KUNSTY at Southbank Centre: BULLYACHE’s “WHO HURT YOU?” Redefines the Stage

Southbank Centre’s new performance series, KUNSTY, launches with an exciting promise: to highlight the next generation of independent artists who are pushing the boundaries of dance, theatre, cabaret, and live art. On the opening night, scheduled for Wednesday, November 5, 2025, at 8:30 PM, audiences will have the opportunity to experience a provocative and unforgettable work—BULLYACHE’s “WHO HURT YOU?”

This daring piece stages the final act of an aged musician’s career, hosted by a drag icon and accompanied by an ensemble of faded stars. The atmosphere is one of faded grandeur and raw vulnerability, where every character is caught in the glare of former glory. The performance is a wild collage of influences, from the cult classic film Showgirls to the later years of boxing legend Jake LaMotta—dragged back into the spotlight, barely conscious, and compelled to relive the lines that once made him famous.

“WHO HURT YOU?” is more than a performance; it’s an exploration of queerness, class, exploitation, and the fragile bonds of community. Pop songs and haunting ballads weave through the narrative, underscoring the chaos and beauty found within contemporary commercial culture. The work tests the limits of survival and self-expression in a world obsessed with spectacle.

Performed by Deyn and Samuel of BULLYACHE, alongside the legendary drag pianist Barbs, dancers Sam Dilkes and Frank Yang, and composer-performer Magnus Westwell, the piece is a heady mix of biographical and autobiographical storytelling. BULLYACHE’s signature style blurs the line between character and self, audience and participant, creating a space where everyone is implicated in the spectacle.

KUNSTY’s opening night sets the tone for a series that promises to challenge, provoke, and inspire. “WHO HURT YOU?” is a reckoning with the spectacle of survival, and an invitation to witness the raw edges of contemporary performance art.