the tiki taboo, sydney

On the pacific ocean's largest island, Australia, comes a tiki event like no other. The TIKI TABOO, at SUGARTIME cabaret club 34b Oxford Street, Darlinghurst SYDNEY on 5th MAY is a unique event showcasing polynesian burlesque. Indeed, the likes of Sydney's own BELLADONNAS DE LUX will perform plus many other exotic cabaret acts such as the ALABASTAR GIRLS and others in the plush surrounds of a 1940s cocoanut club. Special guests on the night will be Australia's leading tiki carver MARCUS THORNE from TIKI BEAT (Brisbane) who SUGARTIME are flying down for the event. He will be doing a live tiki carving out of Aussie cocoanut palm on stage. Interior design will be provided by BRIAN P the man behind the Big Day Out backstage area decor 2006. And on the decks THE TIKI TWO, a DJ duo who rocked London with their remix of Ella Fitzgerald's CARAVAN in 2004 will be provide up-tempo dance-friendly exotica from their collections of rare polynesian-inspired vinyl. SUGARTIME's TIKI TABOO is set to be one of Australia's major tiki events and not to be missed. For more information write to [email protected] or [email protected]. 5th MAY 2006 Sugartime does TIKI TABOO 9pm. 34 Oxford Street, Darlinghurst. Polynesian dress essential.

[ Edited by: mr.maitai 2006-04-05 03:37 ]

[ Edited by: mr.maitai 2006-04-05 03:38 ]

[ Edited by: mr.maitai 2006-04-05 20:04 ]

[ Edited by: mr.maitai 2006-04-06 18:24 ]

[ Edited by: mr.maitai 2006-04-10 05:26 ]

[ Edited by: mr.maitai 2006-04-18 05:08 ]

Cool, if only I was in Amercia...

Hang on, Its in Australia! Hell, Im there! :) :) :)

Yes, we'll get plenty of pics to rub it in, er, I mean share with you our event.

Ok this is going to be great.
word of warning, GET THERE EARLY. this place is only small (real small) & fills up super quick,The Belladonna's Deluxe have sold out their last three gigs there ( last one was sold out by 9.30pm).
It is also a little tough to find (34b oxford street), look for the entrance to the Q bar.

see you there
cheers
Bob

More acts just confirmed:
Baron von Weirdo (son of Pearc Miller, Australia's leading velvet painter 1940s-1970s), Amelia burlesquer from Melbourne and live music by Torchy! More to come... Why not visit Australia for this one?

AND MORE:
Welcome to the stage the girls of PACIFICA SWAY showcasing various hula styles from around the pacific islands!

Sweet, I am so excited. Do you think there will be good mai tais?

Man you shoulda been there!

Last night was an absolute blast! An intoxicating evening of exotic tikis and tantalising Polynesian burlesque. The small striped red door marked the entrance to another world, much like Alice tumbling into the looking glass with a savage twist.

The night began with the wierd but wonderful crowd beginning to mill outside the door waiting to be let in. Hawaiian shirts were the most common order of the day, but also plenty of girls dressing up in their finest nostalgia. One couple sporting a leopard print fez and pith helmet respectively turned whilst treking through the urban jungle. Then the doors opened and we spilled into the lions den...

..to be greeted with a tiki scene not witnessed before in Sydney. Through the jungle mist one could make out 2 large tikis with glowing red eyes guarding the stage, which was bordered by exotic foliage. On stage Baron Von Wierdo painted a Polynesian beauty on black velvet. Fishing nets and glowing floats hung from the ceiling, and alcohol flowed freely as the bartenders plied their arts. Soon the small room was packed with a crowd eager to take in the tiki goodness.

And what a show it was. The host for the evening was the wild man mr Mai Tai (the ladies favourite cock-tail, if you know what I mean). He enthralled the crowd with various yarns such as travelling the world in his dug out canoe, and performing his fan dance. Actually the fan dance is probably better left unmentioned... disturbing yet funny :)

Then in a blur of exotic loveliness, the girls took the stage. First up was a great hula which had all the crowd enthralled, but especially the guys. Even TCs Bobby Peru got dragged up on stage and put in a grass skirt and given flowing blonde locks. He looked like a kid in a candy store with wide eyes and a big grin.

