Picture Book & Live Review: Emilie Autumn @ The Loft January 19th

Photos and review by Jenna Hughes

Emilie Autumn brought her burlesque theatrics to The Loft on January 19^th in support of her latest album, 2012’s F.L.A.G. or Fight Like A Girl. Devoted fans—lovingly dubbed ‘plague rats’ by Autumn—eagerly anticipated the appearance of their idol as the stage went dark and smoky and old time music played in the background.

First to appear were backing singers “The Naughty Veronica” and “Captain Maggot” aka The Bloody Crumpets, winding their way onto the stage as if they were puppets. Autumn strutted onto the stage next, belting out “Fight Like A Girl” as fans waved flags and sang along. Autumn, who incorporates her time spent in a mental institution into her songs and performance, was delightful as the set continued with songs such as “Take The Pill” and “Time For Tea,” during which cupcakes and tea were literally thrown out into the audience.

The music stopped for a bit as Autumn and The Bloody Crumpets paused to act out a scene in which Captain Maggot read dialogue and Autumn and The Naughty Veronica followed along. The scene culminated in a kiss between the two, much to the crowd’s delight. Shortly after, Veronica chose an audience member who had “never kissed a girl” to come onto the stage to do just that.

After that it was back to the music with “Girls Girls Girls”, “We Want Them Young” and “Thank God I’m Pretty”. “One Foot In Front Of The Other”, which closed the show, was one of the best performances of the night. Autumn’s theatrics were stunning throughout the 2 hour set and she never broke her character, though she may have been spotted cracking a smile during the acting segments. Her music may be dark and moody, but it is obvious that she loves every minute of performing and she is very devoted to her fans.