Gottmik and Violet Chachki battle it out on their KNOCKOUT tour

Gottmik and Violet Chachki are embarking on their first headline tour, with a stop in Edmonton and Calgary. The two drag queens starred on RuPaul’s Drag Race, with Gottmik taking third place alongside Rosé in season 13 and Violet winning the seventh season. 

Now, the two battle it out in the boxing ring — classic glamour versus hard rock. The show will be complete with lip synch battles, live vocals, original songs, aerials, and killer fashion.

Violet said she’s always been inspired by Dita Von Teese and Bettie Page, as well as vampire pinups from the 1950s and 60s. In contrast, Gottmik grew up around heavy metal shows and that influence is clear in her style. 

“I love to take out any stress or energy that I’m feeling in my art,” Gottmik explained. “So I always just had this punk-rock edge and then also went to fashion school — thank God.”

Although their styles are very different, there’s always some overlap. Oftentimes it’s through strong references and being very fashion forward. 

“We thought … it’d be pretty cool to go on tour together and do kind of a battle of rock versus glam,” Gottmik said. “A visual way to do a battle is a boxing match, [which we thought] would be hilarious, especially for us being that athletic vibes are just so not normal for our drag aesthetics.”

Classic glamour and hard rock battle it out

The format of a boxing match made for the perfect way to organize the show, with rounds for each style and seeing who will come out on top. 

“I got to design it by the rounds. We did our classic, very true to us round, and then we brought it all together and saw what it looked like,” Gottmik said. “Then we created the opening and closing and interlude numbers with our dancers that were more keeping it in the boxing theme, and making little through-lines of this battle.”

The pair also have music out, notably their newest song “TKO” that follows along with the boxing motif. Other original songs by both queens will be part of the show as well.

But at the end of the day, it’s a labour of love and the two wanted to put together a show that offered a break from what’s happening in the world.

“We’re working so hard … to create 90 minutes that people can just come and forget about all the problems that are going on outside in the world,” Violet said. “Just have something spectacular to look at for 90 minutes and enjoy themselves and support queer art.”

At each stop, local drag queens will be sharing the stage with Gottmik and Violet. In Edmonton, Emmonia, Felicia Bonée, and Pepper will take to the KNOCKOUT stage.

“We really wanted to highlight local drag in each market, in each place we’re going, because I have been doing drag since 2012, and it was a big deal when I got to work with bigger name drag artists when I was a local queen,” Violet explained. “I think as people, generational queerness is just so important. It’s important to pass down that tradition.”

“It’s important, especially right now with the world and the state of politics,” Gottmik says

And while Alberta often gets passed over for these bigger tours, Gottmik and Violet wanted to stop in typical “fly-over” states and provinces. 

“It’s important, especially right now with the world and the state of politics, to make sure that shows like this get to go to places like that,” Gottmik said.

“I feel like these, especially our show, where we’re talking about what’s going on in the world onstage, on the mic, and we need to come together as a community,” she said. “I think going to places where you don’t get to see that and hear that with your own eyes and ears every day is so important now more than ever.”

Of course, being onstage and performing is the main part of the show, but some of the pair’s favourite part of the tour is getting to do the meet and greets. 

“We do just a quick signing at the end [of each show] and get to speak with young people that came and saw the show,” Violet said. “A lot of the places we’re going I don’t think have a lot of representation that you can go and see in-person.”

“We’re getting to meet these people and hear their stories, just briefly, and it makes me realize the impact that having representation like us at some of these places can really have on a young person,” she said. 

KNOCKOUT will be stopping in Edmonton on October 22 at Union Hall.