American Cancer Society Benefit

Bands and burlesque fight cancer at the Curtain Club

An eclectic crowd, including zombies and stormtroopers, converged on the Curtain Club in Deep Ellum Saturday night for a show benefitting the American Cancer Society. Organizer Kat Korpse (a three-time cancer survivor) put the show together in honor of Carla Odom-Kirkpatrick, who lost her life to the disease on July 4.

Leading off the night was Lilith of Exile. The band has only been together for six months, which was likely the reason for the number of covers in their set, but their high-energy performance got the crowd going. Lead singer Reagan Buff was in a particularly playful mood, bantering with the crowd and mugging for the photographers. According to bassist “Creeper Steve,” the band was signed to Licorice Turtle Records after their performance, so we will hopefully be hearing more from them soon.

The crowd’s high spirits were only amplified as the “7 Deadly Sins” burlesque show took the stage. Given the title, one might have been led to expect themed performances for each of the titular sins. Instead, the lovely ladies from several local troupes seemed to focus primarily on “lust,” leaving the others by the wayside. If anything, the acts could have used a bit more variety. Of course, there didn’t seem to be anyone in the audience complaining.

Keeping the audience’s attention after a burlesque performance can be a challenge, but local metal band Kung Foo Preacherproved up to the task. Their set included a number of songs from their self-titled album, including “Blood Gone Crazy,” “The Disease” and “Wait for the Sign” (which, as they pointed out, has a new video on YouTube). The Reverend X (the MC for the evening) seemed disappointed at his inability to instigate a mosh pit, but nobody was disappointed with the rock on display.

After an extended set change, during which fans took the opportunity to pose with members of the 501st Legion Star Wars costuming group, Rivethead finally took the stage around 1 am. Bringing the stormtroopers onstage to serve as back-up dancers, they played a fantastic set spanning their entire catalogue. Black lights and industrial metal whipped the crowd into a frenzy despite the late hour.

After the box office and raffles were tallied, a total of over $1500 was raised for the American Cancer Society.

Rivethead