David Astbury, affectionately known as Lavinia, was described as an “inspiration” to all who knew her
Lavinia (left), a drag queen who graced GBar for over 20 years, alongside Minnie(Image: GBar)
Tributes have poured in after a much loved drag queen died “peacefully at home”. David Astbury, originally from Wrexham, was more affectionately known to many as their drag persona, Lavinia.
The Welsh performer was a staple of Liverpool’s LGBTQ+ scene for over four decades. She was best known for being a DJ in Eberle Street’s GBar for over 20 years, however she also held an impressive reputation in Chester and North Wales where she was described as being “formidable”.
She previously spoke to the ECHO about her time entertaining thousands of clubbers throughout her career – including what it was like for those in the community in the city in the 1970s.
Lavinia recalled how she first visited the city, aged 17, to visit Stevie’s, a discreet gay bar hidden down Wood Street with a red light on the door. She also told how she would head to Sadie’s, another safe space tucked above a biker’s bar, where the landlady would lean out the kitchen window to shout “what do you want” every time she rang the bell to get in.
Former Gbar manager Andrew Pankhurst (front), with Lavinia (back), both staples of GBar and Liverpool’s LGBT+ scene(Image: GBar)
Lavinia told the ECHO at the time: “When I was young, you’d walk around the city and keep your gob shut. You didn’t say it to anybody. And then you’d go into one of the few clubs, and you’d have to walk down a bloody walkway that was about half a mile long to get into it.
“You didn’t just open the doors like, ‘Oh there you go, a gay bar’. A lot of times you went out a different door when you left the club because of people at the front. Gay bashers, people calling you names.”
Lavinia was described as being a “cornerstone” and at “the forefront of the Liverpool scene” by GBar, the club where she came into her own. She previously told the ECHO how only 15 people went to their first-ever Thursday night, but word spread quickly and the crowd grew in the following weeks.
Lavinia (left), a drag queen who graced GBar for over 20 years, alongside Minnie(Image: GBar)
In a tribute shared online, the club said: “Lav was a cornerstone of Gbar with a 20+ year residency and was at the forefront of the Liverpool scene from the 1970s when gay bars were not visible at all and tucked away down alleys or hidden above bikers bars.
“Lavinia was an inspiration for all those that came behind her, including The Vivienne, who along, with Whitney Wide-On formed a formidable trio in the modern era with Lavinia, and it cuts extra deep that we’ve lost Viv & Lav in such a short period of time this year. Our thoughts go out to all David’s people at this sad time.”
Chester Pride added: “It’s with great sadness that we, like many, have learnt that one of the original Queens of the Chester Scene, the formidable Lavinia, has sadly passed away.
“Lavinia was the star of many venues, not only in Chester but Liverpool, North Wales and beyond. Our thoughts are with Lavinia’s family, friends, and fans. Tonight, a stage light shines even brighter as we remember the many amazing memories.”
GBar’s exterior on Eberle Street in Liverpool city centre (Image: GBar)
Sara Jean James wrote: “Lavinia was the first drag queen I ever met, and I’ve never forgotten her. So many fond memories of the old days. May she Rest In Power. My thoughts are with family and friends at this time.”
Clair Stoke commented: “David, you were such a gentleman, so genuinely kind and beautifully funny, when you would wander across the empty GBar in your slippers before another manic weekend and give me a big hug before diapering into the back and coming out as the one and only Lavinia. You made the world sparkle, old friend, now it’s heaven’s turn.”
In a separate comment, Morgan Elliot added: “Absolutely gutted. Lavinia was the first drag queen I ever encountered when I first burst onto the gay scene in Liverpool during my late teens.
“She’d always put Tina Turner on for me when I walked in, then we’d go for a ciggie on the front and have a little catch-up and put the world to rights. Special place in my heart.”