Australian cabaret star Leather Lungs returns to Auckland with his new show, Shut Up & Sing, on 13 & 14 February, presented as part of Q Theatre’s Pride Festival 2025. He talks to Oliver Hall about living like a nun and vocal masturbation.
What’s the most challenging song you tackle in Shut Up & Sing, and what makes it so challenging?
Vocally, the show is a big swing, but I often find the tender material more of a challenge because you can’t hide behind the comedy or the vocal masturbation—it relies on technique and being vulnerable and genuine. But I’m not going to tell you which song—you’ll have to see the show if you want to know what my Achilles’ heel is!
What inspired the concept of Shut Up & Sing?
I am driven to make work that comments on the world around me and uses my own experiences to make people feel something. I have my setlist as a foundation, but to be honest, it can change from show to show. Everything is just trial and error, and intuition. The kind of cabaret I do can’t be too scripted, or it loses the magic. I love to really connect with the audience, and the only way I can do that is by being present and in the moment.
Your performances are always high-energy and fearless. How do you prepare vocally and physically to deliver powerhouse shows night after night?
I always say, I can’t send in a body double on the night, so I have to live like a nun. As tempting as it can be after a show, I don’t really drink or party. Instead, I steam, I sleep as much as I can, I make sure I am cardio fit, I take vitamins… and holy proud Mary, I have absolutely no dairy. Being lactose-free, gluten-free, and generally fun-free really helps. Oh, and the most important thing: I hydrate to the point where I have to Google, “Can I drown from drinking too much water?!”
Add to that a combination of anxiety, delusion, and ADHD, and you have a recipe for either disaster or brilliance.
Who are your biggest musical influences, and how do they shape your performance style?
It’ll sound cliché, but Judy Garland, Freddie Mercury, Aretha Franklin, and Eva Cassidy are my strongest influences, and I think in a weird, delusional way, I have a little part of all of them in my vocal performance. One of my very first shows was called Impostar—basically, I just performed songs in the style of all my favourite artists. That show felt like a natural fit; however, in the past five years, I’ve really worked to find my own voice.
For those who have never seen a Leather Lungs show before, what’s the one thing you want them to take away from Shut Up & Sing?
My heart and my hymen—but since I don’t have either, I would hope they can come and see that there is so much beauty in the world if we look for it. I want people to leave feeling like they’ve had such an absolute blast that they book tickets to come back the next night. Not to sound too up myself, but people often do!
Shut Up & Sing is being presented as part of the Pride Festival—what does Pride mean to you?
Being a queer, neurodivergent, proud Ngāi Tahu human, for me, Pride is a space and place for us to use our voices to create change, acknowledge, and celebrate our beautifully diverse community. Pride is for anyone who wants to fight for love and positive change, and it’s a reminder that we are all just literally sacks of meat walking around—all equally valid human beings.
🎟 Don’t miss out—book your tickets now at qtheatre.co.nz!
