AN EXCITING new free club night, promoting the sounds of punk, glam and goth opened with a bang at Scream Lounge, Croydon on May 31.

With punters in feather boas, cat-suits and leopard print, Total Blam Blam’s Launch was an exhilarating night of loud guitars, pounding drums and theatrics, ending in a shower of glitter.

Kitty Lipps kicked off the night in style, as flamboyant frontman Jacky Rogue entranced the crowd with his camp, finely honed theatrics.

Whether playing air guitar with his mic-stand or teasing the crowd as he removed another layer of clothing, we couldn’t take our eyes off him as he led the band through another air-thumping classic.

With the exuberance of early Queen or Van Halen, their song titles like ‘Devil made me do it’ , ‘Making a Mess’ and ‘No Make Up’ , they bubbled with energy and joy.

The guitarist deftly riffed and soloed over a tight rhythm section, locked in prefect sync as they laid down one infectious groove after another.

There was much to surprise us from covers of ACDC’s ‘Whole Lotta Rosie’, to an impromptu rendering of Van Morrison’s Moondance.

Technical hitches aside, this was a slick, professional performance from start to finish by a band who had the audience in the palm of their hand.

Next up were Hideous Bitches, two girls and two guys who performed pitch-perfect nuggets from the punk and new wave canon.

There was an Amazonian edge to proceedings as the band, fronted by the night’s curator , pink-haired goddess Jayney Blam-Blam, treated us to material from strong female artists, from Joan Jett and the Runaways to Siouxsie and the Banshees.

Jayney was in fine voice as she fluttered her glittery eyelashes and led the band through Blondie’s ‘Denis’, a marvellous rendering of Martha & The Muffins’ ‘Echo Beach’ ,and a throbbing hypnotic reading of The Stooges’ ‘I wanna be your dog’.

They even found time for a cheeky sing-along cover of Gary Glitter’s ‘Do You Wanna Touch ?’ which went down an absolute storm.

Jayney, commanding and brazen, toyed with the crowd as she led us through a rousing version of the Ramones’ ‘Blitzkrieg Bop’ Closing the night were Chicks with Decks, Jayney Blam Blam and partner in crime, guitarist Vic Blam Blam , playing a selection of indie, punk and electro As the night drew to a close the audience were showered with glitter.

The audience of aficionados lapped it all up, revelling in the camp atmosphere with a faint whiff of debauchery. It was clear that here was a group of people intent on a great night out.

One delighted reveller told me: “ I’m absolutely covered in glitter, my feet hurt and I can still taste tequila. Good night all round’.

Another simply said: “I’ve been waiting for a night like this forever” Reflecting on the night’s success, organiser Jayney said: “The launch party was everything we could have hoped for.

Our beautiful crowd danced to punk, glam, and dirty electro in a cloud of glitter until the small hours.”

Jayney is looking for an opening act for the next Total Blam Blam night at the Scream Lounge, Southend , Croydon on Friday July 26.

Any bands that wish to get involved should visit: www.facebook.com/BlamBlamClub or www.twitter.com/BlamBlamClub Based on information supplied by Thomas Coffey.