You have to wonder what kind of childhood someone with a name like Clifford Slapper had to endure, what that level of taunting would do to a man.

It might, for example, lead him to the dark side, to the murky world of underground cabaret, and bars populated by ne'er do wells.

In the case of Mister Slapper, professional ivory tinkler around town and purveyor of esoteric cabaret night Slapper's Club, you'd be right.

And tonight this itinerant event relaunches in its spiritual home: Soho. Compered - and accompanied on pianoforte - by the man himself, with performances by Chilean vocalist Katherine Prado and Flamenco guitarist Jackson Scott, beat-era poet Fran Landesman, and crooner Paul Ryan.

To complete a line-up that puts the hectic in eclectic there's songs by Shirani, puppetry by Letty Gilbert, punk poet Vic Lambrusco, and just to make sure things don't get too high-brow there's "expressive erotic contemporary dance" from Mel Simpson.