“People would say, ‘Oh, you don’t look like you should be doing metal.'" We went on tour with Scene Queen, the bimbocore leader who's turning metal stereotypes on their heads (and infuriating gatekeepers with "twerkle pits")

Scene Queen crowdsurfing.

There’s a pink feather on the stairs. And another one. And yet more scattered all the way down the corridor. We follow the trail, backstage at London’s 02 Academy Islington, and end up at a dressing room. Inside is Hannah Collins, aka Scene Queen – metalcore’s answer to Barbie. While she may have a stash of feather boas and other accessories for the stage, she’s currently off duty and wearing a tracksuit. Pink, of course.

Tonight Hannah will play the first of two dates here, capping off her UK headline tour: Bimbos, Beans & Toast. The Ohio-born artist currently lives in LA, and was last here a year ago, on her first ever tour, playing in the cramped basements of sweaty dive bars. Since then, her infamy has grown exponentially, and every venue on this run has been upgraded. With the pressure on, she’s on vocal rest – but nothing will stop her doing a meet-and-greet with her beloved fans. Before we go upstairs, Hannah takes a deep breath, exhales, and centres herself.