Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, and to me, that is Mandy Sweats. The Brighton babe embodies everything I love about drag: gloriously gory, artistically imaginative, and not afraid of a reference or two. Of course, Brighton famously has an amazing drag scene and one that is home to the weird, the wonderful, the glamourous, and, of course, camp too. For artists, it’s a place that has a sense of belonging and the creative freedom to be who they want to be. That has been the case for Mandy, and although some of their creations are a little queasy on the eyes and stomach, one can’t deny their talent.
Speaking with WERRRK as part of our UK artist spotlight, they go into great depth and detail, showing how passionate one can have be about their art, not to mention the perseverance for their craft and that delightful British wit. I, for one, am thrilled to have them on the site, and I have a feeling many of you reading will as well. We talk at length about art, influences, and dealing with creative burnout, which many of us can relate to, and I hope many of us get to head to Brighton to see this feature creature perform in the near future “for the enjoyment of anyone who can bear the smell.” Their words not mine.
So without further ado, welcome to the U.K. spotlight Mandy Sweats.
How can one begin to even describe your drag? It’s incredible. So instead, I’ll let you introduce yourself to our readers of WERRRK.
Mandy Sweats: Hello, dear readers of WERRRK – I am Mandy Sweats, a performance artist, drag artist, and writer from Brighton, UK. My work is a surreal blend of horror and the absurd, a self-contained universe populated with bizarre characters in equally bizarre situations, who I present to you in the form of 5-minute dark-comedy sketches. Some of these stories include ‘The Best Job in the World’ about a mother with a serial-killer baby, ‘Nice to Meat You’, about a lump of raw meat who enjoys sadomasochism, and ‘How to be Dog’, about a person held hostage and forced to lip sync to Goldfrapp whilst pretending to be a dog. I make all my own masks and costumes, write my own scripts, and compose my own musical scores. If the world of drag is a house, then I’m the escaped convict hiding in the attic.
To say your persona is out of the box would be an understatement. What drew you into this type of drag by using unconventional items i.e. masks that we usually don’t see?
Mandy Sweats: I was, to use one of my favourite expressions, fart-arseing about with drag – that is, drag with makeup, wigs, and the like – for years, getting into it maybe four or five times a year to go clubbing. In lockdown, I sat down and decided I was going to get really good at makeup and did a look everyday, and quickly realised that I found makeup really restrictive and the process quite unexciting. At the time I was reading a book by Brian Eno, and he said something in it about omitting the thing people don’t think to leave out – so I went out and bought a premade mask and painted my then current drag face on that. I suddenly realised that I had much more freedom with masks because I wasn’t restricted by any of my physical features, and so they just kept getting bigger and more elaborate until they eventually became the only way I wanted to present myself.
Did you grow up with a strong interest in the arts and storytelling? As it’s clear you’ve got a unique eye for both. Have you always wanted to be a performer?
Mandy Sweats: I was always a very creative child and was constantly doing arts and crafts, writing stories or drawing pictures, mostly of my own imagined Doctor Who monsters, which now seems very prescient. Through my teen years and into early adulthood, I discovered drag, but kept on writing and drawing – I knew I wanted to do something creative, but never really felt like I found my medium until I landed on the masks. Once I discovered that, I added in the writing and everything just seemed to fall into place.
Who influenced you growing up, and who motivated you today be it either in music or film? Do you enjoy incorporating those influences into your looks?
Mandy Sweats: My two patron saints are Marc Almond and Divine – I have them both tattooed on my arm, and they both taught me how to be queer in my early teens. Pink Flamingos and Soft Cell’s Non-Stop Erotic Cabaret completely changed my life – they both tread a thin line between punk-nihilism and camp, yet both have so much heart and joy in them as well. They really established my taste level and influenced me in and out of drag.
Other than that, Mandy draws from a tonne of disparate places – the novels of JG Ballard, late 70’s/early 80’s synth and industrial music like Throbbing Gristle and Fad Gadget, horror movies, the Theatre of the Absurd,Leigh Bowery and many more. Basically, anything morbid or weird gets thrown into the melting pot, and my own stream of consciousness takes care of the rest.
You’ve cleverly navigated a surrealist horror universe that is so well constructed for your persona that also shows off your multi-talents. What horror films drew you into that world?
