By Crimson Kitten

CK: You've performed across the globe, including stages in Hollywood, San Francisco, Las Vegas, Tokyo, Paris, Edinburgh, Melbourne, Brisbane and Sydney.  Any particular favourite?
LV: I have many favorites! I'll always have a very special place in my heart for North Beach in San Francisco - beat poet territory. I got my start over there with my first burlesque striptease being for Dita Von Teese, Catherine D'Lish and Kitty West (Evangeline The Oyster Girl). The role was to reprise the 40s New Orleans Oyster Girl number but never got off the ground. They kindly told me I was their favorite, so I've been inflicting my shows on people ever since!
Paris is also very special. I grew up reading about the Impressionists and the Moulin Rouge showgirls so I stayed at the foot of Montmartre hill just down from the Sacre Coeur. I woke up every morning and looked up to the hill. I stumbled upon so many amazing things there - a vintage showgirl corset, the Lapin Agile, Musee de Montmartre, and a little ex-pat Australlian bar run by an Irishman across from Moulin Rouge!

CK:  Where would you recommend a traveler to head to, of all the places you've been?
LV: For me, Japan has a completely different energy from the Western countries I had been to. I was mostly in Takayama though, which is a small town with the most historical buildings, Shinto temples with incredibly awe-inspiring, genuinely theatrical architecture. San Francisco is a great place to see on foot, as is Paris. And Las Vegas, it just has to be seen to be believed! No walking in Vegas baby! 

CK: How does the Melbourne burlesque scene compare to those overseas?
LV: The Melbourne burlesque scene is tight-knit and supportive, with great style. In that sense it echoes many of the great burlesque cities, but there is a strong emphasis on skills-based performance in Melbourne - circus, ballet, dance. I think that is a beautiful contribution to the world of burlesque, and probably has a lot to do with NICA. I love the Victorian era architecture of Melbourne and I think it reflects in performances here. 

CK:  Of the hundreds of festivals and events you have graced – including The Melbourne International Comedy Fesival, The Big Day Out, and global locales like The Tivoli and The Globe in the States – which locations stand out with some fond (of funny) memories?
LV: I had an amazing experience earlier this year at the Tivoli in Brisbane. I was performing Firebird for the Burlesque Ball and moving through my routine. I hit a certain cue and felt an overwhelming sadness that it was nearly over. I'd never felt that before! Although it is not the original Tivoli, it is still an amazing venue, and Nick Cave telling me I was beautiful (I was naked), kissing both my cheeks was something that I will never comprehend or forget. So the Tivoli has some special resonances for me! I would love to know more about our local Tivoli history and hope to have more time to do it in the near future.

CK:  You've been a part of Tease-o-rama at Bimbo's 365 Club in San Francisco, what was that like?
LV: Bimbo's 365 Club really instilled my love of burlesque. It was the venue where saw it for the first time. It's a genuine 30s Supper Club and does not open for just any event! It is opulent with red and gold finishes, plush chairs and tables and a circular stage with two levels. Large, but intimate, and incredibly beautiful. I always feel at home there. The rest rooms are fabulous too! I went in once, and heard some crazy lady yelling to people, so I just hung in the foyer area with the powder room mirrors a moment. Then I heard her call "You are classy dames. Classy dames do not pee on the seats" and I had to go and look. She was the rest room attendant, and handing towels to ladies as they exited, as well as dishing out great life advice. I tipped her very generously!

CK:  But I bet it's always amazing to come home!
LV: "There's no place like home!" Truly. I have a very affectionate family consisting of my man-friend and an 18 month old kitten, and coming home is like nothing on earth! I just returned from an outback tour last night and it's the details that will capture you after a tour - his curls, her soft fur. We all purred! 

