‘Manchester queens lift each other up and I think that’s so important, especially in a community that is still fighting for equal rights’
As the first episode of RuPaul’s Drag Race UK began airing on BBC Three last week, local viewers were excited to see there were more than a fair few drag performers representing Manchester on the show this year.
But, stomping into the Werkroom in a dark blue and black dress with matching bonnet, it was Lill who was perhaps the most instantly-recognisable of all the Manchester talent as she cheekily shrugged “what am I like” whilst holding a (slightly creepy) baby doll in the exact same outfit.
And if the entrance outfit, co-designed by fellow Manchester queen Liquorice Black, wasn’t a good enough introduction to the wild world of Lill, then her two-in-one Queen Of Your Hometown look playing reference to both Oasis and The Hacienda certainly was.
With a name standing for Living in Lavish Luxury, the 36-year-old has made a name for herself here in Manchester over the years performing across the Gay Village and in city centre venues like Die Cast and Feel Good Club. She might also be familiar to viewers of Channel 4’s short-lived but brilliant Drag SOS, which aired back in 2019.
Lill says she first began doing drag ten years ago after being inspired by her friends who were making a name for themselves in the Manchester drag scene – something that clearly still inspires her looks and aesthetic today.
“It all began just from being out in Manchester really,” Lill tells the Manchester Evening News. “It was a really creative, exciting time. Going out and showing off was what it was all about then – we didn’t get a paid gig in years! I just thought ‘Well, if my friends can do it, why shouldn’t I?’”
Having studied fashion at Salford University, Lill says she has always been into clothes and turning garments into a completely different outfit. Still to this day, she will often be found rummaging through the racks at charity shops and thrift markets to ‘turn the tatty into the stunning’.
Citing John Galliano as one of her biggest inspirations, Lill describes her fashion sense in drag as a cross between a glamorous pin-up girl and the ‘freaky and weird’. “Fashion is how we express so much meaning to the world,” she explains.
“It lets everyone know who you are and what you’re about. I’m obsessed with historical fashion, films and icons. I just think it’s the most powerful, freeing and expressive art. I live for fashion and style.”
Alongside Lill, this year’s season represents queens who have found Manchester as their second home – like Melbourne-born Saki Yew and North Wales’ Actavia – and she believes it’s because there’s something special about this city when it comes to nurturing and welcoming queer talent.
“I think there’s a warmth to us that sets us apart,” she says of what makes the Manchester queer scene different to other cities. “We’re a chatty, daft bunch. As well, Manchester queens lift each other up and I think that’s so important, especially in a community that is still fighting for equal rights. We don’t forget that we’re all on the same side, we look out for one another and, let’s be honest, we look stunning doing it.”
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Speaking about her own love for her home city, Lill adds: “Manchester has my whole heart. This city is full of so many special people and so many that inspire me. So many have supported me to actually make this my job, and my life really, and without the people that have taken a chance on me I wouldn’t have gotten anywhere. So to be able to represent Manchester on such a big platform is really important to me.”
Lill, who performed a make-up routine as part of her talent show number of the first episode, says she has applied for RuPaul’s Drag Race UK a number of times since it started back in 2019 yet was unsuccessful on each occasion. Admitting her ‘patience was running thin’, she decided that this year was going to be the last time she put herself forward. Thankfully, she was cast.
Part of the Family Gorgeous collective, which also boasts fellow Drag Race UK alumni Cheddar Gorgeous and Banksie as members, Lill wasn’t allowed to confide in her drag family and tell them about her involvement in this year’s show so was unable to get any advice or suggestions ahead of taking part.
“I wasn’t allowed to tell them but it can’t have come as much of a surprise after I vanished off the face of the earth taking all my shoes with me,” she laughs. “I told myself this year was the last try at auditioning and then I was going to let myself move on from that idea, but it worked. I guess I was maybe more myself in the audition tape because I was less eager to impress.”
Those who have appeared on Drag Race UK over the years have gone on to be given the opportunity to perform across the world and attend annual big events like fashion runaways, movie premieres and conventions. Whilst, based on the start of the show alone, that looks set to also be the case for Lill, she says she says it will always feel ‘momentous’ to do a show here in Manchester.
Alberts Schloss is my home and has been for years,” she says when asked where her favourite places to perform in the city are. “From running the cabaret there to hosting our breakfast show Rise and Shine, every day is different but always surrounded by familiar faces and so much fun!
“I also love Feel Good Club, a queer-run venue in the Northern Quarter where Banksie and I host our monthly cabaret, Miss Chief. Die Cast is also amazing, Firehouse is amazing and it might only come once a year but Homobloc is the one night a year that feels absolutely electrifying. To be on that stage with big names and Manchester legends is just so exciting and emotional.
“It feels momentous to perform in Manchester every time.”