Trixie Mattel, O2 Academy, Birmingham - review
Drag fans queued along the streets surrounding Birmingham's O2 Academy last night as Trixie Mattel brought her brand new headline tour, Skinny Legend, to the city.
It may have been a chilly Monday night, but fans eagerly packed into the venue to see the winner of RuPaul's Drag Race: All Stars Three in the highly-anticipated show.
First up to warm the crowd however, was Dublin queen Victoria Secret.
Her opening lip-sync began by paying homage to hit film Bird Box, before incorporating ABBA's greatest hits and scenes from All Stars.
The performance was the perfect blend of glamour and comedy that saw the charismatic queen twirl and kick her way across the stage while inducing raucous laughter from the crowd.
She was the perfect host for the evening as she got the audience cheering, drinking, and even taking part in competitions on stage.
Her closing act - a comedic cover of Ariana Grande's Thank U, Next - was possibly one of the greatest drag acts I have ever seen. Victoria waved goodbye to toxic masculinity, vegan sausage rolls, Piers Morgan and more in the hilarious routine that set the mood for the evening.
Manchester queen Miss Blair upped the ante even more with a tongue in cheek performance to You Can't Pray The Gay Away by Skitsofrenic.
She perfectly lip-synced to each lyric while expertly working her way through the crowd. She thoroughly embodied the character of an ageing preacher with a comedic edge that instantly hooked the audience.
Her second performance - a sultry and seductive rendition of Andrew Lippa's An Old-Fashioned Love Story - was captivating from start to finish as she danced across a chair before reaching out to the room once more.
Screams and cheers erupted across the venue as a short cartoon video began to play to introduce Trixie to the stage.
The 29-year-old drag queen, the character of Milwaukee performer Brian Firkus, sashayed onto the stage in a dazzling pink jumpsuit with cascading purple frills, with her signature blonde hair and striking makeup completing the loud and wild look.
The only thing that shone brighter than her ensemble was her personality as the drag superstar worked her way through a varied set packed full of laughter and live music.
Trixie has become best loved for her off-kilter humour that has been perfectly showcased on her web show alongside Katya Zamolodchikova, UNHhhh, as well as The Trixie and Katya Show on Viceland.
And last night, the reality TV star dazzled with a series of weird and wonderful anecdotes laced with dark jokes that had the audience laughing and gasping in equal measure.
Despite first rising to fame through RuPaul's Drag Race, Trixie didn't dwell on the hit show. Instead, her stand-up focused on everything from ageing through to children and relationships with stories that were achingly funny and thoroughly relatable.
The show was perfect for drag and comedy fans alike with jokes that could appeal to everyone - so long as you're not easily offended.
The queen weaved the set together with a series of songs that demonstrated her vast musical talents.
Trixie treated fans to a number of brand new songs such as Hey Rich People and a comedy ditty about drag queens with the eyes of Steve Buscemi.
As well as these comedy tracks, Trixie also performed a spine-tingling rendition of hit single Little Sister from her second album, Two Stone, as well as All Stars Three song Hey Kitty Girl.
Through each song Trixie's voice was simply sublime, showcasing an impressive range and tone.
As well as singing live, the queen also strapped on a guitar, an auto harp, and even picked up a clarinet to perform a dazzling cover of All The Colours of the Wind from Disney classic Pochahontas.
As well as being hilarious, Trixie stunned the audience with her sheer musical talent as she oozed passion and emotion in every note.
Ending the show with a well-deserved standing ovation, Trixie Mattel demonstrated a vast array of talents expertly in a fully-rounded show that had something for everyone.
Whether you're a fan of Drag Race, UNHhhh, The Trixie and Katya Show or you just like live music and comedy - Trixie Mattel is sure to have you shouting 'oh honey' by the end of one of her shows.
I hope she doesn't sashay away from the region for too long.
