It’s not every cabaret night that makes it to a decade and a half. So many don’t even make it past the first few dates. Bar Wotever has proven year after year to be an enduring force for good on the London scene.
Bringing together those who don’t quite feel at home elsewhere in the community, every Tuesday night they deliver a delicious slice of diversity to the stage of The Tavern. They’re unique in combining together their talented resident artist, seasoned scene regulars and giving a platform to first-time performers with their coveted open-mic slots. Blurring the lines between genres and art forms, there’s little you won’t see on their stage.
To mark the occasion, the Bar Wotever gang have been busy putting together a stellar roster of performers, from Bar Wotever legends to emerging newcomers, in celebration of this momentous birthday. Ahead of the very first edition of their 15th birthday program last Tuesday, we sat down with Bar Wotever founder Ingo Cando and manager Lysander Dove to hear all about the cabaret community’s legacy.
Take us back to the very first few months of Bar Wotever all those years ago.
Ingo: Back in 2005, I’d already started something a few years before called Club Wotever which was a monthly club night for people who were not sirs or madams, or whatever. Those monthly club nights were running, and every night we had a midnight turn for a performer. We had so many performers who didn’t have a platform to perform within this community. You can say it’s the LGBTQ+ community, but a lot of people say that and only mean gay, or only lesbian. But we understood the concept of transitioning between sexualities, between genders, who you were falling in love with and all those things.
We, as a club night, were invited to put on a night in Warsaw, Poland so we’ve done things around the world, but when we were there me and my then partner, sat down with the intention to do something more for performers. I had already worked with Central Station who then became the first venue. They gave us Tuesday nights since nothing ever happened on a Tuesday. A few months later we were the busiest night of the whole week. In 2009, after I put on a few shows at the RVT, we were asked if we wanted to take the whole concept to the tavern. I said yes! Since then this has been our home.
The conversation around gender and sexual fluidity was not as mainstream. It must have been a revolutionary thing to bring to the London scene.
I. It was. For some people it was revolutionary, but for a lot of us, we lived it. We did exist. There are so many of us that the mainstream always forgot. We’re always sliding under the radar. Back then, yes it was revolutionary because a lot of people came, thinking it was just for them because people were so used to having lesbian or gay-only spaces. All of a sudden they had to see and interact with people who weren’t just like them, and realising that that’s fine too. We’ve existed for 15 years because of our amazing loyal following.
So you land at the Tavern in ‘09. When did you come on board Lysander?
Lysander: I first came as a punter in the Central Station days. I did an open mic spoken-word which must have been eight or nine years ago. It’s hard to remember. I’m old! Stage managing began five to six years ago, and it’s three years of managing it. Initially, it was the atmosphere that kept me coming back. The mix of people there. You felt like you’d found your tribe. I’d been to various other nights over the years, and I’ve had fun at a fair few, but Bar Wotever was one of those that you could just head on over on your own. People rarely come into contact with people different than them.
We’ve seen a lot of queer nights make it big and become almost corporate. How as Bar Wotever avoided that?
I. Everything we do is done with caution as to what it would mean to us. What I say to everyone who are starting something up: make a manifesto. Know why you’re doing it, and stick to that. If you’re selling your soul, you’re losing track as to why you started it. For us, it’s that we still stick to our core values.
L. Bar Wotever couldn’t be corporate. It’s weekly, people find their home here. It’s important to people.
I. On our nights, with us, the separation between what’s on stage and the audience is blurred. The performers are in the audience and the audience are up on stage. Everyone coming through the door could be part of making it happen. They are important.
You’ve been busy putting together this 15-year celebration. What do you hope people take away from it?
L. What I hope people get every week. We hope that they appreciate the show, appreciate the performers that we get in, and also what we try and do for the community. Meet people who haven’t been out for a good few years and enjoy themselves. I want them to see that there’s such a diverse amount of talent out there. People to be reminded that people like them are still being given a platform here. We’re celebrating for five weeks in a row, and we hope they get to celebrate with us.
I. People coming this month, if they haven’t been in a long time, they’re going to be amazed by the skills we have on-team now. We hope they feel gratitude that this is still here. It’s such a luxury. We hope people still feel at home here. A lot of people say that this feels like their living room.
L. Or their family! With less fighting. A chosen family.
What does the future hold for Bar Wotever?
L. We wish to keep on going. Every week, without fail, there’ll be someone who’s come along for the first time. If that keeps going, we will still be here.
Bar Wotever – 15th Birthday Month continues at The Royal Vauxhall Tavern, Vauxhall SE11 5HY on Tuesday March 17th.
Hosted by Caroline Smiling, featuring Benjamin Butch, Velvet Jones, Snakeboy Sunny, Cramps, Afande Kerekere and more.
