Varitease II was an apt title for Friday night’s gig at The Castle. With a solid dosage of teasing, and more than enough variety to keep any punter satisfied, the evening was a fine mix of music, glamour and entertainment. The event began with the first of the four burlesque artists, Soxie Liqueur’e performing a dance that promised it all… only to tantalizingly keep the audience waiting until later instead.

Aaagh! Bats were the first band of the night, and proved to be a more than fitting opener. Performing a style they define as “horror punk pop”, their set was fun both musically and theatrically. With a male guitarist dressed in corset and gothic bondage gear, a frontwoman in an equally vivid costume, Aaagh! Bats were just as much of a treat for the eyes as they were for the ears.

The next burlesque artist a lady by the name of Madame Hex. With a tease based on the works of Quentin Tarantino, her dance was one of absolute style, with a desiring audience loving every second.

Following Madame Hex were Montage Of Jesus. A three piece, including a guitarist dwarfed by an enormous guitar, they carried out a lively set of the grunge punk persuasion. With elements of ska added in for some extra flavour, Montage Of Jesus were an early highlight on Varitease’s bill.

Soon after, Miss Soxie Liqeur’e made her return to the stage, and delivered on her earlier promise. Seductively stripping down to underwear and pasties, the crowd climaxed in total excitement.

To say zxspecky were the highlight of the event is a complete understatement. They blew The Castle away. Pop punk songs played to lightning quick perfection, there was not a single dull moment during their entire set. Everyone knows and loves Project Mayhem (who share a member with zxspecky, Benny Mayhem ), but zxspecky are where it’s really at. They roared, ripped and rocked, and provided the best performance of the night.

The lady of the evening, Iskra Valentine, then offered her words of thanks to everyone involved and followed with a very much classy tease of her own. Set to the tune of The Cure’s The Love Cats, she danced gracefully and seductively. The audience, was thrilled.

The final dancer of the evening was Roxy Peroxide, whose dance was as much of a statement as it was entertainment. While painting herself and seductively teasing the audience, the audience pondered the idea of the nation’s loss of innocence, and the blood on it’s hands. With such a powerful message, nobody could have made it quite as sexy as Peroxide did.

Minute 36 closed the night, and were the most mellow act of the evening. The best way to explain their sound would be haunted house music from the planet Punk, however the band seemed much more subdued than usual. The somewhat drunken audience enjoyed themselves regardless, and the band did too.

Varitease II was a spectacular evening of classy erotica, diverse bands and much merriment. Here’s hoping for many more.