Daniel Lismore, known as ‘London’s most outrageous dresser’, is a formidable presence. He is perfectly at ease in his outfit of billowing capes and enormous bling at Shabbadabbadah, the party he is hosting in the exclusive ‘loft space’ of the Q club inBirmingham. The oval of dark, berry coloured lipstick exceeding the rim of his lips appears otherworldly, alien. We ask where he acquired his heavy neckpiece and he replies simply ‘McQueen’- as if the designer wares are like a second skin to him.
It’s about 1am and the party is in full swing- most of the guests (including myself) had just been to see Ann Liv Young’s harrowing ‘Mermaid Show’, and therefore welcomed a showering of glitter, a stiff drink and a dance. Lismore’s influence was evident from the moment you arrive in the ‘Loft’ space, as you are greeted by a dressing- up box and make- up booth, who wrap liberal amounts of colourful Gaussian and satin fabric around any bare flesh. Everyone looks fabulous, but none as fabulous as Lismore, whose golden crown extends him to beyond 7 foot tall, so that he is towering above all his guests. He claims that it takes him 40 minutes to get ready every morning: when considering the thickness of his face paint, false eyelashes and piled- up jewellery, this is a remarkable feat, putting us (who also took 40 minutes to get ready!) to shame.
As his favourite outfit was one he made entirely out of bin- liners, Press Gang are surely not the first people to draw parallels between Lismore and Lady Gaga, who also dresses to shock, famously wearing a dress made of meat to the MTV video music awards last year. However, Lismore dismisses the parallel, claiming that he admires her only for her ‘charity work’, and that her ideas are not truly original, but ‘exploited’ from others. Interestingly, he is very keen to correct my vocabulary when I suggest that his outfits ‘shock’, claiming that he only dresses only to please himself, and that the clothes he wears are merely a reflection of his personality (which must, then, change daily!) However, he agrees with Gaga’s philosophy that you can be whoever you want to be and of do anything you wish to, and that the best way to live life is with ‘no boundaries’. He claims that any inhibitions we may have are merely self- generated mental barriers and can easily be destroyed.
The liberal atmosphere of Fierce Festival is the perfect scene for Lismore, who, although he has not been to see any of the Fierce shows, says that the buzz he has heard around them has been ‘incredible’. He praises the Q club for its great atmosphere and the festival punters for being ‘the people of the party’. In true, hardworking Fierce style, Lismore is that he has that age- old philosophy that if you desire something and pursue something enough, you can make all of your ambitions and dreams happen.
It is of course not a surprise that Lismore’s extravagant outfits are not welcomed by everyone he encounters, with the sheer mass of clothes, jewellery and make-up he wears it is hard to visualize the stripped back human underneath. Unsurprisingly for many this provokes fear and creates much hostility. During the end of the party, I witnessed him experience this from one of his own guests. He dismissed his aggressive behaviour immediately, but with much more understanding than the diva- like rant I was expecting. Remarkably, he is able to empathize with those who harbour negative views towards him, as he recognises that they are not “secure enough with themselves.” These experiences are a daily occurrence for Lismore, as he explains that he has had near misses with gunshots and stab wounds (although he quickly joked that his outfits could also do a lot of danger if necessary)! Hearing more about the antagonism that Lismore constantly faces, it seems that as well as being an expression of his character, his dress sense is symbolic of defiance, a powerful statement of independence. I’m proud that a localCoventryboy has been able to stand out from the crowd on a national scale, whilst constantly looking fabulous!
Written by Hannah Elsy and Anna Piper