13/08/11: For her majesty of pop’s birthday, where better to celebrate Madonna’s 53rd than the decadent setting of Punk in Soho. Walking down the stairs into the iconic venue, the room was transformed into an explosion of camp imagination that was impossible to resist. An army of balloons mingled with the Madonna fanatics on the dance floor, encouraging people to flirt and loose themselves in this poptastic funhouse.
The corner of the room was a palace and shrine to music’s first lady of fierce, with a quirky museum that makes Madonna the gays’ timeless addiction. Video installations chronicled her up-close and sexual moments, caricature illustrations from fans showcased the art she inspires, and an auction of extremely rare memorabilia made the world around clubbers become a diction, soundtrack and currency all dictated by their idol. And just when this wasn’t tasty enough, the night was in aid of the charity Stonewall, giving the Madonna-indulging extra wealth and approval.
Not that this will come as a surprise, but the night’s music was a feast of songs from all the spectrum of her collection. Dusty O and Chrissy Darling kept the dance floor alive into the early hours of the morning, with a runway war of everyone’s own vogue interpretations at one point. If only every day was Madonna’s birthday.
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Punk, 14 Soho Street, Soho, W1D 3DN
Words by Charles Matthews
Photos by Joel Ryder
