{"id":161,"date":"2023-12-11T18:11:21","date_gmt":"2023-12-11T18:11:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/journalists.org.uk\/daniel-finch\/?p=161"},"modified":"2023-12-18T12:51:25","modified_gmt":"2023-12-18T12:51:25","slug":"in-the-spotlight-newcastles-drag-scene","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/journalists.org.uk\/daniel-finch\/2023\/12\/11\/in-the-spotlight-newcastles-drag-scene\/","title":{"rendered":"In The Spotlight: Newcastle&#8217;s Drag Scene"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<details class=\"wp-block-details is-layout-flow wp-block-details-is-layout-flow\"><summary>Image by Dan Chester, @thecocalily on Instagram<\/summary>\n<p><\/p>\n<\/details>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-post-author-name\">Daniel Finch<\/div>\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\" \/>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Newcastle, start your engines! And may the best drag scene win. (Spoiler alert, we do it best.)<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It was a Thursday night and, for the streets of Newcastle city centre, a pretty tame one. Or so you might have thought.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>That was until I made my way down Scotswood Road, where a respectable troop were congregating for a live screening of RuPaul\u2019s Drag Race UK\u2019s semi-final. Geordie favourite, Gladys Duffy, and Drag Race alumni, Choriza May, were set to host.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The pair have been holding such events at Bobby\u2019s Bar weekly throughout the entirety of the show\u2019s fifth season. Since its BBC Three premiere on 28 September, the initial ten queens had been narrowed down to just a measly four \u2013 although, in hindsight, <em>measly<\/em> seems a misfitting word choice considering their vivacious personalities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"1011\" src=\"https:\/\/journalists.org.uk\/daniel-finch\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/23010\/2023\/12\/Screenshot-2023-12-13-at-22.08.20-1024x1011.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-165\" style=\"width:840px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/journalists.org.uk\/daniel-finch\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/23010\/2023\/12\/Screenshot-2023-12-13-at-22.08.20-1024x1011.png 1024w, https:\/\/journalists.org.uk\/daniel-finch\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/23010\/2023\/12\/Screenshot-2023-12-13-at-22.08.20-300x296.png 300w, https:\/\/journalists.org.uk\/daniel-finch\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/23010\/2023\/12\/Screenshot-2023-12-13-at-22.08.20-768x758.png 768w, https:\/\/journalists.org.uk\/daniel-finch\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/23010\/2023\/12\/Screenshot-2023-12-13-at-22.08.20-1170x1155.png 1170w, https:\/\/journalists.org.uk\/daniel-finch\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/23010\/2023\/12\/Screenshot-2023-12-13-at-22.08.20.png 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Instagram post to promote the viewing party. Image credit: @bobbys_newcastle<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Raising the stakes for spectators in the venue, three out of four happened to be from the North East. I have never witnessed such aggressive patriotism and I&#8217;ve been in the city centre on match days. It became clear very quickly that DeDeLicious, the outcast southerner contestant, was not a fan favourite.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Spirits were accordingly high when Hartlepool\u2019s Tomara Thomas, Ginger Johnson of Lanchester, and Newcastle\u2019s own Michael Marouli were deemed finalists at the episode\u2019s conclusion. Sorry not sorry, DeDe.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The atmosphere of celebration, to my pleasant surprise, indeed did not decline at the end of the showing. Having never attended before, I was not entirely certain of the etiquette. Whether to be out the door and on my way, or perhaps stay for another drink. How na\u00efve I had been. As the pop anthems and Duffy\u2019s witty one-liners continued to blast out of speakers, it became impossible to leave. That was before rising Newcastle queen, Vespa, took to the stage to bless us further with a lip-sync performance in a striking green dress.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I don\u2019t think I have ever experienced a Thursday night packed with so much entertainment. With just one episode of the series left, I was truly kicking myself for not attending Bobby\u2019s sooner.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-audio\"><audio controls src=\"https:\/\/journalists.org.uk\/daniel-finch\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/23010\/2023\/12\/bobbys_mixdown.mp3\"><\/audio><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Audio of the event in Bobby&#8217;s with interviews from three students in attendance.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>The venue is undoubtedly one of&nbsp;the best-loved LGBTQ+ bars in Newcastle.&nbsp;Open until late seven days a week, the cabaret hotspot otherwise hosts acts from local drag stars alongside other fun and frequent events, like karaoke and bingo nights.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>A particularly exciting aspect of the bar is the open-mic nights they put on. These are events which offer performance opportunities to any drag artist, irrespective of prior experience \u2013 essentially the dream for students with a passion for drag. Dan Chester, president of Drag Society at Newcastle University, is one of many up-and-coming acts to make use of these evenings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Requiring no further introduction, the second-year student\u2019s persona, The Cocalily, is arguably one to watch amidst the Newcastle drag scene.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Dan Chester aka The Cocalily Interview\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/jgwkrad1cbE?