A Life in Drag

My first face-to-face encounters with drag came fairly late on in my teens. It was my grandfather’s seventieth birthday at the Homeguard Working men’s club in Garston, a small, some would say ‘rough’, part of Liverpool. It was a club (now sadly closed) that accommodated both deadly serious rounds of nightly bingo and sordid gossip, the interplay of the two never so clear as when the bingo caller hollered “Legs 11” to the chorus of elderly women cackling “round yer neck”.

On this particular night, in the belief that my grandfather probably wouldn’t be celebrating much longer, Uncle Tony had appropriately donned a miniskirt, high heels, a cheap blonde wig and smeared on some lipstick to recite a crude poem about the sex lives of septuagenarians. With completely unshaven legs and a carefully coutured moustache, he grabbed the compere’s microphone and reeled off line after self-penned line of unpalatable, disgustingly salacious lyric. He finished to considerable applause and tottered his wayward gait back to the men’s toilets. As the bingo prizes (for the bingo didn’t stop even for a birthday), comprising Argos hair rollers and the market stall rip-off of Scalextric were handed out, the compere rounded off the evening with her softly sozzled take on Billie Jo Spears’ ‘Blanket on the Ground’, cigarette in dutiful hand.

While Uncle Tony could hardly be described as being at the helm of a neat, professional operation, the fascination endured. In an arena where one would expect jibes and jocular heckling, the sweet, well-worn image of a man dressed as a woman for pure comic effect was received without prejudice. ‘Drag’ takes on more meanings, more connoted occupations with every passing year as diverse personalities further invent and revive its history. But here was a reminder in a pure, simplistic sense of its essential strain.

Drag is entertainment, and never was this so apparent as in my first forays into the Liverpool club scene, which were peppered with the witty bile of DJ Lavinia. Lavinia didn’t put a great deal of effort into achieving an impressive drag look, let alone one pertaining to some realistic expectation of feminine quality. He (for there is no real point in using ‘she’) had a wife and three kids, and his spouse loved the fact his job was to be a drag queen. A wife, certainly, would have to sympathise, as Lavinia stopped songs to pass judgement on the artists (“The Spice Girls are a bunch of dried up old slappers”), and press upon the audience the odorous state of his vagina. After a clubgoer drunkenly inquired as to why he had opted to ditch his usual blonde wig for a brown alternative, Lavinia responded “I can’t afford to do my roots ‘cos of the credit crunch”. On spotting a group of youths jerking in accordance with their Poppers headache, the DJ implored a middle-aged man to “Come here! If you’ve got any money you’ll pull any one of these whores.”

DJ Lavinia certainly gave you some sound bytes to remember the next morning, alongside his rarely updated musical library. The comedic vein in drag is clear, and its association with scathing comedy was propelled into the mainstream first by Dame Edna Everage in the seventies and later by Lily Savage in the nineties. Paul O’Grady’s persona was especially significant. A drag act on daytime television talking about shoving sage stuffing up the back passage of “Our Vera”? Yes, that happened in the nineties. Drag Queen Amber Dextrous credits Everage and Savage with “bringing the drag scene out of the gay bars and into the real world.” She observes that “Even now there isn’t really a mainstream drag queen on TV”.

The innate hilarity of man in drag is something that is being challenged, however, by contemporary drag queens seeking to expand the field by which a drag artist defines herself. Jodie Harsh, probably the most well-known active drag figure in the country, has taken on a special role within London’s artistic community. Regularly papped alongside the cream of young London’s celebrity talent, Harsh is more feminine, more fashion-conscious and more business-orientated than the classic drag queen model, as jarring as that sounds. DJ sets, nightclub promotions and careful aesthetic guarantee entry into the pages of Dazed and Confused and i-D and a consistent stream of low-key appearances on the terrestrial network.

My brief encounter with Jodie Harsh was profoundly humourless, however. Having exhausted myself dancing to her setlist at Circus in the (again, no longer extant) Soho Revue Bar, I had decided to sit down with a few friends in a quiet corner of the corridor. We were soon enough told by Jodie, security guard in tow, to stand up and dance or bugger off.

Dusty ‘O’, a longtime figure on the London drag scene, was about to go for dinner with Miss Harsh as I interviewed her. Dusty tells me that there is a tight-knit drag community, and that there isn’t the bitchiness you might expect from people you would imagine to be competing against each other for gigs at the top London nightspots. “Lady Lloyd was my lodger until recently. We all work different markets. I work pretty much as often as I want so I don’t feel threatened by anyone. There is enough for us all.”

It would certainly appear so, as a life in drag has made Dusty many friends, including Pete Burns and a host of other celebrities who found fame in the 1980s, when Dusty first appeared in London clubs: “Boy George is one of my best mates. Steve Strange is also a friend  and I get on really well with Chris from the Pet Shop Boys”.

All of this is a far cry from Dusty’s less than optimistic start in life: “I was born in the hell hole that is Walsall in the West Midlands. I came to London 23 years ago and I cant imagine living anywhere else now”. London represented an escape for Dusty, an essential flight from an area of the country that was not yet ready to accept her sexuality.

The name of a drag artist is often a sexual pun, but the name ‘Dusty’ holds for its owner a special relevance: “Dusty was the name the kids at school tortured me with. I was a Dusty Springfield fan. They liked Spandeau Ballet. It was my ‘gay’ name. I turned it on its head though, adopted it and made a mint on the journey. So thanks to all those small minded homophobes who are still sitting in their council flats in Walsall, getting fat and never doing anything! Your kind words helped me no end! Ha!”

Obviously walking around the streets of London dressed in ostentatious ensembles is likely to engender some negative reaction, but Dusty insists that, removed from Walsall, she now has the ammunition to battle back: “Sometimes people get clever; I can deal with it. They usually wish they hadn’t bothered.”

There has been tangible change in the country’s attitude towards drag and other manifestations of alternative culture over the past thirty years. Dusty has seen this change take hold and develop, but says: “Drag has always been there. I think my club Trannyshack has helped focus kids who want to dress up, be it drag or not. Drag is kind of cool at the moment. Mainly ‘cos the club has done so well and recieved so much attention. It goes in cycles. In the nineties Kinky Gerlinky [a London clubnight] was massive and drag was more mainstream. Then it went quiet. Now the wheel has turned our way again.”

