Beyond the Cabaret

Dusty Limits

‘If Weimar cabaret could walk and talk, we’d be calling it Dusty Limits.’ - (Time Out, London)

‘Dusty Limits broke my heart.’ - Julie Christie


Dusty Limits is a singer, comedian and drunken raconteur and one of the leading figures on the ‘new cabaret’ scene. He made his European debut in 1999, and since then has graced numerous stages from London to Dublin to Berlin to New York, where he was described by cabaret legend Steve Ross as ‘a superior, singular artist’. He sings everything from Cole Porter to Portishead, from satire to chansons, often with the words changed. He also sings original songs, frequently with macabre and darkly comic themes.

With his three-octave vocal range and often quirky song choices, he has surprised and delighted cabaret audiences in venues from the world-famous Don’t Tell Mama and Joe’s Pub in New York, to the Brisbane International Cabaret Festival. He is also an instantly recognisable figure on the contemporary burlesque scene, and was the 2007 winner of the Ministry of Burlesque Awards for both Best Male Singer and Best Male Performer. Dusty is much in demand as a compere and has hosted shows throughout the UK. He also works as an actor (both stage and film), writer and director.

Since 2003 he has performed every year at the Edinburgh Fringe, both in his own one-man cabarets, and as host and programmer of variety nights including the infamous Vaudeville at the Bongo Club. He has appeared on the bill with many of the leading performers in the worlds of neo-Weimar cabaret and burlesque, including: Amanda Palmer, Camille O’Sullivan, Meow Meow, Miss Behave, Lucifire, Johnny Woo, Empress Stah, Baby Dee, the Luminescent Orchestrii, Burly Q, Paul L Martin, Immodesty Blaize, Kittie Klaw, Roxy Velvet, Gill Manly, Taylor Mac, Sxip Shirey, Daniel Isengart, Holly Penfield and many more.