Review: Club Freak Out at Perth Cultural Centre
Club Freak Out at Lotterywest De Parel Spiegeltent @ Perth Cultural Centre
Saturday, February 11, 2023
9/10
Marketed as the “ultimate late-night Fringe after party” Club Freak Out did not disappoint in its stellar cast, high-energy party anthems and general late-night shenanigans.
Hosted by Perth’s ‘Party Prince,’ the commanding Flynn V, audiences indulged in a fantastic array of alternative, enigmatic and captivating performers, who each took the stage by storm in their own solo performances while also joining together in high-energy, expertly choreographed group numbers.
Punters filled the Lotterywest De Parel Spiegeltent, which had been cleared of chairs to create a large dance floor space and crowed around the catwalk stage where performers got up close and personal with tease, burlesque, aerials, dance, drag, singing, and other acts that defied conventional description. While standing for 1.5 hours around the stage did become slightly difficult towards the end, the show flew by in a colourful, leather-clad array of jaw-dropping performances.
Joining Flynn V in a rotating cast of mostly Perth-based performers were Danisa Snake, Bobby Knox, Sassie Cassie, Nat Oaks, Gigi Love, Amber Scates and Shaunah Johnson. All of them incredible artists who each deserve individual appreciation.
Bobby Knox took to the stage first with a powerful burlesque and dance routine, adorned in a wide brimmed hat and exuding mystery and allure, exhibiting their unique, signature movement style in all its rapid-fire, precise, and meticulously performed glory.
Knox was followed by Danisa Snake, a performer at the top of her game whose boundary-shattering pieces of performance art, and exquisite costuming is always a guaranteed delight. Snake’s mastery of movement that is simultaneously aesthetically challenging and impossible to turn away from, was completely on display in this enthralling performance.
Drag personality Sassie Cassie took to the stage with an exciting dance and lip sync performance, riling up the crowds with their titular ‘sass’ and exciting choreography. She was soon joined by back-up dancers Flynn V and Nat Oakes in a technicolor romp of contemporary hip-hop dancing.
The indisputably talented vocalist Amber Scates captured attention and hearts with her impressive burlesque-singing combination, performing a provocative tease in hugely high heels, without missing a single note, a simple extraordinary feat for the level of energy and character she brought to the performance.
Aerialist Shaunah Johnson captivated with a silks routine, combining moments of shocking contortion and flexibility with incredible strength and grace as she performed heart-stopping drops and turns suspended meters about the stage and audience.
Dancer and the show’s choreographer Nat Oakes dominated with an equally hilarious and sexy tradie-inspired routine, combining dance, tease and a thrilling moment of fire, into a masterfully choreographed routine.
Dancer and burlesque artist Gigi Love concluded the show with her final performance, bringing her signature ‘hot in heels’ artistic approach with impressively high heeled knee-high lace-up boots, raising the spiegeltent temperature by several degrees.
The show was undoubtedly brought together by Flynn V’s hilarious, and foul-mouthed MCing, at one point leading an epic audience ‘walk off’ competition, and occasional solo romps through the audience. However, despite the crowd banter and jokery, one of the most evident sentiments throughout Flynn V’s narrational interludes and introductions was the sheer respect and admiration he had for each performer, introducing them with palpable excitement and appreciation (truly the ultimate hype man). It was great to see that kind of energy and respect brought to the Fringe World stage by some of Perth’s most premier performers.
Club Freak Out was clearly a honed artform, with a fantastic structure, ethos and energy mastered over several previous festivals. Its non-stop performances, sensational talent, and surprises and escapades along the way certainly give weight to its self-described title as the “ultimate late-night Fringe after party.”
BEC WELDON