Review: Hip Hop Cabaret at The Underbelly Spiegeltent

Hip Hop Cabaret: SO good that you will enjoy it even if you are an opera connoisseur or a heavy metal enthusiast.

I know, you’ve heard us banging on about these guys before. A lot. But seriously… that is because they produce some of the most unique, highest-quality alternative shows in London, and this week’s offering was no exception.

If you read our last interview with the fabulous Gersch & Rox then you’ll have a pretty good idea of the concept behind Hip Hop Cabaret. And, if that wasn’t enough to make you run out immediately and buy a ticket to their Underbelly extravaganza then… you’re too late. You missed it. Also, you’re a fool.

Not to worry though, I’m here to recap and give you all the highlights so you don’t make the same mistake in the future. Sound good? Then let’s crack on.

I will preface this by saying that I totes get that hip hop is not everyone’s thing. I will expand on that thought by saying IT REALLY DOESN’T MATTER. Not for this show. It is SO good that you will enjoy it even if you are an opera connoisseur or a heavy metal enthusiast. Don’t believe me? Just ask Tina, the illustrious founder of VBO, who had her reservations about the hip hoppiness of it all beforehand - and was shocked and thrilled by how much fun she had.

The concept is simple, but genius: classic variety show…set to hip hop music. That’s all there is to it! That means hip hop burlesque acts, beatboxing, soul singing and… the almighty Fatman Scoop as an emcee. I mean really though.

A little run-down of the acts, pretty much verbatim from my show notes:

• Kitty Velour: I would like to be her when I grow up. She twerked, she werked, her costumes were stunning and my GOODNESS was she amazing on the pole.
• Silver Tears: Swag for days. Her dancing was infectiously good – it was hard to sit still while watching, and she had the best facial expressions.
• Sadie Sinner: Besides her Amazonian beauty, she has one hell of a voice. The last time I saw her perform, she had a live gospel choir with her and it was AMAZING – would have been lovely to have had that this time.  
• Coco Deville: Super-original burlesque act which took us through the history of hip hop. Hilarious, sexy and entertaining as all hell.
• Cleopantha: Seriously fucking fierce. Stompy and beautiful. I nearly shed a hot tear of joy when she dropped into the splits.
• Marv Radio: What the damn hell. There is no way this man’s vocal chords are the same as mine. Nuh uh. Nope. No way. Mind. Blown.
• Rocket: The sassiest of sassy pants. Would have liked to see more work on the pole, but otherwise a super-fun high-energy romp.

TL;DR – the acts comprised a bunch of bad-ass women, one fine man, and a beat boxer who I swear must be part-robot.

We were lucky enough to see a preview of the show at G&R’s normal stomping ground of The Curtain, in Shoreditch. It was fantastic there, but – unlike many shows - I think it’s benefited from a larger venue. We could see every act better, and the place was packed – should it become a regular occurrence, I think they’d have no problem filling the Underbelly’s Spiegeltent every time.

Literally the only thing I have to say which isn’t glowing praise is this: going forward – if Hip Hop Cabaret becomes the household name it deserves to be – I’d love to see more different types of act, the more the merrier. As you should know, I am a HUGE fan of dance and burlesque, but I reckon a sprinkling of other disciplines is all it would take to make this a perfect 10.

So, there you have it. You may have missed your shot this time, but this show is special and I will be gobsmacked if they don’t get asked to bring it back. And when they do? Get a mother-flaming ticket. For goodness’ sake.