"Entertainment you certainly won't forget in a hurry!" The Void

"Variety nights were all the rage in the 19th-century. Young and wealthy ladies and gentlemen frequently flocked to watch conjurors, illusionists and cabaret acts entertain men in grand venues, where gin and absinthe were the order of the day. Fast forward a century and a bit, and these events have been replaced by neon nightclubs where the same tune appears to be played over and over again and if you haven’t sweated your bodyweight away, it’s deemed a bad night out. Thankfully, for those wishing to return to the Moulin Rouge age of entertainment, the Dirty Secret Club, on the Battersea Barge in London, will cater for you.

Although only started a few months ago, the Dirty Secret Club is slowly establishing itself as one of the best alternative nights out to be had in London. For a start, it’s set on a Barge on the Thames, secondly it has a selection of some of the best underground magicians in Britain today on the bill, plus they have an escapologist. Hosted by Pete “The Firmanator” Firman, the night is a mixture of comedy, magic and feats of borderline stupidity, with Barry and Stuart the 2magicians providing a blend of student humour with inspired magic tricks, and Jonathan Goodwin performing the tricks you were always told to not try at home (and by tricks you shouldn’t try at home... try hanging upside down, in a straight jacket, with your head submerged in a locked box of water!) Add to that mystery guest stars who have previously included comedians Trevor Lock and Andrew O’Neill and you begin to see why this night is becoming a hit.

During the show, each audience member gets to write down one dirty secret, which is then read out and purged by the masters of the Dirty Secret Club, using the best known method of purging - fire!

Although this might not be your first thought for a night out, let's be fair... how many times do you get to see magicians doing card tricks and sticking their fists through someone’s body? Hardly ever these days. Which is a pity, as it’s one night of entertainment you certainly won’t forget in a hurry!"

MOST of the time when you go to see a magic show there is some smart alec who reckons they know how all the tricks are done. At the Dirty Secret Club, this doesn't prove impossible with some acts - though with comedian PETE FIRMAN this hardly matters.

He is the compere for the night and manages to make even the most hackneyed tricks funny. He holds together a show which is a real mixed bag, but has its highlight in Scottish duo BARRY AND STUART, who performed tricks such as walking on water for their Channel 4 show.

It is definitely much harder to work out how they manage their tricks, which err on the side of the spooky but are never without humour. For instance, Stuart pours from a can of beer into a glass which is suspended in the air, and in possibly the weirdest trick of the night Barry appears to reach into his chest to pull out a mobile phone. I may be naive, but try as I might, I couldn't work out how they did this.

It must have been the Scots who tempted DERREN BROWN to come and watch. The illusionist must have been so engrossed in the performance he almost forgot to settle his bill - causing staff aboard the Battersea Barge to wonder if he had done a disappearing act of his own. Luckily this was not so, and Derren was surely among those who wrote down their 'dirty secrets' which were read out throughout the night.

Using a pseudonym, the idea was that people could get things off their chests and it helped add a sense of camaraderie to the proceedings.

It's a night out of the unexpected I would recommend.