Our History

As we tell it

The Fabulous Fezheads are the Country’s Premier Sand Dance Vaudevillian Illusionists, carrying on in the tradition of Old Blind Ned Cleggett, and his Famous Stage Act of the 1930s, The Amazing Flying Cleggetts.

The Fabulous Fezheads were actually founded in 1991 as the result of a chance encounter between Adonis Kebab, El Turnipo, Phil the Hun and Ned’s Great Grandson Pete the Flying Cleggett, whilst performing at the Brighton Arts Festival.

Listening to tales and stories of Pete’s amazing family’s Music Hall Act, with the Sand Dance and Ned’s Spectacular Stunts, they were inspired to form a new act, include the Sand Dance, and adopt The Fezheads name.

The early years

In 1996 we made the leap into Stage Illusion with Cleggett the Escapologist. The Flying Cleggett was bound, blindfolded and then nailed and chained in the Sarcophagus of Dhoom, from whence he is challenged to Escape! Having fulfilled part of his dream to perform one of the famous stunts of his Great Grandfather’s Stage Act, Pete felt it was time to press on, so we then became The Fabulous Fezheads.

As Cleggett is bound, blindfolded, nailed and chained in the Sarcophagus of Dhoom, The Fabulous Fezheads perform Sons of the Desert, while he attempts to escape .

In 1997 the Fezheads came of age with the revival of The “Flying Cleggett”, the act that actually put “Flying” into Cleggett. Pete risks everything when he is loaded into the canon, then fired as a human projectile. This was shortly followed by the Vanishing Cleggett ( Magic ) Hoops of Destiny and Laces of Fire ( Both Stunts ).

Here you see Cleggett preparing for his first flight off Bluebell Hill, Chatham, and then emerging from the Canon

In 1999 we built The Wheel of Death; a rotating wheel of death upon which the Flying Cleggett is used as a spinning human target for our resident knife thrower Phil the Hun.

Although we had practiced for many months there were still safety concerns with this act, especially when it was first premiered at 5.30am during a pagan May 1st dawn ceremony!

The Wheel of Death is in fact based on the old American burlesque Act of Chopper Smith and his performing baboon in the 1930s Midwest.

The original act consisted of Chopper strapping the unfortunate Baboon to the wheel of a wagon, and throwing knives between the spokes of the wheel and the baboon. Obviously we could not (for various legal, moral and practical reasons) lay our hands on a baboon and a wagon. However, we appeared to have the next best thing in Pete the Flying Cleggett and Adonis Kebab’s brilliance for building stage props.

Pete having knives thrown at him by a Blindfolded Knife Thrower!, using only the sound of Cleggett’s screams as a guide for the deadly blades.

2002 saw the premier of Dr Rogers Cabinet of Correction. In a desperate attempt to improve his performance, Cleggett was clamped by his head in a Cabinet of Correction and sawn in half in order that Dr Roger could perform corrective surgery!

Cleggett is loaded into the Cabinet of Correction as Dicky Fez prepares to saw! ( Circus Field, Guilfest )

Appearances include:

Rochester Sweeps Festival -every year
Rochester Winter Dickens Festival -every year
Chippenham Folk Festival
Southwark Festival
Swanage Blues Festival, twice a year
Guildford Live 2000,2001
Guilfest 2002,2003,2004,2005,2006,2007,2008
Glastonbury 2000,2003 Including 3 Stage Shows as a Band
Holmfirth Festival, Holmfirth, Yorkshire 2004
Crawley Folk Festival
Renegades Pissed Indian Rally
Bracknell Festival
Stroud Festival
Folkstone International Rio Carnival
Trowbridge Village Pump Festival
Bambury Folk Festival
Sidmouth International Folk Festival
Wimborne Folk Festival 15 consecutive years
Festival of Horror San Sebastian Northern Spain
Spitz Nightclub, Spitlefields Market, London
Aaron Stones Nightclub, Rochester
Royal Festival Hall, Southbank
Polperro Arts Festival 2003,2005
Saracens RUFC, Vicarage Road Stadium over 40 appearances during 4 consecutive Seasons 1999 2002
Twickenham Stadium 2004,2006
Beaminster Festival