Press
Journalists, photographers or members of the media seeking further information on White Mischief (or guestlist places for one of our nights) should contact our press officer Letitia Thomas at Outpost Media: 020 7684 5634.
Download the White Mischief press release for our June 7 show.
Download a PDF containing photos of past events and press quotes.
What they said about White Mischief “From The Earth To The Moon”, Sat Nov 10 2007:
“The event of the week, the month, the year” - TIME OUT, Number 1 Critics’ Choice, Social Club section, 7 November 2007
“Fire-eaters rub shoulders with epic rockers British Sea Power and a Canadian burlesque temptress as this beastly fairytale night moves to the Scala with a ‘From The Earth To The Moon’ theme” - THE TIMES, Number one club of the week, 10 November 2007
“This is 2007’s second helpingof White Mischief, a bash that makes Alice and her snooping down the nooks and crannies of Wonderland seem about as exciting as nipping down to the frozen gods aisle at Asda. This time it’s the Scala’s turn to be transformed into a schizophrenic vaudeville venue (last up was Conway Hall) and the spaced-out theme is From The Earth To The Moon - imagine Lost Vagueness without the mud and you’re pretty much there. In the Earth Room, Brighton’s finest twig-waggling rockers, British Sea Power, will be playing live along with Kunta Kinte - the afro-beat Scissor Sisters - before Red Sarah and Fancy Chance partake in some death-defying fire munching. Upstairs in the Moon Room, Envy & Other Sins will be live, there’ll be DJing from The Shellac Sisters, and Trixie Malicious will be shedding her pants in the most sophisticated way possible” - THE GUARDIAN, 10 Nov 2007
“What a visionary Victorian vaudeville circus this promises to be. Music-makers, burlesque beauties, gramophone-winders, fire-breathers, dandy DJs and a time galleon belonging to the Edwardian space pirate Ginger Roger. British Sea Power, Lord Large, the disturbing and sublime 1927 Cabaret, comedy burlesque from Fancy Chanhance and so very much more. Dress Code: However you please. Want to dress up? Imagine the future through Victorian eyes and think astronauts, gaslight romance, Jules Verne, silent movie sirens, steam power.” TIME OUT, 7 November 2007
“Our favourite psychedelic boy scouts British Sea Power return, previewing songs from their forthcoming album ‘Do You Like Rock Music?’ which is due for release in January 2008. This suitably eccentric-looking night also features fire breathers, stilt-walking burlesque dancers and myriad other vaudeville oddities.” TIME OUT, Number 6 Critic’s Choice, Rock, Pop and Dance section, 7 November 2007.
“White Mischief deals in good, old-fashioned entertainment — as long as your idea of good and old-fashioned consists of busty b-movie vixens, insane space pirates, and striptease artists who have a tendency to set themselves on fire. If it is, then you’ll probably love the mix of vaudevillian entertainment, steam-punk chaos and burlesque mischief that defines White Mischief’s increasingly infamous indoor festivals, curated by tribal-pop ambassadors Kunta Kinte. Indeed, headliners British Sea Power should look comparatively tame next to some of the other acts. Fancy dress isn’t required, but you may look seriously out of place in jeans and trainers.” FLAVORPILL, 6 November 2007
“Mini indoor festival featuring top-notch bands including British Sea Power, circus acts and a touch of vaudeville cabaret.” LONDON LITE, 17 October 2007
“British Sea Power have been confirmed as headliners at the vaudevillanous White Mischief night at the Scala, which takes place on November 10th. Other japery at the do will include other beat combos, peculiar performers, and probably a load of those larger lasses sticking tassels on their knockers and swinging them around.” PLAYLOUDER, 11 September 2007
Boing Boing (Author: Cory Doctorow)
“Last night I lucked into attending White Mischief, a mad, steampunk-themed variety night held at the old Scala cinema in King’s Cross, London. The entertainment ranged from a screening of From the Earth to the Moon to live, 1920s-themed Edward-Gorey-inspired cabaret to a twisted “flesh harp” performance from Skinphony, who mic strings that are anchored to hooks piercing the skin of the performers. The place was packed, and hundreds of people got into the spirit of things with inpsired steampunk/Victorian outfits (my favorites were the guys with the goggles, jetpacks and admirals’ hats).
