AUTUMN HIGHLIGHTS
21 OCTI
Welcome to the freak show Alt-cabaret act Bourgeois and Maurice will be bringing their dark glamour to Glasgay! this October. Lauren Mayberry caught up with them to find out what audiences can expect from such sensationally berserk cabaret creeps
G eorgeois Bourgeois and Maurice Maurice (real names George Heyworth and Liv Morris) are a sight to behold on a stage. Glitter, shoulder pads, metallics, smeared lipstick, towering beehives and as much eyeliner as you could ever loot from Superdrug, the pair ooze decadent, outlandish glam. But then, if you listen to the words in their songs (sample lyric from erotomanic stalking ballad ‘Addicted’: ‘We were meant for each other / Stop writing to my doctor’) there is something more sophisticated under the brash exterior. Bourgeois croons whilst Maurice is ominously hunched over her piano. You soon realise that this is not just an opportunity to play dress up.
The London duo have been impressing fans and critics alike by being filthy, irreverent and delightfully unsettling. Their fictional backstory is suitably macabre. Their stage characters were orphaned as siblings, left to fend for themselves in a big, dirty world. They have played their wry, satirical songs at Bestival, Glastonbury and Lovebox festivals, as well as sell-out runs at the Edinburgh Fringe, Soho Theatre and The Royal Opera House.
Tell us a bit about your Glasgay! show. Bourgeois: The last time we were in Scotland was for the Fringe two years ago, so Glasgay! will be our chance to do three albums’ worth of material. I’m so excited because it’s one of those festivals which has a wonderful reputation and I have never, ever been to Glasgow before. We’ll be running around the streets like over-eager children.
Even after living under the bright lights of the big city? Maurice: London is dull and grey, so I’m sure we’ll be just fine. Bourgeois: Plus, everything in London has been burnt down now so it might be nice to get out of the city for a bit. How did your act get started? Bourgeois: It kind of came from lying. We said to people that we could do cabaret before we had even done anything. I met someone in a club and they asked me what I did. I was