Lucha VaVOOM, the unique live Mexican wrestling show mixed with the most flamboyant entertainment acts on the planet, finally makes its UK debut on Saturday 8th November in London at The Troxy. Born in Los Angeles, Lucha VaVOOM has thrashed, thrived and thrilled audiences since its launch in 2002. The comedy and music acts just announced are the incredible Hot Wax and Jim Jones Revue All Stars plus award winning double act Max & Ivan and occult comedian Andrew O’Neill.
The show is bonkers, crazy and unpredictable, an explosion of highly entertaining expertise and absurdity! Get ready for Lucha VaVOOM to shake the foundations with thundering Luchadors, electrifying performers and the energy that only an anything-can-happen happening can bring! The spectacular that is Lucha VaVOOM has already played for over 35,000 screaming fans of all ages in Paris, at the Fuji Rock Festival in Japan, The High-Performance Rodeo in Calgary and at Australia’s Big Day Out!
WHAT YOU WILL SEE: Mexican Masked wrestlers, brought in from Mexico, the U.S., and parts unknown. Good vs. evil played out in quick, exhibition-style, one-fall Lucha Libre matches for maximum impact. It’s like watching a live action cartoon performed at break-neck speed. Between matches, the audience will see top-shelf variety acts from around the world. This is so much more than a wrestling show – the bill will feature some of the world’s best comedians and hottest new bands. Previous acts have included music from PEACHES, comedy from FRED ARMISEN and JACK BLACK, and performers such as Drag Race winner VIOLET CHACHKI, 12-time Guinness Record Holder MARAWA THE AMAZING, and roller-skating daredevils THE LA ROLLER GIRLS.
Joining the line-up for the UK debut are:
Max & Ivan, the acclaimed comedy double act who have performed their intricate multi-character live shows at SXSW Festival, the Adelaide Fringe, the Edinburgh Fringe, and the Melbourne International Comedy Festival, as well as on tour throughout the UK. They produce large-scale events for festivals, write for radio and TV, and have appeared in all your favourite TV shows (providing your favourite shows are W1A, Peep Show and Drunk Histories). They were recently the brains behind the Clash of the Comics wrestling show at the Eventim Apollo.
Andrew O’Neill, an award-winning non-binary comedian, musician and writer, blending surrealism and stagecraft into counter-cultural stand-up. They’ve appeared in Good Omens, Saxondale and Alan Moore’s The Show, co-wrote and starred in Damned Andrew, and performed at festivals worldwide. A founder of Victorian-punk band The Men That Will Not Be Blamed For Nothing, they are also author of A History Of Heavy Metal.
Hot Wax are a band set on experiencing life at its most intense. In the past two years, the Hastings-via-Brighton trio – comprising Tallulah Sim-Savage (vocals/guitar), Lola Sam (bass) and Alfie Sayers (drums) – have toured the world over, clocking up over 150 dates, including shows with Royal Blood and Frank Carter, and major festival appearances at Reading & Leeds and All Points East.
Jim Jones All Stars is the latest project from garage godfather Jim Jones (Thee Hypnotics, The Jim Jones Revue). Formed during the pandemic, it features The Jim Jones Revue members Gavin Jay and Elliot Mortimer, drummer Chris Ellul from (The Heavy), veteran punk guitarist Carlton Mounsher (The Swamps), and a full horn section. After a midnight offering at the real crossroads in Clarksdale, Mississippi, the band made the pilgrimage to Memphis, Tennessee to record with Memphis Magnetic founder Scott McEwen (JD McPherson, Nick Waterhouse).
Also appearing are a dazzling lineup of performers, including Danny Ash, the award-winning Circus and Cabaret artist, Boylesquer, and Aerialist, crowned Performer of the Year at the Sexual Freedom Awards. Joining him is the radiant Natasha Estrada, an acclaimed Chicana showgirl, and the mesmerising Amazi, Guinness World Record-holding hula-hooper. The night also features an electrifying roster of Luchadors, including Cara Noir, also known as The Black Swan, Galeno Del Mal, Microman, Última Sombra, MBM Sweetboy, Simon Miller, and Madame Guillotine, each bringing their unique energy and flair to the stage.
Burlesque duo Julie Atlas Muz and Mat Fraser bring their unique blend of talent and artistry to the stage. Julie, described by The New York Times as “the royalty of burlesque,” joins Mat, a rock musician, actor, writer and performance artist with thalidomide-induced phocomelia, whose credits include American Horror Story and His Dark Materials.
Lucha VaVOOM presents the craziest, most talented artists with that certain raw energy that only their performers can bring to such a full-force, glam-slam night out! Devised by Rita D'Albert (pivtured), who is excited to be bringing Lucha VaVOOM to the UK for the first time, their unapologetic mission is to bring FUN back to civilisation and they will stop at nothing until they have conquered the known universe!
“I wasn’t a wrestling person; when I first saw Lucha libre, I fell in love. The masks, the characters and the outrageous feats of physicality blew my mind! It’s like the best punk shows I’d seen plus incredible theatrics. Add to that comedic play-by-play, daredevil dancers, my favourite bands – it’s unique and anything goes! It’s a wrestling show for people that don’t like wrestling, and those that do! I love seeing new, electrifying things. That’s the inspiration behind it. To combine these disparate elements and let them explode! To forget the outside world with fun people who crave a crazy, communal experience. Those moments are pure magic. And it happens every time. It has always been my dream to bring MRLVV to London. It’s been my goal. We’ve wowed New York, Paris, L.A., but I’ve always had my sights on the UK. I love the crowds here – wrestling fans, music fans, theatre crowd, everyone.” RITA D’ALBERT
Rita D’Albert was born in Queens but was brought up in the counterculture and subcultures of Southern California. Her public debut was as a flautist, but she reinvented herself as a guitarist and platinum blonde glamour gal years later. She carved a niche for herself with her unique ability to stage energetic, wildly entertaining, oddball shows on the fertile grounds of post-punk Los Angeles. She was part of WHITE TRASH WINS LOTTO (the rise and fall of Axl Rose). WTWL took the HBO Comedy Festival in Aspen by storm and was a critical and audience favourite. Rita returned the following year and performed in Catherine O’Hara’s late-night lounge with Steve Martin, Martin Short and Andrea Martin. From there she took the show to a legendary run at The Roxy Theatre and the NY Comedy Festival to great acclaim.
TICKET LINK: www.myticket.co.uk/artists/lucha-vavoom
