I didn’t envy the warm up DJs for the Cuban Brothers gig at Villa. What style of music do you play before the musical comedy madness of the Cuban Brothers is unleashed upon the audience? The best option I could come up with at home was Kylie Minogue. It’s a cabaret thing. Charlie Bucket took the “play the ultimate party set” option and it really worked. In a set that featured INXS’ Need You Tonight and Beastie Boys’ Intergalactic, it was disturbing how easily Sitting on the Dock of the Bay mixed into the Stone Roses’ Fools Gold. Salt n Pepa’s Push It became Eurythmics’ Sweet Dreams, became New Order’s Blue Monday. The fast paced mixing and interesting song choices kept a light-hearted and fun atmosphere in the room.

As “Cuban Brothers” began to scroll across the lights at the back of the stage around 12.30AM, their DJ took over, and the party began in earnest. When Archerio Mantovani and Kengo San came on to the stage dressed in their pink and blue suits respectively, with white t-shirts underneath, I couldn’t help but think of Miami Vice. The legendary Miguel Mantovani received even bigger applause when he stepped on stage in his mustard yellow jacket and shorts, both of which were covered in big silver sequins, orange scarf and white gloves. It was a very dazzling outfit.

What followed was a show that had the audience laughing out loud one minute and gasping in awe at some acrobatic or break dancing feat the next, all the while grooving along to the soulful tunes. Everybody was immediately caught up in the fun. The dancing was incredible, getting progressively more athletic with lots of kicks and flips, until a light hearted interlude where Miguel played Archerio’s butt like a bongo drum. Then Archerio did a head spin! And then the next thing I saw was Kengo San stretched out flat across Archerio’s shoulders with Miguel playing him like a keyboard. At this point I decided to stop taking notes because I was just missing too much of the on-stage action.

Miguel Mantovani delivered a very solemn and heartfelt tribute to Michael Jackson, before stripping down to his chest, all to the sounds of Don’t Stop til You Get Enough Archerio and Kengo San rejoined him on the stage, dressed in what can only be described as silver body suits with tassels extending from the wrists up under the shoulders and down the side of the body to the ankles. No, the outfits didn’t leave much to the imagination from the front of the stage.

More amazing dancing followed. Back flips, another head spin, there was just too much to remember it all. At some point Miguel’s short were ripped off. Then all too soon they were finishing up the set with a great rendition of The Four Season’s Beggin’. It seemed like time had just flown past and it was already 1.45AM. Fortunately they didn’t leave the crowd begging for too long before coming back out for an encore. It wouldn’t be the Cuban Brothers if they weren’t all down to their briefs (or less) by the end of a show, and sure enough Archerio and Kengo San soon lost the body suits and were doing full body slides in oil across the stage. You never know what you’re going to get from the Cuban Brothers, but you know you’re always going to get a good time.