Those who have ventured outside of Richmond to find themselves partaking in the ever-famous Loose Lips parties, which originated in Virginia Beach, will be happy to see that, to kick off their two year celebrations, the WeOK crew, in conjunction with SPECTRA, have decided that Richmond’s very own Hat Factory venue would be the perfect place to start bringing their brand of entertainment to our fair city.
Those who have ventured outside of Richmond to find themselves partaking in the ever-famous Loose Lips parties, which originated in Virginia Beach, will be happy to see that, to kick off their two year celebrations, the WeOK crew, in conjunction with SPECTRA, have decided that Richmond’s very own Hat Factory venue would be the perfect place to start bringing their brand of entertainment to our fair city.
Taking things to a level never before seen in Virginia, they’ve enlisted Big Freedia to headline an evening that will surely have you moving to a different beat. Big Freedia, the undisputed “Queen Diva” of Bounce Music, performs up to six times a week in her native home of New Orleans. As one of the front-runners of the Bounce genre’s push into the mainstream, Big Freedia has garnered the attention of Rolling Stone, who named her one of the best acts of 2011 at this year’s SXSW Conference. In addition, Big Freedia has caught the eye of The New York Times and NPR, as well as being interviewed on Carson Daly, and appearing on HBO’s Treme.
As explained on Big Freedia’s website, Bounce music is an original urban music arising from the intimate and fun-loving nature of the New Orleans housing projects, which dominate the city’s street culture. Freedia performs a derivative of Bounce reserved for self-proclaimed “Sissies” (a locally used name for biological men with varied and ambiguous sexual identities), that has risen to prominence in recent years and features explicitly gay and cross-dressing musicians and themes. Big Freedia, like other “Sissy” artists, has achieved mainstream success with several New Orleans hit singles such as “Gin in My System” and “Azz Everywhere!” from her albums An Ha, Oh Yeah (1999) and Queen Diva (2003). Freedia began her musical career almost 15 years ago at the Walter L. Cohen High School in New Orleans, where she was enlisted as choir director from her Sophomore to Senior years. She sees her performance as a Bounce artist as an extension of this work, often interacting in a call and response/teacher and student fashion with her audiences.
(Epileptics beware of the following video!)
To fatten up the bill even more, Dirtyfinger from NYC will make his return to Richmond after wreaking havoc at Strange Matter just a few months ago. Another Richmond favorite and current NYC resident, Cobra Krames, will also be in attendance to make sure the party never stops.
WeOK will be shipping in Virginia Beach favorites OH!BOY and Baby E, with a special tag-team set by MR. E & Sixxx In Da Mornin’ to keep the Virginia Beach roots alive and present throughout the evening.
WHAT: Loose Lips With Big Freedia At Hat Factory!
WHERE: The Hat Factory (140 Virginia Street)
WHEN: Thursday, June 23 at 9:00pm – June 24 at 2:00am
ADMISSION: Tickets are $8 in advance, $10 the day-of.