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Video interview with Dan Chester, the second-year student behind The Cocalily. <br>Music: Fly Away &#8211; Mountaineer (<a href=\"https:\/\/uppbeat.io\/t\/mountaineer\/fly-away\">via Uppbeat<\/a>). License code: NI5RDHIAFCZDTQYM.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Having initially made a spontaneous debut during a holiday with friends, Dan has since made use of the various outlets in Newcastle whilst studying at university. Although he was interested in the society upon considering the university amongst others, there was no telling that he would be at the club\u2019s head by his second year.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cWe\u2019re doing it in phases this year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cAt the moment, with Drag Race UK launching, we\u2019re mostly doing viewing parties. We\u2019ve done some cute welfare events, like drag queen colouring-in [\u2026] so now we\u2019ve got everyone hooked on drag, we\u2019re going to start doing make-up and wig tutorials and then we\u2019ll try to start getting our members on stage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cWe\u2019ve been focussing more on the commercialised version of drag at the moment. We\u2019re now going to try and push into a more local level.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Dan, like many aspiring drag artists in the North East, feels lucky to be in a city with so many prospects for growth. He reveals, \u201cI often get a lot of DMs on my drag account. There\u2019s lots of opportunities that pop up.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cI personally have not delved into doing it professionally. I\u2019m quite busy and for me it\u2019s just a hobby but the opportunities are very much there in Newcastle.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"823\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/journalists.org.uk\/daniel-finch\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/23010\/2023\/12\/IMG_9070-823x1024.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-166\" srcset=\"https:\/\/journalists.org.uk\/daniel-finch\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/23010\/2023\/12\/IMG_9070-823x1024.jpg 823w, https:\/\/journalists.org.uk\/daniel-finch\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/23010\/2023\/12\/IMG_9070-241x300.jpg 241w, https:\/\/journalists.org.uk\/daniel-finch\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/23010\/2023\/12\/IMG_9070-768x956.jpg 768w, https:\/\/journalists.org.uk\/daniel-finch\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/23010\/2023\/12\/IMG_9070.jpg 1170w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 823px) 100vw, 823px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Image credit: @thecocalily on Instagram<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p>Naturally, he is no stranger to the Bobby\u2019s stage and has found that a personal passion for DJing and The Cocalily make the perfect pair. His next goal: a proper rave with his own set in full-drag. I\u2019m so there.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cMost drag queens lip-sync on a stage. I\u2019m not a dancer,&#8221; he laughs. &#8220;I\u2019m not that talented but I can press play on some decks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cI\u2019d also love to bring my drag to pole because no one wants to see a boring guy doing pole dance. We need hair flips.\u201d&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Indeed, Drag Soc seems the ideal society to join alongside others. Dan is hoping to arrange more collaborations with other societies during the rest of the academic year. I, for one, cannot wait to see what is in store.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>As for the next time The Cocalily graces that renowned stage down Scotswood Road, I\u2019ll be seated front row.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Newcastle, start your engines! And may the best drag scene win. (Spoiler alert, we do it best.) It was a Thursday night and, for the streets of Newcastle city centre, a pretty tame one. Or so you might have thought. That was until I made my way down Scotswood Road, where a respectable troop were [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":107,"featured_media":168,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"wds_primary_category":15,"footnotes":""},"categories":[15],"tags":[11,13,12,8,5,14],"class_list":["post-161","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-entertainment","tag-drag","tag-drag-queen","tag-drag-race","tag-lgbtq","tag-newcastle","tag-students"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/journalists.org.uk\/daniel-finch\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/161","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/journalists.org.uk\/daniel-finch\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/journalists.org.uk\/daniel-finch\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/journalists.org.uk\/daniel-finch\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/107"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/journalists.org.uk\/daniel-finch\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=161"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/journalists.org.uk\/daniel-finch\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/161\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/journalists.org.uk\/daniel-finch\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/168"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/journalists.org.uk\/daniel-finch\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=161"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/journalists.org.uk\/daniel-finch\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=161"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/journalists.org.uk\/daniel-finch\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=161"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}