Meet the nine queens revolutionising the London drag scene
Its queens and performers represent icons for a new generation, fuelled by activism and a vigour to have their voices heard and their art recognised. And it’s exactly this spirit that has inspired CRIB PRESENTS, the creative duo comprised of Imogen Cork and Sarah Cole, to create their new series Daytime Drag for Pride month, focussing on some of the capital’s most extra queens. From Glew to Breeze to Virgin Xtravaganzah to Eva Wonder, get acquainted below.
GLEW
How do you think drag has changed since the LGBTQ community has become more widely accepted in mainstream society?
I feel as if the change in drag has come through the age of social media, new styles are being injected into the scene, hence the ever-evolving brands of drag performers that we see today. The new acceptance of the LGBTQ+ community has given -not only drag performers, but also current members of the LGBTQ+ community- a feeling of validation and equality. I’m so proud to see it and I am so humbled to have seen the evolution of acceptance through the years.
You are juggling a university degree and being ‘Glew’. How do you do it?
Cigarettes and a lack of sleep.
You swear by using a dildo to get that perfect curl in your fringe. Can you teach us this trick?
Make sure it’s a nice one with a wide girth. I typically start to wrap the hair around the dildo and roll continuously until the dildo reaches the head of the wig (if that’s the term for it!). Once that’s done, pin the curl into the base of the wig, remove the dildo and spray with hairspray until it’s rock solid and crusty! Look at me giving hair advice, so glam.
Breeze
‘RuPaul’s Drag Race’ has brought queens into mainstream pop culture. How do you think this has impacted the culture of drag?
I think it’s great! I think this exposure is good for people to see and know what drag is. Hopefully from this they will understand it all better. It’s also not only about drag culture, it’s also about the LGBTQ community and men running around in wigs on a public channel, on the telly. WHAT ABOUT THAT?!
What is Breeze’s signature dance move?
The Macarena.
What challenges did you, as a new drag act, have whilst trying to break onto the scene?
I mean! I think getting into everything drag embodies has been the main challenge so far. There are so many disciplines to learn about, I wouldn’t even know where to start. Have I got the moves? Yes. Fashion sense? Tick. Makeup skills? Zero. Styling ladies hair? No Fucking idea. Turning my pork-sword into a cookie? Let’s not even talk about that. Apart from that, a personal experience in particular made me realise how far we still have to come from an acceptance and tolerance point of view and how careful one still needs to be (I said careful, not silent!). But anyway, we’re never going to be everyone’s cup of tea eh? That only encourages me to work harder and get out louder, so…
Cybil War
Tell us what inspired you to drop the weights and lift the blush?
Surprisingly, the weights came after the brush! Drag really takes a toll on your body and as I’m certainly not getting any younger I needed to find a way to stay in shape. I’ve never been the most feminine looking of queens (I’m 6ft 5, broad backed and hairy). So, rather than trying to make myself more feminine, I decided I’d lean in, play up my size and make myself even bigger and more imposing than I already am. Now, drag and fitness go hand-in-hand in my life and I love that!
How does it feel to be the world’s no.1 CrossFit Drag Queen?
Ha, I love that title! Especially as I gave it to myself! CrossFit is unique in that every year they hold ‘The Open’ which allows everyone globally to compete against each other in a number of workouts to see where you rank. I knew a few other drag queens that did CrossFit and of them I’m No.1! So, I’m keeping that title for another year – or until another CrossFit Drag Queen comes forward and beats me on the leader board! I’m crazy competitive and I love a challenge, so if there are any CrossFitting drag queens out there, make yourselves known and come take my title… If you can!
You started drag whilst living in America. What are the differences between drag in New York and drag in London?
With the increasing popularity of RuPaul’s Drag Race and global platforms like Instagram, the lines of difference between US and UK drag are blurring, but the main difference is cultural. US drag has its roots in pageantry, which the UK just doesn’t have. The UK actually has its roots firmly in stand-up and pantomime. These days global drag is just one giant melting pot, which is really fun to see. But you can still see the nuances in how the UK and US queens approach the art form.
Virgin Xtravaganzah
Virgin Xtravaganzah obviously has strong religious connotations; why did you base your look on the Virgin Mary?
It’s not so much that I based a look on the Virgin Mary, I based a character on her, and her character then informed the look. I grew up as a young, queer person and went to Catholic school in small-town America. So, the institution of religion was a big part of my childhood and then my adolescence – I was bullied a lot in high school and all my bullies were ironically Christian. So, my feelings and history with the church is complicated. I use these complexities to inform the character of Virgin Xtravaganzah.
What’s the hardest element of being a queen?
There are many! Drag is hard and should be hard – there’s a reason for the phrase “You better work!” Because this shit does take WORK! Hours of makeup, painful costumes, dealing with society at large and the bigotry and homophobia that comes with that. But the hardest element is the one that any artist faces… how to keep one’s work fresh, new, exciting, relevant and interesting. For me, drag is a means to an end, I use it to satisfy the aesthetic requirements of Virgin, but that’s where it ends. It’s easy to put on makeup with practice, but the REAL work is in the CONTENT – what am I saying as an artist that hasn’t been said before? What new things can I add to the pile? What NEEDS to be said that ISN’T being said now?
Your makeup is flawless, not one piece of glitter is out of place. Can you share your top tips for nailing that immaculate look?
Hours of practice and the good grace from the good Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ. The rest are my own secrets. #MouthSealedWithChrist 😉
Ánał Vön Wínehöusé
Tell us about Ánał Adventures! What are you portraying through your act?
