The Wang Has Landed Down Under! An Aussie Homecoming, Drag Debuts and a Whole Lot of Farkin' Fun!
A newsy newsletter for the Dominhion Republic!
Well, well, well, look who's back and you haven’t unsubscribed! Yay for me!
After a whirlwind couple of weeks Down Under, I've returned to Toronto with a suitcase full of drag, some wonderful memories and what appears to be the plague. It's been a week and I'm still coughing, snotting and spluttering my way through life. Life of a showgirl!
But enough about my current state. Let's talk about Australia!
For the first time EVER, I performed in drag in my home country! An Australian drag queen who had never actually performed in Australia. Make it make sense!
And let me tell you, it was a “bloody rippa of a toime!”
What I've been up to
Melbourne, you wet and wonderful thing!
First stop, Melbourne!
One thing I quickly discovered is that the Australian drag scene operates a little differently from what I'm used to in Canada. For starters, they actually pay performers a decent performance fee! Not $100 for 2-3 sets of 30 minutes of marathon drag. But there's a catch. No tips!
Which means you're actually expected to focus on performing rather than running around the venue grabbing bills from strangers. A novel concept! But honestly, I loved it. It was nice to be in the moment, deliver and perform, and not have to worry about collecting tips. And with no one waving a five-dollar bill at me, I could finally concentrate on the “choreography”. There are videos as proof!!
My Melbourne debut consisted of TWO shows in one night, on what could only be described as a very typical Melbourne day. Cold, wet, grey and absolutely miserable.
There was torrential rain, the kind that makes you question every decision you've ever made that led you to leave the house. But did that stop the Melbourne Minhions from coming out to support me? ABSOLUTELY NOT!
And I was so touched! “Show us on this doll Minhi, where you were touched” *points to heart*
Melburnians really don't give a shit about the weather. This is their life. This is what they live with day in and day out. Meanwhile, if this were Toronto, the entire city would've probably shut down. Too wet, too slippery, Uber surge pricing through the roof and the TTC having some sort of existential crisis (but when isn’t it, amiright ladies?).
Props to Melbourne!
First up was a SOLD OUT live episode of Death to Everyone at Comedy Republic, right in the heart of Melbourne's CBD, hosted by the ever-talented and hospitable Lazy Susan (winner of Drag Race Down Under Season 4) and her sister in crime, Zelda Moon. Both absolute darls and such a treat to be around!
And what an episode it was!
Audience participation! Games! Prizes! Performances! Family secrets! Gay porn on the family computer!
And for those wondering, no one will EVER think to look in the subfolder labelled "Serena Williams". IYKYK.
Laughs were had, feelings were hurt, gasps were heard and the love was felt and I couldn't have asked for a better welcome home.
But there was no time to rest because the Wang had another appointment!
Rough Trade, queer art and a very steep staircase
After the podcast, it was straight onto the one-year anniversary of Rough Trade, a queer alternative drag night at Kent St Bar.
And OH MY GOD, I loved this!
This is the kind of queer drag scene that I feel Toronto has been missing a little lately.
When I first moved to Toronto, we had The Beaver, which was a wonderful home for alternative queer performances and general debauchery. Sadly, it closed during the pandemic and I don't think we've ever truly replaced it.
BRING BACK QUEER ALT DRAG TO TORONTO!
I want to see someone pour fake blood down their naked back and have a drag queen rim and lick it out of their asshole!
PROTECT QUEER ART!
And I mean that! Because it's only in spaces like this that you can witness something so wonderfully bizarre, confronting, filthy and creative, and have an entire room of queerdos absolutely LIVE for it.
The straights could never. They'd make it weird. Sexual. Gross. Especially straight men. Why are they like that?
But us gays and queerdos? We get it! It's ART!
And what made Rough Trade so special was the space itself.
I say space because calling it a stage would be rather generous. Unlike their audience who were famously described as “generous with their attention” (Moon, Z 2026).
Kent St Bar has an outdoor patio and a tiny little lounge area with a very steep staircase leading up to the bar.
That staircase? That's your stage!
When the show starts, everyone sardines themselves into every available inch of the venue. People are standing along the walls on the cushions and couches, perched wherever they can and some are even sitting on the FLOOR of the bar.
The FLOOR!
Now THAT is a choice. But more importantly, that is COMMITMENT. And we LOVE commitment!
There was something so wonderfully intimate and chaotic about the whole experience. No fancy stage, no huge production, just performers doing their thing and an audience completely invested in what was unfolding before them.
It was also so lovely to meet the other performers, share the space and just be part of a queer community that celebrates art in all its weird and wonderful forms.
Melbourne, you really were wonderful. A week was nowhere near enough and I would absolutely LOVE to come back and perform again.
But alas, the Wang had to move north.
Next stop, SYDNEY!
