Agent Lynch'sStudio 64 at the Brickhouse

Running from the 4th - 28th August Agent Lynch takes over the Brickhouse on Brick Lane for her Studio 64 revue. As they say "it’s been 30 years since Steve Rubell’s Studio 54 closed in New York in 1980 but the spirit of disco lives again at Studio 64 at the Brickhouse". Agent Lynch heads up a rotating line up of disco inspired cabaret acts with everything from Pans People style dance acts from the Beaux Belles, to amazing hula hoop skills and even an exploding bra!

Having been a fan of Agent Lynch's since she asked Fanny and I to fire her confetti cannons at a performance she was doing for a film wrap party, to say I was eager to head along and see this show was an understatement. I'd not been in the Brickhouse since it had been used for the annual free range exhibition space so I was also keen to see what they'd done with the place. Fanny and I dressed up in true disco style, her in a hot blue glittery one shoulder onsey and me rocking my best saturday night fever meets scarface coke head look. The venue comprises of three floors, which were each cleverly labelled by the compere as the VIP balcony, the middle class balcony and the flea pit ground floor, by far the best view for the show is in the flea pit, but at least the people staring down from the lofty upper floor felt they had got a good deal. I think the venue would do better though to encourage some people from the balconies down the floor to pack out the atmosphere a little more though.

The amazing Myra Dubois compere extraordinaire came on and warmed up the crowd, which seemed to consist of a lot of burlesque 50's styled hen nights, before the resident Beaux Belles took to the stage with a dance routine. Following this Agent Lynch burst onto the stage with her new Rhinestone indian routine. Honestly it's really nice to see someone who obviously enjoys performing, and smiles all the way through her routines, it makes a change from the cold faced glamour pusses of various other shows we've seen of late. Then wrapping up the first half was the incredible Donald with a tongue in cheek, sailor boy hula hoop routine which sent the crowd wild. I slipped off to the loo in the interval, alas to find it was one with toilet attendants charging you and attempting to spray you with aftershave (damn you coke heads!). The second half included a great comedy pole dance routine from Glory Pearl, a repeat apperance of the Beaux Belles all culminating in Agent Lynch's dramatic return and eventual mirrorballtastic exploding bra! I loved the compere who played the snarling drag diva act to a tee, Donald was my hero and Agent Lynch brought such obvious fun and enthusiasm to the stage that you were caught up and whooping along before you realised it. One thing that did feel a little out of synch for me were the resident Beaux Belles, and purely because they didn't take their clothes off. However as Jermaine Stewart taught us "we don't have to take our clothes off, to have a good time, yeah yeah". To be fair, I didn't expect Donald to suddenly strip either, although that might have been even more impressive if he'd manage to still hula at the same time.

All in all I loved the nights entertainment, and by all accounts from the table next to us the food was delicious too. Go down there, pack the place out and whoop your lungs out. 4 hula hoops and a cheeky wink out of 5.


We trotted in, attired in our disco finest, to the Brickhouse, a slim space which has definitely done its utmost best to be transformed into a 2-story mezzanine, cabaret-style dinning and performance space. Due to the terrifyingly small vaulted stage being only viewable from the top gallery only if you hang over the edge, we opted to stay on the ground floor, where it was mainly seated dinners, and hover by the bar. However, my silver booted heels never got the chance to tire as the dashing waiter quickly came and seated us in a prime viewing spot even though we weren't dining. The ground floor was dominated by two large tables of hens parties, and the next level (with really swish looking large dinning booths) it turned out was full of bucks and birthday parties. The rowdy table of Essex hens next to us did tell us the food was fabulous and it did look rather lovely.

The show in itself was fantastic. Myra Dubois wound the audience up by exchanging abuse with the 'slappers' next to us and generally snarling at anyone within eye shot, but really just hamming it up and proving herself to be a bit of sweetie when she dragged me up onto the stage to admire my outfit and try and pimp me out to any takers but thankfully (for Robin) there was none. It was at that moment I really sympathised with the performers as I realised what a hard sell the crowd was that night as rows of lifeless faces looked back at me. I really started wondering why any of them were actually there apart from obviously thinking they had to 'come to Shoreditch and do something' rather than actually getting into show. And what a show! I mean, come on, when Agent Lynch bounced on stage in her American Indian twist on the classic pop the balloon burlesque show and left with an accidental flash of her muff, what was not to love? Admittedly, Donald the hulla-hooping Kylie-sound-tracked smiley sailor boy did bring the house down with his skill and enthusiasm, and it was great to see Glory Pearl take the pole like a real woman (with a sense of comedy too) and when Ms Lynch came out astride a wooden horse in a mirror-ball bikini, I did get way too excited!

So yes, we loved the evening and would highly recommend making a night of it and going for dinner - but definitely book in advance! Either way though, don't miss this night out. Fanny gives this 3 and half lines of coke of the bar out of 5.