A Liverpool based drag queen has said he uses Scouse culture to bring his alter-ego to life.
Andrew McKay, from Kirkby, first tried drag when he was 31 at a friend's fancy dress party where he went all out to create a persona like no other.
Now, Andrew's drag persona, Filla Crack, has an impressive resume under her sparkly belt, including a residency at the Everyman Theatre, Hope Street, despite only being created four years ago.
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He told the ECHO : “I was standing in the kitchen and talking with a girl when she asked what my name was, I said that my real name was Andrew and she questioned if I was a boy. She didn’t believe me.
“But in that moment, watching the girl's face trying to figure out what was going on and her trying to put me in a box of male or female but couldn’t, I found it really empowering.”
Andrew initially wanted to make it in the acting industry but after being let down time and time again, he decided to solely focus on his drag persona and how he could bring her to life.
He said: "From my previous experiences (of auditioning) with three people on a judging panel, having the power to tell me whether I was good enough or not for the show to taking that away and just standing on my own two feet on a stage, in a dress and some make-up, being unapologetically myself, signing the songs that I want, wearing what I want, it just gave me a newfound power.”
Filla Crack has already made an appearance at Liverpool Pride and performed around the city in a version of Shakespeare's Midnight Summer's Dream.
Besides taking inspiration from the late Cilla Black, the 35-year-old also looks to Scouse sensations Crissy Rock, Lily Savage and Sandra Hannah, the mum of Chanel, the African Grey, as a muse to entertain his crowds.
The former LIPA student said: “When I was thinking about the character, I didn’t know who to base it on. But, I was brought up on the social club scene in Kirby, which is filled with these strong powerful Scouse women who cracked on with their lives.
“They had this energy, that no matter how much oppression they faced, they just put a smile on their face and cracked on with things.
"Aesthetically, it’s women who had pixie cuts, wear cardigans, flared pants and a little bit of sequence and lip liner. Filla Crack is the culture of those women with personality and character that you will find in the social club in the suburbs of Liverpool.”
Now, with a platform at his disposal, Andrew uses Filla Crack to speak on issues that the LGBTQ+ community face.
Andrew said: “As drag queens, because we have been pivotal members of the community for decades, it’s our responsibility to not just have a philosophical voice but a literal voice.
“I talk about politics and oppression within Liverpool especially the working class people, I also talk about how you don’t have to fit into boxes and push the non-binary movement which is really big at the minute.
"We are in a great place that if you don’t want to identify with a specific gender, that’s great, don’t do it, but we need to push it again. It’s using my voice to say what is the next step and how do we plan to educate others.”
Filla Crack can be found performing at the Everyman Theatre where she entertains guests with a range of mixed tempo songs from classical diva hits to comedy numbers.
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