CK:  Aww, too cute!  Which of your amazing acts will you be performing at Red Bennies for Shimmy Shake Burlesque?
LV: For Shimmy Shake this Friday I am bringing my Lyra - it's quite large for a lyra and augmented with some filigree panelling. I use Aerial Dance in my routines, which is low-rigged aerial apparatus integrated into the choreography, using the floor as much as the air. My costume is a set of amazing nude peacock wings made my Cassandra Jane's Showgirl Couture. I am usually very much a classicist with burlesque and like to make shows that appear almost out of time, but I am toying with using some vocal music this time for my finale. And the pointe shoes will likely come out for this one! I'm performing two shows at Shimmy Shake, and for the other set I am thinking one of my classic routines like Serpentine Dance, or Sapphire with a large blue headdress!

Lola The Vamp will perform as part of Shimmy Shake at Red Bennies on Friday 10th September

CK:  Hey Harry!  What's up?
HA: Not much. Lots of things.

CK: That's kinda vague!  You're a man of many talents:  a singer, songwriter, guitarist and also trumpet player.  Is there one that you prefer over the other?
HA: It changes all the time. But I started as a jazz trumpet player, and my love for that music has carried me through all my other experiments... It's hard for me to say what I like best, they are all part of the same thing.

CK:  You've been playing the trumpet since you were twelve.  I played for half a year, when I was twelve, the only girl in the trumpet class!  Any advice for those who wish to learn?
HA: The thing is to imagine the sound in your head, before you try to play the note. Also, confidence - and accepting that on the trumpet you will always make mistakes, because it's a hard instrument. You have to learn to make the mistakes sound good.

CK:  Perhaps one of your greatest known projects is The Cat Empire.  What else do you have up your sleeve?
HA: Lots of things. It's all just music. I have no idea what makes one band famous and another band a wedding band. Some of my favourite musicians play to empty rooms.

CK:  What will we get to see you perform at Red Bennies with the Harry James Angus Band?
HA: The old songs. Jazz standards with beautiful melodies and decades of nostalgia wrapped up in them.

CK:  Who are some of your greatest influences, musical or otherwise?  What is it about them that you aspire to?
HA: Billie Holiday was the best, I think. When we think of great art, we think of Beethoven or Bach, and we think of concertos, or symphonies, and also of novels and giant sculptures, and sumptuous gilt-framed paintings. But Billie Holiday was the queen of investing all the qualities of a great work of art into a three-minute pop song. If only all three minute pop songs could be like that.

Harry James Angus Band will perform at Red Bennies on Thursday 23rd, Friday 24th, and Saturday 25th September

CK:  Greetings, Ms Mizzen!
AM:  Greetings!

CK:  I've watched a few of your aerial chair performances to get me prepared for what I might see at Red Bennies.  Is this the act you perform?
AM: This is one of the acts I perform at Red Bennies.  I also perform a couple of different hand-balance acts and a tisu act. These are each of my own creation and each one has a really different flavour.
CK:  The chair act is very unique, how did it come about?
AM:  Yes it sure is.  The chair is my own design and my partner Didj built it for me.  From that point it was just a lot of playing and trial and error to get it to where it is today.

CK:  It's mesmerising to watch but also nerve racking! Do you still get nervous before a show?
AM:  Of course, I will be dead the day I don’t get nervous before any performance I do!  Although of all the different acts I do, my chair act would have to be the least nerve wracking…

CK:  How do you shake those nerves?
AM: Ahh you don’t shake them per say, I think you just learn how to breathe through them and use them to your advantage.

CK:  What kind of training have you completed to be where you are at now, as a performer?
AM:  I think the best ‘training’ I have ever had has been learnt whilst performing.  No course, book or website can teach you that.

CK:  You graduated with Honours from the National Theatre Ballet, and have worked as a contemporary dancer both across Australia and overseas!  Share with us a highlight?
AM:  There are too many!

CK: Was it easy to transition from dancer into circus-style performances?
AM:  Yeah it was, well for me it was.  I reckon circus can be an extension of dance, some of the most exhilarating works I’ve seen cross disciplines, from theatre to circus to dance and back again.

