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An intentionally blurred photograph of a crowded indoor gathering, with long streaks of light created by camera movement. Bright white and green lights glow across the dimly lit room, while the figures of people, tables, and dartboards are rendered as soft, abstract shapes, conveying the energy and atmosphere of the event rather than individual details.
Reflection

Cabaret Mystic

Journal 22 Jul 2026

On 18 June 2026, we brought Cabaret Mystic, a night of contemporary art, performance and music to Rowland Road Working Men’s Club.

Inspired by the spirit of social club variety shows, artists Vee Dagger, Matilya Njau, David Steans and Lucy Wright each presented newly commissioned performances along with music from Ultimate Thunder completing the line-up.

The evening was beautifully captured by Emma Bentley Fox on 35mm film: alternating between two cameras and using longer exposures to evoke the hazy atmosphere of the club’s main hall. The blurred images beautifully capture the energy, movement and magic that pulsed through the space.

A perfect celebration of experimental live performance, contemporary art and a reminder of why spaces like this are so vital for artists to develop and share new work, and for audiences to experience it.

Relive the night through this collection of beautiful photography.

A person sits beside a small table, speaking into a microphone in a community hall with a low stage behind them. Warm light illuminates the speaker and a vase of flowers on the table, while audience members sit around the room, creating an intimate atmosphere for a spoken-word performance or conversation.

Matilya Njau started the evening with her participatory performance rooted in herbalism and ritual. Matilya guided audiences through Encountering the Elders, a participatory tea ceremony and sensory exploration that activated the Summer Solstice and illuminated some of the magic within the vegetation found at Rowland Road.

Close-up of a table where several people are drawing together on a large sheet of paper with coloured pens. Surrounded by paper cups, glasses, drinks mats and printed pages, the scene captures a relaxed, collaborative creative activity in a pub or community venue.

Taiwanese artist and DJ Vee Dagger performed her newly commissioned work The Beautiful Somnambulist Helplessly Perpetuates her Ancestral Crimes. Drawing inspiration from the Pre-Raphaelites to female vampirism, Vee’s performance explored and subverted ideas around chronic illness, hysteria, sorrow, and vulnerability. Immersing herself within the audience, this captivating performance combined a powerful blend of storytelling and theatricality set to a striking soundscape and visuals.

A person with long black hair in dramatic white face paint makeup with a ghostly appearance stands with arms raised, evoking a haunting and eerie atmosphere. They wear a dark robe and have theatrical fake blood on their face.
A person with long black hair in a long dress stands on a checkered stage facing an audience seated at tables in a dimly lit venue with colored spotlights overhead.
An intentionally blurred photograph of a performer moving across the floor of a community hall while an audience watches from tables around the room. Motion blur creates flowing white shapes that convey the energy of the performance, with dartboards and warm lighting visible in the background.

Leeds-based band Ultimate Thunder took to the stage next and brought an electrifying performance of punk energy to Cabaret Mystic, delivering a high-octane live set that had Rowland Road WMC buzzing from start to finish.

people perform on stage with guitars, drums and keyboard. The stage is mostly in shadow but it is illuminated by disco line giving a bright colored streak of light going across the stage.
4 people perform on stage with guitars, drums and keyboard. The stage bright with a black curtain behind and the feel of the music performance is rock.

For Cabaret Mystic Lucy Wright performed The Rowland Road Rushcart with Kylie Darling and the Saddlesworth Women’s Morris & Clogg. Reinventing the northern rushbearing tradition from a feminist lens, Lucy brought Morris dancing, folkloric radicalism and Beeston’s first rushcart to Rowland Road. A thought-provoking, humorous and truly joyful performance, Lucy reminded us that folklore is something for us all to make, share and enjoy together.

A performer in an elaborate white costume with oversized ear-like headpieces, gold jewellery and theatrical makeup stands at a microphone, reading from a smartphone while holding a sheet of paper. A laptop sits on the table in front of them, with a projected image on the screen behind, suggesting a multimedia spoken-word or performance art event.
A group of performers occupy the floor of a community hall during a live performance. One sits on the floor while others stand around a decorated trolley carrying a colourful sculptural arrangement, as audience members watch from the side. The performers wear coordinated white outfits with printed designs, creating a playful, theatrical scene.
Cabaret Mystic

And last but certainly not least, blending puppetry, theatricality and humour, David Steans brought an intimate and playful performance to Cabaret Mystic. Titled Poorly Moon, through an intricately designed set and tongue-in-cheek performance, David drew audiences into a cautionary tale that straddled the mundane with the extraordinary.

