Ahead of the finale of drag king contest Man Up, we caught up with host Adam All
Despite having as long and transgressive a history as drag queens, drag kings have often gone a little under the radar in the past. However, that is all changing, with a diverse and vibrant scene bubbling away all over the UK.
Adam All is one of the most recognisable faces from the drag king scene and one of the main forces behind its rapid resurgence. He runs the chaotic twice-monthly Boi Box night with Apple Derrieres, and is currently hosting the Man Up contest, in which up and coming kings and princes fight it out for a big ol’ £1000 prize!
We caught up with Adam ahead of next week’s final to see how the competition is shaping up.
How’s Man Up been going so far?
It’s been really good! We’ve had a lot of interest and some real supreme talent. We’ve had a range of different acts. A lot of lip-syncers, some singers, and spoken word. We’ve had a lot of really interesting topics brought up. It’s been really good fun.
How many are through to
the final?
We’ve got nine finalists so far, with one heat remaining. One of the things we’ve noticed is that it’s not necessarily all seasoned performers going through, as it’s all down to the performance on the night. We’ve seen performers with a whole range of experience. There’s a lot of new talent coming through, which is especially exciting for me!
How long have you been performing for?
I’ve been performing live for about eight and a half years, but I’ve been doing drag since I was a kid really. I’ve seen a lot of change since I’ve started doing it. There was a bit of a lull in the drag king scene in 2008, although it’s about 150 years old. There were certainly people doing it, but there wasn’t a unified community. Having social media at our fingertips has been massively beneficial in helping drag kings stay connected and support each other. When I started, there were only about four drag kings dotted throughout the UK, but now, we’re looking at about sixty or seventy performing drag kings, which is really exciting. We’re incredibly busy at Boi Box!
Do you find you can get away with more as Adam?
I don’t think it’s quite that simple! We try not to empower toxic masculinity. You can parody it to a certain extent, but there is a line you have to be careful not to cross where you just perform and embody it. We want to use drag to talk about the issues surrounding toxic masculinity. Drag exists to empower and break down social constructs of gender restrictions, which is what makes it so wonderful and important an
art form.
Do you think more men are coming to watch drag kings?
We get a very mixed audience, especially at Man Up. I often find that men are some of the most enthusiastic people in the crowd as well. Drag kings really appeal across the board. Talking about gender and society’s pressures on gender is a very universal thing, especially for members of the LGBTQIA community.
What epitomises modern masculinity for you?
That’s a difficult one. I have a lot of awesome male friends who are outwardly feminist and strong, and I like to mirror that behaviour in my performances. Being strong in your convictions of equality, I think that sums up modern maleness for me.
