LORE: Pokémon Drag Brunch impressions

With our current political climate, drag isn’t always easy and safe to perform or even view, especially in the Southern United States. That’s why locations like LORE in Atlanta, GA are more important than ever. They have consistent shows happening throughout the week, every week. There are themed drag brunches and dinners, weekly shows such as Tossed Salad, trivia nights and gaming tournaments, themed dance nights and raves, and then guest appearances from Ru Paul’s Drag Race alum, out of town queens/performers, and more! There’s truly something happening almost every single hour of the day even into the wee hours of the morning. 

The variety of drag is really amazing to see at LORE. My partner and I attended the Pokemon Drag Brunch on June 20th and had a blast. Not only was there a Pokemon GO community event right after, but there were decorations all around the space, packs of Pokemon cards taped to some of the seats, and of course: amazing drag performances. 

This being a Drag Brunch, we got some food (waffles for me) and drinks (mimosas) then made our way to our seats. Plenty of seating options from VIP tables in the front, to high tops in the back, general seating (where we were) in the middle, and room to stand in the back. The stage is not just a platform at the end, but the entire middle walkway and into the back of the room. Queens were dancing all the way into the back of the audience doing kicks, tricks, and collecting those tips! Shoutout to the lighting and sound tech as well as the front of house manager for how well run these events are in a very chaotic environment of a bar/club. The lights transition well from front stage lighting to illuminating the walkway for safe performing in the crowd!

Hosted by the ever-charasmatic Yutoya Avaze Leon as both Charizard and Nurse Joy, we had two acts and a trivia game during the intermission where the winners got some amazing prizes! Ticket prices were $15 (at time of purchase two days before) and the show was about two hours in length. Tickets are generally priced well and allow for more money to be used to tip your favorite performances (both with cash or Venmo).

Performances from Yutoya Avaze Leon, Hera Kane, Abbey Cadabra, Siberia, Cherry Nicole Deville, Mo’Dest Volgare, and Katrina Prowess made for a fabulous cast with references all throughout the Pokemon fandom (with a slight Kanto bias). We had all kinds of drag from high fashion, to intense dance, comedy, and pure DRAG fun. 

Pokemon characters that showed up were Charizard and Nurse Joy (Yutoya Avaze Leon), Shiny Umbreon and Latias (Hera Kane), Weezing and Snorlax (Abbey Cadabra), Gengar and Latios (Siberia), Rosalia and Mr. Mime (Cherry Nicole Deville), Squirtle Squad (Mo’Dest Volgare), and Tentacruel (Katrina Prowess). Each performance felt well thought out and full of both fun and showcasing the art of drag. How many times can you say you saw Latios and Latias singing Breaking Free from High School Musical or Snorlax taking a nap in the middle of their performance or Mr. Mime doing… Mr. Mime things? Not many, I would assume, but I can now!

Having these types of shows means so much to the members of those fandoms and queens alike. LORE has had so many different shows at this stage it’s hard to list enough to get my point across. Avatar: The Last Airbender, Tumblr (as a concept), Power Rangers, Masters of the Universe, Steven Universe, Shrek, One Piece, Princess Bride, Veggietales, Bob’s Burgers; all either happening soon or have happened already! 

When asked “How important is it to have consistent drag shows happening of all styles and genres locally?” performer Abbey Cadabra answered, “I think it’s very important to have different kinds of fandom or genre based shows in Atlanta because Atlanta's nerd/cosplay scene is HUGE. I mean, I feel like Dragon-Con is blatant evidence that nerd culture is a very big part of Atlanta's culture and I feel like the drag scene does well to embrace that.” As someone who lives just walking distance from the Georgia World Congress Center, there truly is always something happening near the middle of Atlanta. Momocon, DragonCon, Anime Weekend Atlanta, and much more! Those are also just the conventions, this doesn’t count all of the local nerdy spots. Atlanta is a HUB for a lot of different things, and fun/nerdy drag gets to be one of them! When asked the same question, Yutoya Avaze Leon answered, “There’s a bar or venue/drag show / competition / cabaret / brunch / dance party etc. for someone in the city. It’s dealer’s choice of which one to be honest and I think it’s necessary. Midtown is more showgirl, EAV is more artistic/artsy, and Edgewood is more theatrical and musically inclined. There's a stage for every type of drag and a lot of overlap due to versatility among performers.” 

There are always shows they COULD do, so I asked some of the queens what their dream Drag Brunch/Dinner would be:

• Abbey Cadabra: “I think my dream show at Lore would be a “Repo! The Genetic Opera” show and I would want it to have a splash zone where blood would spray at the audience. But we’d have to work on the logistics of that!”
• Mo’Dest Volgare: “I would love to do a Drop Dead Gorgeous theme show. Love that movie!”
• Siberia: “It’s funny because technically my dream theme is happening next week. I’m hosting the “Dragsters of The Universe” She-Ra/He-Man drag show on July 2nd and I’ve been dreaming of that for forever. If I had to pick a NEW dream theme as of now though, I would probably have to go with a Smiling Friends Themed drag show, I’d love to pull out an Allan look!”
• Yutoya Avaze Leon: “I have so many ideas. But a full Nickelodeon Show would be amazing! As well as a Disney Channel cabaret.”

As someone who has high levels of anxiety, new and crowded spaces are sometimes hard to feel safe around. LORE is a space that has always welcomed us, made us feel part of the community, and allowed for us to have a safe space to enjoy live drag performances, dances, and more. The managers, the bartenders and the event staff are fabulous and help make everything run smoothly. 

Even if you’re not looking for nerdy-drag, there are simply so many shows happening all of the time. Recently, LORE hosted The Other Juneteenth Show, A Show & Tail Burlesque show, and the Bjork Burlesque (just to name a few). Then coming up they have Praise the LORE: A Gospel Drag Brunch on July 5th, Yuri on Ice vs Heated Rivalry Drag Show on July 11th, and more! LORE has something for anyone looking for fun and creative queer art happening NOW in Atlanta. Check out their website for more details.

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