Sydney, you beautiful feral bitch!
Originally, I had only booked one gig, joining Vybe and Coco Jumbo for their regular Friday night show at Universal Bar.
Firstly, a massive shoutout to Universal Bar for having me and looking after me so well!
Secondly, I had forgotten just how FERAL drunk young Australian women can be.
And you know what? I kind of love it!
The screaming! The enthusiasm! The absolute lack of inhibition! It's fantastic (in small, limited, well defined doses)! Provided it doesn't get TOO much. There's a fine line between enthusiastic audience participation and wanting you to shut the fuck up and sit down!
But another thing I really appreciated about Australian drag was the production value.
The sound systems were GOOD. There were proper stages (where appropriate), actual lighting setups and an overall sense that the performance was the main event.
I mean, when you're not running around collecting tips, you might as well put on a SHOW!
Friday night's lineup included Vybe, Coco Jumbo, Carmen Geddit and yours truly.
And can we talk about Australian pop music from the 90s and 2000s for a second?
GOD, I MISS IT!
Do you know who gets it? VYBE AND COCO!
I recently saw Vybe perform "I Believe" from the movie Honey. DEEEEEEP CUT!
But if you know, YOU KNOW!
These are the kinds of numbers I would LOVE to do in Toronto, but I always worry that the audience wouldn't get the reference.
But then again, who the fuck cares?!
PROTECT QUEER ART!
It was also so lovely to see friends from Sydney come out to support me, including some familiar faces from the Sydney Stingers, Sydney's LGBTQI+ water polo team.
Thank you, Sydney Minhions! You made this mini Wang feel very loved.
Sunday Sessions at the Berro!
Now, I thought my Friday night gig would be my only Sydney performance, but the drag gods had other plans!
I was lucky enough to pick up another booking at Beresford Sundays, or as the locals affectionately call it, the Berro.
For my Canadian and international Minhions, let me explain a very important part of Australian culture.
Australians LOVE to drink. There is quite literally a local pub on nearly every corner. And one of our greatest cultural institutions is something called the Sunday Session.
A Sunday Session is essentially an early afternoon party designed to ward off the Sunday scaries.
You start drinking around 2 or 3pm, enjoy the afternoon sun (weather permitting), have a little dance, perhaps make out with someone you shouldn’t have and eventually head home around 9pm.
Or later, depending on how much you value your Monday morning commitments.
It's honestly a fantastic way to spend a Sunday, and the Berro is well known for throwing a FARKIN' BEAUT of a Sunday Session!
As I was flying out the following day, I was on the first set alongside Sydney drag DJ The Only Logan, and also got to meet Karna Ford from Drag Race Down Under Season 4 and Dammit Janet!
What a lovely way to wrap up my Australian drag debut tour!
All in all, performing in Australia was such a wonderful experience. The audiences, the performers, the venues, the production and most importantly just the opportunity to do so. I never would’ve dreamed that performing in drag during a holiday and making a few bucks was on my bingo card.
Australia, thank you for showing up and showing out. I'll definitely be back!
What's coming up?
Well, I'm back in Toronto and currently fighting for my life against whatever plague I picked up on my travels.
But the show must go on!
I've got some fabulous events coming up and I'm DETERMINED to recover in time. Because nothing says glamour quite like rolled up toilet paper shoved up both your nostrils while doing your makeup
In particular look at this smashing line up for the rest of the year for Bellwoods Brewery! Book your tables here!
Keep an eye on my socials and event calendar for all the details on upcoming performances!
Minhi
Minhi Mart
Just because I've been gallivanting around Australia doesn't mean I've forgotten about my little business empire!
Minhi Mart is still very much open for business, and yes, I'm still the one packing your orders and tootling down to the post office.
A small business owner! An entrepreneur! A woman of many talents and very little free time!
If you're looking to treat yourself with a little bit of Wang, head over to Minhi Mart and have a browse.
Christmas is coming, after all, and what better gift than MERCH!
Wangs in the Wild!
You didn't think I'd travel halfway around the world without spotting a few Wangs, did you?
On my travels, I managed to spot several Wangs in the Wild, proving once again that Wangs really are EVERYWHERE!
And as always, I want YOU, my Minhions, to keep your eyes peeled for your own Wang sightings!
Big Wangs, little Wangs, Wangs in unexpected places. We don't discriminate!
If you spot one, take a photo and send it my way. You might just get a little shoutout in the next newsletter!
Stay Wangderful!
Thank you to everyone who came out, supported me, laughed with me and made my first Australian drag performances so memorable.
And to all my Minhions, wherever you are in the world, I hope you're doing your best, because truly, what more can we ask of you?
Remember, being Wangderful is a state of mind!
I love hearing from you, so jump into the comments on my socials or reply to this email and tell me how you're doing!
Until next time!
Stay beautiful,