All of the girly acts were great fun and a real treat for the eyes. I won't go into details on them, but a highlight was the explorer who was caught by savage islanders - oh how I wish for that problem :)

Other highlights included:
An amazing hula hoop performer. The control she had over the hoops was unnatural and the general consensus was she made a pact with some heathen tiki god and was aided by black magics. Amazing.

The interval saw Marcus take the stage to shower it in woodchips as he unleashed the power of his chissels. Awesome to see the master at work. Unfortuneately a mix up saw him with 20 minutes of carving time not the 2 hours he thought he had, so he retired to the communal toilet foyer to finish off the piece. As wierd as this might sound, it wasn't too bad. he and the Baron were able to practice their respective crafts to a small but appreciative crowd, in an intimate environment. And no - there was not toilet smell much to everyones surprise and releif.

Another highlight was the great fire dancer. That torch was moving so quickly it looked like a flaming hula hoop at times. He even proceeded to light various parts of his body on fire (on purpose for short periods), before lighting his tongue and then lighting the second end of the torch on fire with it. Wow. I think Bobby almost lost his eyebrows in this act...

One act saw "Rob" (very exotic name hey?) take the stage and channel the spirit of Dick Dale as he played some foot tapping surf guitar. He even inspired some fine looking ladies to get up on stage and dance with him.

Another highlight was the two awesome dancers on stage who burned up the stage with their frenetic (swing?) moves, whilst another sang. Great stuff.

The end of the night saw Marcus' tiki and the baron's paintings auctioned off. This was done in the toilet, which dissappointed a few punters who were expecting it to be done on stage.

I gotta admit - Ive almost certainly left out stuff. I lost track of the various burlesque acts and what the girls did (hey, Im easily distracted. Ill admit it). But thats because they were so many and so mesmerising.

All up it was an awesome night in a city severly lacking in the tiki stakes. It was totally Zazz and everyone had a blast! It was great to meet up with people who before were just names on the PC. I loved the night and when I got home at 3:00 am I was still buzzing in excitement.

Hassle Marcus (and his web guru Yvette) and Bobby P to post some pics! My camera didn't make it.

Man you shoulda been there!

Oh well, maybe next time. I was at the Hopetoun on Friday night seeing the Booby Traps. I think a lot of their potential audience was down the road at the Tiki Taboo as it was a bit sparse at the gig.

thanks to all who made it down. and great review hewey! tiki beat actually carved in an 'anteroom' adjacent to the washrooms, but he ribbed us a plenty about being the first tiki carver of international repute to carve in a bathroom! we were pleased with the night and thanks to all our tiki heads and exotica punters - you made it! stay tuned for more sugartimes....

does anyone know which version/who sang 'dont touch me tomato' as played for the hula hoop act?

thanks in advance

From the people who brought you The Tiki Taboo, Sydney, comes WELCOME TO THE DOLLHOUSE, a Sugartime Burlesque extravaganza like no other! Sugartime is about to embark on their first journey to the USA for the New York Burlesque Festival 2006 and their last show for the season in Sydney will be a triple-scoop of fantasy fun on FRI 14th JULY at 34B Oxford Street, Darlinghurst from 9pm. Featuring on tour LOLA THE VAMP, with locals GYPSY GERMAINE, RACHEL ST. JAMES, LITTLE EGYPT & MIA MORTAL joined by a Polish puppeteer (as you may have guessed). So don't miss out!

See our new site http://www.sugartime.com.au

[ Edited by: mr.maitai 2006-07-01 22:47 ]

No idea Jaci, sorry.

Sounds good Mr Maitai!

Hey JACI
The track you wanted to know about is Josephine Baker - Calypso version - Don't Touch My Tomatoes
Circa 1926-27
You know the lady, famous for her Banana Dance wearing only a string of Bananas.

[ Edited by: mr.maitai 2006-07-03 05:24 ]