250628 Butt Hole Cabaret (3)

Butthole Cabaret: Chaos, Corsets & Community

My third time photographing Butthole Cabaret at The Butterfly Club and it was starting to feel like a familiar rhythm of chaos - and then it stepped up a notch.

That night, the lighting desk kept randomly fading to black. Jack Beeby - venue manager and host under the drag name Six Inches Uncut - was scrambling to fix it while also getting ready to perform.

With showtime just minutes away, we had to improvise fast. Peter Beacker pulled out their small disco lights, and Nathaniel, Peter’s partner, grabbed torches from the bar and even became a human light stand for the entire show.

Fifteen minutes before the show, Jack called out to me for help getting into their tight black velvet dress and corset. The zipper was barely holding, and sure enough, halfway through the night it gave out. Jack clipped it together backstage with bulldog clips and didn’t skip a beat. They told the audience about the lighting issues right at the start, which got everyone on our side and ready to roll with the scrappy vibe.

The show went on beautifully. Maia’s audience participation piece landed perfectly, Peter got the crowd dancing, and Jack carried the room with all the charm and cheek of Six Inches Uncut. Afterward, Jack caught their breath, laughed (albeit a little hysterically), and said to me, "I did the whole show without lashes."

Reflection

• What worked: Trust and connection with the performers let me support them while still capturing the night’s raw energy.

  
  

• What didn’t: The unpredictable challenges of the night meant that I was assisting when I wanted to be shooting. But also, I have to help out when they need it, because without them I do not have subjects to shoot.

  
  

• What’s next: Consider expanding my sh!t kit to include some small lights, and consider a go pro / camera harness of some kind for automatic shooting when I need to help out.