INTERVIEW: The punk rock queen of the Brighton drag scene: Ex-Girlfriend

Ladies and gentleman, theys and thems, welcome to the Brighton & Hove residents' community corner series celebrating our city’s bold drag artists and boundary breaking performers! I wanted to create a series that goes beyond the glam with our legendary and local queer performers so we can all get to know the real people behind the personas because erm, why not?!

This week, we’re joined by the punk rock queen of the Brighton drag scene and the 2024 winner of the Brighton Big Drag Pageant: Ex-Girlfriend.

If this is the first interview of the series that you've stumbled across and you want to read more don't panic, you can catch up with more juicy convos centrestage HERE and next week we're welcoming the drag queen of drag queens and star of stage and screen: Dave Lynn.

But today, it’s all eyes on Ex-Girlfriend so let’s dive in head first!

For our readers that don't know you yet, can you introduce yourself oh and what pronouns do you prefer in and out of drag?

Hello Scene readers! My name is Ex-Girlfriend, I'm the punk rock queen of the Brighton drag scene, winner of Brighton's Big Drag Pageant 2024, and it's an absolute pleasure to be interviewed for this iconic local zine!

How did you know you wanted to get into drag and how long have you been doing drag for?

I've been performing since I was fifteen and I joined my first rock band. Over the years of touring and shooting videos and discovering my own bisexual identity, I naturally was drawn to makeup, bold expression and eventually drag.

I definitely fall under generation Ru (drag artists that started doing drag because of RuPaul's Drag Race) and I remember watching episode ten of season three with my then girlfriend and seeing Raja perfom in punk drag, and something clicked.

I was meant to do drag.

I live for this question because the stories are always unexpected: what’s the backstory behind your drag name?

My drag name comes from the song by No Doubt. I'd say No Doubt and Gwen Stefani were my gateway to eventually enjoying heavy rock and metal music, which of course lead to me doing drag eventually! I also used to use Ex-Girl pink hair dye by Good Dye Young, which is named after Gwen's pink hair in the Ex-Girlfriend music video, and that hair dye company was founded by Hayley Williams, the singer of Paramore who are my all time favourite band. There's layers to it!

It's wild that drag can still ruffle a few feathers,even in 2025, so what would you say to those who might feel nervous or intimidated by drag?

Ultimately, drag is about having fun. Regardless of our gender, race, class or sexuality, we're all portraying caricatures for the entertainment of other people. For some people, drag is really stupid and funny, some use drag as a teaching opportunity, and or some people, drag is the closest feeling they can get to who they truly are on the inside, but the one factor that runs through all of drag is that we live to entertain people and make sure people are safe and having fun.

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Brighton’s drag scene is iconic, period. What do you personally think makes it unique from other cities you've performed in or visited though?

Brighton has an edge that I don't think I've seen in other cities. I've performed all over the place, I've even been as far as Lithuania, and the one thing that makes Brighton stand out is the edge. I've seen performers staple money to themselves, I've seen performers set fire to their clothes to reveal new clothes, I've seen drag performers sing whilst hanging upside down from a hoop with no safety harness. Drag in Brighton is edgy and unafraid to get messy.

Would you say Brighton’s drag scene is all about the spotlight, the protest or maybe a mix of both?

From my perspective, it's absolutely both. There are events companies like BNDM that raise money for gender affirming care for the trans community with wonderfully entertaining shows, and of course the entire scene comes together for World AIDS Day where every single venue is raising money together with legends of the scene hosting and performing at the events.

There are events running to raise money for relief efforts in Gaza and Ukraine which platform incredible artists, and they give the crowd a show to remember!

Earlier this year, my sister Tayris Mongardi and I put on a show to raise money for Trans Pride and we managed to raise £2,400 all whilst putting on an absolute stormer of a show with some of the most incredible performers.

Brighton is absolutely a place for both.

How would you sum up your signature drag style and do you whip up your own looks?

My style is essentially me emulating the girls I admired as a teenager. I've always been alternative, as a kid I was absolutely an emo but growing up poor in North Lincolnshire it was very difficult to dress how I wanted to dress with only charity shops full of elderly clothes to choose from.

Essentially Ex-Girlfriend is my way of making up for lost time. I love anything that screams to people that I'm a goth, an emo or a greebo as I was often called as a teenager. I'm incredibly lucky to be an affiliate of Killstar, an alternative apparel company that I've been the biggest fan of for years so I wear a lot of stuff that they send to me, but when I need to wear a draggy showstopper I design things that my husband James (otherwise known as Arthur John Couture) makes for me, as well as working with other Brightonian costume makers including Dannie Does Drag, Bald Eagle Design and Philip J Shaw!

Any fave venues or events in Brighton that feel like your drag home turf? Oh and which Brighton queens inspire you or do you fangirl over?

My favourite place to perform in Brighton is absolutely Revenge, I was a resident there for four years and I still go back fairly often as a special guest. I love performing to a packed out room and the energy us unmatched!

I was also lucky enough to perform at Brighton Dome last year which is absolutely the biggest and best show I've ever been a part of. I also love performing at Legends and Bar Broadway, two awesome venues that have been incredibly kind to me with opportunities over the years!

As far as peers that I fan girl over, I have a few that come to mind. Alfie Ordinary is such a powerhouse and has an unmatched work ethic, Vlad Von Kitsch is my all time favourite make-up artist, and my former Revenge co-stars Tayris Mongardi, Glew, Alik, Raiine, Peanut, Daphne and Alex Fincher all push me constantly to work harder and keep bettering myself and my craft. I also don't know if this counts, because I don't know if she calls herself a drag queen or not, by Dolly Rocket is my all time favourite Brighton perfomer.

Do you have any words of encouragement or wisdom to share for someone dreaming of stepping into the world of drag but not knowing when or how to start?

Just do it. There is no better time to start, so just start. Don't expect perfection in the beginning, everybody gets better as time goes on, and if you hold yourself to the same standard as somebody that's been doing it for years, you won't get as far as leaving the house. The main objective is to have fun, and if you're having fun, the crowd will feel it and have a great time too.

I'd love to know more about your most recent single ASYU and do you have more music on the way?

ASYU was really cathartic for me. I was going through a bit of a rough time, and ASYU (A Story Yet Untold) was my way of reminding myself that I'm always capable of growing, changing and healing. I wrote it with music scored by my good friend Will Fox, who is a dream to work with! And I'm actually in the process of writing an album!

I'm letting the art flow from me when it's ready, so I'm not at a stage where I can announce a release date yet, but I'm very proud of what I've done thus far!

Who's your crush of the day?

Courtney LaPlante from the band Spiritbox. She's so hot, incredibly talented, and my husband doesn't get jealous because she's not a man, so we all win.

Other than maybe Courtney, she's way too good for me.

Current fave song?

Speaking of Courtney LaPlante, her band Spiritbox have a song with Amy Lee of Evanescence and Poppy called End Of You and I've been listening on repeat for weeks.

It's like if Bang Bang by Jessie J, Ariana Grande and Nicki Minaj was metal song. I live for these divas.

Where can our readers catch your next performance and what can they expect from an Ex-Girlfriend show?

I'm all over the place and usually announce shows on my social media platforms!

If you're a fan of rock, metal or punk, or you want to hear diva classics like Cher, Britney Spears and ABBA done in an upbeat rock style with powerhouse vocals, come check me out!

Tell me you've come from reading this article and I'll pull you onstage for a snog!