ARXX and answered

CREDIT: JESSIE MORGAN

ARXX and answered This Brighton alt-rock gal pal duo has been attracting a lot of music industry attention of late. Jaq Bayles finds out why

) As the coronavirus pandemic began to surface, Brighton-based duo ARXX were halfway through a tour. They had spent a week and a half in Germany, but “saw the signs and thought best get home”. And they had recently supported The Hold Steady at a packed 800-capacity venue, The Bush in London, so it’s no wonder they were “pretty gutted”, in the words of vocalist and guitarist Hanni Pidduck.

“For us the live part of being a musician is the best part. Touring is such an incredible way to travel, we have been to places we would never have been.”

Drummer Clara Townsend fleshes out the details of having stayed in an anarchistic co-operative trailer park in Munich and Hanni chips back in with an anecdote about playing a gig in a venue next to slaughterhouse – which had to end at midnight when the slaughter began. The chemistry between the two is palpable when they’re quizzed about their work – there are times one will jump in and finish the other’s sentence and their anecdotes are punctuated by bursts of laughter as they anticipate the outcome of the tale. That sort of closeness comes from having played together for four years, touring extensively in the UK and Europe and appealing to a broad spectrum of fans with their own brand of what NME referred to as

CREDIT: JESSIE MORGAN “garage-rock meets country-punk” when the duo headlined its Girls to the Front show at London’s Shacklewell Arms.

Indeed, the music mag is quite the fan of ARXX, naming them one of its 100 Essential New Artists for 2020 – a highlight of their career so far, resulting in nearly a million streams on Spotify – and in November it added their latest single, Call Me Crazy, to its New Bangers playlist. The band gained the attention of the publication after responding to a call out from Dream Wife when they played the Concorde 2 for bands who were female or non-binary – ARXX’s favourite type of show. “We really love it when we play a show that’s a full female or non-binary line-up,” says Hanni. “There’s a real sense of community, everyone cares about it.”

Clara adds: “The Dream Wife audience was good – female, queer, alt rock/punk. We used to play quite a lot of shows where we would be the only females on the line-up and people didn’t know what to expect. I quite like to convert them – we are very loud.” Sadly, the current situation has silenced them when it comes to live shows. The tour they had lined up for next February looks likely to have to be rescheduled and, of course the last one was interrupted, the pandemic derailing their plans to tour in Europe as much as they could before Brexit struck.

They are particular fans of playing in Germany, where the audience turnout is always good, no matter how tiny the town, but they don’t yet know what Brexit will mean. Hanni says: “Right now it feels like a big deal to play in Europe, but it’s very accessible. You can just chuck your kit in a car and go.” But Brexit might put paid to some of the lucrative opportunities European touring can offer. For ARXX, “merch is our lifeblood” – in some countries sales of merchandise well exceed what the band get paid for the show, but they are expecting Brexit will see a tax introduced on that. There are also likely to be restrictions or, at the very least, a lot more red tape to deal with when it comes to transporting equipment. While ARXX have the sort of contacts that mean they could probably borrow gear, they feel for others in a less fortunate position. “What’s sad is that for bands starting out it will be less accessible,” says Hanni. “Bands make so much more money in Europe. We have had probably the most fun when on tour in Europe and it’s a shame other bands may not have that.”

But the duo aren’t ones to give in to adversity and they have secured studio space in which they will be “cooking up new tunes” (adhering to social distancing guidelines) and a new single is promised for February. The pair are pretty hot right now – Steve Lamacq played Call Me Crazy on BBC Radio 6 Music, describing it as a “serenading pop song”, which, say ARXX, “made all our pop dreams come true”. That tune was in contrast to their biggest hit to date, the rocky Iron Lung, while Clara promises the next release will “sit in the middle”.

It will be hotly anticipated by fans and the music industry in general alike, and ARXX can’t wait to get performing again, but in the meantime those tunes will be cooking and you can get involved in their podcast, ARXX Us Anything, by sending your questions to arxxusanything@gmail.com. Influences

Hanni: “The reason I play electric guitar is Sister Rosetta Tharpe, who was a queer black woman who used to lead her congregation in church with an electric guitar.” Clara: “I started playing drums because of Cherisse Osei. She was the first female drummer I saw on stage and she used to play for Mika, who I was obsessed with. I am a massive P!nk fan too.” More info

D www.arxxband.com f t@arxxband

CREDIT: KALEIDO SHOOTS

Literary life, cabaret & lockdown Alex Klineberg catches up with performer Ian Elmslie who keeps the spirit of cabaret alive in his music

) Ian Elmslie is a cabaret performer who’s been around the block, several times. He chronicled his life and career in his racy 2017 memoir, A Marvellous Party – fittingly named after a Noël Coward song. We caught up with him to discuss his latest projects.

How’s life been treating you since becoming an author in 2017?

