• About
    • Ethics policy
    • Privacy Policy
    • Ownership, funding and corrections
    • Complaints procedure
    • Terms & Conditions
  • Contact
  • Support
  • Newsletter
Brighton and Hove News
8 July, 2025
  • News
    • Politics
    • Business
    • Opinion
    • Community
  • Arts and Culture
    • Music
    • Theatre
    • Food and Drink
  • Sport
    • Brighton and Hove Albion
    • Cricket
  • Newsletter
  • Public notices
  • Advertise
No Result
View All Result
  • News
    • Politics
    • Business
    • Opinion
    • Community
  • Arts and Culture
    • Music
    • Theatre
    • Food and Drink
  • Sport
    • Brighton and Hove Albion
    • Cricket
  • Newsletter
  • Public notices
  • Advertise
No Result
View All Result
Brighton and Hove News
No Result
View All Result
Home Arts and Culture

Festive Grrrlesque Burlesque Rock N Roll Party

by Nick Linazasoro
Thursday 19 Dec, 2019 at 5:00PM
A A
0
Festive Grrrlesque Burlesque Rock N Roll Party

(Left to right: Stasia Lee, The Weird Things

(Left to right: Starsha Lee, The Weird Things, PollyPikPocketz)

STARSHA LEE + THE WEIRD THINGS + POLLYPIKPOCKETZ – DUBLIN CASTLE, CAMDEN, LONDON 13.12.19

Tonight’s event at the Dublin Castle is billed as a ‘Festive Grrrlesque Burlesque Rock N Roll Party’, and there are indeed burlesque acts between the bands, which makes this one of the more unusual gigs I’ve been to. However, we shall restrict our review to the bands playing.

My main reason for attending tonight was to see The Weird Things, who I had been very impressed with in April when I’d seen them at the Cro-Cro Land Festival in Croydon. (Read the Brighton & Hove News review of that event HERE). However, tonight’s show is opened by PollyPikPocketz whose existence I had been blissfully unaware of until they stepped onstage tonight.

PollyPikPocketz live at the Dublin Castle 13.12.19 (pic Mark Kelly) (click on pic to enlarge!)

This is a great shame as they are an excellent band. There are some bands who seem to just appear fully-formed, and PollyPikPocketz are one of them. They are a heavy rock rather than metal band, and in Myura Amara they have a superb front person and singer. The band’s playing is faultless, and they seem to specialise in very socially aware lyrics, such as in ‘Hands Off Muthef*kka’, which they dedicate to the newly elected Conservative Government. I was sufficiently impressed to buy their album. ‘Nuff said methinks.

The Weird Things live at the Dublin Castle 13.12.19 (pic Mark Kelly) (click on pic to enlarge!)

When I saw The Weird Things at Cro-Cro Land it was one of singer Leila’s first gigs with the band. She had previously been a backing vocalist, but stepped up to lead vocals when the original singer left. She gave a creditable performance back in April and has gone from strength to strength. Since then The Weird Things have released a new self-titled album, much of which they perform tonight. The songs are tight and tuneful and sound as if they could have been written and recorded in 1978, which is a compliment incidentally.

Starsha Lee live at the Dublin Castle 13.12.19 (pic Mark Kelly) (click on pic to enlarge!)

Before this gig I had watched some YouTube videos of Starsha Lee, and had been somewhat less than impressed. The band’s main selling point seemed to be singer Sophia Martins Gray’s intentional wardrobe malfunction when the camisole top she was wearing repeatedly fell down to reveal one or both breasts. This was neither erotic nor shocking, and was repeated tonight so it is clearly a regular occurrence.

Unfortunately this distracts from the music, which is really rather good. There are clear Stooges and Patti Smith influences, which makes for a cracking live show. The songs are good too. It’s just a pity about the wardrobe malfunctions. It could be that these are intended to show a degree of abandon within the performance, but it really isn’t necessary. If anything it cheapens the performance, which is too good to need such a distraction. Starsha Lee are a damn good band, and I doubt that they’ll be playing venues as small as the Dublin Castle for much longer.