Drag has recently been thrust into media spotlight by virtue of two very disparate drag entities. The first is what will surely be the short-lived fame of Mamma Trish, a mime drag persona in the classic mould, who appeared in the semi-final of Britain’s Got Talent. Her outfits showcased her portly person, showered, of course, in tasteless glitter. However, the real development in drag is in how contemporary drag queens like Harsh and Lloyd have rendered the boundary between traditional drag occupations and the outside sphere increasingly permeable. Dusty arguably helped invigorate the slow increase in drag queens achieving minor celebrity status through consistent high-profile work and a fashion sense that is deeply and unwaveringly on trend.

Dusty believes however that there are more important things than individual status. A thriving drag scene needs to look at itself in the mirror and ensure that its original verve has not dissipated. Dusty errs on the side of caution: “I am not keen on how corporate things have joined together with chains of gay bars and clubs owned by the same person. it takes the character out of the scene.”

For Dusty the gay scene and drag culture are indelibly linked. There is no separation from drag and everyday life. On a personal level, David Hodge [her real name] and Dusty are one and the same, and Dusty feels “more confident when I have my face on because I think I look better. It’s the same with anyone. If you have a new haircut or a new top you have more vavoom. My look just takes 3 hours to put on! I’m high gloss and high maintenance!”

The London drag scene requires its best-known names to evade traditional drag garments and keep in tandem with the capital’s ever-shifting style. “I am not a tits and feather boa type gal,” Dusty protests, “My look is more of a [Vivienne] Westwood one really. I don’t do stand-up or sing ‘I Am What I Am’. I am a dj and club host. Thats what i have done for over twenty years.”

Despite the vast differences between traditional drag queen cabaret and its modernised, slick London sister, Dusty praises the work of the acts travelling the country from Working Men’s club one day to a hen do the next: “I think they are amazing. I love ‘em. Good comedy drag is my fave thing! Those gals WORK!”

The key in understanding the difference between progressive, postmodern drag in London is Dusty’s statement: “There is no persona”.

For Uncle Tony, DJ Lavinia and the other drag artists I interviewed, the personality is the ego to the id, an emphatic version of themselves or something entirely separate from their normal life. David Pollikett [aka Davina Sparkle] easily distinguishes between the two, and his act is in the vein of acidic comedy that Dusty so admires. Kensington-born, Pollikett moved to liberal Brighton to pursue his career. I interviewed Pollikett in character: “I work wherever they pay me dear!” he opens, “seriously, it can be the Social Club in Rochester or the Red Lion in Dudley, just depends who rings and what the job is, I work abroad in Thailand and the USA as well”.

Briefly back to the pre-persona voice, David describes his alter ego Davina as “a cuddly but tarty Auntie who is gobby and blue but very caring.”

Quickly switching back to Davina Sparkle, the differential between the two is nevertheless highlighted: “I’m never in drag darling in the street. How common! I’m a cabaret performer so I get ready in the venue, and NEVER parade around in sequins otherwise, it’s amazing how many people think you’re a tranny!”

Cardiff resident Paul Coombes [aka the wonderfully named Amber Dextrous] has been a comedy drag artist for the past thirteen years, and was featured in the media for helping his mother through cancer; building her self-confidence and self-image through simple, delicate but effective procedures like showing her how to treat her newly acquired wigs.

Coombes, too, likes to distance Amber from himself: “The persona tends to come on as I’m getting ready. Once all the make-up and the outfit and the wig comes off that goes away and it’s just me again. But when I’m onstage there’s not a hint of Paul anywhere; it’s very much Amber Dextrous.”

Contrasting, too with Dusty’s phenomenal daily routine, it takes Coombes “about 50 minutes to get ready. I start firstly with the make up, so everything goes on from concealer, face powder, lipliners, eyeliners, liquid eyebrows, eyelashes, eye colours, lipsticks and straight after that the tights go on. If I need it on a bad day I’ll wear a corset, and then the frock, the jewellery, the wigs and the shoes.”

Amber Dextrous is a personality that through every facet evokes unabashed comedy. The outfits embody a brash, elemental physical comedy to go with the onstage verbal repertoire. Coombes has a busy schedule and does the ‘full spectrum’ of engagements geared towards the drag artist: gay clubs, hen and stag nights, civil partnerships. He notes especially that “I’ve done my fair share of social clubs and working men’s clubs and sometimes they can be the best gigs you’ve ever done.”

The crowds at working men’s clubs haven’t had any problems with Amber Dextrous. Coombes says “I’ve only ever had problems doing stag nights. It’s just the general heterosexual male attitude of ‘I’m not going to laugh at the gay bloke dressed as a woman in case my mates take the piss out of me’.”

Surprisingly, Coombes’ dullest and least enthusiastic crowd have been those composed of transvestites, and is keen to distinguish between drag and transvestism: “Despite the fact they dress as women, underneath it all it’s really just a big room of straight blokes. They imagine drag as us taking the piss out of them.

“Being a drag queen is just a job. It’s part of you but it’s still just a job. I don’t wear women’s clothes around the house. It all lives in a room upstairs and it comes down when I’m working. For them it’s a way of life. They enjoy it, that’s what they want to do. It’s a personal pleasure, whether sexual or otherwise. But I get no turn on from wearing drag whatsoever.”

Being an active member of the drag circuit does cause Coombes some problems though, especially in terms of maintaining relationships. “There are plenty of people that can’t handle what I do for a living,” he admits, “they can’t separate my drag from me. Either they have a problem going out with a man who wears women’s clothes or they have a trust issue. So if I’m going to work in a gay bar or gay club I’m going to be onstage and obviously I’m going to have attention when I come off stage and they think I’m going to cheat.”

Coombes asserts though, that above all, drag is meant to be fun. This individual genre of entertainment has spawned a talented list of cabaret performers, comedians and personalities without whom our cultural influences would be indefinitely poorer. Drag queens like Davina Sparkle and Amber Dextrous, through their earnest slog up and down the country, are ambassadors for a specialist scene, employing drag as a way to connect with people, right there in their faces, and to sustain a feasible living.

The seemingly separate world of London drag culture is equally important in that it renders the public aware of drag figures in a way that small performances can’t. It was ambition and talent that propelled Paul O’Grady and Dame Edna Everage into the spotlight, and the Twenty-first century is in despearte need of its own mainstream drag figure. I’d expect, given the current thrust of the capital’s drag scene, for such a figure to emerge through stylistic, artistic or musical means rather than through comedic aspirations.