As for the music, it was completely kick-ass. Kunta Kinte played a show that felt like something from Talking Heads’ Stop Making Sense tour, with funky, rhythm-heavy numbers that I enjoyed from the first song. This was just about the perfect night’s entertainment, and it’s a semi-regular affair, with more to come in future. I almost never have the time to out to shows anymore, but I’m going to do my damndest to make it to the next one. ”
“You can get packed into a club playing bad techno any weekend, but it’s not often that you get to party like it’s 1859. Saturday’s White Mischief, themed “From The Earth To The Moon”, was an evening envisioning the future as the Victorians imagined it (well before George Orwell came along and scared the crap out of us). The crowd was split between those in standard club dress and those who went all out with ball gowns, smoking jackets, hats, fans, and the occasional person dressed as a character from the Jules Verne novel.
Scala was chopped up into the Earth Room, Moon Room (several flights of steps up from the Earth Room), the less evocatively named Lobby Room, and Glass Bar with performers designated to the different atmospheres. In addition to live music, DJ sets, and cabaret, the halls of Scala were filled with performance artists including Skinphony, a Victorian-style burlesque show that involves the body of a harp, cords, and rings pierced through the backs of women. The cords attach the women to the harp frames, and you have a human/wooden hybrid instrument. The highly stylised performance is quite striking, strangely beautiful, but still relatively cringe-worthy. There was also Ginger Roger, the Edwardian Space Pirate, taking revellers on trips through time, though sadly Londonist were unable to partake in such adventures.
London band Kunta Kinte, who acted as co-curators for the evening, also played an energetic set of dance-friendly pop songs. They’ve got the beats and style of Adam and the Ants (physically and musically – their frontman wears a feather in his hair and a pink smear under his eye) but with sugary songs like “I Heart You” and a cover of “Cruel Summer,” they are all saccharine fun.
British Sea Power headlined, and for possibly their first time their maritime attire looked tame within its setting. It didn’t stop them from playing a raucous set of songs from their first two records and their forthcoming album (due in January), with members of the band climbing amps, scaling into the balconies, tussling with people in panda suits, and frontman Yan ending the show by punting a decoy owl into the crowd. To say the least, they kept pace with the somewhat surreal quality of the rest of the evening.”
“I arrived at Scala tonight with no preconceptions, expecting something not too far from the generic male-fronted guitar band line-up. However, before I even entered the building, it was immediately apparent that tonight would be something quite different, as the queue quickly filled up with people in Victorian dress, elaborate hats and oddly, panda costumes.
Once inside, it took a good half-hour to navigate your way around the place, although this was not time wasted. There was literally something to see around every corner, ranging from Victorian-style burlesque performers with rings piercing their backs with cords attached as people looked on in fascination, to a ‘time machine’. The entertainment was split between several rooms, so it was impossible to get to see everything going on, although the overall atmosphere was sufficient to have a good time. Of the acts I saw, the 1927 Cabaret act stand out; their performance was really quite charming, with mime, animated projection and piano, bringing to mind the silent movies of a bygone era.
Kunta Kinte were good fun; channelling a little bit of the spirit of Scissor Sisters, but a lot more of something unique to them. They certainly seem far removed from the 21st century spate of mediocre indie bands, managing to merge elements of culture from all over the place to fantastic effect. They are perhaps the kind of band that, on paper sound as if it wouldn’t really work, but the band are charismatic and entertaining; it’s is impossible not to have a good time watching them. With songs such as ‘Film of my Life’ and ‘Bastard’, it is obvious that they are a fun band, albeit one with a knack for making catchy pop songs.
By the time British Sea Power played their set, there wasn’t even space to move, which is a testament to the success of the night. They sounded excellent; perhaps comparatively ‘normal’ in the context of the White Mischief night, but far bolder, experimental and generally possessing a lot more originality than the vast majority of rock acts.
Thoroughly intriguing, with non-stop entertainment, White Mischief put on a fantastically imaginative night and in the process introduced the hundreds of attendees to some great acts that would seldom get the opportunity to perform in this kind of setting under normal circumstances.”
What they said about White Mischief, Friday 13 April 2007:
“Sometimes you need to get away from the boring predictability of everyday living…That’s the joy of White Mischief…the unexpected!”
PLAYLOUDER
“A one-off night of left-field vaudeville debauchery”
THE TIMES - number one night out
“This event has the scenesters all abuzz: prepare to be amazed.”
URBAN JUNKIES
“Highly entertaining, if not for the squeamish… Concert promoters: give these people a festival field to themselves and let them get on with it. They will leave you aghast”.
MUSIC WEEK
“A truly electrifying night for the brave and the curious”
FLAVORPILL
“Featuring everything from rock bands to vaudeville to fortune tellers, White Mischief tickets are well worth getting your hands on”
VIEWLONDON
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