CK: You've become quite the regular at Red Bennies these days!  What's your favourite thing about the venue?
AM: Fave thing about the venue, well probably just that, the venue itself.  Who can say no to a small proscenium arch theaterette, whereby the audience can mingle and drink at there own discretion?
And of course a huge plus for Bennies is its aerial rig, being one of only two cabaret venues in Melbourne with a working rig.  Melbourne could do with more venues like Bennies.

Alex Mizzen will perform as part of the South Side Show at Red Bennies Saturday 11th September

By Crimson Kitten

CK: Miss Becky Lou, how are you?  Hehe, it rhymes.
BL: It certainly does. Can you please ask all of my questions in rhyme? I am very well, thank you.

CK: Pretty impossible... something something rhymes with possible.  You have a great repertoire of facial expressions, describe some for us.
BL: Oh, that didn’t rhyme.  Well, I have an extensive stockpile of expressions, but some of my favourites are ‘Adorable Dismay’, ‘That Wasn’t Meant To Happen But I’ll Just Pretend Totally Meant To Do It’, ‘The Amazing Upper Right Lip of Disdain’ and the classic pin-up face ‘Oh No My Knickers Just Fell Down, But I’ll Drop My Shopping Bags If I Try To Pull Them Up!’, which despite it’s name is actually a very versatile expression.

CK: Do you practice them in the mirror?
BL: Of course! One of my favourite things about being a burlesque performer is that rehearsal usually means sexy dancing and pulling faces in the mirror. I have been training like this since a very young age. I used to dance in the mirror to a 100�its cassette, wearing a leotard and my Mum’s lipstick. Not much has changed.

CK: Haha! You tried out for Miss Burlesque Australia this year.  How would you describe that experience?
BL: I won the title of Miss Burlesque Tasmania and will go on to compete in the finals for the title of Miss Burlesque Australia in Sydney in October.  It has been an amazing experience. I am so flattered and thrilled to be a finalist amongst a group of extremely gorgeous, talented and established performers from around the country.

CK: Congratulations! Is there any piece (or pieces) of advice you'd give to other burlesque belles running in contests like that?
BL: Don’t compete against the other performers, compete against yourself. Strive to meet your own highest standards. Burlesque is a wonderfully diverse art form and there is room for many styles and performers. Have fun and make friends. Double check for underarm lint and unintentional crotch flash before you go on.

CK: Underarm lint is the worst! You're a funny lady, but infuse a lot of physical comedy into your routines. How do you find audience react to a stripping comedian?
BL: Everyone loves to laugh. As much as I’d love to be a seductive, man-eating vamp, I can’t resist ruining the sexy moment with a gag. I’d like the audience to think “That is sooo hot. Oh yeah. Oooooh yeah. Yeah bab- Ha ha! Now that is just silly.” Actually, that may or may not be a direct quote from a recent lover in an intimate moment.

Becky Lou will perform as part of Shimmy Shake at Red Bennies on Friday 5^th November

By Crimson Kitten

DOLLSQUAD – Alice (Organ and Keyboards)

CK: It's the bad-ass babes from Doll Squad! How are we ladies?
DS: Not bad at all thanks :-)

CK: It looks like leather and long locks with the beehive is the uniform, right?
DS: Yep.

CK: So can just anyone don the leather pants and rock like Doll Squad?
DS: Sure, why the hell not! The more the merrier.

CK: Where did the musical talents come from for each of you?
DS: We've all been playing our instruments for years and years. I started playing classical piano when I was knee-high to a grasshopper. We've all worked pretty hard, and it's definitely paying off now.

CK: What kind of genre would you call your music? It's kind of like 60's pop music that was slammed through the garage for a bit of edge.
DS: I think you just described it pretty well there.

CK: Are you following a certain scene, or sound, or doing something off the beaten track, so to speak?
DS: When we went to Europe earlier this year, I realised that the 60s garage thing is enduringly popular over there. Jo (our singer) has always kept abreast of new bands of that ilk. It's a pretty fun scene.