Whatever future drag might carve out for itself, its history is secure. Regularly plundered and appropriated for our student parties, and even a hairy scouser coughing up rude poetry, drag is a subsidiary entertainment that will always be found, drag queen-dependent, funny or interesting.

The Palace is 10

AERIAL acrobats, gravity defying stilt walkers and a Drag Queen - just some of the acts featuring at Bridgwater's Palace Nightclub to celebrate its 10th anniversary next Saturday, January 26.

The birthday bash offers a number of colourful attractions, each performing different but daring routines at the club.

Juggler Steve Arnold will be performing around the town before finishing his ultra glow juggling stage show at The Palace.

Drag Queen Amber Dextrous will carry out two live stage shows and a magician will be presenting wall-to-wall street magic, performing tricks right under the noses of the audience.

Acrobats will use hoops and silks in daring stunts from the roof of The Palace and stilt walkers will parade the town before showing off their skills at the club.

DJ Jeff Strawbridge will be playing the latest dance, RNB and modern party classic in the main club, while in the back room a DJ will take clubbers through the years with classic party anthems.

Party at the Palace

From the Bridgwater Mercury, first published Thursday 31st Jan 2008.

A SPARKLING night at The Palace Nightclub in Bridgwater saw an acrobat twirl from the roof, a drag act perform classic cabaret and a juggler amaze crowds on Saturday (January 26).

The venue's tenth anniversary festivities brought hundreds of revellers flocking to the popular nightspot and few could have been disappointed by the entertainment on offer during a packed programme of events.

Pirate stilt walkers stalked through the crowd and a young magician brought close up magic, performing tricks under the noses of the audience.

Acrobat Gemma then wowed the crowd with a daring routine, combining hoops and silks to work her way from the roof of the nightclub down to the floor.

On stage, juggler Steve Arnold conducted a faultless routine, somehow managing to keep his balance and his clubs up in the air during his ultra glow juggling show.

Drag queen Amber Dextrous also stepped into the stage spotlight for two performances, cracking jokes and singing songs during the confident routines.

An audience of both young and old watched the impressive range of acts a decade after The Palace first opened its doors - demonstrating that ten years on, the venue is still going strong.

Owner Clive Lilley said: "It was a fantastic night - we were really pleased with the turnout. There was a mix of old and young people, and a great atmosphere in the club.

"All the acts were good and Gemma (the acrobat) was incredible - we might use her again for our R and B night."

Clive also told the Mercury the Palace would be under going some changes in the near future.

"We have a designer coming tomorrow and will be having a refurbishment sometime after Easter," he added.

The icing on the cake: selling gay couples the right kind of wedding

Monday November 5, 2007

After some reflection Miss Amber Dextrous, determined to rule Cardiff's first Gay Wedding Show with a firm hand, decided on another outing for the ever reliable £300 full-length white sequins and flowers gown, and a belting version of I'm So Excited as an opener.

"It is all about weddings, has to be something big, white, a bit OTT. Actually completely OTT," said Paul Coombes, Miss Dextrous's alter ego. She moonlights as an agony aunt with a robust line, offering brutal advice to people whose partners have cooled on them.

"I think a lot of people come because they're just curious - gay weddings are still quite new, they may never have been to a partnership registration ceremony, they'll just want to see what's on offer. Straights, too."

Like most wedding fairs the show features firms offering clothes, flowers, catering, musicians, three-tier cakes, matching wedding rings including ones in stainless steel, or £499 platinum rings inscribed with vows such as "I take you to be my partner for life", photo albums - the £24.99 one with a folded paper sculpture of identical tuxedos has been a bestseller - cars, honeymoon travel agencies. There were no white meringue dresses, and also a few unusual features: legal advice on making wills, on funeral arrangements, and on how to make provisions for children often of earlier heterosexual relationships, on civil rights and equality legislation.

The honeymoon firms do not just feature couples walking arm in arm into the sunset, but advice on where not to go. Jamaica is emphatically not recommended, and several of the island's luxury resorts will not admit gay couples at all. Dubai, with guaranteed sand and sun, seemed an attractive option to one couple last year: they and eight members of their wedding party ended up in jail. Yesterday was the fourth Gay Wedding Show, and in an ideal world Gino Meriano, co-founder of a firm called Pink Weddings, thinks the fairs he started should not exist. "I don't want to be doing this, I'd rather be getting on with my gay rights campaigning. I'd stop tomorrow if I thought that society was now fully inclusive, and that gay couples could just go to any firm on the high street and be treated like any other couple - but it isn't, and they can't."

Their office, in demure Weybridge in Surrey, no longer has a high street shopfront, after previous premises in London were splattered with paint, potential customers were followed and jeered at or had their cars vandalised, and they themselves received vicious anonymous letters including death threats. His own father only learned of his wedding in the paper, and his partner's family has not accepted the relationship at all.

Pink Weddings' research suggests that up to a quarter of the conventional wedding market actively or tacitly discourages gay custom, anything from calls not returned to dropped jaws or stifled giggles if two men go into a high street jeweller to buy matching rings. "Most people, if they want to organise such a special day, don't want to have to start explaining their sex life. They just want all that to be taken for granted," Mr Meriano said.

There are some striking exceptions to this depressing rule. The show was sponsored by middle England's favourite corner shop, the John Lewis Partnership. "We have always catered for civil partnership celebrations," a spokeswoman said, "and have even noticed a significant increase in the number of same sex gift lists registered at John Lewis since civil partnerships became legal in December 2005."

Moss Bros, the formal dress hire company, has also embraced this market from the start, and the National Trust sought a meeting before the partnership legislation to assure Pink Weddings that it welcomes gay weddings in its properties.

Pink Weddings organised Mr Meriano's own partnership ceremony and celebration with Mike - who has taken his surname - on the day it became law, making them one of the first legally recognised gay couples in the country.

The party was full English breakfast at the Metropole in Brighton, with guests invited to bring Christmas decorations with special inscriptions, to decorate a towering tree.

They have organised weddings for others, with two aisles for two women both being given away by their fathers, with no aisle because no member of either family would come, and with beloved pets participating as Best Dog. Most of their couples are older, more assured and confident about what they want, but they've had people meekly ask if they're "allowed" a wedding cake.

