Music like Birdeatsbaby

Dark cabaret has come to define a particular musical genre that draws on the aesthetics of burlesque, vaudeville and Weimar-era cabaret, with live performances that borrow from the stylings of goth and punk.

One of the earliest bands to play mainly or exclusively in a style which might now be described as dark cabaret were the Tiger Lillies, formed in London in 1989. In the 1980s satirical cabaret had been revived and popularised by London-based bands such as Fascinating Aïda and Kit and The Widow but the Tiger Lillies incorporated themes of blasphemy, prostitution and bestiality in their songs, sung by Martyn Jacques in a menacing style with a falsetto voice.

A collaboration between Rozz Williams and Gitane Demone - both former members of Christian Death, entitled Dream Home Heartache after a song by Roxy Music, was recorded in the Netherlands and released in the United States in 1995 and was described by reviewers as "cabaret noir" or "glam cabaret". Following her 1996 debut solo album Quintessentially Unreal, San Francisco-based singer/pianist Jill Tracy released her second CD, Diabolical Streak, in 1999. Canada's Shift magazine called the album one of the "Top 10 Neo-Cabaret albums of all time."