Kiki and Herb Join Lost Weekend Festival Line Up

June 02, 2006 - Press Dispensary - Lost Vagueness ( http://www.lostvagueness.com ), renowned festival purveyor of glitz and glamour, has added kitsch cabaret act, Kiki and Herb, to the eclectic mix of twisted entertainment at its Lost Weekend festival in Devon, 23-25 June, 2006.

New Yorkers, Kiki and Herb, are a tongue in cheek cabaret duo played by Justin Bond and Kenny Mellman. Kiki’s character is a washed up, boozed up chanteuse, well past middle age, who belts out inimitable versions of songs including Nirvana, Kate Bush, Eminem and Britney Spears covers. Herb, her piano playing accomplice, provides musical and emotional support throughout the renditions. Kiki’s voice is a mixture of Tom Waits and Ethel Merman, with a hint of Judy Garland. The songs are interspersed with Kiki’s comical and often tragic narratives about her life, career and anything else that happens to be on her mind.

The demented duo are already well known on the New York gay circuit and have entertained celebrities including Vivienne Westwood, Kylie Minogue, Radiohead, Lou Reed, Michael Stipe, Sandra Bernhard, Parker Posey, Sir Ian McKellen, Tilda Swinton, Siouxsie Sioux and Gloria Steinem, with their unconventional blend of music and farcical arrangements.

Other Lost Weekend festival acts confirmed so far include: glam rock legends the New York Dolls; Dreadzone; the Zutons; Julian Cope and a contingent of Lost Vagueness’ burlesque, trapeze and surreal performers.

Features of the event include a 3,000 capacity ballroom, a casino, a 50’s themed diner, a Mr Ben-style changing room with costumes and evening wear for glamorous transformations; a mock chapel and VIP piano bar.

The three day extravaganza will take place in the grounds of Powderham Castle, near Exeter. Tickets, priced £90 for a three day pass including camping and £45 for a single day admission, are available from http://www.lostweekend.org

- Ends -

Kiki and Herb
Justin Bond and Kenny Mellman have been performing around the world as Kiki and Herb since 1989. They have entertained audiences in Philadelphia, New York, Washington DC, San Francisco, Seattle, London, Stratford-Upon-Avon, Edinburgh and Germany. Most recently, Kiki and Herb performed a sell-out three week run at the studio of the Sydney Opera House, March 2006.

Bond and Mellman have been nominated for Helen Hayes Awards and received a Bessie award to honour their work in 2004. They toured in the UK with the Scissor Sisters in 2004, performing at venues including the Royal Albert Hall and Brixton Academy. They have also opened for Rufus Wainwright in New York.

Kiki and Herb have released two CDs: ‘Do You Hear What We Hear?’ featuring Deborah Harry, Isaac Mizwahi, Molly Ringwald and Rufus Wainwright and ‘Kiki and Herb Will Die For You’, a live recording of their Carnegie Hall show.

Justin Bond has appeared in several films – ‘Fancy’s Persuasion’, directed by Charles Herman-Wurmfeld and ‘Imaginary Heroes’, starring Sigourney Weaver. He had a starring role in ‘Shortbus’, by John Cameron-Mitchell and his latest appearance is in ‘Hedwig and the Angry Inch’, which has just premiered at the Cannes Film Festival 2006.

Lost Vagueness
Lost Vagueness started in 1998 as a casino after originating from an illicit bar on the outskirts of Glastonbury Festival. The original irony of travellers in top hats is now overshadowed by the sheer quality of the show: however the grass-roots humour remains the same to this day. As well as running the only field in Glastonbury’s history to be closed due to overcrowding in 2003, and proving a big success at Glasto 2004 and 2005, Lost Vagueness has staged its own events at Strawberry Fair (Cambridge), Stokefest (Stoke Newington) and The Coronet (London), where the Lost Elephant Ball sold out in May 2006. It also showcased a selection of acts at The Lovebox festival in Victoria Park, The Electric Picnic Boutique Festival in Ireland, and ran its own festival near Lewes, East Sussex, in late summer 2004 and 2005.

For further information please contact:
Roy Gurvitz, Lost Vagueness
Email:
Site: www.lostvagueness.com