Lost Vagueness presents ‘Lost Spice’ at the Hackney Empire

Rio Carnival comes to the Hackney Empire, London, 14 July, 2006

June 19, 2006 - Press Dispensary - As part of the Spice Festival, Lost Vagueness ( http://www.lostvagueness.com ), master of provocative glamour and eccentric entertainment, will be hosting a carnival themed event at the Hackney Empire. A spice infused night, with a heady mixture of live bands and intoxicating cabaret.

Guests can dress for Rio and dance their way into a wired world of gravity defying aerialists, top bands, circus oddities, lovely ladies and dapper gents. Dust off your throw-back slacks, unpack your fancy hats, step into your dancing shoes and await a night like no other.

The programme of entertainment, running from 10pm until 3am, will begin in the streets, a la Hackney Mardi Gras, with an almighty sound clash between the 32 piece Carnival Collective and the 14 piece Balkan Brass Band Orkestra Du Sol. These two huge bands will join forces in Town Hall Square and parade into Hackney Empire to battle it out. Then the night will go on to feature: Cosmics (ska supergroup, original members of Lee Scratch Perry’s band); Stamford Hill Gun Club (DJ set), playing a sexy mix of Brazilian beats and accompanied by an inverted guitar player hanging from the ceiling; Divine Acts, a hackney based dance group featuring ballet dancing stilt walkers; Layla Rosa (Shunt trapeze performer); Flybionic, a triple rope routine in homage to Dolly Parton; and a festival finale from Russ Jones, world music DJ legend.

The seating will be taken out of the auditorium to transform it into an 800 capacity dance venue. And, being Lost Vagueness, the night offers blackjack and roulette for fun in The Casino - an elite den accessible only to those in evening wear.

Leila Jones, co-producer of Lost Vagueness, comments: "It’s spicy, it’s Brazilian, it’s crazy, it’s carnival, it’s a wonderful mixture of music and performers and, like the rest of the Spice Festival, it celebrates Hackney. We’re looking forward to a hot, hot night.”

All guests are required to come dressed to the bananas. This is carnival. Please note that because of space restrictions, there will be no Changing Room at this event.

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About Lost Spice
Lost Spice will take place on 14 July, 2006 from 10pm until 3am, at the Hackney Empire 291 Mare Street London E8 1EJ. The night is part of the Hackney Empire’s Spice Festival.

Tickets cost £15 (concessions £12) plus booking fee from the Hackney Empire box office on 020 8985 2424 or at www.spicefestival.com.

About 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 undiminished. 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. The Lost Weekend festival intended for June 2006 was cancelled at the last minute when its financial backer pulled out.

Lost Vagueness was formed as a company in 2003, assisted by Arts Council of England funding.

The next Lost Vagueness event will be the Glorious Twelfth Hunting Party at the Coronet, Elephant & Castle, London on 12th August 2006.

About the Spice Festival
The Spice Festival is a two week event, 9 – 23 July, 2006, celebrating the diverse talent and culture of Hackney and the East End. It is an independently produced festival. All events feature artists based in Hackney and it is promoted and organised by people living and working the borough. It’s a bit like a farmer’s market of culture – local produce that’s tasty and good for you. The fourteen day festival will feature over sixty events, in twelve venues, spanning the genres of music, art, comedy, drama, fashion, film, clubbing, literature, food, cabaret, puppetry and dance.

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