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7 February 2024 7:11 PM

The Divine: 24 images from opening night of London’s newest LGBTQ+ venue

The Glory's "naughty little sister" opened with a raucous party on Friday

By Alastair James

TD
(Images: Provided)

London’s LGBTQ+ nightlife has a new kid on the block: The Divine. Opened by the co-owners of the East London mecca, The Glory, The Divine is here to usher in a new age of queer parties.

On Friday (2 February), just days after The Glory’s final closure (31 January), The Divine opened with a raucous party full of alt-drag and queer joy. Billed as The Glory’s “naughty little sister,” the new space in Dalston shared with Attitude some images from its opening night.

Presiding over proceedings were Jonny Woo, John Sizzle, and Colin Rothbart. Among those attending was UK drag royalty, Jodie Harsh, as well as Attitude’s Editor-in-Chief, Cliff Joannou, and many more.

The Divine
Jonny Woo (Image: Provided)
The Divine
Jodie Harsh (Image: Provided)
The Divine
Polka Dot, Barbs and Amy Fincham (Image: Provided)
The Divine
Guests enjoy the night (Image: Provided)
The Divine
Jonny Woo (Image: Provided)
The Divine
Colin Rothbart (L) with Letitia Delish and friend (Image: Provided)

Picking up right where The Glory left off, The Divine, on Kingsland Road in Dalston, will be hosting discos every Friday and Saturday evening. The venue becomes a two-floor party from 9pm onwards, but the street-level bar will also be a nice buzzy place to mingle and chat.

The Divine
Guests at The Divine’s opening (Image: Provided)
The Divine
The Divine’s patrons (Image: Provided)
The Divine
Patrons enjoy the new space (Image: Provided)
The Divine
(L to R) Colin Rothbart, Tasty Tim, Carley Hague with Stephen Eyre, and Jeffrey Hinton (Image: Provided)
The Divine
Georgie Bee (Image: Provided)
The Divine
Cliff Joannou, Miguel Ferrer, and Ma Butcher (Image: Provided)

Ticket shows will happen downstairs with an already busy schedule in the books. Of course, there’ll be plenty of drag shows with cabaret performers and more stopping by week to week. LIPSYNC1000! and Glory Lates will also continue at The Divine, as well as Man Up, the world’s biggest and most exciting drag king battle.

Jonny Woo (Image: Provided)
Carley Hague with Stephen Eyre (Image: Provided)
Ginger Phlappage and Miss Jezzika (Image: Provided)
The Divine is now open! (Image: Provided)
Lady Jezzika and Tasty Tim, and friend (Image: Provided)
People outside The Divine (Image: Provided)

Werk In Progess will be an opportunity for up-and-coming queer artists to showcase their talents in an open mic event. A new performance space will also offer creatives the opportunity to find a home for their work.

Princess Julia (Image: Provided)
Jane Norman (Image: Provided)
Staff behind the bar (Image: Provided)
The Divine’s staff (Image: Provided)
Punters enjoy the grand opening (Image: Provided)
A Man to Pet and Ray Noir (Image: Provided)

All in all, a lot is going on at The Divine already, and the party’s only just getting started!

Images Colin Rothbart

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