Garçonne is a performance-based club night hailing from the climes of fair, fun-filled Brighton. Taking over a floor of the Bussey Building in new trendy London area du jour, Peckham, it had all the trappings of an intriguing new addition to the capital’s bustling gay scene, and didn’t disappoint. What made Garçonne a little different to other club nights around was its predominately indie electro music mix, a blend of gay men and lesbians enjoying the same ambience, and the strong performances woven into the clubbing experience.
First on stage was a young singer-songwriter named Isaac Sakima, a clear and exceptional talent. His music combined elegant electronica with a soulful, timbre-laden voice, and beautifully constructed, immediately likable songs. With resonances of Joy Division, Patrick Wolf and current electro darlings Chvrches, his style was still completely unique and accessible: look out for Sakima’s progress in upcoming months, and try and catch him live at a gig soon!
Sakima was followed by piano-playing songstress Sabrina Chap, energetically entertaining the crowd with her brand of cabaret-esque show tunes. Combining vaudeville and burlesque traditions she got the assembled clubbers, beauties and gay Peckham hipsters dancing to her peppy, fun act. It helped, no doubt, that she bore more than a passing resemblance to Liza Minelli (star of the film Cabaret), and spoke like her to boot, with an iconic Brooklyn drawl.
Garçonne proved that there is scope for an artistic and performance element to club nights – it’s still early days for its London incarnation, and perhaps the Bussey Building wasn’t packed out, but it’s highly advisable to check out their next event when it comes back to the capital!
Photos by Sharon Kilgannon
• The Bussey Building, 133 Rye Lane, Peckham, SE15 4ST, Thursday 7th November.
