My Leeds: Jack Burbage (Cirque du Soul)

 A ‘travelling, collective energy of colour, magic and dance’, Cirque du Soul is now one of the UK’s quirkiest and outrageous nights. We chatted Leeds life with founder Jack Burbage.

Where do you live?

Just moved to Dalston, London

What course did you study at uni?

I was studying Business Management but university wasn’t really for me and so I chose to leave and start my own events company.

Favourite nights out/clubs in Leeds?

Favourite nights have got to be ‘Just a Little’ & ‘Gin n Juice’. Favourite clubs, Full Circle and Beaver Works.

What do you miss about Leeds since leaving?

How close everyone lived to each other, it was so much easier to see friends then it is in London. On top of that the cheap drinks, incredible nightlife and milkshake deliveries until 1 in the morning!!

What genre(s) of music do you listen too?

Disco, Hip-Hop and I’ve got a lot of love for the old classics

Any summer festivals?

Secret Garden Party and fingers crossed Glastonbury on the re-sale!

When and where did you start Cirque du Soul?

Our first ever show was Saturday 26th January 2013 at Full Circle, Leeds.

Who are the others who make up the Cirque du Soul team?

Two friends from school, Luke Wolfman & Will Weaver

What gave you the inspiration to start such an eccentric night?

Living in Leeds and trying to create a new, break through club night is very hard as it has to be one of the most musically spoilt cities in England. It was because of this that I decided to take to the road instead, turning our shows into a travelling night with one-offs in carefully selected cities instead of something that happens weekly in the same club. Combining this with amazing DJs, circus performers, fancy dress and other forms of entertainment makes it unique.

What type of music is played at Cirque du Soul?

Now that would be telling, you’ll have to come along and find out!

In which cities would we find Cirque du Soul?

Leeds, Nottingham, Oxford, Bristol, Newcastle, Manchester, Birmingham and London.

How often does a Cirque du Soul event happen?

It varies a lot, normally twice a month but we’ll never visit a city more than 3 or 4 times a year.

Has there ever been a huge disaster at one of your nights?

Not yet, touch wood. The closest we’ve come is when Luke had one too many at our London Christmas show and put his foot through the snake’s box back stage, silly boy!

Any big aspirations leading on from Cirque du Soul for the future?

Yes of course, we want to continue adding more cities to our tour, Edinburgh, Brighton, Cardiff, Exeter, Liverpool to name a few, maybe even branch out and tour Europe. Most importantly though, I think we would all love to start a festival! You heard it here first!

What makes your nights unique and different from the rest?

Without giving too much away I think it’s because we’re not just a night, we’re an event, there’s much more than just music going on. This point was proven at our last London show when we sold out without releasing a Line Up. People don’t show up just for the headliners, they’re coming for the party, this is what makes us stand out.

What are the peaks and perks of working on such a big night?

So many peaks and so many perks. I get to escape from London every other weekend and travel to a new city, see old friends and watch my favourite DJs perform, what more could you want? Not to mention the amount of people we have met and good friends that we’ve made along the way.

Do you do anything else besides Cirque?

I am currently working as a production assistant for Quintessentially Events, London whilst running Cirque Entertainment Ltd. on the side, hustler baby.

The next Cirque du Soul event is this Saturday 8^th February – tickets are sold out.