Rock ‘N’ Roll Cabaret, Soho, London
Rock ’N’ Roll Cabaret @ Raincall, Soho, London - Wednesday 4th March 2026.
Well, tonight’s gig was all set to be something completely different! We weren’t wrong either.
First, let’s rewind a bit. Back in December 2025 Eddie and I were invited to an industry-only music event in Soho. It was a fabulous afternoon featuring some great performers (Danny Wildheart & Monty from The Damned naming just 2) and some wonderful opportunities to mingle and socialize with like-minded people. Aside from the performing artistes in attendance were radio DJ’s, promoters and even a burlesque dancer. We make friends with Rachel and it transpires that she runs an event in Soho called the ‘Rock ‘N’ Roll Cabaret’ which features burlesque dancers as well as live music. We like the sound of that.
A date is set and Ted picks me up on the way. We discuss the possibilities of how this evening will go. We both agree that, because we’re a ‘performing’ band, we’re not just going to stand still and stare at our shoes, that we should go down great. I love gigs like this. They’re different, always good for a band to step outside of their comfort zone and I always remember Malcolm Mclaren saying he never wanted the Sex Pistols to play normal boring rock venues so he booked them into prisons and strip clubs! I think it makes a band stronger and tighter if they can adapt to most scenarios. I think Ted zones out at this point and wonders what the heck I’m on about!
We arrive at Soho Square to park the car and there aren’t many spaces around. Ted just pulls up so we can unload down an alleyway to the venue, which is called Raincall, 2 minutes walk away. Lovely. Eddie and Buzz are already there (Eddie has been filling the band WhatsApp group chat with updates of the clientele that have been arriving!) so we file down the stairs to the basement venue to drop the first round of equipment off. Buzz, Eddie (and Stu!) then come and help us with the second round. We get everything down and Ted goes off to find somewhere to park. He comes back 5 minutes later, he’s found a space literally just a minute away from where we were. Result! It’s never easy parking around that area!
Spizzology (the main musical act) are already soundchecking by this point and it appears very quickly, and obviously, that soundman Ken is struggling here. We’re not sure why. Having completed their checks we set about squeezing ourselves on to the stage area and setting up around the dancing pole! Rusty is here by this point and is grinning from ear to ear. It appears she is having a wail of a time and thriving on all the madness and chaos, I think we all are!
Unfortunately, there’s no time for an actual soundcheck for us. We just have to plug everything in and we’ll line-check and make sure it’s all working just before we start.
Then, the show starts, Stephanie is the compere and she proceeds to warm the crowd up before introducing an array of Burlesque dancers all doing their turns. They have names like Madame Crumpet, Foxy Velour and Rolo Chick. There’s a TV screen in the other bar where Rusty and Buzz are perched and staring agog. The rest of us try and cram into the doorway to get a better view. The venue is packed and, of course, everybody wants to see the dances. I, personally, don’t know where to look, I play it cool. What I will say, is that Rolo Chick was my favourite, she certainly made most use of the pole!
It’s all running a little late (unsurprising with the turnaround of dances happening) but it’s soon our turn. We’re ready to go surprisingly quickly and Ken surprisingly manages to get everything working. It actually transpires that his normal mixing desk is broken so he’s working a new desk tonight and getting a bit flustered.
With everything working and audible we launch into our set with great authority. There really isn’t a huge amount of room so we’re bumping into each other trying to move around the stage. We can’t stand still though, that’s not who we are. I play off stage at points. This is really rocking good fun.
The packed venue are loving it and before we know it the whole place is dancing around the tiny stage. We’re going down great and having such a hoot.
Unfortunately we can see members of Spizzology pointing at their watches and saying “last song” when we’re only 3 quarters of a way through our set. We’re not sure why. They’re not due to start until 9.40pm and as we only started at 8.55pm we can pretty much play our whole allocated 45 minute set. We do cut out 1 song (we’re nice like that) but there really was no need for anyone to be funny towards us. We started late and we finished pretty much on time. Job done.
Meanwhile, the crowd are still on their feet and if we had started on time we, no doubt, would not have actually been able to leave the stage as the baying crowd would have wanted more. Such a great atmosphere.
With there not being a lot of room in the venue we decide to pack everything up and get it all back to the car to clear the venue of any clutter. We’re greeted like heroes as we clear the stage. Organiser Rachel says in my ear “You were fantastic, I knew you would be, you must come back sometime”. I thank her and all the other punters as we fight our way through the crowd with all our stuff.
Having said our goodbyes and with time getting on Ted and I just decide to head off into the night, ready for the journey home. We’re just saying our goodbyes to Eddie and Stu when a random man walks past playing an accordion! The things you see in London!
We hit the road. We’re winding our way through London when we pull up alongside a vehicle transporter. “That’s the bloody batmobile” says Ted. I glance out the window and he’s right, it’s the actual batmobile. “Must be going back to the batcave” I say. The things you see in London!
We carry on and when we’re out of London it isn’t long before we realise that the junction off the motorway that we want to take is closed tonight. More roadworks! The sat nav proceeds to take us on a huge detour which involves driving across a moor through a very thick fog. We can’t see anything. Then, before we know it, it clears. This night has had just about everything.
“Blog incoming!” I say to the band. Knew there would be!
Lucky