I titled the book A Marvellous Party because that is how my life had felt up to that point. Little did I know the party was only just getting started. Like all the best adventures, the new journey began with a beautiful accident. In 2018, a passing visit to a Brighton record shop led to an invitation to present an evening of stories from the book, which I embellished with songs from the LGBTQ+ catalogue, The following year I curated Torchbearer with the singer Graham J for a short season of performances. The show featured two of my original compositions, both of which were well received and this sparked the idea for a musical, which I completed and recorded this year.

When will we be able to see it?

Old Boyfriends is no longer a musical. There are no chandeliers, no barricades, no dazzling special effects, no chorus lines dripping in bugle beads. No set, no plot, nothing at all. So I’ve chosen to call it a revue or, pardon the pun, a review of past relationships, an occasionally ticklish but heartfelt reflection on the eclectic selection of gentlemen who entered my life stage right and exited stage wrong, but all of whom have left an indelible impression on my memory. The double CD, one piano and voice, one with arrangements, will be released on Valentine’s Day 2021, and there will hopefully be some intimate shows in suitable venues, pandemic permitting.

Tell us about the song I Miss Him, and why you chose to donate funds from it to gay men’s health project, GMFA.

The song was written when the show was still in the original concept of a musical, complete with a cast of characters. I was working along the lines of a Boys in the Band scenario, an established group of gay men, relaxing after dinner and reminiscing about the loves of their lives. I decided that one character would have lost his partner, to an unspecified illness, and had never found anyone to ever replace him. The song is a remembrance, an observation of the permanence of grief, how the smallest of moments can spark the most powerful memories. Like too many in our community, I have lost both lovers and friends to HIV/Aids, and the song is a tribute to them. It made absolute sense to donate all artist royalties from sales and streams to GMFA, in order to support their magnificent and ongoing work.

How have you been coping with lockdown?

Some hours were better than others. I live and work alone, so I am used to the solitude, which I can often enjoy, and also to my own company, of which I got utterly fed up. But my time as a teacher kicked in, and I embraced the concept of a timetable. A daily 10km walk, piano practice, writing, reading, tending the garden, and working my way through the inevitable box sets. Like everyone, I missed the company of the ones I love, but if this whole nightmare has encouraged us to call rather than text, to check in on a more regular basis, to appreciate the value of those friendships that we sometimes take for granted, and to let the ones we love know that we do, then some of this agony has been worth it.

What is your process for writing a song?

With this project, it all started with a character. Who is this person, what do we need to know about them? Next comes the scenario. What is the situation? What is the story? Then I try to find the most appropriate musical style with which to tell the tale. I have always enjoyed jumping round the genres, and this collection veers from jazz to country and western, from Irish ballad to vaudeville, bar-room blues to disco, whatever worked best to complement the narrative. Each song is based on a real person, which made writing the lyric far easier than finding some hitherto unexplored way to tell a tale of love on the rocks. As I am still in touch with some of the subjects of the songs, I was intrigued to hear their response. All good so far.

Who are your musical heroes?

Music has been at the very core of my life from the earliest age. As a pre-pubescent child, I loved the harmonies of The Osmonds, The Carpenters and The Manhattan Transfer. David Bowie took the throne in my teens, and has stayed there ever since, never failing to thrill me with his refusal to stay creatively static, even when the results were less than successful. Musical theatre, classical music and jazz, all have a huge place in my heart. Joni Mitchell never fails to make me wonder why I even attempt to compose anything. George Michael, Rufus Wainwright, John Grant, great gay singer songwriters all. Music will always be my constant companion, my inspiration, my challenge, my comfort and my joy. More info

Connect with Ian: t @ianelmslie62 I Miss Him will be available to hear and download on Dec 1 on YouTube and all major streaming channels. Old Boyfriends will be released on Valentine’s Day 2021. A Marvellous Party is available to purchase from the Ignite Books website:

www.ignitebooks.co.uk

CLASSICAL NOTES BY NICK BOSTON

REVIEWS ) Cheryl Frances-Hoad The Whole Earth Dances (Champs Hill CHRCD152). I’ve been following composer Cheryl Frances-Hoad’s (b.1980) work for a while now, and it was a great delight to explore her latest disc