Amber Dextrous spent the day cajoling, encouraging and reassuring couples towards the double rings and the registration book, but neither she nor Paul Coombes - a valleys boy astonished at how well Amber is received in miners' halls and working men's clubs in the small towns and villages of his childhood - has quite got there. "I think gay weddings are great, but like any wedding it is a really serious step. It's got to be the right person, and for me that just hasn't happened yet."

Moroccan is the most popular. The full theme would include a bedouin tent, candle lanterns, belly dancers, chef and charcoal grill, floor cushions

From £5,000

Coordinating but non-identical designer suits for men, suit and non-meringue gown in any colour except white for women.

From £800 for two

Same sex cake topper figures sometimes modelled as caricature portraits of the couple

From £35

Leather guest books, albums and miniature albums, any colour except black or white. Pink Weddings to launch album cum iPod nano to hold all wedding video and photos

Ipod nano from £99

Jewelled, leather collars for dogs, including pets starring as best dog instead of best man. Most popular colour baby blue.

£30-£40

Drag queen as master of ceremonies

From £250

Story provided by Guardian Unlimited Money News

Welcome

A great day unfolded in Cardiff, some great exhibitors offering same sex couples a helping hand arranging their special day

Cardiff 4th November 2007 Cardiff City Hall

Opening speech by the Lord Mayor Gill Bird

Our host One of the traditions of the official Gay Wedding Show is to find the most sassy, sparkling, charming and a little saucy hostess to keep you informed throughout the day.

It's our delight to present you Amber Dextrous

Amber Dextrous
She has delighted audiences throughout the country and abroad with her live stage shows.

Combining camp comedy, live music and spectacular outfits that would put Joan Collins to shame.

This is one act you shouldn't miss. With shows tailor made to suit all tastes and ages. Amber's show consistently proves to be a hugely popular choice. see more

Themes
2007 brings a range of themes which will be filtered gently throughout the shows From swing to jazz, musicals to magic, classical to acoustic, the list is endless, come see and feel the experience.

Gypsy Fire

An eclectic blend of Spanish, Latin and European acoustic Gypsy Jazz Guitar. GypsyFire has an unmistakable ambiance that is fuelled with romance passion and fire.

Dusty-Miss'60s-Springfield
A special musical tribute to the late great Dusty Springfield and other celebrated female artists from the 1960s.

In authentic '60s costume and bombshell beehive wig, she takes to the stage to sing all the hits from pop classics to ballad heartbreakers (You Don't Have To Say You Love Me, River Deep Mountain High and Dancin' In The Streets), to name a few. As a lifelong Dusty Springfield and '60s fan, she takes special care to get the look and sound just right, she'll have you singing and dancing along all night!

Qenny is a magician who describes himself as "sleightly twisted".

Think Liberace, but with a wand instead of a piano. But more butch. And not in the closet.

Qenny has performed magic all over the world, and has played to all sorts of audiences, from a regular spot in an east London pub, to the biggest drag festival in the southern hemisphere, Auckland's "Wigs On The Waterfront". Whether he is working the room at a civil partnership celebration, or causing a stir at a working mens club, his blend of no holds barred gay humour and mind-blowing magic wins the audience over every time.

Gay Wedding Show 2007

If you’re planning on registering your Civil Partnership, don’t miss the Gay Wedding Show this November. It’s Britain’s first and official lesbian and gay wedding show, and this year you can catch the show at Cardiff (4 November), Manchester (18 November) and Brighton (25 November).

Launched in 2004, the Gay Wedding Show has helped thousands of gay couples with their weddings and ceremony planning, legal information, equality issues and honeymoons.

Hosted by Pink Weddings and Pink Products, the Gay Wedding Show brings you exhibitors from all over Britain who can make your big day easier and that little bit more special. So whether you’re looking for a chocolate fountain, his & his wedding souvenirs or beautiful flower displays, you’ll find it at one of the stalls. Each show also has great entertainment, so the only difficulty you’ll have is what to see first!

At all of this year’s shows, local Members of Parliament (MPs) make an opening speech, and you’ll be able to see examples of Civil Partnership, religious and independent ceremonies so you know what to expect from yours.

The first of this year’s 3 shows is in Cardiff, where the sassy and sparkling hostess Amber Dextrous will be guiding you through the day. There’ll be music from the acoustic band GypsyFire and a Dusty Springfield tribute act, plus magician Quenny will be showing you some of his mind-blowing tricks.

The Manchester show is hosted by ‘one-man all-woman showgirl’ Dixi Tucker. There’s music from classical and contemporary singer Rebecca Newman and soulful acoustic singer Jess Gardham, and Quenny makes another appearance with his bag of tricks.

The last of the 3 shows is in Brighton, where the glamorous Fonda Cox is your hostess for the day. Saxophone quartet, 'Anacrusis' will provide the musical entertainment alongside singer Chip Jenkins, blues singer Jo Paige and live band Alter Ego. Magician Marc Lemezma will also be there to dazzle you with his great close up magic throughout the day.

Tickets to each show cost £3.50, and donations will be made to selected gay charities across Britain.

Friday girls and boys was a screammmmmmmmm with the fab Amber and Beverly.... It all starts off quite innocently but then it started to get a little lewd....... They play a game where a girl and a boy from the audience have to fetch an item of clothing from everyone else from the audience, it started with a sock or a shoe then moved on to maybe a T shirt or blouse then moved on to a pair of trousers or a skirt but no................. It had to go to far............................................. It went all the way to underwear

Well done Amber and Beverly absolutely fab night

Jamie Watson

venue:   Switch

review date:   Thursday, 19 April 2007

photos & words by:   James Brooks

review

Switch was buzzing tonight with a mixed crowd. Cabaret in the imposing form of Amber Dextrous provided great entertainment before people headed upstairs to The Loft.

Hi all this one will blow you away, wow wow wow Amber D you are the most nicest guy i know. We did a show last nite in Devon (6 hours to get there) Myself Justin T and Tony Lorenzo the girls down there don't get out a lot but when we did our shows they went crazy for it well done girls any way the point i am trying to make, Drag queens do raffles strippers do pictures and posters yes well Amber D said whatever he makes on the raffle he will spilt it with us 3 boys and it made our money up very nicely and well worth the trip down to Devon, so we spilt our photo money as well.

i know there's not a lot of people that would do that and you have a heart of gold Amber i am so very pleased to call you a dear friend and a great working partner love ya x

Have a great day love always

All The Way Jay x

With everyone no-doubt suitably fed and watered in between sessions, the Stardust’s last instalment of Showcall 2005 got underway, after Tufty’s welcome of course, with about as good a band as you will probably see on the circuit.

