Fairy Goblin: A Catalyst for Connection, Community, and Unabashed Self-love
Bailey Cogan of 26 BATS! brings to life a night of fantastical music, puppets, and drag.
Inside a South Minneapolis art studio, Bailey Cogan, one-half of 26 BATS!, and their crew is hard at work putting the finishing touches on their next production. Sketches, set lists, and puppets in various forms-of-completion fill up the space. 12 days from my visit to their studio, they will be putting on Fairy Goblin, a drag puppet concert, at the historic Southern Theater.
“I’m a little nervous,” Cogan says. “I’m actually super nervous,”
Fairy Goblin will transform the band’s most recent works into a physical space for one night only, bringing to life the whimsical world of trans love and pure self-expression that Cogan and Karl Remus have crafted. The show expanded from 26 BATS!’ recent music video, “TV Head.” Creating the puppets for that video and the inspiration from the work of their studio mates “got the ball rolling” for Cogan, who was looking for a project to fulfill the partnership program they had gotten through the Southern Theater.
The concept of Fairy Goblin is inspired by a recurring figure that appears in Cogan’s art: a goblin head with bat wings. The goblin figure is less of a physical character and more of an expression of one’s self: “The people are fairy goblins… it's like a bunch of non-binary freaks that are magical,” said Cogan.
The show features a group of woodland animals that go through an adventure of transformation, learning to celebrate their power and experience self-love and queer friendship. The story is set to a mix of brand-new material and a collection of songs from the band’s Onyx and Portal Party albums.
The show will also feature elements of drag. Cogan said they have been incorporating more and more drag into their shows after being inspired by the drag scene of New Orleans, specifically performers like Otto Von Blotto.
Drag elements brought the fluidity of the goblin’s essence to life in a fulfilling form of self-expression for Cogan: “I started doing drag during my shows last January. It was giving me a lot of joy because I fucking love gay people and I fucking love gender. Expressing myself as a goblin, which is how I feel on the inside, gives me an avenue to be freaky and have weird eyebrows and a thick mustache.”
At its core, Fairy Goblin is a catalyst for connection, community, and unabashed self-love:
“It’s so crucial. Having music as a medium, having art as a medium, is always saving my life and will continue to,” said Cogan. “It’s a reminder of community. I’ve been able to meet people I wouldn't have otherwise. Community is life-saving and transcendent.”
Fairy Goblin is taking place on February 22 at the Southern Theater. Doors open at 7, and the show starts at 8. The performance will run for 90 minutes with a 10-minute intermission and a 30-minute performance following the show. Tickets are on sale now for $10.