Cabaret Futura is every third Monday of the month at Paradise by Way of Kensal Green; entry £10 (7pm–11.30pm)…
Richard Strange is a musician, composer, nightclub host, actor, writer and adventurer.
Bursting into the public eye in 1975 with proto-punk rock band The Doctors of Madness, there has never been a dull moment since…
Strange’s rumbustious life has led him to cross paths with characters as diverse as The Sex Pistols and Princess Diana, John Cleese, Grace Jones and Damien Hirst. He founded the hugely influential mixed-media Cabaret Futura in 1980 and now it’s back – right on our doorstep.
“After a long period of consideration, and a lot of encouragement from friends and family, I have relaunched Cabaret Futura. Those who are old enough may well have participated or attended the club, which opened 30 years ago this year, in its original venue in Soho. If you were a regular, you may have seen Depeche Mode, Soft Cell, Keith Allen, The Pogues, Paul Morley, Richard Jobson and Richard Wilson perform their earliest shows there, or you may remember the Event Group transforming the space each week, and showing some of the best Performance Art to ever grace a London venue.
Certainly everyone who came has a favourite moment or moments. Robert Fraser, Malcolm McLaren, Francesca Thyssen, Brian Clarke, Derek Jarman and Vic Reeves were all regulars. So were Grayson Perry and The Neo-Naturists. Oh, and Keith Haring and Kenny Scharf. And Howard Devoto and Siouxsie Sioux. One night, the top New York nightclub, Danceteria, came over and did a night with us, showcasing bands, comedians and performance artists from Manhattan, Brooklyn and The Bronx. Another night we hosted Michael Horowitz’s Poetry Olympics. It was that sort of place. We only had one rule: DO NOT BE BORING.”
The academic and novelist Lisa Appignanesi wrote: Of all the Cabarets to spring up in Britain over recent years, it is Soho’s Cabaret Futura, the brain-child of Richard Strange, which bears most atmospheric resemblance to its Weimar kin. Cabaret Futura became the focus and meeting place for the energy which fed the explosion in fashion, photography, filmmaking and music. More than that, it suggested a reaction to television, the growing demand for a live venue to serve specific, not standardised tastes.
It is Richard’s intention to programme music, lectures, interviews, performances and short films. Perhaps the occassional debate or a presentation. Perhaps a total transformation of the space. The rule remains the same. DO NOT BE BORING.
Drop in, come to network, chat, relax, have a drink and catch some extraordinary live performances. Already he has been lucky enough to enjoy performances by Michael Nyman, Ed Harcourt, Chris Lynam, John Lenahan and NASA artist-in-residence Liliane Lijn, among many others. Authors, musicians, actors and artists, as well as unclassifiable performers from around the world are all booked for future shows.
Strange: Drunks and Punks, Kicks and Flicks is his very entertaining autobiography.
{ 4 comments… read them below or add one }
I came last monday for the first time and am only kicking myself for not having heard of this cabaret before now. I have been a fan of medium rare for years.
I loved the eclectic mix of performers and came away feeling completely ‘high’!!! I have to say that Simon Finch was perhaps unexpectedly fantastic! Will he be performing again?… please mention that he should keep the buffoonery in… if possible: accidental genius!
Nell
Thanks for the tip Nell. I’m dying to go. Looks very very cool. Not enough nights like this out there. Richard Strange you’re a true Renaissance man.
I saw Jeremy Reed at the Cabaret Futura and was blown away. I always thought poetry was boring before then. He had a band with him and showed film. It was all very new to me. Loved it.
Hi Richard,
Hope you re well n’ good. I would love to come back to the Cabaret Futura at some point soon, had such a fab time last time i was there.
(By the Way, just a few minutes ago as i was reading Rachel’ comment, Jeremy Reed came in and sat opposite me here in *bucks. Such a small world huh?! Yes indeed Rachel, Mr Reed has a very unique mind, glad you enjoyed his work.)
Catch you soon Richard xx
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