Ánał Adventures! started out when I was in the fabulous Meth’s ‘Not Another Drag Competition’ season 4 in Camden. I realised that I was having some of the best times of my life with my new drag friends. So, I decided to document my nights, whether this was at the competition, going to G-A-Y, Late, Heaven or even an art gallery. I then realised that these visuals could make a YouTube series of content, which would be fabulous to look back on as an archive. So, Ánał Adventures! is really Ánał’s nights out.
Although I have two home videos, the intention was to show real life drag adventures, where alcohol and drag queens mix – they are the perfect match! Just imagine 20 queens on a bus in public at midnight; it’s hilarious! I see what my friends and I do as an art form and when I have the time, I like the idea of also eventually doing a series where I interview drag queens. Basically, Ánał Adventures! is an art project and there will be more to come soon!
Ánał Vön Wínehöusé is also another of my alter egos. I feel I’m not one person; I’m Adam, Dame Adam and Ánał. But these are all variations of me. I think I’m only slightly different in drag in terms of my character – I’m more theatrical than I would normally be. But I’m already a very theatrical person, drag simply brings this out of the bushes a bit, Ánał’s more to the point.
Eva Wonder
For you, how has the perception of drag changed over the last couple of years?
I think the perception of drag is complex, because it’s relative to both mainstream media and the drag scene itself – which changes depending on the location. In the mainstream – from what I can remember – drag was people like Lily Savage and media such as Pricilla. People’s understanding of drag was perhaps a little one note: white, male-bodied people, lip-syncing and telling crass jokes. Then, of course came RPDR and as many issues as the show has had, the challenges showed an audience the variety and artistry demanded in a drag. It became more versatile but still predominantly white and male.
On the UK drag scene it feels like there are pockets of movement or change. Misogyny and racism on the scene are very real, but at venues and nights which champion diverse lineups, the work is exciting and perceptions of ‘what drag is’ is rapidly changing. I think visibility is the key to changing the perception (and the reality) of both mainstream and local drag. For me, seeing AFAB people in drag on Instagram, in documentaries, as well as finding nights dedicated to women and trans people, is what got me up on stage.
What do you think the future holds for Queer theatre?
World domination surely? It’s been really exciting to see so many drag creatures and queer creators making their own shows. It not just about getting a different narrative out there, there’s something about coming from the cabaret circuit, where you have a different relationship to the audience than in a typical theatre setting, there’s more give and take with an audience, there’s expectation and a conversation. It makes for very interesting, challenging dynamics when you take that into a different space. In the future I am hoping to see queers continue to take over bigger stages and change the way we experience theatre. If we could also kill capitalism whilst we are at it, so that queer people can actually see queer theatre when it’s on, then that would be fab.
That Ray
What is the message you want to convey through your performances?
I started off as a drag king interested in satirising queer masculinities – many drag kings parody straight guys. I got into being a massive leather daddy or a posh twink in need of a sugar daddy and went from there… Right now, I’m intensely interested in non-binary drag, what happens when your drag is in-between queen and king? Both or neither? What does that even look like? That’s what I’m exploring. Also I’m interested in presenting as a skinny, East London, gay, beardy, hipster boy, dragged up as a queen – it’s so prized and so rewarded. At the same time, I’m not that and my body doesn’t look quite like that. Lipstick and a dress don’t read so impressively on me and a jock strap doesn’t sit like that on my ass (which is not to say that my ass isn’t great). I think this exposes how much of what is seen as “good artistic” or “avant garde drag” depends on being a particular type of person or more specifically a cis man. So, I’m a non-binary person doing drag as a boy, who is doing drag as a girl.
Your performance ‘Non-binary Electro Hour’ at the Camden People’s theatre has had some really rave reviews. For the people that didn’t get to see it, please can you explain it in a sentence?
It’s a one-hour, queer, electro-punk, cabaret spectacular about gender non-conformity, on stage and off. And it’s coming back to Camden People’s Theatre on the 3rd and 4th of May. That’s two sentences.
Can you tell us how you define drag?
As a political tool to change the world around us and as a fucking great time.
Tayce Szura-Radix
TAYCE, how are you so fierce?
I think an important factor in being fierce is having self-confidence and being self assured. Don’t let anyone say you aren’t who you say you are. You’re the only one of you out there, so be the fiercest possible version of you. Love yourself and others, stand up for and defend what you believe in and take no crap haha.
To date, what has been the hardest point of your queen career?
There hasn’t been one particularly hard point in my career so far; it’s been keeping the work consistent that has its struggles. I’m very much a hustler when it comes to gigs and I’ll try to get as many as possible every week, whether it’s hosting, performing, modelling or getting involved with a magazine. But just keeping that momentum going can definitely be challenging but also very rewarding and motivating.
Phoenix aka Rhys’s Pieces
There is a real sense of family within the drag queen culture. Can you put into words how being a part of this community feels?
Even though there can be a character or a heightened version of one’s self, it’s very personal, which means when you’re around other people doing it, it’s easy to connect on a personal level. Though the cabaret scene in London is thriving and vast, it’s still a relatively small community, so making these connections and friendships is easy and they become reinforced be shared experiences. There’s nothing more lovely than running into a fellow performer back stage – who you might not have seen for a while – and getting the chance to catch up and have a laugh. I also think that as a bunch of queers most of us have felt like the outsider for a lot – if not all – of our lives. So, being part of a community that accepts you is a wonderful feeling.
Your images in the editorial break the ‘conventional’ mould of drag Queens. Can you explain your decision behind this?
Like I said, I’m more of a gender fuck performer than a drag queen. I like to mix hyper femme with masculinity as I think many people have before me. I just like to mess with ideals of gender and sexuality. I think it’s so interesting, especially as a black person.
See more from Daytime Drag this week on Hunger’s Instagram Stories