of chamber works, entitled The Whole Earth Dances. The title work was commissioned by The Schubert Ensemble, inspired by walking in her local park, but also by the importance of taking notice of nature in a time when it is under such threat. Full of long sustained string chords, with delicate piano commentary in places, the movement alternates between lively, spiky ‘thistles’ and gentler, unfurling ‘ferns’. And there is hope in the positively consonant, sudden C major ending. There’s so much on this disc for varied chamber forces, and many different performers, it’s hard to do justice here to it all. There is lyricism as well as dancing canons and rhythmic complexity in Cloud Movements for clarinet, violin and piano, and in The Prophecy, anguish is taken to a new level in an incredibly virtuosic piece, and Rebecca Gilliver (cello) and Sophia Rahman (piano) give an outstanding performance. Towards the end, the cello cries out with a strange vibrating screech, and then an unsettling calm is reached at the end, with occasional stabs from the piano punctuating an exhausted cello solo. Then for something completely different – Game On, a work for piano and Commodore 64 computer. Here, Frances-Hoad takes sounds from a 1987 puzzle game, X0R, and uses these to create a fascinating soundworld, exploring game theory, robots taking over the world, and ultimately, destruction of humanity – so not a cheery piece! There is a chilling sense of panic here, despite the slightly comic origins of a 1980s gaming computer. The collection ends with a work for string quartet, My Day in Hell, inspired by Dante’s Divine Comedy. Here, the angular melodic material, downward slides and richly dissonant chords definitely create a sense of being trapped in circles within circles. I’m always struck in Frances-Hoad’s music by how, despite some common devices, such as the contrast between slow, long chords and spikier rhythmic movement, with great use of pregnant pauses, the atmospheres evoked are incredibly varied and individual to each piece. I’ve focused on the music itself here, but all the performers deserve praise here – there is some challenging music, and all the players do great justice to FrancesHoad’s fascinating and often virtuosic demands. ) Joël Marosi & Esther Walker

Felix and Fanny Mendelssohn

(First Hand Records FHR81). Joël Marosi (cello) and Esther Walker

(piano) have brought together all the works for cello and piano composed by brother and sister Felix Mendelssohn (1809-1847) and Fanny Mendelssohn (18051847). Many of the pieces were written with their cellist younger brother, Paul. Felix’s first sonata has a real youthful urgency in the opening movement. Walker manages to produce a bright tone despite the driving repeated chords and thick textures of the piano part, and Marosi brings out the yearning as well as a virtuosic display to finish. He really gets the chance to sing out in the second movement’s lyrical central section, and both players produce the requisite drama in the finale, and manage the piece’s quiet ending, with delicate lyricism from the cello over a gently rippling piano. The Variations Concertantes draw on a humble, hymn-like tune, and encompass eight variations, and the two players here exploit their moments

JOEL MAROSI & ESTHER WALKER well, although there could be a little more tempo differentiation between the faster variations. Turning to sister Fanny, we have a Fantasia, with a beautifully romantic melody presented first on the piano, with the cello emerging from a low accompaniment to take over the melody. There is plenty of opportunity for Marosi to sing here, particularly in the slower arioso section. Similarly, in her capriccio, lyrical melodies are passed between the instruments, with the piano leading off on a faster central section, with emphatic fanfare-like statements from the cello. Once again, the movement winds down to a quiet finish. We return to Felix for the remainder of the recording, with his Sonata No. 2. The two players bound into the opening movement, with its striding cello theme and joyful energy and drive throughout. In the finale, Walker and Marosi never let up with the driving rhythmic energy, right to the dramatic explosive climax, before the dynamics drop down, leaving quiet, rippling exchanges to end. ) Louis Lortie Louis Lortie plays Chopin: Vol 6 (Chandos CHAN20117). In Louis Lortie’s sixth volume of Chopin works, we have the Hommage à Mozart Op. 2, the two Op. 49 Polonaises and the Fantasie Op. 49, interspersed with sixteen of the Mazurkas. Lortie’s Mazurkas are full of character, with great attention to articulation and dynamics. For example, from the Op. 6 set, he gives the first a wonderful halting lilt, and its falling chromatic progressions have a silky darkness. In the Op. 24

set, there’s a lyrical, more waltzlike affair to begin with, and the third has pauses in almost every phrase, which Lortie shapes and times with delicate poise. The Hommage à Mozart opens with a lengthy rhapsodic introduction, with hints of Mozart’s theme, Là ci darem la mano, and Lortie delivers this with suitable grandeur and virtuosic command, followed by a brilliant set of variations, which Lortie dashes off with impressive ease. He exploits the dark drama of the operatic adagio variation to the full, with an electric alla polacca to finish. The two Polonaises, Op. 49, especially the first, the Military, are by nature emphatic and weighty, but this

can be easily overdone in the first, rendering it a shouty affair. Here, Lortie certainly provides weight, but with precise articulation and full use of the range of dynamics he avoids the bombast. The second is full of brooding darkness, and Lortie brings this out, as well as the wistful melancholy of the lyrical central section. Fantasie Op. 49 concludes the disc, with its funereal march launching an explosion of improvisatory explorations. Lortie is definitely let loose here, although despite the extremes of virtuosity, that sense of subtle changing moods is never lost.

More info For more reviews, comment and events, visit: n nicks-classical-notes.blogspot.

co.uk

T @nickb86uk E nbclassical@hotmail.co.uk

ART MATTERS BY ENZO MARRA

This month I’m concentrating on one very local arts venue, which is presenting five artists whose differing approaches allow each body of work to come to life, due to the giant leaps between them.

