Monsterlune Catwalk at the KitCat Club
Return of the KitCat Club
Legendary 80s underground nightclub, the KitCat Club, was reactivated for one night only on 26 October 2024, at modern venue Omeara near London Bridge. DJs, bands and assorted Dark Culture glitterati were brought in for the occasion, as was Estelle ‘Monsterlune’ Riviere for a kooky catwalk. Esther and I were among her models.
The original KitCat Club (well, this version) was started by Simon Hobart in 1984. As an ignorant schoolboy at the time, I knew nothing of it and can add nothing to its pool of fond memories now. Rather than risk misrepresenting its place in history, I’ve taken the liberty of copying words below from the 2024 KitCat Halloween Special flyer…
“The KitCat Club was a renowned 80s London club night which gained fame for its unique atmosphere and eclectic mix of music featuring Retro, Alternative, Goth Rock, Punk, New Wave and Electronica. Its creator Simon Hobart named the night after the club in Cabaret.
“Simon Hobart opened the first KitCat club night in February 1984. Opening at Studio One on Oxford Street, it then moved to a converted warehouse known as the Pleasure Dive in Westbourne Grove, where it became London’s premier goth hangout, providing a more glamorous and tongue-in-cheek alternative to its more po-faced rival, the Batcave in Soho.
“The KitCat gave Simon his first taste of notoriety when in January 1985, it landed him on the front page of the Sun. Police had raided the club for drugs and arrested Simon, a photographer snapping “the godfather of goth” as he was led away – he was just 21 at the time.
“The raid had a profound effect on Simon and he decided to move the night to a more central location midweek at the Comedy Store in Leicester Square, then eventually residing at the Soundshaft venue which was part of Heaven nightclub.
“Simon sadly passed away on Oct 23rd 2005 but the KitCat Club remains fondly remembered still by those who experienced its heyday, and it continues to hold a special place in the memories of London nightlife enthusiasts.”
Fitting
Estelle had drafted an unprecedented 22 models for this catwalk, making it by far the largest of her Monsterlune shows in which I’d participated. Broadly the first half was to be goth and the second half punk but we could all have been characterised simply as freaks. Think David Cronenberg spliced with Leigh Bowery.
I was to be among the goth contingent, and indeed third upon the catwalk. All models were invited to a costume fitting two weeks before the event – my first encounter with the extraordinary creation I would be inhabiting. The mask alone increased my height from six foot four to nearer eight foot. This was going to be exceptional.
Preparation
Come the day, Esther and I arrived at Omeara bang on the mustering time of 9:30pm. This was well ahead of our catwalk (11:45pm), and an hour before the club’s opening time. It meant we got to see this magnificent space properly whilst the lights were still on, as we were led through and upstairs to the backstage dressing rooms for models.
There were two main dressing rooms, one already pretty full and the other empty. So we occupied a sofa in the latter. Soon we were sharing it with Katherine Blake in the company of Catherine Gerbrands and Takatsuna Mukai – all magical human souls. This was our time to relax before we transformed into Estelle’s staggering visions.
Monsterlune Catwalk
I left it late before putting on my costume as being 8-foot tall in a small shared space can cause trickiness. Soon enough, time was upon us. Estelle led us back down and got us in line to enter the stage. Skintight SJ introduced us to hundreds of flawlessly groomed dark clubbers, and on we went: weirdly, wonderfully, wild…
Skintight SJ – photo © Richard Williams.
Katherine – photo © Richard Kaby.
Michael and Katherine – photo © Richard Kaby.
Michael – photo © Richard Williams.
Me – photo © Richard Williams.
Me – photo © Richard Kaby.
Franco – photo © Richard Williams.
Andrew – photo © Richard Kaby.
JessicAlmande – photo © Richard Kaby.
Anna – photo © Richard Williams.
Takatsuna – photo © Richard Kaby.
James – photo © Richard Kaby.
Pauline – photo © Richard Williams.
Jeremy – photo © Richard Williams.
Esther – photo © Richard Kaby.
Alice and Esther – photo © Richard Kaby.
Alice – photo © Richard Kaby.
Jonney – photo © Richard Williams.
Sallyanne – photo © Richard Kaby.
Aizen – photo © Richard Williams.
Pepita and Aizen – photo © Richard Kaby.
Pepita – photo © Richard Kaby.
Amelia – photo © Richard Kaby.
Noé and Cazimi – photo © Richard Williams.
Noé, Catherine and Cazimi – photo © Richard Kaby.
Catherine – photo © Richard Kaby.
Estelle – photo © Richard Williams.
Party time! – photo © Richard Kaby.
Party time! – photo © Richard Kaby.
So much preparation for 40 seconds of solo stage time! But the individual time wasn’t the point; this was about being part of something. I made slow movements to sombre music, others moved madly or slinked sexily, but we all got our freak on. We made an outlandish spectacle for a fantastic audience. Dark, colourful, beautiful. Brilliant.
Full show
You can check out the full catwalk in the video below. It can’t compare to being there, but it gives a flavour. After the show, we stayed in character to mingle in the club and dance to the live bands. Esther was in her element. We both had work next morning, however, so couldn’t last till 5am. It never really ends, though. Energy is forever. ❤
Estelle – photo © Richard Kaby.
steve ritter 