28/10/12: Even though the clocks went back and the temperature plummeted, nothing was going to keep us home last Sunday when we heard that one of Brighton’s top cabaret acts, The Drag With No Name, was performing at The Old Ship in Limehouse.
Cue a camp night of totty spotting and cackling furiously with queens of the night…
The bar was brimming over with lads and lasses of all ages and styles, and the atmosphere was that of a friendly local, without feeling at all cliquey. The Drag With No Name kicked off her show with a bit of ‘Rock DJ’, which warmed the crowd up nicely for the trademark musical parodies to follow.
The freshness and current content of the parodies really are unparalleled. She doesn’t just have her finger on the pulse of pop culture; she is stroking its prostate, milking it for every last drop, in an attempt to include every minutiae into madcap routines.
We especially loved the Adele, X Factor and Cheryl Cole skits. She gets Cheryl Cole’s persona as a ‘performer’ [rolls eyes] hilariously spot on!
And on top of all that there was the obligatory Jimmy Saville joke [jingle jangle], some hilarious banter with sound DJ and drag sister, Saucy Sophie, AND a beautiful rendition of ‘Bring Him Home’, from Les Mis, to end the show.
The pace of the show was frantic, in a very good way, and the detail that goes into each and every costume, prop and customised backing track lends itself perfectly to the inventive style of the act. A class show by a true all round performer.
After we had a gab in the smoking area with the friendly regulars, and a flirt with a poor unsuspecting Italian guy, we fell onto something called a DLR and sauntered back West.
17 Barnes Street, Limehouse, E14 7NW
Words by Jason Reid
Photos by Mark Storey
