"Occult Odyssey" by Niche Artefact.

Revolucion de Cuba, Nottingham.

"Niche" definition - "a specialized segment of the market for a particular kind of product or service" or "products, services, or interests that appeal to a small, specialized section of the population".

"Artefact" definition - "an object made by a human being, typically one of cultural or historical interest".

Niche Artefact are a creative collective, based in Nottingham. They curate bespoke art shows at different venues across Nottingham - featuring creatives of every medium. The previous show being staged at Nottingham's Central library, this one staged at Revolucion de Cuba in the middle of town. Niche Artefact are inclusive to the LGBTQIA+ community and all allies.

I attended the last show and loved the entertainment, as well as the art work unveiled on the evening by local Nottingham artists. Tonight was just as diverse and special as the previous one.

The evening was hosted by the founder of Niche Artefact, Robin da Silva, Master of Ceremonies for the evening was David.

The evening started off with the whole cast kicking off the darkly themed evening with a song called "The Ballad Of The Witches Road" from "Agatha All Along", and from on then it got deliciously darker.

Milady Burlesque had travelled all the way from Germany for her appearance tonight. I was bowled over with Milady's aerial skills at the last Niche Artefact show, and this performance, with a Celtic feel, again highlighted the wonderful flexibility this lady has, combining athleticism with burlesque glamour. 

Not only does Milady Burlesque possess the above skills, but she has a gorgeous voice as well, which she also showcased in a couple of beautifully dramatic vocal performances on "Be Italian", from the film "Nine", and a powerful Disturbed influenced version of Simon and Garfunkel's "The Sound Of Silence".

Niche Artefacts describe Serena Eadon as a "sensational live vocalist", and I would never dispute this description because that is exactly what serena is. She is sensational and a range that is as wide as Nottingham itself. Serena's first solo of the evening was a little French number called "Voila", and then the gorgeous "Moonfall", from the musical "The Mystery Of Edwin Drood". but the highlight of Serena's set for me was the duet with performance artist Ro De La Monja of "Phantom Of the Opera"; well, talk about drama!

Ro de La Monja's voice just seems to have got bigger and better since I last saw him a couple of months ago, and believe me it was good then. He soared in the opening song, "The Ballad Of The Witches Road", and his duet with Serena just made me love his voice even more.

Another fantastic artist I was pleased to see back was Priscilla Shona Krakow (PSK), who started off lip synching to one of my favourite Cher songs "Dark Lady". As part of the trio "The Cultettes", PSK joined forces with Dani Magic and Carrie On Love for a rendition of Olivia Newton-John's "Hopelessly Devoted To You". This was accompanied by a brilliant black and white film showing this naughty trio in action.

Carrie On Love made her Niche Artefact debut this evening, as well as her solo singing debut for Niche.

Dani Magic became the eighth wonder by treating us to Fleetwood Mac's "Seven Wonders".

This was truly a phenomenal evening of drag, burlesque and Queer entertainment. I thought my first taste of Niche was brilliant, but this evening took my Niche experience up another notch!

In between the live entertainment we also got to see the selection of Queer Art by some incredibly talented artists, who also explained the stories and/or inspiration behind their work. I absolutely loved the art work of The Sanderson Sisters, especially being a massive Bette Midler fan. For those not in the know, The Sanderson Sisters were the trio of witches in the film "Hocus Pocus", Winnifred (Bette Midler), Sarah (Sarah Jessica Parker) and Mary (Kathy Najimy).

There were also poetry readings of pieces composed by their creators.

As you can tell, this is a real cultural evening, and something that is not commonplace in Nottingham, and especially from the Queer quarter. If they were commonplace, evenings like these would probably not be as special as they are. A happy, positive and completely inclusive evening of wonderfully talented people.

I really must also mention the lovely Zoe Ellis who kept the performance areas clear of props, among several of her duties on the night.

Segueing everything together was DJ Wilson Shaw, playing some wonderful tunes and ended the night with some boogieliscious beats.

Talking of which, the next Niche Artefact evening is the second week in February, when the theme of the evening is Studio 54, which is right up my boogie boulevard.

And if you can't wait until then, check out the Niche Artefact podcasts.

Thank you Robin and the rest of your fantastically talented and hard working group for another brilliant evening.