bands, with sideshows between sets featuring numerous burlesque artists, as well as The Great Gorso Gamsby’s impressive sword swallowing skills. Burlesque artists included Frankie Valentine with an act that had a touch of old style glamour and Tigerlil, who induced gasps by using hardware and metal to strike sparks off her costume.
All the while absinthe mixed drinks and gypsy cider flowed with an exuberant fortune teller on the verandah reading palms and dealing out tarot cards.
The night was filled with such a broad range of talented artists that it was impossible to see everything, without developping the feeling that you were missing something in the other room, and wandering off through the sea of masked partiers to investigate the scene further. Consider this review a small taster of a rich evening full of magical performances.
Martin Martini performed early in evening, teaming solemn, occasionally hauntingly discordants keys with deep vocals and intimate lyrics. Kira Puru and The Bruise combined a heavy bass line and edgy guitar with strong vocal dynamics.
Ghost Boy with Golden Virtues had a definite stage presence, with instrumentalists and vocalists Skye Staniford and Hannah Jane standing on either side of the stage in wedding dresses, as Ghost Boy stood proud in a red skirt and declared to the crowd, “ It’s okay to f**k your parents,” before launching into a spectacular mix of spoken performance mixed with vocals and rich instrumentals.
Mojo Juju and the Snake Oil Merchants were a highlight of the evening, with Mojo Juju’s rich enigmatic vocals layered with instrumentals of a gypsy persuasion cutting through the noise of the crowd with precision to make an impact before electronic artist Spoonbill’s set induced impassioned dancing to round out the night.
Review: Victoria Nugent
The Bohemian Masquerade Ball
Venue: The Old Museum, Brisbane
Featuring: Mojo Juju w/ The Snake Oil Merchants, The Barons Of Tang, Ghostboy with Golden Virtues, Martin Martini, Kira Puru & The Bruise
Sideshow acts: The Space Cowboy, Frankie Valentine, La Viola Vixen, more
Date: 9th October 2010