Despite its name, events crew LGB is made up of leading ladies and non-binary folk
Since its inception, out of the mud-pits of The Secret Garden Party in 2012, the Little Gay Brother collective has gone from strength to strength.
They’ve held sell-out club nights at Omeara, and now they are bringing queer clubbing back to London’s iconic Fabric nightclub for the first time in over a decade, on 16 December 2018.
We speak to Mairi Houston, an actress and dancer, Sophie Brain, a dancer and performer, and Verity Mayes and Bryony Masters who make up Maze & Masters DJ collective, about life as a leading light in the East London scene within Little Gay Brother – and why we should join the party…
Dancer Mairi Houston & DJ Bryony Masters getting engaged on stage at Brighton Pride this year. Photo by Gemma Bell​.
Mairi describes joining Little Gay Brother in 2015 as, “the best choice [she's] ever made”, adding that it's a “big adrenaline ride and a safe space to be who you want to be with zero judgements.”
She’s made friends for life and it’s also the reason she met her fiancée Bryony Masters, one half of Little Gay Brother’s resident DJs Maze & Masters.
Mairi and Sophie talk about about their experiences as female drag queens: “It's a great way to express yourself and fuck around with the gender binaries," explains Sophie. "
From my personal experience I have been treated really well by drag queens that are men. However, from a wider perspective, I do think that there is generally a lack of recognition and celebration of female drag queens in the same way I see for male queens.”
Sophie Brain, Little Gay Brother dancer on stage at Brighton Pride. Photo by Gemma Bell​.
Mairi adds: “For me, it gives me a persona which gives me the ultimate confidence when on stage. In my experience with the Little Gay Brother family, female drag queens are celebrated just as much as the male drag queens are.”
Maze & Masters are a duo of London-based producers who have performed everywhere from everywhere from Printworks to Studio338, and have even headed to Ibiza to play super clubs like Pacha. We ask what inclusion means to them in their sets.
“We just want everyone to have a good time, it’s that simple," says Bryony.
"Whoever you are, whatever you identify as, it doesn’t matter. Wear what you want, dance how you like, do you in the way that makes you feel like the best version of yourself”.
Kierah Stark and Amie Carter. Photo by Vic Lentaigne.​
The duo emphasise that, “it’s important the promoters book girls because they think they’re on par with the boys, not just to tick a box. There are some incredible artists rising through the ranks that don’t give a shit about ticking boxes and certainly won’t be put in one.
"The more that these acts get exposure on the main stage, the more role models there are to encourage young guns.”
Sophie says, “I'd really love to see more spaces where a bigger part of the crowd is made up of women. I feel like I see so many spaces where there's such a confident and sexually liberated energy from the men in the crowd but I do think this is lacking for women.”
Mairi suggests that female and non-binary people should feel welcomed at their nights because of the strong female/enby presence there.
“Our superstar resident DJs Maze & Masters are both female and at least half the performers and drag queens are female or non binary and they represent, trust me!”
The team are all rightfully excited for a long overdue queer rave at the infamous Fabric nightclub – in short, prepare for something tres special.
"Little Gay Brother is not just watching the chemistry between the dancers and the DJs, but really feeling like they are part of it.
"We’re basically a massive family that everyone is encouraged to join."
Fancy it? The next Little Gay Brother event is on Sunday 16 December 2018. Find out more at facebook.com/LittleGayBrotherPresents or follow them on Instagram @littlegaybro
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