Chainsaw-wielding vampires, voodoo acrobats, sword swallowers and busty burlesque beauties are just a few of the weird and wonderful acts in The Circus of Horrors: Apocalypse in the Asylum. SIBA MATTI finds out more from the show's frontman, Doktor Haze

BORN into the circus as the son of a lion tamer, Doktor Haze, the Undead Ringmaster of The Circus of Horrors, had a more bizarre upbringing than most - but his colourful childhood paved the way for him to build a career as the king of the ultimate freak show.

The Doktor, who prefers to be known simply as Haze, explains: "My father caught the circus bug and became a lion tamer before I was born, but he left my mother when I was just a year old.

"I met my dad properly for the first time I can remember when I was five and my parents got back together. It wasn't long before the circus bug got him again, and we all moved to Ireland, where I learned to eat fire in one day, becoming one of the world's youngest fire eaters."

But despite having what one might call a prodigious talent, Haze, 49, also developed an early interest in rock 'n' roll, and gave up a promising circus career to form The Interceptors, a band originally just called Haze, and later Haze vs X Factor - which he insists is nothing to do with the reality show or its creator, Simon Cowell.

"I started the band long before the show, under Psycho Management, and interestingly, Simon Cowell's management company is called Syco," Haze smiles wryly.

"And he's not the first person who I suspect stole my ideas. I used to be good friends with Gary Glitter in his heyday, and funnily enough, I wrote a song called Dance Dance, only for him to release a song called Dance Me Up, which sounds almost exactly the same!"

But tragedy struck in 1994, when Haze's godson, Neville Campbell, died performing the notoriously dangerous Wheel of Death act at Blackpool Tower. After that he was prompted to take his love of the circus off the back burner and combine it with his passion for music.

Haze, who cites Alice Cooper as the inspiration for his act, says: "Gerry Cottle, the famous circus owner, happened to be at Neville's funeral, and after this chance meeting we formed a solid friendship, and started talking about my ideas for the Circus of Horrors, which would combine a jaw-dropping freak show with rock music.

"Our first performance was at Glastonbury festival in 1995, when 400 people showed up, and half walked out. The next day saw 1,000 arrive - only for half to leave early again. But the following day, 1,000 people were watching the show, with 4,000 rioting outside to get in. That was when I realised that we were onto something special."

Thirteen years later, The Circus of Horrors has achieved cult status, with Haze and his beloved band of misfits performing death-defying stunts and some of the most dangerous and daring acts across the globe, on a 78-venue tour from Aberdeen to Argentina. So what can the audience at The Beck expect to see?

"We have come up with a brand new concept for The Circus, Apocalypse in the Asylum, which is set in 19th-century France and has a Moulin Rouge-esque theme," Haze reveals.

"I have fled my native home of Transylvania to open a daring and erotic show, Bloodthirsty Burlesque, but I have been tricked into buying an asylum on the outskirts of Paris. The entire cast are trapped in this macabre mad house, until they escape and begin to run riot in the city.

"It will be a real monster of a show to stimulate all the senses - the first half is in black and white, with sepia lighting, then the second half will be an explosion of vibrant colour.

"All the original favourites will be there, such as Gary 'Stretch' Turner, who has incredible elastic-like skin, as well as a lady squeezing into a glass bottle and Wasp Boy, who, at one point, has more than 40,000 volts pumped through his body.

"Not having these acts would be like watching Rocky Horror without the Time Warp, but there will also be new cast members, such as Krios, who hails from Ethiopia and is unbelievably extreme - he can get his arms right around his body, it's phenomenal to watch. There will even be a pickled person and a flying lunatic erupting from a tank of water into the roof of the theatre, suspended only by chains.

"And of course, we will have the multitude of people with crazy piercings and tattoos, all accompanied by devil-driven rock 'n' roll.

"The show is definitely not for sissies, chavs, close-minded bigots or anyone with a nervous disposition - if you fall into one of those categories, be prepared to be scared!" [25cf] The show on January 25 starts at 7.30pm and tickets cost £15, £18 and £22. For further information and to book, call The Beck's box office on 020 8561 8371 or see www.becktheatre.org.uk.

Find out more about The Circus of Horrors at www.circusofhorrors.co.uk