The lurid glamour of Jodie Harsh's legendary Circus night can make it a daunting experience for the more conventionally inclined clubber. The mere thought of all the garish outfits, flamboyant drag queens and incessant talk of handbags causes me to break into a cold sweat which permeates my Burtons Menswear before trickling down into the soles of my sensible trainers. This is an alien world of extravagant weaves and glittering platform heels, and it is only the promise of a 'secret' DJ set by electro empress Peaches which lures me back into the big top.
Having recently left long-term home the Soho Revue Bar, Circus has relocated to the promisingly named The Last Days of Decadence in East London. Despite a couple of pleasing art deco flourishes, the venue has none of its predecessor's sleaziness, and as such doesn't really have anything to set it apart from the average Shoreditch gastro bar. It does however boast a mirror-lined dancefloor which comes in handy for retouching your make up, adjusting your wig or practising your fiercest pout. Shallow? Well, this is Circus after all; the music is a mere backdrop to the colourful throng of bright young things flirting, gossiping, networking, bitching, seeing and (crucially) being seen.
The first 'highlight' of the evening is a passably entertaining performance by drag artiste Russella, who lip-synchs over a recording of a fat American woman attempting to justify her weight. It's far from comedy genius, but provides a welcome break from the endless rotation of uninspired electro and pop remixes and whets the crowd's appetite for the Fatherfucker herself.
Having previously challenged my views on gender and sexuality with songs such as 'Two Guys (For Every Girl)' and 'Boys Wanna Be Her', I am braced for anything Peaches has to throw at me. She starts off with a couple of slow-ish electro tracks, including Fagget Fairys' 'Feed the Horse', before gradually accelerating into some more crowd-pleasing stuff. Presumably, Peaches doesn't want us to have a good time, so she follows 'Where's My Head At?' with about 10 minutes of distorted guitar noise before clearing the floor by playing Black Sabbath's 'Paranoid'. It's a decent set with a few nice twists, and her off-key karaoke impression of Whitney Houston is a cute way to finish - 'I Wanna Dance with Somebody' takes on a whole new resonance on a night where most people are busy dancing with their own reflection...
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