CK: What should adoring fans get excited to see from your performance at Red Bennies?
DS: Oh, all sorts of awesomeness. A trapeze artist or something. Awesome. Also, just us doin' what we do.

CK: As an all-girl gig, do you consider yourselves role models for young women out there?
DS: I hope so.

CK: So perhaps some last words of advice for aspiring acts out there, like how best to get into a catsuit?
DS: Dust yourself down with talcum powder prior to putting on the catsuit. This will combat chafing.

Alice, Organ and Keyboard player from Doll Squad will perform at Red Bennies Friday 3rd September.

By Crimson Kitten

DOLLSQUAD – Joey (Lead)

CK: It's the bad-ass babes from Doll Squad! How are we ladies?
DS: The band is in top form at the moment after a long deserved break following a very intensive touring schedule in May over Europe.

CK: It looks like leather and long locks with the beehive is the uniform, right?
DS: Well DollSquad is exactly that, a squad, a gang you know a musical task force that is evident in the sound as well as the look of the band. Were ripped denims and leather jackets a uniform for the Ramones? Well I suppose they were in a way.

CK: So can just anyone don the leather pants and rock like Doll Squad?
DS: If you can play an instrument competently and not just hack at it then I guess the answer would be yes but the catsuit is something you are born to.

CK: Where did the musical talents come from for each of you?
DS: I am a underground music fan, what more can I say.

CK: What kind of genre would you call your music? It's kind of like 60's pop music that was slammed through the garage for a bit of edge.
DS: Well that’s an interesting observation. Generally we call it ‘rock n doll’. But I do like what a festival called it in France recently: Aussie garage punk not afraid of the word ‘rock’.  I also like the description that the editor of Ox in Germany put on it: sweet doo pop punk. I tend to shy away from the term garage generally as most people assume it’s a descriptor of one’s lack of proficiency rather than a distinct genre in music.

CK: Are you following a certain scene, or sound, or doing something off the beaten track, so to speak?
DS: I don’t know of any scenes to follow here in Oz. It’s a bit of a melting pot. I have always pretty much done my own thing anyway and DollSquad is no exception. We are a unique fusion of sixties garage punk rock with girl group sounds of the 50s and 60s as well as the 77 style rock n roll of bands like DMZ and The Ramones.  I don’t wish to slavishly mimic any one particular sound from the past I want to re-interpret it, improve it if possible even. We also try and steer well clear of that ‘shoe gazing’ thing. DollSquad gigs are about A REAL LIVE ROCK N ROLL S.H.O.W. We are entertaining live and that’s why folks come to see us play live as well as buy our recorded music.

CK: What should adoring fans get excited to see from your performance at Red Bennies?
 DS: Australia’s best kick arse all female rock n doll band. We will of course be featuring songs from our new album Lethal In Leather at the gig and the album is available on cd from us and on vinyl for sale from European labels including the one that put it out: Kamikaze Records.

CK: As an all-girl gig, do you consider yourselves role models for young women out there?
DS: Yes. There is a lot of misconception with DollSquad. Some people still tend to look at it very superficially as ‘oh just another girl band trading on the sexy look’. It’s NOTHING like that. I mean did Elvis get dismissed that way when he wore leather? Doc Neeson of The Angels? Suzi Quatro? Here is an all female band led by a woman who has a law degree and works in a full on professional job in the insurance and risk sector who fronts a band that is not only as competent musically as the best of the boys, but also defiant, strong and independent in image as well as sound. We have self organised and played some really amazing shows like the Stray Cats at the Forum and we have been professional enough to score two European tours so far. We are doing it for ourselves. How more feminist can you get without subjecting yourself to the ‘masculine look’ of short hair and overalls and man hating lyrical content in order to be taken seriously? To me that is the cop out and the sell out to the sisterhood, not what DollSquad does! Young ladies don’t be afraid to be female!