The US Half Pipes have been together for two years, during which time they have clearly got very tight musically but still keep a loose sense of fun on stage, driven manically by a lead singer who looks like a rocking version of Ali G. Their repertoire over a full set must be pretty fearsome and their full-on style may not be to a minority of audiences’ tastes. No wonder they all carry towels to mop up the perspiration generated as they thrash their way through the Darkness, to mention just one cover. Great fun and, more to the point, top musicians.

Spot-on in the presentation stakes, female vocalist Nicki certainly knows how to cut a sharp, indeed raunchy, image on stage, with her opening Dido cover being well crafted and well sung. That vocally though proved the high point with her second rock anthem cover may not be best suited to what emerged as a slightly limited vocal range, one interspersed with a few suspiciously flat notes. Image-wise she looks a million dollars, vocally at the moment she is more a million euros. She has only been going two months though so there is plenty of time for her to work on that aspect - this Stardust appearance serving as valuable experience.

Often those billed as speciality acts are not, in truth, that special but that criticism can’t be levelled at Dick Van Winkle, a great clarinettist in a suit seemingly fashioned from an old mirror ball. Indeed, had he given the audience a twirl he could have transformed the Stardust into a scene from Saturday Night Fever.

As to his set, that often bordered on the bizarre, with Van Winkle using his nasal passages and ears to produce sounds of an altogether different ilk. The bottom line - thankfully he didn’t use that particular bodily source - is that he is a great musician with the bonus of good comic material and timing. Clearly a seasoned pro this was, you might say, a good day at the orifice for him.

Whenever you hear the music of the Supremes it always reminds of how rich a period for music the Motown era was. With tribute trio Supreme you certainly got a sense of the class of the originals even if the slickness and vocal sharpness you associate with them was somewhat missing. Being cool and sexy, even aloof, while also entertaining an audience is a tricky balancing act to pull off and I never felt this group managed that, though the vocals were perfectly acceptable and all the expected Supremes standards competently covered. Over a full set, as they gather more Motown momentum, it may be a different matter.

Prize for the oddest act of the session was easily won by Bolas!, made up of the talents of the charming Marie-Claude Lacroix, an ex-Cirque De Soleil performer. Coming with such impeccable credentials it is not surprising that her twirling of the boleadoras - originally an Argentinian hunting weapon - made for intriguing viewing, safely at a distance of course. A sort of Stomp with balls on strings, the concentration required to carry off the individual pieces was hugely impressive and for those old enough to remember them, this is clackers with attitude. The only down side is that because of the absolute accuracy required to perform this act safely the stage has to be “absolutely flat, no joints, no holes etc” - that might rule out a fair few across the country.

A lot of drag acts are exactly that, a bit of a drag. But, rather than just relying on the shock value of a ridiculous dress plus some lame comedy, Amber Dextrous has clearly spent as much time working on his script as sewing on sequins. That made for some genuine laughs and good patter in between some original saucy songs. Self-mockery, of course, is always an integral part of a drag act’s performance, but here it was effective rather than just a bit sad as can be the case. Good humoured, not all the gags got laughs, but enough did to keep the audience on Dextrous’ side and most were won over come the end. Showcall’s a tough gig for a drag act, but this was fun throughout.

Anyone very politically correct seeing comedian Buster go through his routine is probably likely to bust a blood vessel. Not so much “dipping a toe in to see what happens”, more like doing a running bomb off the top board into the pool, Buster’s knowing, insider industry gags immediately got his set on a roll as agents laughed along. From there, he was on a winner and even if some gags did made you wince, those winces came with a smile. Like every good comedian, he has also got a catch phrase - “It’s only a joke” - and really that’s the maxim behind what he does. After all, the worst crime a comedian can commit is being unfunny, and Buster certainly isn’t guilty of that. There are plenty who should be locked up well before him.

Paying musical homage to James Brown must be among the harder of the tributes to pull off given Brown’s totally full-on persona and stage performances. Sporting a none too realistic hair piece, Buzz D’Angelo certainly put plenty of effort into a set that incorporated all the covers you would expect, but the vocals never really stood out - unlike his stars and stripes waist coat. There is only one way to perform as Brown and that is with a manic edge and sense of danger. That, I felt, was never really present.

Having been performed to death, the thought of having to watch yet another Abba tribute group is enough to instil dread, but at least Arrival had thought about how best to present themselves, doing so in an ‘unplugged’ format, though unfortunately being tucked away at the back of the stage for logistical reasons. Having seen so many Abba performers bopping along merrily over the years, seeing the female members seated while singing made for a curiously refreshing sight, while the vocals initially appeared pleasant enough. Towards the end they weren’t quite as impressive, but by then they had already got our attention and I’m sure that over a full set they are enjoyable enough to watch. Getting over excited by Abba tributes these days is rather difficult though.

Coolness personified, male vocalist Audley Anderson breezed around the Stardust’s stage like he owned it, and that sort of confidence will pay dividends for him out on the circuit. He looks sharp, sings pretty well and clearly has a wide repertoire - from Motown to the eighties and more, I would guess. Ex-Fame Academy apparently, he would do well to maybe not rely on that credit too much get him on from now on - he has got the talent not to milk it too much.

Marking 20 years with Dings Entertainment at Showcall, The Mad Hatters had clearly decided to let their hair down - what they have left anyway - and go for a high-energy, industry-pleasing set by way of celebration. You are not in the business for that long without very good reason - that reason being they really are good, and bundles of fun. An opening skit of YMCA to the chorus “Be an agent” put everyone in the right mood and it was onwards and upwards from then, even if, as is par for the course, there were some comedy misses as well as hits. A ‘supermarket’ ditty did indeed show that this trio are off their trolleys. Best of all was the soap opera finisher packed with fun impressions. Old style, knock about comedy certainly, but no less funny for being that.

Like the Drifters act in the previous session, Temptations By Brothers Of Soul were about as slick as it gets on stage, rotating the vocals among their members to good effect and being pretty easy on the eye and the ear. Plenty of the classics were included here, of course, and over their usual two times 45 minute set, they no doubt have the scope to cover just about all the angles. Looking the part is slightly less important than sounding the part with such tribute bands, of course, but image-wise they cut the Motown mustard.

