“I didn’t come here to dance, I came here to make a statement”
Herr – sometime in 2016
Meth
Director and Part Owner of Her Upstairs – Madame of the House
With a look reminiscent of a clown on acid going to the met gala. Meth has earned an infamous reputation around the world for her bizarre and beautiful spin on drag. Having performed across Europe (Berlin, Helsinki, Stockholm, Zagreb) and America (New York, Philadelphia, Austin, LA) and calling London her home Meth has stormed the international drag and cabaret scene in a relentless revolutionary charge of strange and seductive extravagance. A master of lip synch performance, a host and compere with scathing wit and the co-producer of the internationally acclaimed Drag show, The Meth Lab. Meth has shared the stage with drag royalty such as Bianca Del Rio, Alaska 5000, Sharon Needles and Michelle Visage, and appeared on World of Wonders YouTube network with James St James and Hey Qween! TV. A member of the queer performance collective The Family Fierce and a star of the London Live’s Docu-Soap series Drag Queens of London, Meth is turning out an epidemic of addicts who are screaming for more and more and more… Remember kids: Drugs are bad… Don’t do drugs, do Meth “effortlessly impeccable… a master of her craft” – Gay Times “if you’ve never experienced Meth… you haven’t lived” – SoSoGay “a gender-bending mindfuck” – ThisIsCabaret.comJoe Parslow
Joe
Director and Part Owner of Her Upstairs – better known as #boyfriendjoe
Joe Parslow is a PhD Candidate at the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama and a lecturer teaching across the fields of drama, theatre and performance at undergraduate and postgraduate. His research focuses on drag performance, and the potential ways in which queer communities can and do emerge in contemporary London, particularly around performance. He is also known as #BoyfriendJoe and has spent many years as drag queens’ boyfriend, assistant, and general dogsbody, picking up their smalls and sweeping up their mess on stage. In many ways, he is everyone’s #BoyfriendJoe.
George
Director and Part Owner of Her Upstairs – THE BOSS
A mystery wrapped in an enigma, soaked in gin, with an appalling attitude and vile tongue. Having worked in the Queer Scene and industry for seven years, and drinking heavily for many more, our George was a natural choice to finish off and heading up the “board of directors” and manage the bar. His management CV includes venues such as Madame JoJos, Escape, Dalston Superstore, The Black Cap and The Bloc as well as working on events such as Love Box, Hackney Weekender and Pride. In a past life George was a King’s College Graduate with first class honours in Law as well as an internationally acclaimed make up artist shooting for Vogue and stuff like that, but he gave all that up to live a debauched alcohol-fuelled lifestyle and basically muck around with Drag Queens! Now in residence as Her Upstairs’ manager and top bitch, we give you “grandpa goth”.
Chris
Graphics designer – lesser known as Rosie Beaver
Chris makes pretty things for us….he lives on a boat, He’s on twitter @chrisdclegg, and co founded 176flamingolane.com. He also helped decoupage and occasionally helps to play some funky music… Sometimes he also helps us to deplete our bourbon stock levels.
Gareth Joyner
Writer in Residence and Creative Consultant
The brains behind the incredible Myra Dubois, star of television, radio and stage as well as comedian Frank Lavender has agreed to be Writer in Residence and creative consultant – writing and directing four shows with us as well as consulting on a whole array of huge new projects!
Herr
Artist in Resident
We can not really explain what lunacy this is, a r elation of our favourite drag enthusiast Imogen Thatt, Herr is with out a doubt on of the most incredible drag performers, The art she creates is something special, piece after piece after piece. She is by no means the namesake of the venue, whatever she might say, it was merely a coincidence. SO PLEASE STOP SENDING LETTERS. Winner of Not Another Drag Competition All Stars and truly one of the most bizarre uniquely brilliant creatures to ever grace earth.
Ophelia Love
The beauty and the face
Our darling Ophelia Love, the international queen, runner up in All Stars and the tallest lady we know, give her a glass of red wine and she will proper cunt you off.
Cheryl Hole
The Snake
We can not really explain this… But we love Cheryl Hole
Frances
Foster child – Better known as “Friend”
Frances recently sky rocketed to fame as the more relatable half of the duo that is Herr&Frances, and now works behind the bar at Her Upstairs, making drinks, washing glasses and ensuring there is always doom and gloom. Better known as “friend” to the masses but to us she is just “our Frances”. She is the glue holding us all together.
Tayce
Our Pussy. Our Chooky. Our idol.
The stunning and incredible Tayce won our hearts in season 3, you can now find her at HU every day with a rum and coke killing it!
WITH SPECIAL THANKS TO...
Daniel Willis who without there may still be no bar,
or floors, let alone everything else he helped us do,
our buff aussie hero,
Wayne Shires our beloved neighbour.
Giovanni for the smile,
Marco Ciaccia, Mattie Griffiths, Brittle, Ruby Wednesday,
Lilly SnatchDragon, Bourgeoisie, Beth Necessity,
Charlie Smoke, Robert Houston, Dr J, Mynxie Monroe,
Aimee Rose, Kai Kai, Maxim Melton, Eric Rose,
Eric Anllo Muniz, EDNA!
Basically everyone else who helped us make our little queerdream a reality.
oh and ABBA for the music and the motivation.