Mandy Sweats: For me, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre is the best horror film ever made – it’s so gnarly and grimy, but under the surface it says so much about family, capitalism and the lives of people shunned by society. Plus, Leatherface can do no wrong in my eyes! The film that got me into horror was The Babadook, which always makes me cry. Those two and Possum, which is really horrifying yet beautifully made, are probably my top three of all time.
The masks you wear are a pivotal and identifiable part of your character. How long does it take to put together a mask, and when did you start playing around with such items?
Mandy Sweats: The masks are super simple really, just garden wire, paper mache, and any old trash I can find around the house or in a charity shop. I nicked the process from a book I read about the Bread and Puppet Theatre, who really emphasise the importance of art being made cheaply. I have been known to rifle through the recycling bin to find materials, and any time I walk past a Metro stand I pocket two or three. Each mask takes a minimum of 2 weeks, most of which is spent waiting around for the layers of paper mache to dry.
With so many creative looks such as the recent mosquito look, you mentioned how the song ‘Mosquito’ influenced the concept. What goes through your mind when you create these outfits, and how does an idea evolve from start to to the end product on stage?
Mandy Sweats: The creative process has changed as my practice has evolved. I really started Mandy in earnest as a club kid at Polyglamorous, which is a queer rave in Brighton that has a colour theme for each event – they announce the theme a couple weeks before the event, so I used to just go with the first idea that popped into my head and developed the story as I was working on the look. Now that I write performances for the stage, I normally have the story and characters outlined first, and then the look comes out of that. I like to plan a character pretty meticulously right at the beginning, but of course things change and adapt as you go.
Out of all your looks, ideas and mini-clips created, which one do you think new fans should watch/view to get a real glimpse into the world of Mandy Sweats?
Mandy Sweats: For newcomers, it’s a toss up between two of my acts – ‘How to be a Dog’ and ‘The Best Job in the World’. The former to me is the perfect mix of a horrifying concept with a camp execution, and the latter is probably my most heartfelt, but still definitely a horror show. Between them I think they sum up my work pretty neatly.
It feels cliche to mention Dragula, and you’ve probably heard it before but you would be a great fit for the show, have you ever considered competing?
Mandy Sweats: I’m a big fan of Dragula, but I find competitions very stressful and I’m completely conflict averse, which I feel would make for very boring television. At the first whiff of an argument, I’d be off having a fag break and you’d never see me! But I do think I’d be a fun addition, so I guess never say never
I personally love drag that has unique concepts such as yours. It’s a breath of fresh air. What kind of drag/art do you love, and who do you think everyone should keep an eye out for in the U.K. drag scene?
Mandy Sweats: I’m always drawn to the weird and bizarre, and I love any artist with a really unique identity – in terms of drag performers, Vlad Von Kitsch and Co Kendrah (who does things on stage I can only dream of) are two performers who I’m constantly inspired by. But I’m also always inspired by artists who fall into their own strange little niches – Wesley Power, who is a fellow Brighton artist and good friend, creates some of the most abject work I’ve ever seen, but to me it’s often as beautiful as it is shocking, and we bounce off each other really well. And I’m absolutely fanatical about the Beanpigs, who are a surrealist puppet collective from Bristol and possibly my favourite performers in the UK right now.
For me, Brighton has some of the best drag artists in the U.K. What is the current scene like, and for those who are unfamiliar how would you describe it?
Mandy Sweats: Brighton to me really feels like a city with two main identities – obviously we’re a queer hotspot, so there’s a lot of the more traditional, ‘two-hours on a mic with singalongs and banter’ kind of drag, which I absolutely love. But there’s also a definite burgeoning grassroots movement, which is very much situated within this community and charity-based ethos which is really exciting. A lot of the latter comes down to a local performer called Latos XX, who has spearheaded a lot of the grassroots drag scene in Brighton and created a tonne of spaces for new and up and coming performers. With it being such a transient city there are new performers being born all the time, so the scene feels very lively and is constantly shifting.
You were involved in Blooming Hell and walked the runway; how did it feel to briefly step out of your comfort zone and how did the project come to be?