Most trendy young daughters don’t even want to be seen shopping with their mums, let alone singing on stage with them, but not so with TiggerBlake who perhaps best of all looked like they really enjoyed performing together. The family duo started with a decent version of Manilow’s (then Take That’s) Could It Be Magic before changing musical tack, somewhat unexpectedly for their second. They are very different proportions, but once seated on stools that particular playing field levelled out and it became less of a problem presentationally. At the end of the day what matters is the music and that aspect was fine. I’m not sure that they have quite sorted out where they are going with the act though. Previously on stage as Sunny Daye, the musical mum has apparently had some health set-backs recently so whichever direction they decide on, it is good to have her back in showbusiness and let us hope it goes well for her.

Having seen Liverpudlian male vocalist Derek Jones as one half of duo Loaded a while back it was going to be interesting to see how he would cope with life as a solo act. The answer unfortunately was not too well - at least on this occasion - with his attempts at comedy meeting with a collective silence while his singing, though competent, wasn’t exactly sensational enough to make up for the poor material. He is clearly good at the occasional barbed ad-lib though and I’m sure he will have better days but in the final analysis there’s not much that’s unique about him.

Time then for a blow by blow account of how speciality act The Inflations did. Initially pretty well, with the inflatable dolls they had forming part of the backing band, jiving away merrily controlled by one member of the duo. As fun as that was for one song, when the formula was repeated, albeit with Village People characters, the joke started to wear a bit thin. In small doses and with a lively crowd I’m sure they go down well - like their inflatable props when punctured - and their musicianship is certainly lively enough to keep the attention at times.

Magician/illusionist Richard Pinner had the sort of Showcall gig he will probably want to forget pretty quickly. Just about everything that could go wrong, did go wrong though he hardly helped himself by launching a pack of cards into the audience at such speed it was very unlikely to be caught. By the time they were rescued from under a table he had probably lost about three minutes from his set. The mind reading didn’t go much better, though one part did finally get the required response and subsequent applause. If he could see into the future he probably wouldn’t have bothered driving up to Leicester.

Last up, but by no means least, the band Vanity Fare have been around for a long time but with so many years experience between its members, it is no surprise that the group are spot-on musically and just love performing. That their lead singer still has a glint in his eye when singing Hitchin’ A Ride for the upteenth time is in itself worthy of praise and the genial rockers are basically a lesson in professionalism to all up and coming bands - if you still enjoy performing, as they clearly do, then why even think about hanging up your guitar or putting away your drum sticks? Old rockers never die, they just maybe have to hang around waiting for gigs a bit longer sometimes.

Next stop then Park Hall, near Preston next January 16-18 - over three days, of course. The extra day compared to 2004 looks set to more than make up for the ‘lost’ day at Leicester - so make a date in the diary and cancel more trivial engagements you may have had planned, like weddings and such. As a show for the business it will be hard to beat.

Derek Smith

An Interview with the Fantastic - Miss Amber Dexterous

Hello,

Welcome to our Boards. Here Cariad and I will be hosting interviews with as many Drag Queen's as we can, bringing you all the information we possibly can on them. We are aiming to try to bring you a new interview every few weeks.

For our first interview we have happily questioned the resident Drag Artiste at Mandalyn's bar in Bath, so we bring you ... Amber Dextrous

Hi Amber,

Here at BristolGayScene.com, we are hoping to do an interview with a different drag queen every month, starting with you. We were wondering if you could spare a few moments to answer these few questions for us:

1. Tell us how you gained your residency at Mandalyn's bar?
   Very simple really, they asked me ..lol. I moved to Bath about a year ago and knew both Claire and Lynne the owners of Mandalyns really well as I performed regular shows there. In fact when they first began cabaret many years ago I was the first act that they booked. When they realised that I lived just round the corner then they asked if I would be interested in taking up a residency there. So I run a quiz night on Mondays and I run a karaoke night and games night alternatively every Thursday, but they are really flexible and if I am offered an outside booking I take that as well as there are several YTS Princesses in Bath as I like to call them that can cover me. Sadly because I have been sop busy I haven't worked in Mandalyns for about 6 weeks but am hoping to rectify that soon.
2. Where were you resident to before this?
   Well at the moment apart from Mandalyns I host a once a month ladies night on the first Monday of each month at the Essence Wine Bar in Walsall and every Saturday I work for Adonis Cabaret the largest Hen Night company in the UK at one of their venues around the country. Before all this though I was the resident at the Elephant Pub in Bristol for about 2 years and way back at the beginning when I first started I was a resident alongside Miss Kitty, Dr Beverley Ballcrusher and Pixie Perez at Wow & Atlantica in Cardiff or what's known now as Detox and Addiction. So I'm an ancient old cow really.
3. Do you do many shows elsewhere?
   That's the understatement of the year. You just need to check my website to see how busy I am. I average about 22 shows a month and they can be as far North as Scotland or as far South as Cornwall. They're a nice even mix of gay and straight venues. I also get to work abroad quite a lot as well as doing bits and bobs in Ireland .
4. What has been your favourite place to work so far?
   Don't really have one particular place because it's so dependant on how the audience is, if they're really up for it then it doesn't matter if the place is a dump or the Ritz. Am not a great fan of working in London, only because they see so much drag it's difficult to keep coming up with new things to keep them entertained.
5. What do you like most about your job?
   The money.
6. What do you dislike most about your job?
   The travelling. I spend about 3/4 of my life stuck in traffic jams.
7. Who inspired you to be a Drag Queen?
   Nobody inspired me to be a drag queen but it was Miss Kitty who suggested it. She did my make up and gave me my first frock when I first started in Cardiff and it was Beverley Ballcrusher who came up with my name. So you could say I was manufactured, bit like a car really but without the sunroof.
8. What other Drag Queens, or celebrities do you admire?
   I admire any drag act that gets up their and entertains because it takes guts, practice, talent and determination. It isn't easy so anyone who gives it a go will always get my vote. But I do have particular favourites. I love Beverley Ballcrusher because we work together and she has a fab voice. Miss Kitty who is Cardiff's drag treasure. Fanny Dazzle who sadly no longer works but always made me laugh. Pixie for being a true showgirl. Plus others outside of the local region like Davina Sparkle, Drew Christie, Titi La Camp. Trashville Tennessee, Lizzie Drip, Bobby Dean, Jet Black. The fact that all these people are my friends hasn't tainted my choices in the slightest ;-)
9. Who is your favourite Drag Queen?
   My favourite drag queen of all time is the late but great Lady Ding, there was and still is no funnier person that I know. The one -liners that she came out with were pure magic and I could happily sit and listen to her twisted stories for hours. She was a one of a kind.
10. Where do you get your costumes and which shop/ website is your favourite?
    Some I buy from other drag queens and alter. Luckily enough my boyfriend's sister makes costumes so she does some and the others come from sequin queen. I have to cut down now though cos I have far too many.
11. Is there anyone you would like to work with?
    I've worked with all my friends and that's the biggest buzz. Hmmmm possibly Colin Farrel but that would be in the privacy of my own room.
12. What would be your dream show?
    Where i get paid lots of money to sit on my ass and do s**t all . Lazy sod aren't I.
13. And most importantly in our eyes........ As an official member of our Drag Queen stalking list- could we please have a signed photo each....thanks!
    You certainly can. Give me your address and I shall post them to you. 

