Synopsis Be warned: those demented doyens of the music underground are surfacing. If subject matter ranging from sex with giraffes and cars, transsexual prostitutes with prosthetic legs, crucifying Jesus.. and Slough upset your sensibilities, then steer clear. If the thought of three lunatics in outlandish costumes: one pumping trance-like on a squeezebox while singing falsetto to the accompaniment of a drum kit constructed from a pram; and a bevvy of bizarre instruments including a musical saw and a church organ worries you, then leave now. Part of Queer Contact
Over the course of twenty years - and an astonishing 30 plus albums - The Tiger Lillies have walked their own unique path. Whilst never mainstream, they have managed to attract a dazzling collection of celebrity fans: Marilyn Manson, Terry Gilliam, Simpson’s creator Matt Groening and Mark Almond have all rhapsodised over the Lillies’ dark, twisted music.
Almond is a good point of reference, as singer Martyn Jacques - made up like a gruesome circus clown - is similarly drawn to life’s underbelly; ‘Brechtian punk cabaret’ is Jacques’ own description but that’s only half the story. Possessed of a remarkable falsetto voice, he sings troubling songs about prostitution, rape, murder, infanticide and addiction. There’s little between-songs patter, and Jacques stays in sinister character throughout.
Lets not overlook the deft musical contributions of double bassist Adrian Stout and drummer Adrian Huge (a dead ringer for dead James Joyce): the latter’s backward tumble off his drum kit is the most theatrical thing I’ve seen this year (well, it’s only February).
A Tiger Lillies gig isn’t for the easily offended. Yes, they like to provoke but many of their songs are remarkably tender odes to lost love: "Sweet Suicide" is the equal of anything recorded by Nina Simone.
At the end of this sold out show, the band received a rapturous standing ovation. The Tiger Lillies are a truly unique phenomenon. They’re rumoured to be on the FBI’s ‘subversive bands’ list, by the way; there is no greater recommendation.
There can't be many concerts where you are openly encouraged to shout "Bumholes" at a band consisting of a man on a saw, another who sings but won't speak, and a third playing a miniature drum kit. A great night out. BUMHOLES! - Simon
Closed by fire, May98, after refurbishment, re-opened autumn 1999. The Times describes it as "A theatre refurbished beyond recognition: buzzing, youth-packed, noisy spaces are connected by metal stairways, and within is a wide, twin-aisled auditorium".
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