INTERVIEW: A Digital Pint with… Mr. Brake Down, on Doom, Glitter, Tom Waits, Circus and Carnival

Mr. Brake Down returns to the Edinburgh Festival Fringe this year with his cabaret deepdive into the wit, wisdom and unstoppable force of eccentric cult icon Tom Waits. In Doom and Glitter: A Tribute to Tom Waits aims to gather the outcasts, oddities and visionaries for a soulful fever-dream that runs the gamut of human emotion. We caught up with MBD for a pixelated pint to find out more about the show.

You can catch Doom & Glitter: A Tribute To Tom Waits at PBH’s Free Fringe – The Street (Nightclub) at 21:00 on August 9, 11, 13, 15, 23, 25, 27, 29–30, and at PBH’s Free Fringe – Voodoo Rooms (Ballroom) at 17:30 from August 16–22.Tickets are Available Through the EdFringe Online Box Office.

Shay: Mr. Brake Down! You’re back at EdFringe again this year. Tell us about what sort of shenanigans you’ve been up to in the intervening period.

MBD: As always, my life is a whirlygig of abstract queer splendour. I spent some time at the Berlin Art Institute reconnecting with my inner arts and crafts nerd, which resulted in some amazing physical performance, soundscape and sculpture work that is, if you can believe it, even weirder than my Tom Waits obsession. I’ve been acting, performing and directing with my original theatre show, Kayfabe, an ode to the queer history of circus and carnival, working on some fantastic trans projects across short film, stage and audiodrama, and generally being a public nuisance on cabaret and pride stages across the country. So you know, a usual quiet and unassuming time between Fringing!

Shay: You’re bringing Doom & Glitter back to the EdFringe stage again, which is a window into the world of eccentric cult icon Tom Waits. For the uninitiated, tell us a little bit about Tom, and about the process of channelling him.

MBD: So for those unaware of the insane magic of Mr Waits, this reclusive septuagenarian is responsible for a wealth of incredible experimental blues, jazz, spoken word, ambient and eccentric noise. His albums have been a driving force in my life for around twenty-five years, where I found solace in a person who was authentically themselves despite the proposed ‘rules’ of how to succeed as an artist and musician. Tom exudes authenticity and constantly presents a gentle but deeply off-putting energy to challenge those who would dare try to contain or label what he does, and that speaks to me across so many intersections of my heritage and personal experience.

Shay: The show features a live band that takes us on a melodic journey through Waits’ discography and life. Tell us about the band, and what the audience can expect.

MBD: So this is my second year bringing a live band with me, whose multitude of talents have expanded and improved the show to its current award-winning, five-star status. Back for another year is our fabulous musical director, Miss Siân Peters, who took her short venture into playing bass a little too seriously last year and is now our featured bassist on every track that has one. Our multitalented multi-instrumentalist Miss Sophie Sióbhan is also back with more instruments than ever before; honestly, I try not to turn around whilst I’m singing in case I suddenly see another one popping up mid-show that I wasn’t expecting!

New for this year is our percussionist Mr Han Deacon, otherwise known as Edinburgh’s femme top father figure of drag, Daddy Delight. His inclusion in the band now makes our incredible lineup 100% trans for the first time in D&G history which is truly a beautiful thing. And he’s my boyfriend, so it certainly gives me more than a little moral support on stage.

Shay: You’re taking part in PBH’s Free Fringe with both of your shows this year – tell us about your ambitions with the show this year, and why you’ve decided to put on the show with PBH.

MBD: PBH have been absolutely lovely in the setup for the show and we’re really excited to be playing two iconic venues for them. We have our 9pm show on selected dates in The Street Nightclub, which holds a very dear place in my heart as the first true community I found whilst trying out Fringe for the first time so many years ago.We’re also playing an absolute bucket list venue for me: the sensational Voodoo Rooms Ballroom, at 5:30pm for one week only in the middle of our run.

As ever we plan to push the envelope with some brand new songs that fans won’t have heard us cover before, unique mashups, gorgeous burlesque guests and the return of our interactive classics that the audience can join in on too. And this time, it’s free to get in! (Although, as we like to say in Free Fringe, it ain’t free to get out!)

Shay: What will be the first thing the audience sees, feels, and hears as they enter the space?

MBD: If I’ve learned anything from last year at all, it’s that it’s not me! The band really draw the eye, tuning up their exciting array of instruments under the moody stage lights. I can usually be found skulking in a quiet corner, waiting to emerge and wend my way to the mic.

This year we’ve gone for a moody, sexy opening number that’s brand new for the band, and everywhere we’ve played it so far it’s really set the tone of “Oh s$%t, this IS Tom Waits”, so I’m excited to see the reactions at Fringe and how that informs the audience’s energy for what they are about to receive!

Shay: What are you hoping the audience might take away from the experience, if anything?

MBD: People take all sorts of things from the show, and it’s not really for me to have hopes or expectations on that. There are a few common themes for sure. I really love it when people come to tell me their experiences of Waits, where they discovered him, if they saw him live back in the day. It’s beautiful to hear that we’ve evoked nostalgia and that warm feeling for them with our show.

Obviously we love to be complimented on the music, but for me there’s something even more special about the people who recognise the beautiful sense of safety, community, and family that our little trans band has when we celebrate music together. Last year we were bestowed the phrase “a queer and trans oasis of calm” amidst the chaos of the outside world, and that one stuck with me this year in the curation of the 2026 show.

Shay: With EdFringe now just around the corner, what are you most excited for?

MBD: My passion really lies with the music and the people. I love nothing more than being able to put all the admin and promo run-up aside and just get into it, feeling the songs and experiencing different things that I’ll only discover with the music when I have the audience’s energy with me.

As a band, we love meeting and talking to people afterwards, so please don’t be shy in coming to the merchandise and donation station or catching us for a quick word if we’re running around packing up cables etc. We also really adore meeting new artists and finding out what their shows and artistry is all about. Edinburgh really is the most exciting and diverse arts festival in the world, and it’s always a pleasure, a learning curve, and a lifetime’s worth of memories in one summer!

Shay: Given the themes of Binge Fringe, if your show was a beverage of any kind (alcoholic, non-alcoholic – be as creative as you like!), what would it be and why?

MBD: A few years ago the Dreadnought Pub in Leith actually named a drink after the show on one of their queer gathering nights, so of course I’d have to recommend that. The Doom & Glitter is a simple concoction: a single measure of a whisky of your choice, and half a teaspoon of edible gold glitter. Stir and sip, and it shimmers the whole way down!

A reminder, you can catch Doom & Glitter: A Tribute To Tom Waits at PBH’s Free Fringe – The Street (Nightclub) at 21:00 on August 9, 11, 13, 15, 23, 25, 27, 29–30, and at PBH’s Free Fringe – Voodoo Rooms (Ballroom) at 17:30 from August 16–22.Tickets are Available Through the EdFringe Online Box Office.