space cowgirls on the dancefloor

After hundreds of parties spanning iconic nightclubs in Manhattan and Brooklyn, Jessica Louise Dye’s Femme Fatale celebrated its five year anniversary at Home Sweet Home in the Lower East Side. The night was filled with sensual pop stars, freaky psych rockers, and gritty glam festooned in confetti, balloons, and sweat. Half naked party goers packed the basement venue adorned in space cowgirl costumes and danced to live performances filled with female voices by Pearl Earl, Tea Eater, Valley Latini and How Tragic. Extreme heat, a massive storm, and flash flooding didn’t stop NYC’s party scene from, well, partying. Film cameras melted. Tables were danced on. Cowboy hats were lost. The floor was plunged by a hero wearing 7 inch platforms. They prespired, they persevered, they partied. Like all great nights, the mishaps and magic made it memorable.

Check out the chaos yourself, Femme Fatale is held first Fridays at Home Sweet Home.

New York City, USA

What is Femme Fatale? Are you Femme Fatale? Is it a DJ? A party?

My name is Jessica Louise Dye and I’m a musician, DJ, event curator, and good times enthusiast. Femme Fatale is a party I organize, host and DJ. It’s a two part experience, a showcase for live music first that morphs into a rambunctious dance party.

I like to think we’re all someone’s Femme Fatale.

How did this party get its start?

Femme Fatale was started as a party at the venue Coney Island Baby in the East Village (which took over the space formerly known as The Hi-Fi, and Brownies, and has since changed to Lola, and now, East Berlin). It was a Lou Reed themed bar, hence our name. The party then moved to Huckleberry in Brooklyn thanks to my lovely, late friend Jeffrey Gannt. We did a deep dive into playing flirty French pop & ItaloDisco. I was eager to add in a live music element and was invited to move Femme Fatale to Home Sweet Home in 2019. This was a huge deal for me as we were taking over first Fridays from the legendary Jonathon Toubin / New York Night Train and his Shakin' All Over vinyl 60’s dance party, which had been grooving in this space since 2008! I used to love dancing at this party and still love seeing Toubin spin, so I knew I had to really level up out of respect for the history of the space and the night.

Why does Home Sweet Home, the host venue for Femme Fatale, feel like home?

It’s truly the last old school rock and roll dive bar in the Lower East Side. It’s a secret wonderland basement, filled with taxidermy, cool lighting, and big booths. The bar staff are all musicians and artists and they care about the community. The stage set up lends intimacy to the shows. It’s magical how quickly the space changes mid-party from a rowdy live show with loud bands to a sweaty, high energy dance party!

On a typical month what can party goers expect to see?

I seek out bands of all sizes that I genuinely think just rock. It could be their first show or their 100th. Some acts are passing through on tour, most are local. Many of them are long-time friends of mine that I’m proud of and I’m also constantly cold emailing new acts that I love. It’s really become a showcase of cool artists, period. I prefer to mix bills up sonically - groove over genre. Everyone is welcome and we love spotlighting female artists and musicians from the LGBTQIA+ community! I mostly DJ the dance party and have been lucky to get some great guests to hop on the decks too!

Do people dress up?

Oh my gosh yes. Like, I am always surprised with the creativity and commitment. NYC does not hold back. We’re talking people in space suits in summer humidity and folks in lingerie in the dead of a snow storm. Our crowd loves a challenge!

What are some of your top memories over the last five years?

Watching people crowdsurf and high five the disco ball.

All of the dance floor makeout sessions. Like, damn ya’ll, get it.

Hearing people scream when I play their favorite song.

The friends who show up to every party, decked out in their coolest look, ready to dance til their makeup melts.

And lastly, how lucky I am that Femme Fatale gets to be a special night people look forward to. I’ll never take that for granted and I’m working hard to keep providing the memorable nights we’ll talk about for years to come.

What's Next for Femme Fatale?

Femme Fatale is branching out, we're officially launching our new party series: Panties and Pearls Oct 7th at Sleepwalk in Brooklyn. This is a decadent lingerie party with sexy little secrets soon to be announced!