ON THURSDAY, Bar 77 hosted a family reunion as it celebrated one of the venue’s regular drag nights.
The Big Drag Collective came together for the summer party, with group founder and resident performer Big Jay hosting.
Big Jay kicked the show off with a lip sync to Disco Sleaze, followed with performances by Dorian Gay and Incantation.
One of the performers, Crash, made their drag debut as the newest member of the Big Drag Collective when they lip-synched to Boogie Woogie Wu by Insane Clown Posse.
They donned black shorts and braces to match their dark make-up and shock of bright red hair, with severe, dark-liquid effect make-up coming down from their jaw.
Hot on their heels was Grace Anatomy, who lived up to their name by appearing with a lab coat and stethoscope to begin a performance which included Kylie Minogue’s hit Padam.
She quickly revealed down to a bright red dress complete with a matching bead necklace.
Next up was Incantation, whose costume recreation of Patrick Star from Spongebob Squarepants was perfect, down to the pink body paint, for their performance of Goofy Goober Rock.
Tarquinius Maximus followed with a performance of Monster, before Pump King closed the first half with a lip-sync to Måneskin’s Baby Said.
Incantation opened the second half with a lip sync to Bo Burnham’s My Whole Family before newcomer Crash returned with a consummate performance to Lady Gaga’s classic Bad Romance.
Later in the show, Pump King returned in a tan romper suit complete with ram horns for a performance of Don’t Wanna Know.
Among the most touching of performances was Big Jay’s lip sync to Florence and The Machine’s Free, which flipped fittingly between expressions of pure joy and deep despair almost instantly.
They closed the show with an uplifting performance to Pretty Fly for a White Guy by The Offspring.
While the Big Drag Collective was celebrating the summer party with something of a reunion, it also welcomed one of its newest members, Crash.
Crash describes himself as a drag jester, and following his debut performance Crash said that going on stage for the first time: “Felt absolutely amazing.
“I didn’t even see any of the people around me, I was just in the moment, but it was brilliant to hear such a good response.”
They explained that being part of the Big Drag Collective, led by Big Jay, is like “being part of a family.
“Everyone helps with make-up and tips, they’re also on hand– I’ll definitely be back.”
Bar 77 hosts a number of drag events throughout the year, including a regular residency by Big Jay.
More details can be found via Bar 77 and Iota Events on Instagram.
