You know you’re in for a great night when the Death Do Us Part Danger Show comes to town, and this time was certainly no different. Back with new acts, new performers and lots of new costumes (of course), the Danger Show brings death-defying feats, breathtaking stunts and great patter from the host Rachel Atlas, her husband and the other acts involved. 

A little rough, a little edgy and extremely nerve-racking, the husband and wife duo were back and larger than life as usual, with a crew of misfits and degenerates (in a good way) in tow just for your entertainment. Although the show got off to a rocky start thanks to a few technical issues with the sound, this only served to remind the audience that this is a live, touring show, and not a polished performance by actors. This is old school sideshow with a modern twist, and quite frankly it’s fabulous.

Old fan favourites such as the eloquently named ‘face fuck’, and the ‘board of death’ were back on the stage of Cabaret Supper Club once again, as were burlesque performances from the enchanting Jaqueline Furey. Rachel Atlas presented her impressively unique sword swallowing act, followed by Charlie Atlas and the genuinely terrifying, genuinely stunning knife throwing act we’ve come to both love and fear. You may think that if you’ve seen these performances once, you’ve seen them a thousand times, but there’s something captivating about the Death Do Us Part Danger Show that means you can’t look away. 

Australia’s Captain Ruin was a new addition to the bill and his wacky brand of punk inspired escapism was extremely welcome. From backflips and snorting ‘cocaine’ (talcum powder) on stage to downing shots and lifting a bowling ball with his penis (yes, really), there was never a dull moment with this self-proclaimed ‘professional unusualist’ around. 

Belfast’s own Sideshow Ramone made a brief appearance too, and it was nice to see some homegrown talent on stage stapling playing cards to himself, hammer nails up his nose and swallowing the largest pair of scissors you’ve ever seen.

The folks at the Danger Show never fail to disappoint, and this will continue to be a show that we are beyond excited to see year after year after year. For more information and to see what they are up to, you can follow the Death Do Us Part Danger Show on Facebook here. 

Laura Caldwell

Author: Laura Caldwell

Hi, I'm Laura. I'm 30 years old and have a degree in Journalism with Photo-Imaging at the University of Ulster. I have an undying love for Belfast and all that it has to offer, an undying love for sleeping, Tegan and Sara, trashy tv shows, foreign snack-foods and being irresponsible with money. I also quite like origami, reading, jazz, hip-hop, dubstep, anything acoustic and Food Network TV. I've written for The Big List, Culture NI, Chatterbox and The Echo, as well as writing for BBC Across the Line.