We here at Dragadventures want to showcase the talent of UK and European queens. As many of you know we went to see Adore Delano at the Powder Rooms in Brighton. Whilst, of course, we had THE best time seeing our love another thing happened. We could not get enough of the support artists, usually, these acts were incredible, they were creative, talented and had the audience captured.
Something we can imagine is tricky when a crowd is waiting to see a Ru girl especially if Adore Delano. One queen that stood out for us was Lydia L’Scabies with a creative lip-sync involving the power of the internet. She had us gripped from the start, and was the one we spoke of the most amongst ourselves after Lydia had left the stage.
We found her on social media and managed to grab her for an interview, she is most definitely one to watch and follow. If you get a chance to watch her live you will not be disappointed. So ladies and gentlemen introducing to the stage… Miss Lydia L’Scabies.
Dragadventures: What inspired you to start up drag?
Lydia L’Scabies: I used to work in a horror maze based in Brighton and I’d occasionally do female characters which was fun to explore, particularly when it came to scaring people for a living! I started doing some research for my dissertation on the fabrication of performer persona, with a focus on drag. My tutor loved my insight and take on it and encouraged me to give it a go, so from then I was building a character who came to life in my horrible student flat bedroom mirror, April 4th 2013!
DA: How did you decide your drag name?
L: Lydia because I was going to be called so if I was born female, I really enjoyed asking people as well “Do you know anyone called Lydia?” To which people would have a story accompanied by a “urgh” or similar, which I really enjoyed!
L’Scabies because I wanted to be a different kind of sexual threat, and combine my horror makeup skills as well, wearing venereal disease on my face as a satirical take on body and sex horror. Also, because all drag queens are fundamentally parasites, which I’m not ashamed to admit, the only difference being is that what you get from others is voluntary, if you’re good enough at what you do of course!
DA: Do you have specific aesthetic with your character
L: I love bouncing eras with Lydia, I feel the “concept” spans over decades and therefore quite timeless. I love the old 40’s and 50’s PSA posters on venereal disease, all making out “loose women” to be some kind of menace to society riddled with disease and no morals. Of course, they’re all horribly misogynistic which is something I really want to address and parody.
Early days I was really observant to popular culture and wanted to emulate “it girls” of the high street and internet, and from that, I really got into vintage stuff. I love 80’s does 50’s, and I love the 60’s fashions too, I want to explore other stuff as well of course but for now, I’m really enjoying experimenting. Nothing, however, can beat a little black dress from any era.
DA: If drag race was to do a UK show would you apply?
L: People ask me this and I’m unsure. The extortionate fee increase would obviously be lovely, but I’d have to watch a whole UK season beforehand to get to grips with the UK treatment of the format. I have a feeling I’d get a horrible edit and possibly end up worse off!
DA: Does it annoy you that more attention goes to Rugirls? Or do you think drag race has brought a good wave of attention to the UK and UK queens?
L: Not at all, like they’ve been on TV or are a part of world famous bars and clubs people can see videos online (Mickey’s Showgirls etc). Drag Race has obviously given me a great platform and opportunities as a support artist to a lot of them, a lot of work, and for that, I’m so grateful and blessed, and with that, I’d say I’ve brought some attention to myself, as well for other performers for sure!
DA: Your favourite show you’ve ever done during your career?
L: Oh goodness! For me, it would have to be either the Voss Events Werq The World tour date in London, or the Powder Room supporting Pearl just for the reaction I got debuting “You Ruin Me.”
DA: Who would be your dream person to perform with?
L: Oh my god, well I’ve been lucky enough to work alongside many people whose work I have admired, such as Sharon Needles, Raven, Christeene, Joe Black, and many more. I also got the opportunity alongside a gaggle of U.K. queens to be an extra in the Absolutely Fabulous movie in which I was in the same space as Jennifer Saunders, Joanna Lumley, and the wonderful Julia Sawalha, the series that really informed my humour and observations, but to work with another performer I’d have to say I’d love to work with the Boulet Brothers and prove my Monsterness, Porcelain, and Anaol Fatale, but honestly I’d love nothing more than to perform with Debbie Gibson with my main gal Rococo Chanel.
DA: Where can fans find you next?
L: WELL Lydia will be at the Powder Room again for Valentina, and Bristol early November for a new night called “Category is”! Outside of Lydia, I’m a part of a comedy drag duo called CINEBRA (like cinema but with a bra, movie-themed drag @wereallylikemovies) and we have been touring our award-winning show “A History Of Horror”, an original comedy horror musical! We’ll be at the Royal Vauxhall Tavern on the 20th and back in Brighton on Halloween night!
We here at DragAdventures recommend you go follow Lydia on her social media accounts below to keep up to date, and to catch her award-winning show as part of CINEBRA:
FB: /miteriddenslag
IG: @lydialscabies
YT: @Lydia L’Scabies
TW: @lydialscabies