CK: So perhaps some last words of advice for aspiring acts out there, like how best to get into a catsuit?
DS: The catsuit is something you need to be born to…kind of like the outfit that The Phantom (Kit Walker) wears haha. But seriously if you want to get ahead and above the sea of sameness and struggle in the music industry get yourself a producer and a manager. I cannot stress how important this is. It is more important than having a band in the first place. For a few years DollSquad didn’t have one and I went through a lot of stress and a lot of internal issues with old band members that now, in hindsight, could have been prevented and resolved if we had a producer and a manager to independently mediate and make impartial decisions for the good of the band. It breaks my heart when I see so many bands ignore this very fundamental advice. It’s the basic essence of any organisation. I mean we have two houses of parliament don’t we? We have independent directors on the boards of most legal entities don’t we? When we are ill we don’t self diagnose do we? We seek professional advice. Why are bands any different. They too need an impartial, objective voice – the voice of the producer in the studio and of the manager outside of the studio. News fucking flash: The studio engineer cannot be your producer! He does not have the interpersonal skills for the job, he has not seen you rehearse the material or heard you play it live, he does not know each of you as people nor does he know what you are trying to achieve as a band. He might also not be all that ‘clear headed’ tonight because you are the bread and butter band and not the one he is really into engineering for.  Your own producer and your own manager are as important as having a guitar, a bass, a drum set and a microphone. If you don’t follow this advice you will suffer the consequences of mediocre sounding recordings, recordings that sound like the engineer’s favourite band and not yourselves, self indulgent or pointless instrumentals and compromises to keep egos satiated and in the end frustration at not getting anywhere and eventually break ups. Hear me on this because I speak from experience.

Joey, Lead Vocalist and Percussion from Doll Squad will perform at Red Bennies Friday 3rd September

By Crimson Kitten

DOLLSQUAD – Lulu (Percussion)

CK: It's the bad-ass babes from Doll Squad! How are we ladies?
DS: Great, thanks!

CK: It looks like leather and long locks with the beehive is the uniform, right?
DS: You got it.

CK: So can just anyone don the leather pants and rock like DollSquad?
DS: It takes a whole lot more than just leather pants to rock like we do. It more about our attitude and collective talent in the band, the leather pants are just a bonus! Haha.

CK: Where did the musical talents come from for each of you?
DS: You can't really fake talent, can you? I guess we're pretty lucky that we've been blessed with a musical ability to begin with but it also comes from being really passionate and driven people.

CK: What kind of genre would you call your music? It's kind of like 60's pop music that was slammed through the garage for a bit of edge.
DS: I'd say we've moved on a bit from the classic "60s" pop-sound. Dollsquad has really developed as a band in the last few years. We're heading towards a harder edge 70's punk garage style. Still, you never know what we'll do next! We're pretty good at mastering different styles and making them our own.

CK: Are you following a certain scene, or sound, or doing something off the beaten track, so to speak?
DS: It's never been about following a 'scene' or trend per-se. That's pretty boring, isn't it? I think what makes us unique and sets us apart from the rest is our ability to go against the current trend. It will hopefully make our music timeless.

CK: What should adoring fans get excited to see from your performance at Red Bennies?
DS: It's our first show on home soil, so we're going to be pretty wild! It's just so exciting to be back and to have the opportunity to show our fans how much we've developed as a band and how our songs have really consolidated from playing together overseas. We're more united than we've ever been.

CK: As an all-girl gig, do you consider yourselves role models for young women out there?
DS: I hope so! All of us are pretty out-spoken, intelligent and strong women. We really hope that that comes across in our music and live performances. I know I've personally had several women come up to me and tell me how inspiring it is for them to see us up there rockin' out with the best of them.

CK: So perhaps some last words of advice for aspiring acts out there, like how best to get into a catsuit?
DS: Just never give up and give it all you've got.

Lulu, Percussion and Backing Vocalist from Doll Squad will perform at Red Bennies Friday 3rd September