Drag King Wesley Dykes talks misconceptions and call-out culture

Drag King Wesley dykes
DRAG KING Wesley Dykes photographed by Diego Maeso

Smooth as silk drag king Wesley Dykes has had a great 2019 so far, winning over hearts and minds all across the capital with their exquisitely crafted routines, oozing an abundance of charm every time they take to a stage.

This week Jason Reid got to know more about the king who is on the ascent…

Who is Wesley Dykes? 


Mr Wesley Dykes is your friendly neighbourhood fxckboi – singing and dancing in the streets, storytelling in the sheets. 

What’s your aesthetic? 

Afrocentric thrift sartorial.  

When and why did you decide to take up drag performance? 

Halloween 2012 was the day.

And why?

Sheer curiosity, which was inspired by Canada’s Capital Kings – check them out! 

Describe your performance style in three words.

Lyrical, shifting, detail-orientated.  

What does it mean to be a drag king in 2019? 

Being a drag king in 2019 means allowing everyone the opportunity to enjoy their masculinity, and not be punished by it. 

If you could change anything about the cabaret scene right now, what would it be? 

I would ask more people to call out so much more of the phobic trash we still hear at cabaret shows on a regular basis. 

What’s your favourite song to perform? 

My song – Does Your Mother Know! It’s such a turn-on to perform and play to the crowd with.

What makes you happy? 

Neck kisses and cuddles.

What’s the drag king dream? 

Continuous collaboration. The work I’ve been doing with The Cocoa Butter Club is a path I’m excited to continue on. 

If you could live just one day as anyone else, living or dead, who would you choose and why? 

Boris Johnson. So I could fly myself far away, tell the pilot to leave me there and not come back to pick me up for a few months. 

The biggest drag king misonception? 

The biggest misconception about kings is that they’re the ‘opposite’ of drag queens. That would require drag queens to also be one thing only. 

Your casting an alternative Drag Race UK? (apart from yourself who’s included in the line-up) 

Oedipussi Rex, Romeo De La Cruz, Lolo Brow, Son Of a Tutu, Sigi Moonlight, Apple Derrieres, Mark Anthony, Adam All, Royale Drag, Drag King Cole and Crayola. 

Do you have any pre or post-show rituals or routines? 

Lots of breathing, lots of stretching, vocal exercises, and the homie, Mary-Jane.

One piece of advice you’d give to new kings? 

Don’t forget to enjoy it! If you’re nervous, it’s probably because you give a shit.

Finally, tell us something about yourself that not many people know.

The name Wesley Dykes actually comes from an ex’s terrible dad who used to say I looked like Wesley Snipes. Very lemons to lemonade! 

Wesley Dykes will be performing at The Glory, 281 Kingsland Road, Haggerston, E2 8AS for the launch of Louche on Wednesday 9th October. 

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