In the second episode of Queer Spotlight, Alejandro shares how Lady Olé became a home for community, chaos and camp music

Before Lady Olé lit up London dance floors, there was Pelucas y Tacones, a chaotic, Spanish DIY night born from one woman’s birthday wish. “It started almost 20 years ago at a bar called First Out Café,” Alejandro Asencio recalls. “It was run and loved by lesbians. Maria, the owner, wanted Spanish music for her birthday, and Noelia, my partner in the project, began throwing the parties for her. That’s how it all started.”

What began as a small celebration in a lesbian café quickly became something much bigger. “We did two years at First Out, and then the party got popular. I started bringing in the boys, and the lesbians got a little scared,” he says, half-laughing. “So we moved to Concrete on Shoreditch High Street. It was a proper basement club, and we could do whatever we wanted.”

There was a night themed around bedtime stories. “I asked people to bring their pillows for a pillow fight. I had no idea how it would go. At some point, I said, ‘Start the pillow fight,’ and suddenly there were feathers flying everywhere. My management got very upset because they were impossible to clean. Years later, we would still find feathers behind bottles.”

And then came punk nights, boat parties, and surreal surprises. “We had a punk theme with a Spanish band called Putilatex. The singer was spitting on people. Anything could happen. And then, one night, I was DJing and security came to tell me Alaska and Mario Vaquerizo were at the door. I ran out, and there she was. Alaska. A queer icon. Someone I had admired all my life. She wanted to come in. That was a turning point.”

But as the years passed, so did the needs of the party. “Noelia moved to Madrid. She is a biologist and had a lot on her plate. I was still in London, running events in Berlin, Manchester, and Brighton. We talked and agreed I should start something new. A new name. A new format.”

Pelucas y Tacones had always stuck to Spanish music, but Alejandro was ready to open it up. “We thought, we are getting tired of playing the same records, and maybe the crowd is too. When a party hits ten years, you need to evolve. Generations change. You have to shift with them.”

That shift became Lady Olé, a club night that mixes trashy Spanish pop with Eurodance, 90s hits, and something warmer. “We are not polished. Not like other London nights where everything has to be perfect. Our roots are still punk, but softer. There is freedom in how we do things. The vibe, the care, the community, that is what makes it special.”

Lady Olé now attracts a mix of Spanish, Italian and international queer people, plus their straight friends. “It is not just for Spanish speakers,” he says. “I do not believe in parties that exclude. If you want to come and have fun, that is enough.”

What holds it all together, Alejandro says, is care. “I do not like going out and feeling like just another number. I want to walk into a party like I am walking into someone’s home. That is the vibe I wanted. Friendly, warm, looked after. We are a family. That is the real gift Pelucas and Lady Olé gave us.”

Behind the scenes, the work is intense. “So many hours behind screens. Promoting, producing, creating. And looking after the people who help run it, my close community of friends. That is what keeps it alive.”

The conversation turns toward London’s queer nightlife, and how much it has changed. “The most noticeable change is the loss of spaces. So many clubs have closed. But also, everything feels so segmented now. When I first started going out in London, it was all mixed. Twinks with bears, with muscle marys, with whoever. Now it is very targeted. I understand why, but I am not a big fan. I want people to just be people, all together. Otherwise it gets too homogeneous.”

Still, he is hopeful. “We are seeing parties for every part of the rainbow now. Parties for bisexual people, for queer couples, for trans folks. That is a good thing. Nightlife will always evolve. And it is where we get to push back against what is happening politically. It is where we fight.”

Alejandro’s own roots in queer partying were shaped by The Loft, the legendary New York party known for its house party ethos and radical openness. “I started volunteering when it came to London. That party taught me everything. About values, about looking after a community, about music. It is still going. When I am not in drag, you will find me dancing there.”

He also finds refuge in queer cinema. “The film All of Us Strangers hit me hard. I left the cinema in tears. It stayed with me for days. It talks about loneliness and what we face as queer people. That film became a classic instantly, for me.”

Asked what stories still need to be told, Alejandro does not hesitate. “There are still huge gaps. We do not see enough stories about lesbians. Or trans men. Or queer people in poor, underrepresented places. It is not that their stories do not matter. They just do not have the means to tell them. That is what I want to see more of.”

So what advice does he have for others dreaming of creating their own event? “Hold on to that dream. Trust yourself. Get your friends involved. If you have a good idea, and you are a bit of a natural leader, go for it. It is not always easy, but it is worth it.”

He smiles. “I have always called myself a joy dreamer. That is what keeps me going. If you do not have the capacity to dream, you get stuck in routine. The dream may never land where you want it to, but the journey is fun. And if you can create a space where someone feels free, you have already made a difference.”

His personal motto comes from Rent: No day but today. “Make the most of today. Be the best version of yourself. If you are having a bad day, that is fine. But remember, today is all we have.”

Lady Olé turns ten this year, and Alejandro is planning something special. “We will be at As One Festival in July, then our annual boat party the next day. It is going to be wild. And from September, we enter our tenth season. There will be surprises.”

To find out what is next, sign up to the Lady Olé newsletter via laladyole@gmail.com, or follow @laladyole on Instagram.

This interview is based on Queer Spotlight, a podcast talk show hosted by Matt Eberlein and produced by LEXME.RED. You can also read the Mark Ashton episode from the same series on Flicker Magazine.

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