Understanding David Hoyle, Britain's finest avant-garde anti-drag queen

Parallel Universe — David Hoyle has spent his life fighting power through honesty and openness, not pointless kindness. Now he's set to be immortalised in print.

David Hoyle is a force to be reckoned with. Not just because of the unrelenting energy brought to every stage he steps on, but mostly for his ability to turn pain into power in a way that’s seamless – so bare and honest that it can make even the uninitiated uncomfortable.

Standing in front of an audience with a face smudged in makeup that will only get messier throughout the evening, Hoyle sports his signature look that goes miles past gender – anti-drag, it’s called – a form of organised chaos bringing together a subversion of preconceived ideas of femininity, a touch of surrealism, and a strong distaste for all that is binary and bourgeois.

Dragging his words with a piercing stare, Hoyle has been using performance to discuss complex subjects since the 1990s, addressing class, homophobia, materialism, racism, nationalism and trauma with a scathing mix of well-researched humour and unwavering intensity.

Outside of his persona, David is soft-spoken and relatively subdued, but still extremely honest and upfront. On stage and off, the Blackpool-born artist speaks openly about having been bullied to the point of a mental breakdown at the age of fourteen, as well as his relationship with mental health, drugs, self-harm and alcohol.

His honesty and unapologetic approach to queerness led him to become an unmatched icon in the British LGBTQ scene. An outsider among the outsiders, David’s life as an artist has been through various phases, going from BBC-level fame through a self-imposed hiatus and back to the stages of legendary LGBTQ London venues, never losing his energy on the way.

Above all, David’s life shows that, for him, being an artist isn’t an occupation, but a necessity – it’s second nature.

It’s this dichotomy and complex history that photographer and friend Holly Revell is looking to immortalise in print. Featuring images taken over the past eight years, collages of memorabilia from performances and previously unseen artworks, David Hoyle: Parallel Universe promises to be not only a biography, but also a documentation of the experience of a performance – going from preparation to the height of adrenaline onstage and back to reality.

rewards-collage-prints
reward-david-example
3-1-rvt
1-2b-mega-history
1-1b-mega-bowie

You can help David Hoyle: Parallel Universe become a reality through Kickstarter.

Enjoyed this article? Like Huck on Facebook or follow us on Twitter.


Ad

Latest on Huck

Red shop frontage with "Open Out" branding and appointment-only signage.
Activism

Meet the trans-led hairdressers providing London with gender-affirming trims

Open Out — Since being founded in 2011, the Hoxton salon has become a crucial space the city’s LGBTQ+ community. Hannah Bentley caught up with co-founder Greygory Vass to hear about its growth, breaking down barbering binaries, and the recent Supreme Court ruling.

Written by: Hannah Bentley

Cyclists racing past Palestinian flag, yellow barriers, and spectators.
Sport

Gazan amputees secure Para-Cycling World Championships qualification

Gaza Sunbirds — Alaa al-Dali and Mohamed Asfour earned Palestine’s first-ever top-20 finish at the Para-Cycling World Cup in Belgium over the weekend.

Written by: Isaac Muk

Crowded festival site with tents, stalls and an illuminated red double-decker bus. Groups of people, including children, milling about on the muddy ground.
© Alan Tash Lodge
Music

New documentary revisits the radical history of UK free rave culture

Free Party: A Folk History — Directed by Aaron Trinder, it features first-hand stories from key crews including DiY, Spiral Tribe, Bedlam and Circus Warp, with public streaming available from May 30.

Written by: Isaac Muk

Weathered wooden building with a tall spire, person on horseback in foreground.
Culture

Rahim Fortune’s dreamlike vision of the Black American South

Reflections — In the Texas native’s debut solo show, he weaves familial history and documentary photography to challenge the region’s visual tropes.

Written by: Miss Rosen

A collage depicting a giant flup for mankind, with an image of the Earth surrounded by planets and people in sci-fi costumes.
Culture

Why Katy Perry’s space flight was one giant flop for mankind

Galactic girlbossing — In a widely-panned, 11-minute trip to the edge of the earth’s atmosphere, the ‘Women’s World’ singer joined an all-female space crew in an expensive vanity advert for Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin. Newsletter columnist Emma Garland explains its apocalypse indicating signs.

Written by: Emma Garland

Three orange book covers with the title "Foreign Fruit" against a dark background.
Culture

Katie Goh: “I want people to engage with the politics of oranges”

Foreign Fruit — In her new book, the Edinburgh-based writer traces her personal history through the citrus fruit’s global spread, from a village in China to Californian groves. Angela Hui caught up with her to find out more.

Written by: Katie Goh

Huck is supported by our readers, subscribers and Club Huck members. It is also made possible by sponsorship from:

Accessibility Settings

Text

Applies the Open Dyslexic font, designed to improve readability for individuals with dyslexia.

Applies a more readable font throughout the website, improving readability.

Underlines links throughout the website, making them easier to distinguish.

Adjusts the font size for improved readability.

Visuals

Reduces animations and disables autoplaying videos across the website, reducing distractions and improving focus.

Reduces the colour saturation throughout the website to create a more soothing visual experience.

Increases the contrast of elements on the website, making text and interface elements easier to distinguish.