Aim

Help us take our trans-led project with live music, eccentric blues tribute, drag, burlesque, and more to the Edinburgh Fringe 2026!

We're back again at Edinburgh Fringe with an all-new version of our beloved blues cabaret show Doom & Glitter: A Tribute To Tom Waits. Plus new for this year, the Upside Down Cabaret takes to Fringe for the very first time!

Assorted Photo credits: Stephan Cain, Turnip Towers, Zoe Knowles

Doom & Glitter

Doom & Glitter: A Tribute to Tom Waits is an hour-long cabaret and music show built around the songs and spirit of Tom Waits, created and performed by drag king Mr Brake Down with his entirely trans live band and burlesque guests. The work has been a regular feature at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe since 2022, known for its fusion of live music, theatrical storytelling and drag performance grounded in a gritty, intimate atmosphere. We're so excited to be returning for our 5th year at Fringe with old favourites and exciting new twists.

Upside Down Cabaret

The Upside Down Cabaret is our resident queer cabaret night based in Chester, founded and produced by drag king & National Diversity Award nominee Mr Brake Down. Since launching in 2023, it has built a reputation as a space for alternative and marginalised performers across drag, burlesque, live music, comedy and sideshow to experiment, collaborate and be seen within a supportive, community-led environment. We've had everyone from Dragula stars to newbie performers excited to try out their first big stage, collaborating and learning from each other, and from our faithful audiences.

With these two shows, we are looking to make a statement at this year's Edinburgh Festival Fringe by demonstrating the awesome power of queer music and performance in the face of an increasingly divisive world.

About The Team

Mr Brake Down is a proud trans man with a passion for the blues, and he's been bringing Doom & Glitter to the Fringe as a solo show for the last three years, slowly building a small but mighty base of fans that ranges from local Edinburgh musos through to underground drag performers and international visitors keen on his smoky gravel tones. Outside of Fringe, he's a cabaret host, producer, and performer best known for the Upside Down Cabaret variety show, and an actor and television personality, most recently on the Channel 4 docuseries 'Narrow Escapes'. @mrbrakedown

Sophie Siobhán is a multi-talented instrumentalist and vocalist, once again lending her sultry sounds to the Doom & Glitter live ensemble. An actress with several appearances (and music credits) and a seasoned cabaret artiste both solo and as part of the band, Sophie's relationship with music goes back as far as she can remember. Having worked with bands and released music on and off throughout her life, she's back for her second Fringe with a plenty of new music, playing the keys, sax, and guitar in all her finery at both Doom and Glitter and the Upside Down Cabaret. We can't wait for you to hear her unique riffs and improvisations that give new life to Waits's seminal tunes. @sophiesiobhanmusician

Han Deacon (he/him), otherwise known as Edinburgh’s own Daddy Delight, takes to the stage as a multi-instrumentalist and rhythm master for Doom & Glitter as part of the 2026 lineup, making this the first time the band has had a 100% trans lineup. Percussion, sax, even a cheeky recorder - what instrument will he pull next, and from where? That’s for you to find out in the all new Doom & Glitter, now 25% more trans than ever before!
@daddydelight_

Sian Peters has been making waves on the electronic music scene for several years with her own original tracks, festival performances, and live local sets that get the room going. She's also a brilliant audiovisual technician who has worked with some of the brightest stars in the burlesque and cabaret world, and is thrilled to hold the title of the musical brain behind the all-new arrangements for Doom & Glitter. Sian has mixed and arranged brand-new backing tracks, and this year is expanding her on-stage presence, bringing bass guitar to Doom and Glitter, and bass, electronica and who knows what else to the Upside Down Cabaret. @sianp78

Where Your Funds Go

Last year, we received generous donations from a wide range of people but this year, we need to go even bigger.

Although our transition to Free Fringe is designed to make costs more manageable. Being in Edinburgh in August is unavoidably expense with emerging artists being consistently priced out of the world's biggest arts festival. Our accommodation for our five-person team this year is set to cost £6000 and that's before other costs like transport, marketing, tech fees and wider administration.

Advertising, travel, sundries, merchandise, and assistance will cost anywhere between £2000-£4000 on top of this initial goal, and as Fringe becomes more and more competitive, it matters more than ever to be seen on the scene and represent the amazing global community of trans artists who face uphill battles to practice their craft every single day. Our fundraiser is set to keep whatever we raise, because every penny matters, but whatever we manage to make here on Fringemakers and from our in-person fundraiser gigs will quite literally help the team lessen the debt in September!

We have some fantastic rewards for you, whether you're local to the band or a far-off fan supporting us in the digital world. If you believe in our cause but money's tight at the moment, we encourage you to get in touch and consider other methods of in-kind support which will make a massive difference to us on our Edinburgh 2026 journey. In conclusion, please do and give what you can to keep live music and trans artistry at the Fringe where it belongs.

Big love,

The MBD Production Team

Funding method

Keep what you raise – this project will receive all pledges made by 31st August 2026 at 11:00pm