Eight years down the track Melbourne’s drag kings remain a lively subculture on the queer social calendar. On the cusp of their move to The Glasshouse we speak to Bumpy, King Victoria’s co-founder. 

While technically cross-dressing, the impact of the Melbourne’s drag king movement goes way beyond suits, ties and pencil moustaches. Drag kings, like their drag queen cousins, have a life all their own.
A typical Friday night’s performance with the kings offers up cursing hip-hop, glam rock ‘70’s superstars and dildo-slinging comedy skits with the line between the stage and the audience constantly blurred.

A glance at a list of the names of drag king talent line-up on any given night sums up the tone beautifully: Garry Glitterus, Scon Bott, Ken Fukuoke, Dykes to Men, Beau Heartbreaker, to name but a few. Within the drag king movement there are also real superstars – Rocco D’Amore and Tom Urge have many a gal swooning in the front row.

This month King Victoria, the driving force behind Melbourne’s drag king movement, will set up shop at The Glasshouse in Gipps Street, Collingwood – a momentous occasion for the club that was established at Salon Kitty (now A Bar Called Barry) and has spent the past seven years at The Star Hotel (now Opium Den).

King Victoria co-founder Bumpy (stage name Bumpsonator) says the move represents an evolution in the weekly drag king nights.
“It’s actually bigger than the space at the Opium Den,” she says. “But we will still have that intimate cabaret feel – I didn’t want to go somewhere cavernous like a big nightclub.”

Bumpy says Glasshouse proprietor Maria Frendo has been very supportive of a “gender play” performance space, to the point of converting the larger Glasshouse dinning room to a performance room and building a new stage.
“She’s really sympathetic to transgender/queer/ drag king/lesbian – so it will be a really positive move,” says Bumpy.

The idea to start a drag king night in Melbourne was inspired by Judith “Jack” Halberstam’s Drag King Book (1999). Featuring beautiful photographs by Del LaGrace Volcaneo, the book documents the king movement in London, New York and San Francisco.
“Should we be suspicious of this sudden interest in the masculine woman or is it merely the belated recognition … that butchness can be sexy?” writes Halberstam in the book. The impact of the drag king movement in Melbourne answers that question in the affirmative.

King Victoria’s Bumpy says there’s no shortage of women willing to don blokes’ garb and facial hair.
“I know lots of women are fascinated by the world of masculinity,” she says. “It’s really interesting to take it on – just to walk like a man is really fun, it’s really empowering. There’s no point being strict with gender – it’s just a really beautiful, creative thing.” 

But King Victoria’s appeal stretches way beyond the confines of the lesbian community. Midsumma 2008 featured an exhibition of drag king photographs by Irish photographer John Sones at the Arts Centre and King Victoria has been involved in producing a number of gender bending events in other venues (Gasworks Arts Park is a prime example). The king shows also embrace other performance styles including circus, acoustic music, theatre and comedy. Artists to perform with the kings include Moira Finucane, Azaria Universe, Veronica C Combs (USA), The Town Bikes and Quiche Lorraine.

Along with cross-dressing women, drag king shows provide a creative outlet for F to M (female to male) transgender folk.

King Victoria was co-founded by well-known transman, Tom Urge and Bumpy says the nights retain a strong connection to the transgender community.
“I think it has been a way of expressing a strong maleness for transgender guys and expressing what their ideal man is,” she says. “And then when they choose that through surgery or whatever they don’t necessarily want to come back and perform. But then there are (trans) men who love coming back – Tom Urge comes and performers and he’s fantastic. It’s all about maleness.”

King Victoria
The Glasshouse Hotel
Launching Friday April 11
Details: www.kingvictoria.com

by DAREN POPE