Joe Black x Rankd
The dark, absurd and star-dazzled world of Joe Black
With almost a year passing since the EP ‘Live at Salvation Studio’s’, and a residency at the Komedia with his eccentrically striking ‘Kleines Kabarett’, Joe Black has centred himself back to his love of the dark and mysterious, with a dash of boundary-pushing shock-factor which has seen Joe curating stages with established and upcoming performers from Glenda and Rita to Thomas Benjamin Wild Esq – amongst many others over the last few years!
Reflecting on his soaring success, we stumbled into the dimly lit sidebar at local hub ‘The Actors’ back in June to ramble about the highs, the lows and his recent trip to a dead-end seaside town which has inspired a fresh wave of content…
Pioneering the world of ‘Dark Cabaret’, Joe explores vampiric themes draped in dark velvety undertones of horror and abnormality – while exploring avenues for humour and entertainment to shine through the woodwork. Amongst this, Joe showcases a striking vocal ability, with a theatrical flair that is especially prominent on ‘The Final Curtain‘ – which incorporates a playful Polka beat and is soaked in themes of doom, gloom and hopeless downfall straight out of the 20th century.
Joe’s versatile performance sees him embracing a love of Dungeons and Dragons in ‘The Wizards Tango‘, and playing homage to Kylie Minogue’s ‘Padam Padam‘ with a dash of accordion – nothing is off the cards!
Recently, Joe ferried away to a decrepit seaside hotel in an undisclosed location – pinning notes and prompts to the peeling wallpapered walls to capture the stagnant essence of his surroundings. Grounding himself in the tired husk of a once bustling tourist hotspot, Joe was able to hone in on his craft:
‘Next year I’m hopefully going to have a new show, that would be good. Summer is a lot of development – re-finding myself, refocusing my efforts and returning to the world.’
"I feel more myself, going away and writing - I learnt more about myself and my processes. I was using classic theatre techniques, and as soon as someone pointed it out, I could use them much more effectively"
Joe Black’s ‘Kleines Kabarett’ returns in October, and we anticipate a flying reception for one of Brighton’s most beloved queer performers!
Watch the full interview on Rankd.uk