FabooTV Are Saving Queer Night Life
Jack Appleyard, Josh Quinton and Jeanie Crystal have teamed up in response to the pandemic's decimation of queer spaces. Watch the first episode tonight.
Jack Appleyard, Josh Quinton and Jeanie Crystal have teamed up in response to the pandemic's decimation of queer spaces. Watch the first episode tonight.
As night-time queer spaces remain closed under lockdown conditions, many feel robbed not only of a safe space to let their hair down, but of spaces to celebrate and to be celebrated. Today the new online culture show Faboo TV launches to keep the disco ball spinning and the spotlight shining on some of the best from the U.K's queer nightlife scene.
Back in 2018, SHOWstudio explored the concept of a safe space as part of our project Queer, with Charles Jeffrey, Michéle Lamy, Ashish Gupta and Florian Hetz all offering their thoughts. Jeffrey's own brand was born out of the clubnight LOVERBOY which they hosted at Dalston Fabrics, co-founded with FabooTV's Jack Appleyard. Also finding their creative roots in night-time spaces are Disco Smack’s Josh Quinton and co-founder of Harpies strip club Jeanie Crystal, who have banded together with Appleyard to uplift their community and carve out a new shared space in this strange new digital world we're all fumbling our way through. Originally founded as a club night, the goal with FabooTV is to bring queer night life into your home via your screens, and it's all about the golden age of telly - think the noughties before our Instagram feeds took over. 'Think EuroTrash, Blue Peter and The Big Breakfast all rolled into one show!' say FabooTV.
SHOWstudio collaborator Zooey Gleaves aka Lagoon Femshayma plays TV host, kicking your childhood memories of Fearne Cotton and Reggie Yates on a Sunday morning to the curb. Coming to you from the Fabooudoir, decorated with a wall of icons including Tracey Beaker's 'first drag look', Lagoon will be chatting to a line-up of guests including the post-Drag pop artist Max Allen, who kicks things off for episode one, which also features a cameo intro from the crowned princess of the original London club scene Princess Julia.
There's more - take a ride in the Faboo Megavan on 'The Faboo Magical Mystery Tour'. Promising 'a one-way ticket to culture happening outside of the M25', Quinton explains that the segment will ensure things don't get London or city-centric.
'FabooTV shines the spotlight on queer artists who have shunned the smoke, stayed local and stayed fabulous whilst adding to the landscape of their hometowns in our very own Faboo Megavan. The Faboo Crew delve into the nightlife history of the artist's town whilst finding out how they are adding to the genealogy of queer culture' explains Quinton.
Complete with performances by the show's in-house dance troupe The Fabooettes, expect many a look to be served with the FabooTV segment Corporate Couture Creations.
'FabooTV brings you couture. Cardboard. Looks. To remind the viewer - no you can't go out, no you can't go shopping but you can dive in a dumpster and re-use all those cardboard boxes you've collected over lockdown and throw a look in your living room!' says Appleyard.
FabooTV will air every second Friday of the month at 20:00 GMT on the Faboo TV YouTube channel and FabootTV's website. Expect interviews, performances and fashion segments for this episode-based extravaganza.