PHOENIX GALLERY Brighton, www.phoenixbrighton.org

) Until Sunday, December 13, the Platform Graduate Award 2020 will be viewable online at www.phoenixbrighton.org/Events/ platform-graduate-award-2020/. This is the first time the gallery is taking part in the Award, which was established in 2012 and is designed by Contemporary Visual Arts Network South East to support emerging graduate artistic talent, and to help further their practice following graduation. Phoenix has selected five artists:

Working within the expanded field of sculpture, Rachel Atkinson’s practice consists of large-scale props, video, photography, and poetry. Utilising these media, along with characters and props, she sets a scene of fakery and strangeness to explore concepts of audience expectations, illusion, the screen, theatre, and colour.

Peruvian artist Ursula Vargas has been researching pre-Colombian art and how this historical aspect of her culture is reflected in her contemporary practice. Witnessing how human exploitation of natural resources contributes to environmental problems and climate change has guided her choice of traditional painting media with found supports such as discarded cardboard boxes. Charlotte Guérard’s abstract narratives are a conversation between forms and colour. Charlotte’s 2020 alternative Graduate show was presented as a virtual exhibition entitled Is This A First and featured works produced before and after lockdown. She was nominated for the Freelands Painting Prize 2020 and published in the a-n review earlier this year. Through the medium of photography, Leanne Jones-Starr explores the connection between memories, the uncanny and intuition. Her most recent collection of works is a collection entitled Isolation Garden which consists of five digital images taken during lockdown. They are inspired by the confinement of the garden with each being individually titled at the time in which they were taken. Jessica Davis expresses the effects of how both animals and humans have clashed as they expand more into each other’s territory. To express this through art she uses a range of mediums, such as drawing, painting, taxidermy, sculpture, and photography. Growing up, Jessica saw the effects that humanity has on wildlife around us. Having her own difficulties with special needs, she feels that she has a deeper connection with nature and animals. ALL THAT JAZZ BY SIMON ADAMS

REVIEWS ) MINO CINELU/NILS PETTER MOLVÆR SulaMadiana (Modern Recordings). Nordic ambient trumpeter Nils Petter Molvær comes from the Norwegian island of Sula, former Miles Davis and Weather Report percussionist Mino Cinélu’s father is from Martinique, or Madiana as it was originally known, hence this set’s collective title. This merging of cold and hot is a magical meeting, in which African rhythms and pattering tabla beats combine with slow, open and synthesized trumpet lines, Molvær in his best Jon Hassell Fourth World mode. Atmospheric sound effects waft in and out alongside random vocal interjections. It is all a bit like listening in to a multilingual conversation without quite understanding the different languages spoken, but loving the experience all the same. Unexpectedly good, and quite beguiling.

COSMIC VIBRATIONS ft. DWIGHT TRIBLE Pathways & Passages

(Spiritmuse). The six-piece Cosmic Vibrations have been gathered together by in-demand vocalist Dwight Trible. The band has been performing steadily over the last three years, building a reputation in Los Angeles and further afield for its mesmerising performances. Pathways & Passages is the first time that their transcendental, spiritual music has been recorded. It is a genre-defying amalgamation of divine vocals, soul-stirring jazz and healing poetry, delivered with a rich tapestry of African, Mesoamerican, and indigenous North American percussion and instrumentation. Improvisation forms the core of this set, but rhythm and groove are never absent. Throughout, Trible’s vocals dominate, but the real power comes from the three percussionists, who produce interweaving lines of frothing intensity, the bass and other instruments weaving all around them. It all makes for a heady brew, and a fascinating one too.

COLIN STEELE QUARTET Joni (Marina). Joni Mitchell’s beautiful songs long ago made their way into the jazz repertoire, helped to some extent by her own adoption of jazz around the time of the Hejira and Mingus sets in the late 1970s. Many musicians have covered her songs over the years: now it is the turn of Scottish trumpeter Colin Steele. Steele certainly knows his Joni, although he obviously favours the early folk material rather than the later experimental works. However, while he cherishes the songs, he doesn’t do much with them except largely follow the melody note for note, his trumpet standing in for Joni’s voice. Pianist Dave Milligan is more adventurous, as are bassist Calum Gourlay and drummer Alyn Cosker, but overall it seems the band is too overawed by the original material to improvise much, despite their obvious skills. Of course, for hardcore Joni fans, this set is just perfect, but while it is enjoyable, many of us will consider it a missed opportunity.

48 Gscene CHARITY SHOPPING

) My Genderation T-shirt, £20; Trans Is Beautiful poster, £20 with Brighton & Hove Sea Serpents, and Balls to Cancer (The

all profits going back into making more trans positive content that educates and celebrates trans lives. (My Genderation,

https://foxfisher.teemill.com/

collection/my-genderation/)

) Trans Lives Matter candle, £12.99 with 50% going to Mermaids (Flaming Crap, ) Unseen Bits: The Naked Rugby Players 2021 Calendar, £10 with percentage of profit to inclusive rugby teams, incl

www.flamingcrap.com) Naked Rugby Players, www.thenakedrugbyplayers.com)

) Brighton Rainbow Print, £18.99 with 50% going to Brighton Rainbow Fund (11 Rugby Road, www.makeit11.com)

