Thotter reviews: Brunch with Birch

When I first saw that national treasures Juno Birch and Liquorice Black were doing a Brunch with Birch tour at The Boiler Shop, I booked a ticket so fast it put Paula Radcliffe to shame!

Many weeks passed and honestly I didn’t even think about the fact that there would be a supporting cast, probably due to not having been to a gig for 18 months. So imagine my freshly birthed excitement when my favourite Spanish side dish Choriza May, hilarious nan Gladys Duffy and flexible beauty Toni The Doll were announced as additional performers! Yes, this was always going to be a wonderful night, but let me spill the tea.

Starting the night right

So first thing first, what’s a brunch without a bit of food right? Well, the Boiler Shop provided us with a selection of couscous, hummus, pitta, a chicken skewer and some veg followed by a wonderful brownie served in a very timely manner, which honestly was quite an average meal but did what it needed. As we were all preparing or stomachs for the bottomless prosecco lined up for later, the music kicked to warm things up before the show. The fantastic Tequila looked great behind the decks and played a nice little mix of tracks from Abba to Ariana, which absolutely built the hype. If you ever need a hot drag Dj at your party – look no further.

Act One

The time had now come for the truly stunning alien woman to make her appearance and, needless to say, the cheers were loud when Juno came strutting down the stairs to make a grand entrance. After a loving welcome and a super camp little opening number it was time for the bubbles to start flowing – the perfect way to start a fun filled cabaret show. Was the prosecco particularly tasty? No, it’s moderately cheap brunch prosecco, it’s not there for taste. Thankfully you don’t tend to remember what you drank, you remember the talent and beauty on stage instead.

Once Juno had lit the fire it was time to add some gasoline in the form of black and white beauty Liquorice Black, an icon from the family gorgeous. Have you ever seen a milk maid get so excited her udders pop out? Well I have, it was both ridiculous and fantastic at the same time, putting a massive grin on many faces and fully encouraging the consumption of prosecco. This literal silly moo could light up any room she walks into and puts so much passion into her performance.

Following on from the high-energy camp stupidity it was time for something a little more on the dance side of things, introducing to the stage; Toni the Doll. What started out as a cute ballerina number very quickly transcended into a fierce exhibition of flexibility, dancing and beauty as soon as the beat kicked in to Toy by Eurovision legend Netta. We got flips, tricks, stunts and a whole bunch of shenanigans that left the audience’s jaws on the floor!

A trio of great performances and several drinks in, it was time for the final performance of act one. Yes that’s right, it was time for the comedy stylings of Drag idol 2019 winner Choriza May! When you see Marge Simpson coming onto the stage you know it’s going to be a fun time an let’s be honest it’s a stroke of genius to throw in a reference to everyone’s favourite African Grey as you perform a Chanel number. What absolutely nobody saw coming through is Marge getting super frisky and exposing her beautiful blue bush to the world – bitch, I died.

Intermission

Time for everyone to nip to the loo, have a cig, order another drink and oh yeah, have a chance to say hello to some of the wonderful performers while grabbing some fresh air.

Everyone came outside to say hello to their fans, thank them for coming and spend some time giving back among the excitement of the brunch. It was great to see how humble and friendly all of the artists were and just added to an already lovely evening. (I’m somewhere in this shot)

Act Two

After a bit of a break we were all ready for the second act and our next serving of camp joy from host and outer space legend, Juno Birch. This time the energy was even higher, the stupidity levels raised and the laughter fully encouraged by a truly hilarious performance. As a bonus, Juno interacted a lot with the crowd and even got into the spirit of things by downing a good old glass of prosecco. Combining a room full of tipsy people this type of performance was incredible, the room was truly buzzing.

From one camp legend to another, the return of Liquorice Black was our next act on the agenda. Nothing at all could rain on this babes parade tonight, she had us all singing along and wanting to twirl around our own umbrellas in joy as she danced around the room looking like a beautiful throwback to a time of speak easies and old fashioned cocktails. P.S sorry Lea Michelle, a new supreme has risen.

So the night was coming to an end and how could we possibly close things off I heard you ask? Well of course it’s with everyone’s favourite wild nanna Gladys Duffy, who recently escaped from the care home to take revenge and make other people wet their knickers for a change. Combining a charming personality, a but of stand-up comedy, a parody song shading the T*ry government and a natural flare for dramatics – she truly raised the roof and left everyone with dumb smiles on their faces to finish a fabulous evening.

The Review is in

So let’s get down to it, was this night a success? I probably don’t even need to actually put any ratings down cos I clearly loved every second of it (even the prosecco was fine when you added a bit of blackcurrant), but just in case it wasn’t obvious, here you go:

Punctuality: 10/10 (Everything was on time, not a single delay)
Professionalism: 9.5/10 (A slight issue with a track but handled well by Juno)
Performances: 10/10 (Honestly, everyone was just fabulous)
Diversity: 8/10 (A great mix of performances but no POC/King representation at this show)
Overall: 9.5/10 (I can barely flaw anything, this was a truly wonderful and well ran event)

If you get a chance to see a Juno Birch show don’t hesitate for a second, you won’t be disappointed. In fact, you should probably attend her Attack of the Stunning tour!

P.s follow all of the fabulous artists on Instagram below:

Juno Birch – Liquorice Black – Toni The Doll – Choriza May – Gladys Duffy – Tequila – Haydn Brown