Auckland drag hostess Tess Tickle says her new twice-monthly gay night Pushup will be held in a sophisticated cocktail bar with a variety of entertainment provided for a mature crowd. Drag hostess Tess Tickle "I play the role of a host, swanning around taking orders and doing shows - but I don't want it to solely be a drag bar," Tess tells GayNZcom. "We want it to be a cocktail bar with a difference." Beginning tomorrow night, Pushup will be held every second and last Friday from 9pm until 2am at Purple bar, the new name for the Zanzibar venue upstairs from Crest on the corner on K' Road and Pitt Street. The gay-owned venue is also home to Flirt women's night twice a month. "We wanted give a nicer and more indulgent feel to the scene, and offer another option," Tess explains. "We want to catch people who have been out for dinner and want to come up for a cocktail. It's not going to be a hardcore dance party feel. "It's a beautiful bar, with an outdoor area, and a fireplace for those winter nights. And because it's on the second level, the view is nice, so it doesn't just feel like you're sitting in a room." Resident DJ James Leuii will provide funky, soulful music to set the mood, and he'll be joined by DJ Mauri from Urge bar for tomorrow's opening night. Shows from Tess Tickle and Venus Mantrap, and Family bar's drag divas Miss Ribena and Buckwheat are invited guests. The second Pushup night on Friday 11 April will be a major fundraiser for Auckland drag favourite Bambi Slut as she battles illness in hospital. Both the Crest bar on the ground floor and Purple bar upstairs will be open, with a $10 cover charge on the door and a variety of drag entertainment planned.