The Katzenjammer Club is a new clubnight arriving in London on the 19th October which promises to mix music, fashion and theatrics all with a healthy dose of the avant-garde. Inspiration comes from artists such as David Bowie, Klaus Nomi and Leigh Bowery so otherworldly weirdness is to be expected. Run Riot's Ed Gosling caught up with Mark R. Charade, one half of the Roustabouts – the duo behind this new venture.

EG: So Mark hows life treating you at the moment? Are you in overdrive preparing for the Katzenjammer Club's first night, or is everything taken care of already?

MC: Busy! The Roustabouts' various projects are keeping us very busy, but I wouldn't have it any other way! In the last few days we've played very different sets to vastly different crowds at three of our London residencies and then put on our own cabaret event to mark the 1st Birthday of our night, The Burning Beat, which continues to pop up here and there!

I genuinely love to perform but I always find it incredibly rewarding to really get my teeth into new creative projects. The Katzenjammer Club is fresh out of the oven and on the cooling rack, but we've still got some fancy icing left to do! I couldn't be happier with the incredible line-up of artists we've managed to pull together for our launch party- I'm really looking forward to it!

EG: You guys have been around the Cabaret world for a while now, performing at places like The Box, Torture Garden and White Mischief. How has this influenced what you are doing and your outlook?

MC: We've been fortunate enough to have performed at a wide variety of places over the years and it's interesting to see different people's take on what Cabaret can be.. to see how exactly they mix that cocktail of emulation and innovation. I've always admired the sheer scale of the larger conceptual shows, where you'd be stepping into their own little bizarre world populated by incredibly colourful characters. I love that ambition and creativity and I appreciate those organisers and performers that are taking risks and pushing cabaret into interesting new areas. Cabaret is a wonderful medium with so many potential flavours but without those wonderful people willing to stir up the ingredients we'll essentially end up with the glittery cabaret equivalent of a gloopy microwavable meal.

EG:  When did you get the idea to do your own thing and how was the concept for The Katzenjammer Club born?

MC: Well, we co-founded and hosted The Burning Beat which just celebrated its first birthday. We created it to be a somewhat anachronistic love letter to olde worlde exoticism and although we don't have any future dates to announce as yet, we are looking at expanding, and I think there's plenty left in that creative well.

The concept for this night came together very naturally. As DJs it's in our nature to want to mix and play with elements. I've long wanted to put on a cabaret night somewhat inspired by the otherworldly oddness of Ziggy/Aladdin-era David Bowie and cult hero Klaus Nomi. We wanted to try and recapture that spirit and, with our performers, mix it with contemporary elements, including music and fashion. It's far from an 80's tribute night. It's a contemporary night with respect for the pioneers of the past.

EG: One of the translations of Katzenjammer is 'hangover'- should we expect something totally hedonistic and debauchorous? What kind of experience do you want people to have had when they leave the club at the end of the evening?

MC: I would certainly hope so! I hope that by the time people head home to reality that each and every one of them has had their mind thoroughly blown at least once, their heart strings firmly tugged and their feet blistered from dancing all night.

EG: There is a strong emphasis on performers – I noticed Ungewinster as one of your artists, who I've performed with many times in the past; he has a background in corporeal mime and his aesthetic is very strong – what are you looking for in terms of acts? And how are they going to be integrated into the evening?

MC: We want The Katzenjammer Club to be a warm supportive platform for performers to experiment. Our acts will be tied together with a largely unspoken shared spirit. We intend to offer a great deal of freedom so they won't have to squeeze their artistry into a restrictive pigeon hole...unless, of course, they're contortionists.

I love The Ungewinster and have long had a great deal of respect for Mr. Pustra's performance work. When we were developing this night they were the very first people I talked to and I'm thrilled they're offering a first taste of their new collaboration on our launch night. We're also very excited to have the infamous Dusty Limits host our launch party. To be honest I could wax lyrical about our entire lineup. I love them all!

Mirroring what I was saying earlier, we're inspired by incredible theatrical performers like Bowie & Nomi that existed in their own worlds and brought you along for the ride. That was what we looked for in our performers, that ability to enchant you and take you on a journey.

In addition to our stage, the venue (Apartment 58) has a great deal of nooks, crannies and balconies which we hope to put to good use. Acts will be popping up at regular interludes during the night while we man the decks and put on our own involved performance.

EG: You use the word avant-garde, several times on the website, are you appealing to a certain type of audience? Who do you expect to come to The Katzenjammer Club?

MC: I believe there's plenty on offer for a lot of people; I think they are ready for something a little different. The Katzenjammer Club is certainly about fun. It's a celebration of music, fashion and theatricality, rather than a place for po-faced chin-stroking. We hope our audience are inspired by our innovative acts and have fun dancing to our playful mashups. It might be a tad more arty than your average cabaret show but we're not expecting a thousand word critique the next morning. Although a dress code is not enforced, we’re hoping to see others embracing the atmosphere and not being afraid to dress up.

EG: If all goes well what are you hoping to achieve with this? Where would you like to be on the first birthday? Is there a fixed plan or are you going to let it grow and develop organically?

MC: I'd prefer to let it grow organically and become its own beast. You don't really know quite what that is until you've opened the doors a few times. I'd absolutely love to ramp up the scale and populate the place with all kinds of wonderful creatures and creations.

EG: Lastly, are there any secrets or surprises you've kept up your sleeve? What one thing should we look out for?

MC: Mr. Pustra's homage to Klaus Nomi is absolutely stunning. When I saw the act's debut not long ago I felt like I was in the room with the man himself. Absolutely spellbinding. His latex version of Nomi's iconic costume was created by AM Statik who will also be presenting a collection of her couture on the night.

Keep up with the Roustabouts' news here and find out about The Katzenjammer Club here.