When you think of the Big Day Out, you think music. Rock, hip hop, electronic — the eclectic mix that becomes the backing track to your summer.
But after 2013's festival, you may think sweaty men, colourful masks and sexy burlesque dancers. This is thanks to the ‘sexo and violencia’ that is Mexican wrestling troupe Lucha VaVOOM. Producer Rita D'Albert explains the allure of these wrestling luchadores and writhing buxoticas.
“My production partner, Liz Fairbairn, was working on the movie ‘Nacho Libre’ in Mexico, and some of the characters in the film were played by luchadores. On their days off they would take her to see them wrestle and she thought it was just the most insanely fun way to spend the night!
“When she came back to LA, she started organising these bus trips to Tijuana, and it occurred to her that it might be easier to bring the wrestling to LA, so that's when I came in. Liz had never put on a theatrical show, but I was putting on a few successful shows at the time. She took me to see it and after a few minutes I loved it. The masks and characters are so great. I felt that anybody and any culture would get it and the physical comedy is so fun. It's absurd and surreal and infectious. It never gets old.”
Despite not being the primary reason people decide to go to Big Day Out, Rita is confident the show will be a success.
“Being a festival-goer myself, I think there's always a point where you're not that excited about the band and maybe you're ready for something new. We have the same energy as the bands, but what we're doing is actually dangerous. I'm hoping that if you say 'death defying acrobatics' and 'really talented striptease performers' it will be enough to pique people's curiosity. It doesn't hurt to come over and have some tequila too!”
In a very Tarantino-esque way, the Lucha VaVOOM troupe blends sex and violence with wrestling matches spliced with burlesque performances. “It's so seamless you wouldn't believe it. When we did it the first time it was an experiment, and it worked out beautifully ... It's cartoon sex and violence, there's no blood, nothing x-rated. Just good clean – I mean – dirty fun! They complement each other.”
Lucha VaVOOM play the Gold Coast Big Day Out January 20.
