IT PROMISES to be one of Liverpool's more outrageous night clubs: The Octopus, opening on Sunday, will be featuring "gay burlesque".
According to actor Gary Everett, one of those behind the venture, that includes everything from drag acts and singers to comics and satirists.
"We felt there was a need for a club like this, something different from the usual disco bars."
While aimed squarely at the gay community - it is billed as "Liverpool's first-ever Queer Cabaret Club" - Everett is keen to point out that it is not exclusively for gay customers.
"It will be the sort of club that will appeal to a large cross section, gay and non-gay."
Liverpool is beginning to experience more investment and confidence in the gay scene, he says.
The Octopus Club will open twice a month at the Addiction Venue, in Cumberland Street, the site of the former L2 and Lomax Club. Sunday's opening night will feature Topping and Butch, a bald-headed duo who dress in leather, swap quips and became regulars on BBC Radio 4's Loose Ends following a success at the Edinburgh Festival.
They also helped launched Liverpool's gay festival last year.
Established acts and new talent will go on stage at the club in the next few months, including local comedy duo Glitterballs.
* THE Octopus Club opens at the Club Addiction, Cumberland Street, on Sunday, 7.45pm with the next date on April 24. Tickets £8, 0151 236 1441
