Thursday night saw a flamboyant jamboree of creativity and performance as Niche Artefact returned to Revolución de Cuba for a beautiful night of drag, burlesque and art...
There’s nothing like a bit of cabaret and art to top up one’s inspiration and lust for life. Last week at the ever-ritzy Revolución de Cuba, Niche Artefact took over the top floor, bringing a nice boost of vim in the middle of a muggy mid-summer heatwave. It had been a while since I’d been to such an event, so having heard excellent things about Niche in their (almost) two year run, I jumped at the chance to head down and experience it for myself.
Revolución de Cuba is a top notch spot in Notts that I often forget to visit, but each time I do I’m highly impressed with the gorgeous building and decor. The room that was to host our entertainment this evening was cool, moodily lit and the perfect size for making the event feel intimate, with the stage and seating at one end and a range of easels draped illusively in dramatic red velvet at the other. This wasn’t your typical cabaret - as well as live stage acts we were to be treated to an art exhibition and auction under the evenings theme: ‘Nocturna - a journey through Surrealism’.
The paintings all had a surrealist twist - whether that be giraffes walking through cities with candyfloss clouds, an ‘exquisite corpse’ portrait collaboration, or pieces inspired by dreams, mycelium and the unconscious
Taking the artist out of the traditional studio and gallery setting, the art showcase was one of my favourite parts of the evening. There was a fun sense of anticipation as the artists stepped up to introduce their piece with a poem or short speech, and we were kept on tenterhooks as each artwork was revealed. Wonderfully strange and diverse, in keeping with the theme of the night the paintings all had a surrealist twist - whether that be giraffes walking through a metropolis dotted with candyfloss clouds, an ‘exquisite corpse’ portrait collaboration, or pieces inspired by dreams, mycelium and the unconscious. During these short arty interludes the support from the audience was palpable, and it was refreshing to hear from the artists personally rather than act as passive observers of the work on display.
In true cabaret style, our wonderful hosts for the night were duo Nic and David Beer, with Niche founder Robin Da Silva popping up from time to time also. Though the art was not directly linked to the performances, the red velvet/gallery theme was nicely brought to the stage as the performers entered incognito for an ensemble performance carrying golden frames shrouded in fabric. All in all we had seven performers set to grace the stage, each bringing their own brand of grace, glamour and self-expression.
Tying all of the acts together was a beautiful message of authenticity and sharing yourself creatively against all odds
Highlights included a rendition of I Put a Spell On You by Dani Magic, drag queen extraordinaire in a fabulous sparkly number and top hat which gave perfect Marlene Dietrich vibes; Carrie On Love sporting a vertically split half male-half female look with odd shoes; and Serena Eadon, who provided some stunning operatic vocals.
As the night wound on there were moments of the bizarre (Chicken-Run burlesque by Bobbie Dazzler), the impressive (a beautiful expressive dance and aerial performance by Milady Burlesque), and the heartfelt (a musical theatre number by Ro De La Monja). Things got increasingly eccentric with a final ensemble performance of the wonderful Welcome to my Island by Caroline Polachek, featuring various nautical, underwater themed costumes and props.
There were many other charming details throughout the evening - moments of fun, humour, sauciness, and vulnerability. But tying all of the acts together was a beautiful message of authenticity and the power of sharing yourself creatively against all odds. A quote from Ro De La Monja stuck with me: “Nothing like looking back at yourself and realising you were a completely different person who you never connected with.”
And that sums it up really. All of life is a performance - some find themselves just fine in the ordinary and stick to the rules, while others delve into strange and surreal worlds and find happiest revelling in the fantastical. I know who I’d rather see on stage.
Niche Artefact: Nocturna - Journey Through Surrealism took place on Thursday 26 June 2025. You can catch appearances by Niche performers on the main stage at Nottingham Pride 2025 on 26 July, and also snap up tickets to their two-year anniversary retrospective, taking place on Thursday 11 September 2025. Tickets are available here.
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