A puppet performance takes place on a small stage draped in black fabric. Two performers manipulate puppets around a white fireplace while a third person stands to one side observing. A camera on a tripod in the foreground records the performance, highlighting the event's experimental and behind-the-scenes atmosphere.
Audience members sit at tables and on the floor in a community hall, watching a live performance with smiles and attentive expressions. Drinks and small tables are scattered throughout the room, creating an informal, welcoming atmosphere for a community cabaret or arts event.

A huge thank you to Emma Bentley Fox for documenting such a special evening, to all of the incredible artists Vee Dagger, Matilya Njau, David Steans and Lucy Wright who performed and of course to everyone who joined us.

This event, supporting the artist community of Leeds is part of #Leeds400, a year-long celebration marking 400 years since Leeds was granted its charter in 1626.

Audience members fill a community hall, smiling, clapping and applauding at the end of a live performance. Seated at tables with drinks, the crowd creates a warm, celebratory atmosphere that reflects the shared enjoyment of the community cabaret event.
A group of performers wearing coordinated pale outfits with printed designs walk through an open doorway into an outdoor space. Curtains frame the entrance, while a decorative floral sculpture topped with a gold crown is visible inside the building, suggesting a procession or transition as part of a live performance.
Cabaret Mystic
A performer kneels on a stage beside an arrangement of flowers, candles, bowls and other ceremonial objects. A microphone stand and decorative mirror frame the intimate performance setting.
Two people stand smiling and talking beside the bar in a community venue. One holds a drink while they chat, capturing a friendly moment between performances at the event.
Audience members sit at tables in a community hall, watching a live performance while holding drinks in paper cups and glasses. The informal cabaret setting, with dartboards on the walls and people seated throughout the room, creates a relaxed, sociable atmosphere.
A group of performers wearing coordinated pale pink costumes gather in a backstage dressing room before or after a performance. Pizza boxes, drinks and personal belongings are scattered around the room, creating a relaxed, informal atmosphere as the group talks and prepares together.
Audience seated at tables in a community hall watching a live performance during Cabaret Mystic, with drinks on tables and warm stage lighting illuminating the room.
Two people chat beside a table in a community hall during an arts event. One relaxes on a bench with a drink while the other stands nearby holding a glass, with dartboards, an open doorway and empty bottles adding to the informal social atmosphere.
Two audience members sit together at a table, smiling towards the camera with drinks in front of them. One wears a black outfit with sheer sleeves and bold makeup, capturing the expressive style and welcoming atmosphere of the community cabaret event.
A group of performers wearing coordinated pale pink costumes walk in single file across the floor of a dimly lit community hall. Coloured stage lights cast green and orange tones over the scene as they move away from the camera towards the performance space, suggesting a choreographed procession as part of the live event.
Five audience members sit around a table in a community hall, smiling towards the camera during a cabaret event. Drinks, notebooks and paper cups are spread across the table, while a dartboard on the wall behind them reinforces the relaxed, social atmosphere of the community venue.
Two puppeteers dressed in black operate a puppet theatre set around a white wooden fireplace, manipulating a black puppet with bright blue hands and feet using strings and wooden controls. The close-up view reveals the craftsmanship of the live puppet performance and the performers working together behind the scenes.
Two people stand arm in arm outdoors, smiling towards the camera after a performance. One wears a flowing white costume with dramatic theatrical makeup featuring white face paint and vivid red details around the mouth and neck, while the other is dressed casually. The portrait captures a warm moment of friendship and celebration following the community cabaret event.
performer in flowing black costume stands before an ornate freestanding mirror on stage, with their reflection revealing dramatic white face makeup and vivid red details around the mouth and neck. The image captures a theatrical moment of transformation and self-reflection during a live performance.
A white faux-fur costume hangs from wooden coat hooks in a backstage dressing room, adorned with layered gold chains, pink ruffles and metallic accessories. A black garment hangs beside it, highlighting the elaborate costumes and preparations behind the performance.
A person wearing a white captain's hat, black leather waistcoat and graphic T-shirt sits smiling at a table in a community venue. Drinks, pizza boxes and the bar in the background create a relaxed atmosphere between performances at the cabaret event.
A ceremonial arrangement on the floor combines wildflowers in glass bottles, candles, bowls, playing cards, books and other small objects on a patterned cloth. The carefully arranged display suggests a ritual or participatory installation prepared as part of the live arts event.