Thanks Amber, address will be sent straight away by return E-mail....lol "

On Saturday 12th February 2005, the Sky Club held its annual Valentines Evening. The Evening was a great success. A very big thank you to the marvellous and hugely entertaining Amber Dextrous. As promised, after our previous evening with her, we managed to get her back at very short notice. We hope to see her return later in the year. Our Valentines Evening with Amber Dextrous on Saturday Feb 12 was a roaring success. Amber Dextrous is the best cabaret artist around. She filled the club with brilliant humour and the songs she sang were spot on.

For anyone in need of that special party spirit in the run up to the 14th, try visiting Mandalyn's Little Britain party on Saturday 12. The bar on Lansdown Road welcomes party people of every persuasion to come and watch resident drag queen Amber Dextrous on Sunday 13, when the bar has a late licence until midnight - perfect for people who'd like to see Valentine's Day through the mist of a hangover

Mandalyns 13 Fountain Blgs, Lansdown Hill (01225) 425403

Recently overtaking the mantle of Bath's premiere gay pub from the Tap, Mandalyn's is friendly and welcoming, whatever your persuasion. Bright and beautiful, with a stage well trodden by the likes of Miss Kitty Litter, Miss Beverley Ballcrusher and Miss Amber Dextrous, they hold riotous Sunday night cabaret and regular fundraising events for South West Pride. Bar games abound, happy hour every weekday 3pm-8pm and the range of cocktails is ooh la la"

Our night with Amber Dextrous on Saturday Jan 9 was a roaring success. Amber Dextrous is the best cabaret artist around. She filled the club with brilliant humour and the songs she sang were spot on. We hope to snatch her from her busy schedule for a revisit soon. We have a link to her web site from our links page if you are interested in finding out more about her sparkling persona

A Place on the books of a professional show business agent is up for grabs as first prize in a talent contest. Drag queen Amber Dextrous will be hosting the Search For A Star contest at Mandalyns pub at Fountains Buildings, Lansdown Road.  Mandalyns landlady Carolyn Seward said: "We do karaoke here once a month and there's an awful lot of singing talent out there. The standard is unbelievable.  But this contest is for anything - it could be singing, juggling or even slug balancing - we don't mind.  I'm sure someone is waiting to get on this stage and shine."

The first heat of the contest takes place at 9pm on Sunday, November 23 with following heats on November 28 and December 5, and a semi-final on December 12.  The grand final on December 19 will be judged by HTV's Jon Monie and Zena Simmons of Langford Productions.

The winner will not only have the chance to put on a gig at Mandalyns on Boxing Day evening, but will go on the books of Langford Productions for free, and appear in a cameo roll on a forthcoming ITV television programme.  Second prize is a motor scooter provided by drinks company VK, which is sponsoring the contest and running a series of promotions. 

Search For A Star host Amber Dextrous, also known as Paul Coombes, hosts a karaoke night on the second Thursday of each month and games nights on the other three Thursdays at the pub.  He courted controversy earlier this year by claiming he was Bath's first resident drag queen, a claim which was disputed by fellow drag queen Gloria Hole, also known as Mark Draisey.

Mandalyns was recently voted runner-up in The Bath Chronicle Pub Of The Year competition.

Life & Soul's window shopper this week, Amber Dextrous, is no stranger to fantasy, says Nicola Cunningham.  No, not all drag queens are called Paul. According to Paul Coombes, some of them are called Eliot, some are simply Scott. But Paul is only Paul by day - at night he becomes the fantastically-named Amber Dextrous, songstress and entertainer extraordinaire.

It was his drag partner who suggested the name, after Paul had begun his career as Poppy Cox.  "That was awful and only lasted two months," he laughs, recounting his showbiz history.  Paul began his working life as a singer in his native South Wales, but soon realised that he could earn far more working in drag, so he auditioned at a gay pub in Cardiff and, much to his surprise, got the spot.  He's now been doing drag for nine years - "You don't do that for armed robbery," he wisecracks.

Talking to Paul is a deliciously hilarious experience and the jokes roll out every other second.  At 31, he bemoans his increasing years, but says he's one of the youngest drag acts around.  "I can camp it up when necessary, but I'm not naturally an over-camp person. My greatest fans are the women when I do ladies' nights, but I do find it weird when they come on to me."  Paul also finds it a physical strain keeping his male parts strapped away for over three hours, the time he can be on stage, especially when he performs at ladies' nights.

He's been in Bath for only a month and already has a permanent residency on Thursday nights at Mandalyns in Lansdown Road.  "I love Bath and think it's the nicest-looking city I've been to. You can just wander around and it's just so pretty. I've done the tourist thing and been on a tour bus, which took me past my flat. I decided to move here because my partner's here and I can work anywhere."  When he first started out, Paul's mother styled his wigs for him. "She's more upset that I've got tattoos than that I do drag."

Paul makes all his own costumes, taking inspiration from magazines or things he's seen on television - "I'll wear anything from a cat suit to a Victorian gown with a bustle behind."  He says it takes less guts to appear in drag than it might seem because he wears ten tons of make-up and and can slink away unrecognised when the show's over.  "For me, performing's a great release - I have no shame when I'm Amber . . . I'm like a different person. After all, I am a Gemini."