) Drag Queen Xmas Cards, £3 each (free P&P) with 50% going to

Brighton Rainbow Fund

(Fat Pigeon Art, www.fatpigeonart.uk)

BRIGHTON BEAR WEEKEND All funds after costs to Brighton Rainbow Fund. Order these items from:

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) Stainless steel articulated keyring, £2.99 - order up to five for single P&P charge

) BBW 10th Anniversary cotton T-shirt, £20 - available in six sizes from small to 3XXL

SHOPPING With Michael Hootman

) LYNN + LUCY (BFI Blu-ray). Fyzal Boulifa’s debut feature focuses on a couple of white workingclass women (Roxanne Scrimshaw and Nichola Burley). Their friendship is tested when one of them is involved in a tragedy that could be a crime – whatever it is (and the film is ambiguous) the local community certainly acts as judge and jury. Boulifa directs with tight angles (it’s filmed in the ‘postage stamp’ academy ratio) and stylistically it’s closer to the hyper social realism of Andrea Arnold or Richard Billingham (Ray & Liz). These films are all somehow more persuasive than the default ‘gritty’ realism of, for example, Ken Loach. The leads give truly heartfelt performances in an impressive chamber piece. Boulifa is certainly a talent to look out for. ) MOTHRA (Eureka blu-ray). This strays far off the path of standard Japanese monster movies with a plot that seems to have been based on a dare. An evil showman mounts an expedition to a radioactive island with a stowaway comic reporter. There they find a couple of one-foot tall women who the entrepreneur tries to steal but is prevented from doing this by the natives – played by actors in blackface, but let’s not dwell on that – however, he gets the girls on a second attempt. He exhibits them to gawping crowds but the girls have some kind of psychic link with the eponymous flying monster which wreaks predictable havoc on a series of model ships, dams and buildings. So completely ludicrous, the film achieves a kind of perfection. I also have to admire the chutzpah of Eureka releasing it through its Masters of Cinema label. It might not have the poetic intensity of The Passion of Joan of Arc, the sophisticated cynicism of Ace in the Hole, or the cool metaphysics of La Notte, but by god it’s got a giant moth. ) PLAY FOR TODAY VOLUME ONE (BFI Blu-ray). The programme, which is usually cited as central to what we think of as the whole project of the BBC, makes it on to Blu-ray with mixed results. The Lie, written by Ingmar Bergman, has a couple (Frank Finlay and Gemma Jones) facing up to each other’s infidelity. Full of interesting writing – intriguingly a scene in which Collins is confronted by a co-worker is like a homage to Pinter – but in truth it’s a minor work. Shakespeare or Bust has three sitcom miners go on a pilgrimage to Stratford by barge to see Antony and Cleopatra. It seems to be free of any comedy though its very faint echo of A Canterbury Tale gives it a certain charm. Back of Beyond is quietly moving with a great performance from Rachel Roberts as a lonely woman living in a remote farmhouse who is befriended by a young girl. Passage to England is like the world’s slowest crime drama in which Colin Welland is persuaded to smuggle an Asian man and his sick father over to England for a bar of gold: it takes 80 minutes to get to its underwhelming twist. Welland is the writer of Your Man from Six Counties in which a boy, orphaned by an IRA bomb, goes to live in Eire. I think my lack of knowledge of the Troubles prevented me from getting the most out of it. Bernard Hill and Alison Steadman are having their first child in Our Flesh and Blood but I think my inability to watch more than 30 minutes before exasperated boredom kicked in is probably a fault of the writing. A Photograph is the joker in the pack: a weirdly compelling horror which, perhaps uniquely for Play for Today, seems to have been influenced by the work of Brit exploitation director Pete Walker. Apart from Back of Beyond, which looks great, the photography ranges from adequate to dingy – and two of the plays were shot on 1970s video – so a Blu-ray transfer seems rather pointless. ) Rainbow Vase, £24.99 (England at Home, 22b Ship Street, Brighton)

) 23 carat gold-plated stapler, £135 (Hold, 14 Bond Street, Brighton)

) Warhol Jigsaw, £12.99 (Pussy, 3a Kensington Gardens, Brighton)

) 2021 calendars, £25.95 (Prowler, 112-113 St James’s Street, Brighton, 01273 603813)

50 Gscene JAQ ON THE BOX BY JAQ BAYLES

ALL CHANGE

) After my Jaq on the Box column from 2005 cropped up in Chris Gull’s raid of the archives last month, it occurred to me just how much has changed in the world of TV in 15 years. Back then I would have struggled to fill a page with commentary on shows featuring LGBTQ+ characters.

But now…

I’ve picked up on a plethora of series – mainly American or Canadian admittedly – that feature strong LGB and even T characters in prominent roles. Corrie’s Hayley cropped up in 1998, the first transgender character in a British soap, but she was portrayed by a cis actor, which has often been the case with trans characters.