Gig flyer

Visit and ‘LIKE’ our ‘What’s On – from Brighton and Hove News’ Facebook page HERE.

ShareTweetShareSendSendShare

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Most read

Teens swept out to sea on calm sunny day

Judge warns tip jar thief he will die young if he doesn’t turn his life around

Hove school hosts educational leaders from around the world

Police try to trace Western Road brawl suspect

Man suffers serious injuries in mass brawl in Western Road

Festive Grrrlesque Burlesque Rock N Roll Party

Buses replace trains to London next weekend

Trial date set for man accused of attempted rape in broad daylight in Brighton

Constance Marten baby death jury sent out to consider verdict

Forget Brighton’s No 1, Sonay Kartal could be Britain’s No 1

Newsletter

Arts and Culture

  • All
  • Music
  • Theatre
  • Food and Drink
‘Still Smitten’ with Pale Waves

‘Still Smitten’ with Pale Waves

8 July 2025
Jessica Winter drops new single ahead of debut album and UK tour

Jessica Winter drops new single ahead of debut album and UK tour

8 July 2025
Sananda Maitreya announces first UK tour in 23 years

Sananda Maitreya announces first UK tour in 23 years

7 July 2025
Glastonbury Festival 2025…venturing beyond the obvious!

Glastonbury Festival 2025…venturing beyond the obvious!

7 July 2025
Load More

Sport

  • All
  • Brighton and Hove Albion
  • Cricket
Brighton tennis player beaten by seed in first round at Wimbledon

Sonay Kartal’s impressive Wimbledon run comes to an end

by Eleanor Crooks - PA sport correspondent
6 July 2025
0

Sonay Kartal’s fine Wimbledon run ended with a fourth-round defeat to Russian veteran Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova. The Brighton and Hove player...

Sussex Sharks open T20 Blast with a win

Bad night for Sussex at Hove as Hampshire bounce back in Blast

by Bruce Talbot - ECB Reporters Network supported by Rothesay
5 July 2025
0

Hampshire Hawks ended a run of five games without a win in the Vitality Blast to revive their hopes of...

From Lewes to LA : multi-award winning short film premier preview.

From Lewes to LA : multi-award winning short film premier preview.

by Kairen Kemp
5 July 2025
0

FROM LEWES TO LA: MULTI-AWARD-WINNING SHORT FILM 'BACK OF THE NET’, EXPLORING THE LEGACY OF THE LIONESSES, SCREENS LEWES F.C....

Brighton tennis player beaten by seed in first round at Wimbledon

Forget Brighton’s No 1, Sonay Kartal could be Britain’s No 1

by Andy Sims - PA
5 July 2025
0

Not only does Sonay Kartal have a Wimbledon quarter-final in her sights but also the British No 1 spot. Brighton...

Load More
December 2019
M T W T F S S
 1
2345678
9101112131415
16171819202122
23242526272829
3031  
« Nov   Jan »

RSS From Sussex News

  • Foot fetish caller sentenced for repeated calls to police 7 July 2025
  • White van man held over road rage at Crossbush 7 July 2025
  • Intruder carried out sex attack, say police 7 July 2025
  • Man held for assault after woman reports being followed and touched 6 July 2025
  • Flat linked to drugs forced to shut after court issues closure order 5 July 2025
ADVERTISEMENT
  • About
  • Contact
  • Support
  • Newsletter
  • Privacy
  • Complaints
  • Ownership, funding and corrections
  • Ethics
  • T&C

© 2023 Brighton and Hove News

No Result
View All Result
  • News
    • Opinion
  • Arts and Culture
    • Music
    • Theatre
  • Sport
    • Cricket
  • Newsletter
  • Public notices
  • Advertise
  • About
  • Contact

© 2023 Brighton and Hove News