So, Amber Dextrous, given licence to shop until you drop, with no limit to how much you spend, what do you choose?

1. Salad, £5.50, and homemade lemonade, £1.95, Boston Tea Party, Kingsmead Square  I began mildly with eating out and for me, the Boston Tea Party make just the best salads - they're huge.  Also, they make proper homemade lemonade which I've never found anywhere else. It's fab and I wholeheartedly recommend it.
2. Mandalyn's cocktail, Mandalyns, Lansdown Road, £3.50  Ah, drink. I like loads of different drinks, so I thought I would mix them all together and have a fabulous special Mandalyn cocktail.  It's got vodka in it, which is my best friend, as well as things like orange and cranberry juice. They put in umbrellas and sparklers and if you're lucky, the umbrellas catch fire. It knocks my head off.
3. Playboy handbag, Envy, Stall Street, £30  Every girl has to have a really camp little handbag and I think these ones are the campest bags I've ever seen.
4. Suzuki jeep, Tracks of Taunton, £9,499  I thought I'd like a really nice sports car, but it's no good in the mornings with mothers and seven kids in a huge four-wheel drive.  So I've gone for a jeep, preferably in fluorescent pink, so that I can be sexy, sporty, run people over and still look stylish.
5. Flat, The Royal Crescent.  I live in Brock Street at the moment and would like to move just round the corner to Royal Crescent.
6. Handmade kitchen, Bath Kitchen Company, Hensley Road, from £10,000.  Most kitchens are MFI, made for idiots. I'd like a handmade one in lime and purple to match my skin tone. Not that I'd use a kitchen, but it's somewhere to go when the other half's watching the football.
7. Champagne balloon flight, Sopwith Aviation.  I'm too busy to have holidays, but instead a champagne balloon flight appeals, because I'd have to be completely lashed to get in one. I hope that they would fly me over somewhere nice - just nowhere near the Isle of Man.
8. Flowers, the Wild Bunch, Princes Street.  Everybody likes flowers, great to give and very versatile. I like lilies - and sunflowers, but only on outfits. No, don't ask.
9. Cut and blow dry with Sam, CNV Hairdressers, Seven Dials, £32.  With an image like mine, I need a nice haircut. CNV are nice people and not just because they do the hair of the stars of the Theatre Royal nearby.  Perhaps I could have a Mohican, but perhaps not.
10. Selection of earrings, from £14 to £140, Alexandra May, Brock Street.  Alexandra has amazing stuff, earrings that could drag you across the floor.

Diving into the dressing-up box and wearing outrageous costumes is supposed to be fun. But the glamorous world of cabaret has descended into a battlefield for two Bath drag queens who have come to blows over their glitzy alter egos.  The battle of the queens erupted in Bath after a cabaret artist claimed to be the city's first resident drag queen.

Amber Dextrous, or Paul Coombes, as she is known out of a dress, started a resident spot at Mandalyns, in Lansdown Road, last month.  At the time, she said: "I believe I am the first resident drag queen to come to Bath.  Sure, there have been acts that have come and gone, but I'm here to stay and make my mark on the city."

Her comments have angered fellow performer Gloria Hole, aka Mark Draisey, who says she has been a drag queen for five years.  Gloria said: "I want to put the record straight. Amber Dextrous is not the only drag act in Bath, resident or otherwise.  She ought to be a bit more thoughtful towards other people's feelings, professionally and personally, when it comes to making statements like these."

The drag queens are former friends, but have not been on speaking terms since Amber Dextrous made the claims.  Gloria previously hosted a monthly quiz night at Mandalyns, and has also worked at Bath Tap, in St James Parade, another gay pub.  She has been establishing a name on the cabaret circuit, playing to packed pubs in London and Cambridge for the past 18 months, and says her monthly slot at Mandalyns was replaced because of a mix-up in communication. Until the Amber Dextrous row erupted, she was keen to continue her residency at the pub.

Landlord Carolyn Seward has also entered the row.  "Mark (Gloria) was never a resident drag act. He used to run our quizzes once a month," she said.  "Mark gave his job up and we had to find someone else.  We were sad to see him go.  Then Amber Dextrous walked into our lives and asked if we wanted a resident drag act."

Amber, 31, said: "Mark has never been a resident drag queen in Bath, and he has been a drag act for a few months.  I was then asked to take on a proper residency.  Since then, he has thrown his dolly out of the pram and is making a fuss about nothing."

Amber is also upset because she says she helped Gloria out when she started on the scene.  Amber Dextrous is well-known within the gay community, and has made a name for herself in Cardiff, Brighton and London clubs and pubs.  She now hosts a weekly games night every Thursday from 8pm, except on the fourth Thursday of every month, when she will appear the night before because of a regular karaoke night."

e.cooney@bathchron.co.uk

Bath's first resident drag queen took the audience by storm at her opening show last night. Amber Dextrous, or Paul, as she is known to her friends, took to the stage at Mandalyns in Lansdown Road at 8pm.  The owners of the gay-friendly pub, which is famous for its weird and wonderful community spirit, said they are thrilled the 'mini-celebrity' agreed to join their team.  Out of character, Paul Coombes, aged 31, says he is looking forward to being a regular at Mandalyns.

"It's going to be wild," he said.  "I have so many crazy ideas lined up for the place.  I decided to ask for the spot at the pub because I have recently moved to Brock Street in the city.  I love Bath and think the gay community is up and coming.  I'm planning a play your cards right game, a blind date equivalent, postman's knock and much more.  I am a modern drag queen and I think I'm fairly unusual because I'm a live vocalist.

"I don't mime because it's a cop-out. Everything you hear me sing on the stage is all me.  I believe I am the first resident drag queen to come to Bath.  Sure, there have been acts that have come and gone, but I'm here to stay and make my mark on the city."

Carolyn Seward, who runs the pub with her partner Claire Oatley, said: "We are honoured to have Amber here as our drag queen.  She is very well known within the gay community and has already made a name for herself in many Cardiff, Brighton and London clubs and pubs.  We are even more thrilled because Amber chose us.  She arrived in Bath and approached us about doing a weekly spot.  We are a community pub and want to do as much as possible to make evenings fun for our customers."

One of Amber's first jobs when she hit the spotlight was to present a cheque for more than £400 to charity.  Busty Amber will host a weekly games night every Thursday from 8pm, except on the fourth Thursday of every month when she will appear the night before because of a regular karaoke night.