I know I know… ‘Soho Soho Soho So what’ right? Well I’m sorry about the Nazi-like geographical cleansing of My 2 Pints reviews, but these are simply the only places I’ve visited the past few weeks. I’ve pretty much boarded myself up (with a flap I can open only from the inside to accept take-aways) what with the Christmas run-up, and the additional work and expense that it drags, like a rag of soggy toilet roll, clutching to an unlucky girl’s shoe in a posh restaurant.

Madame JoJos sits neatly in between a couple of gay bars, across the road from a gay sex shop, smack bang in the middle of the sexier / seedier (depending on your mood) and more homosexual end of the square space. With its location, and the name sounding like it’s ‘straight from the Moulin Rouge’, you could be forgiven for, or even expected to think it’s a sort of mid-range burlesque club. So far, this paragraph may be following the age-old structure of leading you in one direction by use of suggestion, then dragging you back from the stage with the loop of a cane. But… no! Of course it’s burlesque.

Well at least the venue itself has deep roots planted in Burlesque and Cabaret acts of the 50s and 60s. By the 80s it was entertaining with more alternative acts like Lily Savage even, and with the 90s and the start of club culture came the near death of the dirty branded entertainment. Now at the end of the noughties, burlesque is enjoying a revival after laying dormant for two or three decades, the defibrillators of full-circle culture having a positive effect.

Still with the same name, and all the old features, Madame JoJos has revelled in harking back to its youth, however it does well not to alienate the current crop. There are burlesque nights on at the venue, but I suggest a visit to the website to find out exactly when as they’re as few and far between as seeing a baby pigeon. Onto the remaining part of the review, there are all manner of club nights and live gigs from differing acts. Atmos is that of a live venue, stage is below the raised area including the bar. Everything is underground, which all makes it a great place to see some live music for that special grimy, underground, ‘we’re witnessing something special here’ feel. Truth be told, most of the musicians won’t be challenging Mini-Cowell for next year’s Christmas No. 1, but it’s pretty good stuff none-the-less.

If you’re in the mood for a quiet bar to relax in, this isn’t the place for you. If you want to be impressed by a good quality musical act you haven’t heard of before, want to get up and dance (there’s a generous dancefloor humping the stage), and to have a good time… then crowbar it in to your plans.

BEER SELECTION: Not fabulous. No cider. Cocktails don’t seem available. Standard beer and fruit based drink for the lady situ. **

COST OF A ROUND: Probably because there isn’t the greatest selection, but £3-£3.50 a drink isn’t bad. ****

STAFF: Even when packed 3 deep, it’s less than a few minutes before another visit to boozetown. *****

FOOD: More of a club, don’t think they do food at all. Not even crisps. *

SKIRT RATIO: Even I’ve tried to chat someone up in there. ****

OVERALL: Not for every occasion, but does what it does, better than anyone. ****

Madame JoJos - Soho - Brought to you by James Wormald -