Big Willie's Burlesque is not so much about the dancers in skimpy barassieres with glitter nipples and pink or blue plastic wigs, though of course you get that too. It's about the racous cabaret jazz that drove many a jazz joint in a bygone era, and preserving the simplicity, raw power, and let-the-good-times-roll feeling of the art form, and yes, we are unabashedly glad Big Willie is becoming a FRF fixture. Who else is gonna put the wiggle in your sacroiliac at 3am+. (To be fair, Rookie-a-Go-Go ska supergroup Moody Rudy did a fair job last night, putting them in the early lead for a spot in the festival proper next year.)

And the good thing about late night, the punters are cleaned out and whoever's sticking around is doing it for a good time. That's the mood, dude.

Now keep those hips loose, coz Big Willie still has a few gigs coming up: Saturday 2:50pm @ Orange Court, Saturday night 1am @ Naeba Shokudou, and Crystal Palace (P.o.W.) Sunday night 12:30am.