The delicious Miss Vicky Butterfly

Surrounded by office blocks in the midst of the City, this former Turkish bath house is a surviving treasure from Victorian East London. Now a historically listed building, it has been subtly renovated to retain the charm of the nineteenth century. The interior design is lavish, featuring marble furniture and mosaic-adorned walls.

Every Thursday night the Bath House hosts Boom Boom Club, a decadent ‘gin-soaked cabaret’ with burlesque, live music and old-fashioned entertainment. Fashionable Londoners don their best vintage attire and crowd around the small stage, waiting in anticipation for the show to begin. A victim of its own success, seats at Boom Boom Club are hard to come by, but revellers seem equally happy perched on the piano with a cocktail or propping up the bar with a glass of wine.

The cabaret is hosted every week by Dusty Limits, the ‘Weimar compère beyond compare’. With his three-octave vocal range, he sings everything from Cole Porter to Portishead, mashed up with plenty of dark humour. Occasionally he ‘forgets’ the correct lyrics but comes up with a seemingly spontaneous replacement. There’s plenty of audience participation, with Dusty usually picking out a male member of the audience to serenade, and he’s not afraid to steal a gulp of wine from an audience member. Burlesque comes in the shape of resident dancer Vicky Butterfly. Her elegant routines involve ballet steps and butterflies flying out from under her clothes.

There’s irreverent burlesque from Kiki Kaboom, who mixes a lot more comedy into her performance and dances to the un-typically Burlesque Spaceman by Babylon Zoo. Old-school entertainment is provided from the likes of Craig ‘The Incredible Hula Boy’ Reid, who performs a slick gymnast routine involving dozens of hula hoops. Crooner Earl Okin, a throwback from the 1940s, serves more music with his spoof love songs. Okin has the nickname Ol’ Horny Mouth due to his astounding ability to recreate a small brass section without any instruments.

After the show chairs are pushed aside as the theatre morphs into a mini nightclub where merrymakers can dance to 50s swing and exotic tunes.

Despite the chaotic atmosphere and apparent lack of rehearsals, The Bath House’s intimate and frivolous atmosphere makes it feel more authentic than other cabaret venues in the East End. It’s a lot cheaper too, but be sure to arrive early as seats are snapped up quickly.

Every Thursday.

Doors 7.30pm – 3am.  Show 8.30pm – 10.30pm

Entry £7. Advance tickets are available from Ticketweb.

www.boomboomclub.co.uk