While there’s still a long way to go to redress the balance of representation of trans and non-binary people on TV screens, there are at least now a handful of regular characters in popular series being portrayed by trans and non-binary actors. Orange is the New Black’s trans credit card fraudster inmate Sophia Burset is played by trans woman Laverne Cox, while in Good Girls, also on Netflix, 11-year-old Sadie, who transitions to Ben, is played by Isaiah Stannard, who was cast presenting as female, but came out as trans when he joined the show in 2018.

Over on Sky Witness (don’t judge), 911-Lone Star features black transgender firefighter Paul Strickland, played by trans actor Brian Michael Smith. The original 911 features an ‘out’ black lesbian firefighter, Hen, bringing us nicely on to the roll call of my favourite TV lesbians du jour. I could bang on about Gentleman Jack, Killing Eve, Wentworth Prison and Orange, but you’ve probably already watched those, so here are a few top tips for anyone fancying a foray into the lesser-known lesbian/bisexual women realms governed by the remote control. First up is Stumptown, starring Cobie Smulders as Dex Parios, an ex-Marine-turned PI struggling with PTSD. She is a tough-talking, wise-cracking, hard-drinking, gambling, uncompromising character who’s pretty fluid in her choice of bedmates.

PARIOS COBIE SMULDERS AS DEX

Not a few of the shows I’ve found are based on some kind of law enforcer, the latest being Tommy, a procedural crime drama featuring Edie Falco (Nurse Jackie) as the eponymous first female chief of LAPD and an ‘out’ lesbian.

Still in LAPD land, LA’s Finest showcases female detective partners Syd Burnett (Gabrielle Union) and Nancy McKenna (Jessica Alba), the former a(nother) a tough-talking, wise-cracking bisexual… I never suggested any of these shows lacked clichés. Finally to the men (sorry boys), and my favourite gay man ever on TV, Schitt’s Creek’s David Rose, played by Daniel Levy, who cocreated the show. He manages to come across as both sweet and caustic – and has the most amusing wardrobe ever to grace a Canadian backwater. Schitt’s Creek is the best thing I’ve seen on Netflix all year… perhaps ever, and there are six seasons. Enjoy – I’m jealous.

TWISTED GILDED GHETTO BY ERIC PAGE

SLAY AT HOME

) Creeping quietly around, with just the rustling of tissue paper to betray my presence, I’ve dropped off the husband’s gifts. It’s hard getting a PlayStation in a stocking but I’ve managed it and have slipped back on to the sofa, toes cosy in my sheepskin slippers, sipping home-made sloe gin at 6am, peeping out in the dawn light over a city blanketed in glittery white snow. All is calm, all is white and, apart from the loud farts trumpeting out of the bedroom, parrup-pa-pa-pumm, it’s peace on earth. He sleeps above in deep and dreamless sleep. I turn the golden ring on my finger and smile warmly, giggle to myself, another unlikely event from this very different year. We knew Xmas was going to end in tiers, Miss Rona is sticking around for a while yet, but we’re used to it. Life has become the size of a cosy village and, although the raging frustrations of our FOMO’d globe-trotting party animals are glowering like a cross between Mrs Danvers, Rebecca and Nurse Ratched, defeated behind the shuttered Manderley of Missed Things, we’ve decked the halls, and bowed the holly, fa la la la la la la la.

I poke the embers of the fire, give the Ghost of Christmas Past the side eye as it lurches home from an all-night party, kilt askew, clutching a blow-up reindeer and a rather fetching gurning Venezuelan muscle boy, the remains of the sawn-up driftwood collapse in a sigh of ash and I pop the last chestnut on to roast. The house looks like Mr Dickens has been round, goose and all, and wrapped us up in pagan Yuletide joy. We’re staying home this year, first time ever we’ve both been together at home, not with the farflung folks in their ancestral villages deep in the mid bleak winter, performing the rituals of our youth, returning like swallows, westward leaning, still proceeding. We create our own rituals this year. A midnight walk along the Downs, stars glittering like the tears of orphans, earth stands hard as iron, our hearts almost worn out from worry. I made the wreath, it’s like a drag queen door knocker, lit up so it can be seen from space and so fat you need to turn sideways to get in and out the house, I added in a lot of holly, the berries redder than Lola’s lips, the green twisted thorns scratch at you like Jack Frost’s fingers, grasping from the door; but the Pando means we have few guests, at least inside. We share Mrs Cradock’s home-made PlumRum on the doorstop, sweet pies then mince off into the night. Bye, bye, lully lulay. Last Christmas I gave you my heart, but the very next day you gave it back, with gratitude but explaining you’re now a vegetarian and offal is off. Even traditional Welsh Boxing Day roasted hearts, stuffed with faggots and tiny onions, can be an unwanted gift. We’ve made a lot this year, pickles, preserves, gins and rums, no knitting, or crochet thank goodness, it never got that bad, we always had sex to fall back on!

