On Wednesday, The Glory flung open its doors for the very first time to a veritable Who’s Who of the East London scene, tentatively establishing “Faggerston” as “a thing”. This was the secret pre-launch of London’s new super-pub co-owns by none other than Jonny Woo himself.

Local residents and shop owners came outside with their camera phones to see the queue – which stretched 100 metres down Kingsland Road and was a spectacle in itself. The sea of faces inside were largely made up of the People You Might Have Had Sex With function on Facebook, and drag queens out of uniform.

The dark blue venue already feels homely and lived in. There’s sofas at one end, a performance stage at the other, and a deconstructed piano looming large above the bar. On stage, Woo stands there looking like a blend of Annie Lennox and Mary Portas as he channels Lou Reed and triumphantly leads his band of TRANSformers (Fi McCluskey, Pretty Miss Cairo and Marc Hayward).

The Glory is a joint venture between Woo, Colin (tonight dressed in a daring suit and heels), Zoe (poppers and vogue hoodie) and John Sizzle (Warholian uber-drag), the latter of whom spun a winning mix of showtunes, drag classics and alt-pop in statement heels and a blown-up Debbie Harry wig.

Scanning the venue we see the PR Jack Cullen courting journalists in a pair of sequinned leggings and a Barbie cap. The lucky ones get a basement tour, whatever that entails. The rumour is that there is a paddling pool downstairs, just like the notorious waterspouts enthusiasts club SOP. So we hear. The basement could potentially be a new space for the venue next year: we overheard Cullen chatting to scenester DJ Hannah Holland of Ghetto and Batty Bass about a future club night down there.

Also spotted: Chrissy Darling sporting a big beard, new anti-IT girl Lazy Susan and obviously Ma Butcher (who makes up the Gay Bingo trinity with Woo and Sizzle) as well as Holestar swapping high hair for a small dog. Bourgeois & Maurice were busy letting their hair down, Maurice sporting her natural blonde hair and Bourgeois channeled drama student chic in a demure black roll-neck. Regal scene furniture Princess Julia was spotted, alongside Mark Moore.

Glynn Famous and his business wife Amy Zing made up Team Sink The Pink, with a few of their performers in the mix. Apparently people will be drinking at The Glory on Saturday before launching an Uber fleet to Sink The Pink’s bash at The Troxy. It seems The Glory is already a new meeting point for East London’s full and part time transvestites alike.

The Glory is a very relaxed mixture of glamour and creativity, drawing in a cross section of the East London scene and offering up a new stage in an intimate setting. We can’t wait to see how it evolves.

We asked Jonny Woo about what his input would be to the venue’s shows. “Oh I think I’ll just play some records and mingle”. An understatement we’re sure.


The Glory's Opening Night. Image: Joerg Brunsendorf

The Glory’s Opening Night. Image: Joerg Brunsendorf

The Glory's Opening Night. Image: Joerg Brunsendorf

The Glory’s Opening Night. Image: Joerg Brunsendorf

The Glory's Opening Night. Image: Joerg Brunsendorf

The Glory’s Opening Night. Image: Joerg Brunsendorf

The Glory's Opening Night. Image: Joerg Brunsendorf

The Glory’s Opening Night. Image: Joerg Brunsendorf

The Glory's Opening Night. Image: Joerg Brunsendorf

The Glory’s Opening Night. Image: Joerg Brunsendorf

The Glory's Opening Night. Image: Joerg Brunsendorf

The Glory’s Opening Night. Image: Joerg Brunsendorf

The Glory's Opening Night. Image: Joerg Brunsendorf

The Glory’s Opening Night. Image: Joerg Brunsendorf

The Glory's Opening Night. Image: Joerg Brunsendorf

The Glory’s Opening Night. Image: Joerg Brunsendorf

The Glory's Opening Night. Image: Joerg Brunsendorf

The Glory’s Opening Night. Image: Joerg Brunsendorf

The Glory's Opening Night. Image: Joerg Brunsendorf

The Glory’s Opening Night. Image: Joerg Brunsendorf

The Glory's Opening Night. Image: Joerg Brunsendorf

The Glory’s Opening Night. Image: Joerg Brunsendorf

The Glory's Opening Night. Image: Joerg Brunsendorf

The Glory’s Opening Night. Image: Joerg Brunsendorf

The Glory's Opening Night. Image: Joerg Brunsendorf

The Glory’s Opening Night. Image: Joerg Brunsendorf

The Glory's Opening Night. Image: Joerg Brunsendorf

The Glory’s Opening Night. Image: Joerg Brunsendorf

The Glory's Opening Night. Image: Joerg Brunsendorf

The Glory’s Opening Night. Image: Joerg Brunsendorf

The Glory's Opening Night. Image: Joerg Brunsendorf

The Glory’s Opening Night. Image: Joerg Brunsendorf

The Glory's Opening Night. Image: Joerg Brunsendorf

The Glory’s Opening Night. Image: Joerg Brunsendorf

The Glory's Opening Night. Image: Joerg Brunsendorf

The Glory’s Opening Night. Image: Joerg Brunsendorf

The Glory's Opening Night. Image: Joerg Brunsendorf

The Glory’s Opening Night. Image: Joerg Brunsendorf

The Glory's Opening Night. Image: Joerg Brunsendorf

The Glory’s Opening Night. Image: Joerg Brunsendorf

The Glory's Opening Night. Image: Joerg Brunsendorf

The Glory’s Opening Night. Image: Joerg Brunsendorf

The Glory's Opening Night. Image: Joerg Brunsendorf

The Glory’s Opening Night. Image: Joerg Brunsendorf

The Glory's Opening Night. Image: Joerg Brunsendorf

The Glory’s Opening Night. Image: Joerg Brunsendorf

The Glory's Opening Night. Image: Joerg Brunsendorf

The Glory’s Opening Night. Image: Joerg Brunsendorf

The Glory's Opening Night. Image: Joerg Brunsendorf

The Glory’s Opening Night. Image: Joerg Brunsendorf

The Glory's Opening Night. Image: Joerg Brunsendorf

The Glory’s Opening Night. Image: Joerg Brunsendorf

The Glory's Opening Night. Image: Joerg Brunsendorf

The Glory’s Opening Night. Image: Joerg Brunsendorf

The Glory's Opening Night. Image: Joerg Brunsendorf

The Glory’s Opening Night. Image: Joerg Brunsendorf

The Glory's Opening Night. Image: Joerg Brunsendorf

The Glory’s Opening Night. Image: Joerg Brunsendorf

The Glory's Opening Night. Image: Joerg Brunsendorf

The Glory’s Opening Night. Image: Joerg Brunsendorf

The Glory's Opening Night. Image: Joerg Brunsendorf

The Glory’s Opening Night. Image: Joerg Brunsendorf

The Glory's Opening Night. Image: Joerg Brunsendorf

The Glory’s Opening Night. Image: Joerg Brunsendorf

The Glory's Opening Night. Image: Joerg Brunsendorf

The Glory’s Opening Night. Image: Joerg Brunsendorf

The Glory's Opening Night. Image: Joerg Brunsendorf

The Glory’s Opening Night. Image: Joerg Brunsendorf

The Glory's Opening Night. Image: Joerg Brunsendorf

The Glory’s Opening Night. Image: Joerg Brunsendorf

The Glory's Opening Night. Image: Joerg Brunsendorf

The Glory’s Opening Night. Image: Joerg Brunsendorf

The Glory's Opening Night. Image: Joerg Brunsendorf

The Glory’s Opening Night. Image: Joerg Brunsendorf

Get the lowdown on what’s happening at The Glory on their official website.