A HAIRDRESSER from Southend is set to re-enact the adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert after selling up his salon to tour around the USA as a drag act.

Garrii Bailey has closed up his salon in London Road, Westcliff, and plans to start his new life as a full-time drag queen by touring the southern United States in a silver bus similar to “Priscilla” from the 1994 Australian film.

Garrii’s alter ego, Shyanne O’Shea, was headhunted to be one of ten Brits to perform at the Austin International Drag Festival inMay but said he was so enthused by his experience there he decided to take up performing full time.

He said: “I was there for a week and was on stage for four days of that – it was the best time of my life.

“Texas completely surprised me, it was so liberal, welcoming and open, and I can’t wait to go back.

“I met a couple of other drag artists there and they’ve invited me to tour with them in two months for three weeks through Florida, Georgia, Alabama before going over to Oregon and the west coast – it’s going to be just like Priscilla with a shiny silver bus and everything.

“But after seeing the American performers, I decided I really needed to up my game so I’ve decided to close my salon to concentrate on drag.”

Garrii has also been made an ambassador of the Austin International Drag Festival, in addition to a Channel Four documentary set to air later in the year, has also landed himself a part in Calibrate Films’ documentary film “Fierce: The Movie”.

He said: “Fierce is an English-based film which will be released next summer, but they followed us to Texas and they’ll be following me around Southend and London in September.

“It follows the lives of four or five drag performers with different characters and I’m The Party Girl’, apparently.”