I’m the Mrs Rochester of Wrapping, with a resting Grinch face, clutching tiny silver scissors, rustling in the shadows. I can’t sleep, I’ve run out of things to do, but wait there’s Myrrh but I’m sleighed. The decanter glugs and I look the Ghost of Christmas Present directly in the eye and shrug. We clink schooners. O tidings of comfort and joy, the snuggle is real Dear Reader, may nothing ye despair, so be exquisite and never explain.

Joining MindOut’s peer support services Kerri F shares their experience of Work It Out – a peer support group for LGBTQ+ people juggling work and mental health

) Growing up, mental health was not something that was ever discussed or acknowledged in my family. There was a lot of underlying shame attached to it, and I often resorted to self-harm and manipulating my diet in unhealthy ways in order to feel in control and maintain ‘a stiff upper lip’. As I grew up these habits died down, but after a big shift in my family circumstances I struggled to cope. Work for me was the one area where I could see progress, and it formed an important part of my identity – so when I realised it was being affected by the downturn in my mental health, it finally prompted me to seek help. “Having a dedicated space every week allows thoughts to be aired and feelings to be explored, without the danger of bottling it up and letting issues escalate.”

Admitting you need help can be a big obstacle for many people – it was for me. However, once I had, there was then the problem of figuring out what exactly I needed, what was available, and how to go about getting it. I was reluctant to go to my doctor out of embarrassment but also fear of being diagnosed. When looking into less medical forms of support I found they were all in daytime, which clashed with work, or were too expensive, or were for more urgent needs. Finding the ad for MindOut’s Work It Out group was a game changer. Work It Out is a peer support group for people in paid employment who are also managing a mental health condition, facilitated by a member of staff. I remember meeting the facilitator for my initial assessment and just apologising and crying throughout – I cried and apologised a lot back then!

The same group meets weekly, with a check in and out for everybody, and space in the middle of each session for discussion based on people’s check ins. There are often shared themes and experiences that others can relate to, but with different viewpoints or self-management strategies, and it can be a great way for you to gain some insight into your own problems while discussing somebody else’s.

How often do you get asked “How are you?” and have the opportunity to really answer that without the token response “Fine, thanks”? Having a dedicated space every week allows thoughts to be aired and feelings to be explored, without the danger of bottling it up and letting issues escalate. You check in with the group, but also with yourself. Being with the same small group over several weeks allows you to build up trust, and it continues to surprise me how effective this can be at helping people to open up about matters that they might not have ever discussed before. This peer support group is a safe space for you to be yourself, unjudged and unapologetic (as long as you stick to the group agreement which is drafted up together in week one). It’s liberating to find somewhere you feel welcomed, supported and – if ready – challenged. You don’t need to go through the process of coming out, explaining or apologising for yourself and then feeling vulnerable, as everyone there is in a similar boat; part of the same LGBTQ+ community and with lived experience of mental health issues. Group members describe Work It Out as “a lifeline, a saviour, the only thread that was keeping me going”, and that without this weekly check in their mental health problems would have worsened. I’ve now been involved with MindOut for over four years, first as a service user and then as a volunteer, and have had the opportunity to get involved in a wide range of things – from designing and delivering workshops to getting involved with a promotional film and podcast. The experience has given me a lot, not least a better understanding of myself and my health, and feeling much more connected with the LGBTQ+ community. I have also been involved in helping to gather service user feedback and suggestions and I’ve been able to see how essential the wide range of support on offer at MindOut is to LGBTQ+ people of all ages, backgrounds and circumstances. I can say without exaggeration that this charity provides life changing support and experiences, and that our community is that much richer and stronger as a result. Kerri F

MindOut info MindOut offers a range of peer support groups, befriending, peer mentoring and advocacy, counselling and online support. Please see our website www.mindout.org.uk for more information.

All MindOut services are confidential, nonjudgemental and impartial. All MindOut services are run by and for LGBTQ+ people with experience of mental health issues. In February, MindOut is offering a peer support group for LGBTQ+ people of colour, please contact us for more details.

D www.mindout.org.uk N or call us on 01273 234839 D or email info@mindout.org.uk

WALL'S WORDS BY ROGER WHEELER

On the Road to Nowhere

) It’s almost Christmas so are we all feeling festive and thinking about holidays? We all need a break but in these very confusing times can we or should we? The answer is, quite simply, yes. Despite government warnings about foreign travel, you can go virtually anywhere, as long as you realise that on returning home you may have to isolate and if you can accept that there’s no problem. There will be medical checks before you travel and occasionally when you arrive. The LGBTQ+ travel industry is estimated to be worth £1trillion a year, so it’s not surprising there are many companies specialising in holidays for us. They are all making ‘special offers’, just quite how ‘special’ is debateable.

