Ghouls' night out: Orlando's alternative drag events highlight wild new faces and aesthetics

It is 11:30 p.m. on a Saturday night at Austin's Coffee. What would usually be a more chilled-out late-night vibe is, tonight, decidedly opposite. The small space is heaving with human bodies packed into every possible space, hands fervently thrusting out dollar bills almost in unison.

Down the merest sliver of open walkway, a succession of ever more glamorous or horrifying (or if you're lucky, both!) drag performers take turns strutting their way to the small stage at the front of the room. Don't dare take your eyes off of them, because they're all over the floor, the audience, any available piece of furniture, suddenly right in your face in a blur of motion that is graceful and unpredictable. The night is soundtracked by a masked and collared DJ playing chopped-up pop hits and underground anthems. Spirits are high, the air is sticky and humid. This is SpikeFest, a showcase for bold new alternative drag players in Central Florida.

SpikeFest is the brainchild of DJ Pup Rocky — also setting the sonic tone for the evening — who started it last year "as a celebration of my friends," springboarding off the success of a Diversified Drag show at Austin's on New Year's Eve. "That first iteration of SpikeFest as we know it today had the place packed to the brim," says Rocky, thinking back. "It was shocking and humbling to see so many beautiful people wanting to support a form of artistry that I was so passionate about supporting as well."

SpikeFest is quickly becoming a gathering point for a coterie of new and young drag performers learning their craft in fast-forward, here and in spaces like Manikin's, the 808 (RIP), Renaissance Theatre and, recently, The Dust. (The Dust is the new branding for downtown's Stardust Lounge.) The performers gleefully draw looks and influences from horror films, punk and gothic music, cult films, avant-garde fashion and anything culturally outré, paired to physical performance styles that quite literally leave everything on the floor. The last Spike Fest had us feeling like we were at a DIY show.

"I love going to high-energy rock shows and constantly draw inspiration from my experiences there," agrees Rocky. "I love the feeling of being in an intimate space, brushing shoulders with fellow concertgoers all while the artists are all up in your face as they perform."

Anesthesia was a standout on that September night, doing two radically different performances that veered into experimental and body-horror territories, while still strangely graceful. "All my garments and performances come from a world of religion and spirits and mystic women, the soothsayers and banshees of old folk-tales," explains Anesthesia. "Many of my silhouettes draw from the worlds of dark surrealism and thinking of how I can make the fabric behave in a way that looks haunting, beautiful or completely frightening."

This weekend, running adjacent to Come Out With Pride celebrations in Orlando, is the return of SpikeFest as SpikeBall. SpikeBall, in turn, runs in tandem with a new event earlier in the evening, Gala of Ghouls in Thornton Park.

SpikeBall promises a "celebration of alternative queerness and fashion" with featured performers including Davi Oddity, Allie Slasher, Spit-Storme, Mok Bastard, Anesthesia, Pup Coco and the otherworldly Alexandria (FKA Waka Shame) again taking over Austin's. By all accounts, this looks to be their biggest undertaking yet.

"In between the shows we will be having a bit of a runway competition for Best Dressed, with a grand prize donated by my longtime friend and designer Jooj Sutt, owner and creator of Bitchfist NYC," says Rocky. "You may recognize her work being worn by artists such as Billie Eilish, Lil Nas X, Lady Gaga and Poppy."

Davi Oddity, also a tireless mover and booster amongst this newer drag scene (and a repeat performer at SpikeFest), is similarly enthusiastic about SpikeFest's rapid growth and sees the night as an important adjunct to the bigger celebrations elsewhere.

"Starting out there was a decent crowd, but to have the consistent momentum as an alternative drag show at a coffee shop is pretty insane. They've literally outgrown the space," says Oddity. "Participating in [SpikeBall] means I am helping to create a unique safe space for someone who might not have found the same connection or representation at one of the bigger Pride celebrations."

"I truly think the SpikeBall is going to be a turning point for SpikeFest," agrees Anesthesia.

On the earlier side of the evening, Gala of Ghouls is an ambitious undertaking right out of the gate, featuring drag, DJs, live music and a local makers' market — set up in collaboration with Kat Abrenica from the Moon Mercado — all delving into the spookier side. Gala has been put together by trans drag performer, photographer and Ferocity Coffee slinger Kissa Death — and her nom de drag is more than just a play on words.

"Kissa Death is the embodiment of everything that people have believed is wrong with who I am. She is a — forgive my language — F you to all of the struggles that I've had to face in society with my transition," explains Death. "It's a way to reframe the world around me to say that every struggle and person who hasn't believed in me is going to be part of the reason I win. Death is only the beginning of transformation, and when I'm not afraid of death or loss, I become unstoppable. Kissa speaks to the endurance of trans people and how it is even stronger than death itself."

Death has high hopes and a sense of mission for this Gala of Ghouls.

"My goal with this show was to create space for different kinds of expression we don't usually get to see," says Death. " I also wanted people that are very visible in their identity, since it is a Pride show after all, and the goal is celebrating our uniqueness and our individuality!"

Gratifyingly the two events are working hand in (spiked) glove, sharing some performers like Anesthesia and Pup Rocky — who is excited about DJing as opener for VAXYN-8 from Black Haus, enthusing, "He's so fantastic, and a personal fashion icon of mine."

"I think collaboration is quite possibly the most important element in creating something," says Death. "I love what Rocky has created with SpikeFest — it's this punk, grungy drag community that is loud, inclusive and unpretentious. I wanted to make it clear that this concept is meant to work alongside people that are already creating great things in Orlando, not just a battle of who can do what better."

There's even a SpikeGhoul pass you can snap up to attend both events, if you're feeling frisky on Saturday.

"It was really important for me to do something on Come Out With Pride, sorely for the fact that we need positive trans representation now more than ever," says Death. "Resilience has always been the spirit of transness, and especially for younger generations facing 'Don't Say Gay' and the loss of HRT medication, it's important for us to bring the energy of resistance and endurance back into our community."

There seems to be a genuine sense of community, camaraderie and excitement amongst these performers as they play each other's events and hype one another up.

Oddity's own Cult Night recently debuted at The Dust near Lake Eola, bringing together horror-themed drag and burlesque performers, and featuring visiting royalty in the terrifying form of Dragula's Priscilla Chambers. Like SpikeFest, it was another unpredictable, in-your-face evening of performances.

"When I found out I was going to be hosting Priscilla Chambers, I knew I wanted to create something really special," says Oddity. "I always aim to showcase a lineup of those you wouldn't normally see together or maybe a variety of performers arranged in a way that flows like a story."

Since we're only scratching the surface of then new generation of performers, we asked the performers to shout out some people and nights we might have missed.

Anesthesia talks up Treehouse at Manikin's in Sanford, Rock and Shock at Tampa's Brass Mug (run by SpikeFest alum Medusha), Off the Record Wednesdays at the Renaissance Theatre, and the returning Creature Feature as well (everyone mentions Black Haus with admiration at some point).

Oddity highlights Kandi Krave at Conduit, Creature Feature and Victoria Black for constant inspiration, and new performer Sue Cyde.

"I love the way that drag has become less gendered and limited in the kind of expression it gets to share," reflects Death on the spirit of these events. "I think that's what I appreciate the most about the newer generation of drag — the fact that we don't necessarily have boundaries or expectations for the kind of things we can express. I love seeing performers of every identity show me the innermost parts of their creative spirit."