We Captured the Backstage Antics of Le1f, Mykki Blanco and More at Berlin Queer Festival Yo Sissy

Photos by Keenan MacWilliam

Berlin’s infamous party scene has been compared to the glory years of 1980s New York nightlife, but since I wasn’t old enough to go to the mall unsupervised back then—let alone a nightclub—I never got to experience it all firsthand. Last week, however, I made a long-awaited pilgrimage to the German city for Yo Sissy, a queer music festival in its second year that took place in two nightclubs from July 29-30. The festival’s founders, Pansy and Scout (cutest names ever?), once again booked a solid line-up of international queer artists, ranging from New York DJ Lauren Flax to Brooklyn’s Bushwig collective and Swedish vocalist Karin Park.

Among no shortage of raucous entertainment and wildly-dressed performers, highlights included Mykki Blanco pulling a sweaty and nervous girl on stage to dance, cute fans desperately tossing crumpled papers scrawled with their phone numbers to Babely Stine from Easter, and Le1f straight killing it despite sound mishaps.

The experience was hard to put into words, so I hung out backstage and took photos of the festival’s many performers—focusing on the moment they descended from stage. Hopefully this helps to get across what I felt, saw, and heard over that spectacular weekend.

Mykki Blanco

Mykki Blanco dancing on stage with audience member

Stine from Easter and Evvol’s Jane share a tender moment backstage

Le1f onstage and backstage

Max and Stine from Easter

Pansy, YO SISSY co- founder backstage after a drag show

Mykki Blanco