Edgy and out-there Toronto revue still going strong well over a decade later
Get the feathers and tassels out because Toronto's most boundary-pushing revue turns another year older this week.
The bi-monthly punk rock burlesque spectacle, Pussy Whipped Wednesdays, will once again turn heads and raise heart rates as it marks its 12th anniversary at the Bovine Sex Club on Feb. 18.
Launched by co-founders Tanya Cheex and Laura Desiree, PWW is an immersive mashup of burlesque, drag, go-go and striptease that's a little "left of centre" from your standard revue, and proudly so.
"It's not your traditional burlesque," Cheex tells blogTO. "It's a little bit more edgy, provocative and a little dangerous. Sometimes you might see things at our show and think, 'how did they get away with that?!'"
Each show, Cheex says, is different. One show had a hands-free spaghetti eating contest, while at another, she was twirling flaming tassels. With PWW, the only thing guests can expect is the unexpected.
And there's nowhere else in the city you'd be more intoxicated by equal parts glitter and grime than at the Bovine, a Queen West staple for over 35 years.
"This feels more like home," Cheex says. While she's often invited to perform elsewhere in the city, the punk rock dive bar has been the natural home for PWW for the past 12 years, with Desiree having worked there and Cheex being a regular performer; it made sense not to stray.
In Toronto, a space like the Bovine Sex Club is vital for those who never quite fit in during high school and now just want to let their freak flag fly.
Cheex says she and the PWW team work hard to keep the space safe and inclusive while still making it a hell of a freakin' good time.
The Feb. 18 anniversary show will showcase nearly a dozen performers, including three Black burlesque artists — CoCo La Creme, BB Bang Bang, and Petra Liyahn — performing to the wild, campy, punk-fueled sounds of The Cramps.
"Being around for 12 years is like 20 years in club years," Cheex says. Even early on international artists caught wind, often agreeing to perform for far less than their usual fees thanks to PWW's growing reputation. Today, the show is so respected that there's even a waitlist to get booked.
But it's not just performers who are hooked. Audiences are completely swept up in the spectacle of it all.
"People love it because they really feel like they stepped onto another planet," Cheex says. "Many times I've heard [from guests] that it reminds them of From Dusk Til Dawn." A nod to the 1996 cult horror film directed by Robert Rodriguez, which should paint a vivid picture for you.
Safe to say, PWW is not for the faint of heart. It's those who can respect provocative art and find brilliance in the bizarre.
"We're just, we're just pushing the buttons over here. Sometimes it can be a little grotesque, but I find beauty in the grotesque," Cheex says.
Pussy Whipped Wednesdays takes place Feb. 18 at the Bovine Sex Club located at 542 Queen St. W.
Pussy Whipped Wednesdays