Mandy Sweats: Blooming Hell was such an amazing experience. It was run by two collectives, Art We Wear and an other collective, who invited me along after seeing my work out and about. I was honestly quite nervous at first, as I’m normally very particular about every element of Mandy and knew I would be dressed by someone else for the show. I shouldn’t have worried, because everyone involved was delightful and the pieces I was given to wear were gorgeous. It was probably the first thing I did as Mandy that was miles out of my comfort zone, but it was a lot of fun. I’m not certain I’m a runway model just yet, but I certainly wouldn’t be against doing something similar again.
Aside from the creation of your outfits, you also produce short films and stories. Do you find exposing these thoughts is a form of therapy for you, and to those viewing they can gain something also?
Mandy Sweats: I made a lot of short films in lockdown, mostly because there was no alternative – they were all filmed with an iPod touch propped on a stack of books and lit by a bedside lamp, so they were most definitely labours of love! I find the stop/start nature of filming a drag, but with some assistance I would maybe do more.
The short stories came about because I found I had a tonne of ideas that didn’t translate onto a stage – I love writing for stage, but you’re constricted by so many factors such as budget, space, timings and travel. With prose, all of that is removed, so I can let my imagination run wild. I am currently working on a full novel which has been a really enjoyable process.
As you’re so creative with short films, If you could make a documentary about anything, what would it be and why?
Mandy Sweats: I have a current obsession with public toilets, particularly their significance in queer history, so it would probably have to be that. My only stipulation right off the bat is that the songs of George Michael must be played throughout.
Not only do you have well-thought out artistic ideas but also an in-depth story to accompany it, which seems rare to see the intricacies behind the artist and their art. Where does your vivid imagination come from?
Mandy Sweats: My motto is to never reject an idea before I’ve explored it, so I tend to create in a very stream of consciousness style and discover the meaning as I go along. I stand by the notion that I’m not really any more creative than anyone else, I’m just very willing to see an idea through no matter how ridiculous or morbid it seems on paper. Learning to not second-guess your ideas, or to worry too much about how it’ll be received when it’s done, is a big part of the puzzle I think. Once you’re free of that, your imagination completely opens up.
You’ve mentioned how you nearly said goodbye to Mandy Sweats but continued to work hard on your art everyday. What was the moment that made you want to continue despite knowing how difficult it would be, and what advice would you give to struggling creatives in a similar situation?
Mandy Sweats: I was working on Mandy everyday, basically as a glorified hobby, for about two years before I ever performed, but once the ball started rolling it accelerated very quickly. That, plus doing it on top of a full-time day job, plus the emotional impact of living in this dark character everyday, led me to complete burnout. I took a month off, thinking perhaps it would be healthier for me to pack it in completely, as I became quite volatile in my day to day life because I wasn’t looking after myself. I came back simply because I loved doing it. But when I came back, I was a lot more conscious of how much I was exerting myself, and how much of myself I was putting into the work. I have a much healthier balance now. My advice to any creative, particularly those who create work that is dark or morbid, is that you can’t rely on your art to be your only outlet. Actual, real self-care and self-work is the only way of keeping yourself grounded. It’s better to slow down the workload to allow time to check in with yourself, than to work constantly until you crash and burn.
When you’re not working, what do you love to do, and how do you unwind?
Mandy Sweats: My hobbies are really so un-punk; my ideal day would be spent wandering between charity shops, record shops, and coffee shops, preferably for a few hours. Or, weather permitting, sat on Brighton beach with a book and a packet of biscuits.
We’re over half way through the year, what does the remainder of 2024 have in store for Mandy Sweats?
Mandy Sweats: On August 1st I will be joining legendary Brighton cabaret troupe Club Silencio for a takeover of Hove Museum – working with them was such a goal of mine when I moved back to Brighton, so to be back working with them for a third time is a dream. I have also recently become a resident performer at Pus, which is a new Brighton drag show produced by Suzi Maki and Pipsqueak, that platforms horror and filth-based drag. The first edition was my favourite gig to date, so I’m absolutely thrilled. Beyond that, I just hope to keep making horrible things and taking said horrible things to new places, for the enjoyment of anyone who can bear the smell.
Be sure to follow Mandy Sweats to see the latest delectable delights they serve up on their social media below:
Instagram: @mandysweats
Youtube: @mandysweats851
