Review by Katrina Couzens of Shoggoth’s Old Peculiar
The theme was madness, the vibe macabre in the cavernous Food Connect Shed in Salisbury. Shoggoth’s Old Peculiar brought a sinister mix of folk, shanty, and the Victorian-era music hall, all wrapped in the delightfully gruesome atmosphere of a penny dreadful with an unsettling side of cosmic horror (think strangely profound whisperings and lots of tentacles). Plus innuendo so thick you could stand a spoon upright.
With such characters as Mistress Maggot, purveyor of meat (don’t ask); Edward E. Vile, cruel and misanthropic slum lord; and Scabby Andy; the audience was dropped straight into a world of weird experiments, nightmares, and dancing fish people from the moment we walked through the door.
Because Shoggoth’s Old Peculiar isn’t just a band. It’s 20 years of evolution from a few songs in a drawer that were “too weird” for a regular folk band, to now an immersive mini-carnival (added this year) and cabaret show that is totally unique, with so much love poured into it you can see it bubbling over the sides of the Seductress’ bathtub.
This is the kind of show where you get out much more than you put in, and you can put in as much as you like. Bring your dancing shoes. Bring your singing voice. Be ready to lend a hand carrying suspiciously-shaped packages (and get your cover story ready for the authorities when you do). Peruse local art that you’d never find at a regular market. And of course, drink a pint of Old Peculiar (from the bar run by Blind Boy Brewing).
Just don’t be surprised if you awaken the Old Ones.
P.S. This venue is a tricky area to find dinner options nearby, so be sure to make a plan before you go.
