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If you've partied in east London over the last 12 years, chances are you'll have experienced House of Hot Breath. Since 2004, Mike and Jen Gabel have been giving Londoners once-in-a-lifetime experiences with some surreal interactive shenanigans. From karaoke on a cardio machine, club nights based on the Argos catalogue, shows about burgers (way before anyone cared about burgers), a deep fat fryer pop-up shopping cart and so much more. Their signature style is kitsch, colourful, DIY and pure chaotic entertainment.
Sadly, they're about to throw their last ever party in London at Bethnal Green Working Men's Club this Friday. They're having to leave their Dalston home due to rent hikes and are moving back to Canada where they hail from: 'Our mantra throughout the journey of leaving London has been "Thrive, not survive,"' Mike told us. 'Having the freedom and time to develop your ideas is what makes for great work, and sadly London is making this very hard for artists and people in the creative industries such as ourselves.'
Last week they sold all their worldly goods, with deep-fat fryers, Lycra onesies, bum bags and inflatable snowman suits all up for grabs. This week they're throwing one last party in Bethnal Green: a mash-up of all the wonderful games and oddities that they've entertained us with for over a decade. With late licences being revoked across the city, independent venues closing and rent increases rinsing out the last dregs of fun, this is another blow to London's nightlife scene. House of Hot Breath, thanks for all the good times - you'll be sadly missed. Let's give them the send off they deserve.
The House of Hot Breath's Long Wave Goodbye is at Bethnal Green Working Men's Club on Fri Feb 12