Dorian Electra Kicks Off First Headlining Tour at Gramps

Early Sunday night at Gramps in Wynwood, the outdoor bar and concert area pulsed with the vibe of a party about to start. Colorful lights framed the space, and a reddish glow bathed the stage. A screen at the back bore the name “Internet Friends” — the dance music collective founded by DJs Gami and Keanu Orange — and a green disco ball at the top sent verdant light gently spinning across the floor and walls, making the area in front of the stage look like a dance floor waiting to be occupied.

Like kids at a middle-school dance, guests mostly avoided the center of the room unless they needed to cross from one end to the other. Wearing glitter-dusted faces, dark painted lips, leather gloves, or twinkly lights in their hair, they stood mostly on the edges while dancing. But they wouldn't stay off the dance floor for long.

The crowd was waiting for Dorian Electra, who performed with openers Mood Killer, Manchado, and Internet Friends. The gender-fluid experimental-pop musician, who released their first full-length album, Flamboyant, in July, recently embarked on their first headlining tour — and Miami was stop number one. That’s a lot of firsts, and the energy at Gramps reflected the excitement and anticipation of something beginning, of pure potential.

Dressed in bright blue, with matching blue hair, black leather accents, and sunglasses resting above their signature penciled-on mustache, Electra took the stage. They opened strong with “Flamboyant,” the album’s title track, which reclaims the word and celebrates its extravagance, confidence, and over-the-top quality. “I do it big and take up lots of space/You know I like to get up in your face,” Electra says. That theme of unapologetically embracing one's identity and having fun with it ran throughout the rest of the show. “It’s amazing to see the queer community come out here tonight,” Electra said as the crowd cheered. “Bigger and stronger every day, baby!”
Electra performed the entirety of Flamboyant, plus a couple of bonus tracks fans can hear only on the vinyl version, along with “VIP,” a 2018 track. On the album, Electra tries on a variety of personas: a businessman always working overtime for “the Man” in “Career Boy,” a sugar daddy in “Daddy Like,” and a man putting on eye makeup because “it feels so right” in “Guyliner.” The artist plays with and interrogates gender as well as experiments with a variety of musical genres. Some tracks are poppier, such as the catchy, finger-snapping “Man to Man.” Others draw more from electronic and heavy-metal influences, like the harder-edged “Emasculate,” or from baroque and medieval elements, such as “Live by the Sword.”

Once it began, the show’s high energy didn't stop. The crowd knew the words to most songs, and the intimate space made Electra, with blue hair blowing in the wind, seem like they were dancing and posing in the midst of the audience. The final song of the main set, “Career Boy,” ended abruptly. As Electra belted out the last line, “Nothing is ever gonna make me stop,” the lights went out and they vanished from the stage. But that wouldn't be the last song.

Throughout the night, the sense of community that pervaded the venue was palpable. It was notable in the way the DJs interacted with each other behind their booth, the way Electra’s two back-up dancers joyfully hugged onstage, and the moment when opener Mood Killer gave a shout-out to their grandma in the front row during their set (“Let’s hear it for my abuelita!”). All of this positive energy culminated when Dorian Electra returned for an encore. As Electra sang “Femmebot,” a 2017 collaboration with Charli XCX, the artist beckoned the crowd to join. “Everybody, come on, come on!” Electra yelled as the stage turned into a dance floor full of people jumping and cheering with their hands in the air while the disco ball twirled overhead.

Set list:
- "Flamboyant"
- "Mr. to You"
- "Man to Man"
- "Emasculate"
- "Tool for You"
- "Adam & Steve"
- "Live by the Sword"
- "Under the Armor"
- "Musical Genius"
- "Daddy Like"
- "VIP"
- "Freaky 4 Life"
- "Guyliner"
- "Career Boy"

Encore:
- "Femmebot"