On International Women’s Day Billy Bootleggers played host to the Widow’s Rock n Rollium - a spicy night of cabaret, burlesque, bands and fierce femme energy, featuring bands You Want Fox and Hystamine. We went down to check it out…
It’s sometimes tricky to drag oneself out of the house on a Sunday evening, but with it being International Women’s Day and an evening of cabaret, bands and burlesque at Billy Bootleggers, how could one resist?
After a warm welcome to rouse the crowd from host Frances Widow, we started the night with Hystamine - a three-piece alt metal band that is quickly rising on the Nottingham scene. I caught these guys at The Carousel a couple of months ago and vowed to see them again, so was pleased to see them on the line up, and they did not disappoint.
Blending heavy, driving metal riffs with screaming, haunting vocal melodies, they powered through the set little time for a breath, racing through tracks from their debut album Anathema, which was released late 2025, with great prowess. Between the vocal dexterity of singer Salem, bassist Emily’s super nonchalant poise and drummer George’s insanely epic drum roll that closed the show, Hystamine look and sound like a band that is going to go far. Catch them next at the God Save The Scene all-dayer, on Saturday 4 April at Fisher Gate Point.
After a short break, we’re into the cabaret vibes. Kicking off the segment with some gasp-inducing antics - including swinging a can of beer from her nose - Frances proved a mighty compere for the evening. Fitting for the day, she invited women and non-binary people to the front of the audience (something I’m always grateful for having spent many a gig ogling the back of someone much taller) and reminded everyone about the importance of consent when it comes to performers - particularly when they’ll be scantily clad and moving through a crowd.
Introducing her troupe of Widow’s characters, sideshow showgirl Eve Elle was first up. Bringing a ‘tongue in cheek twist to some stomach turning stunts’ and decked out in harlequin attire, Eve presented more tricks to make us flinch (let’s just say nails, hammers, balloons and nostrils were involved). ‘Treading the line between terrifying and arousing’, Kali Viridis followed with a dazzling bit of burlesque, before Frances moved to the centre of the room to take on the bed of nails. If it’s one thing to lie bare-backed on a rack of a thousand piercing nails, it’s quite another to sandwich yourself between another set and invite a 6ft tall man to stand on top.
Thankfully, it’s clear from her fearlessness that Frances is well versed in such escapades, and she escaped unscathed and ready to introduce the final member of the Widow crew for the evening, Shananigans. Described on her Insta bio as an ‘international fire performer and sword spinner’, she entered the stage in 50s trad housewife garb (complete with a feather duster that cleverly transformed into a boa mid-performance) before Warrant’s Sweet Cherry Pie broke through the speakers and a much more tantalizing performance kicked in.
If we want to be beguiled by ludicrous spectacles, let’s do it with real performers whose skills we can admire right before our eyes.
Last up, we had You Want Fox - a Nottingham two-piece who were celebrating a long awaited return to the stage after several years away. With just a bass and a drumkit, You Want Fox make simple punky numbers with song titles like Bad Girls, New Shoes and Ex-Boyfriend (which brought some hearty expletives from the audience joining in). Their sound is evocative of bands such as X-Ray Spex, The Slits and the Period Pains, but alongside the music played, it was the hilarious joshing between songs that made this a thoroughly enjoyable gig to watch. Bandmates Natalie and Colette have been friends for years (previously playing together in The Smears) and you can tell. If you’ve ever wanted to be in a band with your best friend, this is how it should look. (You can also check out an interview with them from our March issue here.)
All in all this was a thoroughly fun night, and having been to countless male-heavy gigs, it was great to see a line up of predominantly women in a space that felt safe, inclusive and bold. It would be great to see more events that mix it up in terms of music and performance, and I will definitely be snapping up a ticket to the next Widow’s extravaganza in Notts.
Shout out to Frances Widow for bringing a unique night of entertainment to Notts and showcasing the talents of some excellent female performers, and to Billy Bootleggers, for once again proving that weekends aren't the only time to get loud and have have fun.
The Widow's Rock n Rollium took place on International Women's Day, Sunday 8 March 2026 at Billy Bootleggers.
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