Out of Office (www.outofoffice. com) is one of the biggest UKbased LGBTQ+ companies with some very good offers. Frenchbased Gay Sejour (www.gaysejour.com) has some great deals, mainly in France. Cinq&Sept (www.cinqetsept.com), French again, looks extremely good. Of course the US has quite a few gay travel companies including Gay Travel (www.gaytravel.com), an Oregon-based outfit, which is one of the better ones. If sailing is your thing, with or without clothes, you should look at Everything to Sea (www.everythingtosea.com, not safe for work), which is US-based but specialises in the islands of the Far East, very exotic. Dutch company Gay Sail (www.gaysail.com, not safe for work) operates small boating trips mainly in the Adriatic, also offering totally naked trips. Canadian-based Out Adventures (www.outadventures.com) specialise in gay tours of Australia and New Zealand. Closer to home, Further Afield (www.furtherafield. com) is an LGBTQ+-owned agency that specialises in LGBTQ+-owned or LGBTQ+-friendly boutiquestyle self-catering cottages and apartments in the UK and across most of Europe, I have used them and they are extremely good. One of the best LGBTQ+-owned gîte-type restored monasteries is the Domaine de Monteils in southern France, near Montpelier, which has the wow factor. There are some incredible deals on the Maldives, most of the Greek Islands and the Canaries. You can check which country is on or off by visiting www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice. All the usual large companies, such as Booking.com, Expedia, Secret Escapes, are working overtime to get you to part with some money. Basically the Foreign Commonwealth Development Office is advising against all unnecessary travel, you must check your insurance. Staying in the UK is a good plan, and there are some fantastic deals. Never accept the rates you see on websites, always ring the hotel and ask what their best price is, you may be surprised. Gatwick South Terminal is closed until next summer; the railway station is undergoing massive reconstruction. British Airways has moved to Heathrow but easyJet is still there. You shouldn’t be too concerned about your health on board an aircraft as most have installed new air filters and operate all the usual hygiene systems, so you can fly happy and safely. Have a Happy Christmas wherever you are. GAY SOCRATES BY GAY SOCRATES

Ayahuasca Told Me To Shut The F*ck Up! ) A few years ago I participated in an ayahuasca ceremony, which involved being together with an intentional ceremonial group over the course of many hours and imbibing an entheogenic concoction of the DMT containing leaves of a very particular shrub and the MAO inhibitor containing roots of a very specific vine. Spiritually and psychologically it required an openness to the possibility that this so-called Grandmother Medicine – used over millennia by the indigenous peoples of South and Central America – might offer me some kind of healing communication from the world of plant intelligence. The following day I was a profoundly changed human being! The experience had been a surprisingly physical and pleasurable one. For hours on end my gut, heart and throat areas had undulated in gentle, rhythmical, sub-orgasmic pulsations causing me to chuckle and groan with a gleeful ecstasy. Visually I had been presented with kaleidoscopically morphing fractal imagery of cathedral columns, ornate archways, gargoyles, rainforest branches and lush leafy undergrowth. And while this rollercoaster intensity of sensations was buffeting me I was struck by how long-lived the plant-life has been on our planet, compared with the relatively newcomer mammalian life-form with its less experienced, arrogant, language-based intelligence. I was in awe of this opportunity to commune in a non-linguistic way with an ancient intelligence. An intelligence which had accompanied me throughout my life but to which I had hitherto been blind and deaf. Within a number of spiritual/Faerie communities, there is the oftrepeated axiom: ‘Separation is simply an illusion. In truth we are all one.’

Well, as I was being battered, shaken-and pleasured even by Grandmama, the awareness descended on me that for the vast majority of my life I had focused on firstly learning but then (from my 20s onwards) fastidiously teaching what I’d learned. As a young medic the career mantra back in the ’80s was: ‘See one. Do one. Teach one’. I subsequently became a practitioner and teacher of listening and counselling skills and then a junior doctor trainer and ultimately a senior doctor appraiser. During the course of my profound and extreme ayahuasca encounter, I witnessed myself attempting to register and remember what was happening so I’d be able to pass it all on... And so what was the big message transmission from the world of plant-life? It was this: “If you truly believe that ‘We are all one’ then you can set aside this teaching/preaching fetish you have cultivated over the years. “The extent to which you have the impulse to transmit verbally what you have learned is the extent to which you doubt the reality that is: THE INTERCONNECTIVITY OF ALL OF LIFE.

“Know instead that knowing is enough. “Stop all your thinking, talking and teaching. “It’s time for you to FEEL your feelings “And for you to simply BE your joyful self. “That should be enough!” So at the tender age of 60, it’s probably high time for Gay Socrates to shut up and sign off – it’s been a total blast!

Christmas, that is not what we speak of here. populace to wedge his lying ass into the seat of power. What a foreseeable, avoidable, years, decades in the making from all denominations, mess. Who will save us from the international horrors of our collective doom? Who?

Cue abdominal agony from the fruit of thy womb, Lord Jesus. Technically Mary’s womb but let’s not argue with religion. Furthermore, the only reason this was going to hurt is because Eve ate the apple when God told her not to, so technically it is the fault Craig’s Thoughts of woman. These are not my words; they are from the Bible and religious text must be interpreted as a literal instruction or This, Mary, is just the beginning... historical fact. See also Father Christmas. By Craig Hanlon-Smith @craigscontinuum Look, let’s cut to the chase – the baby is in the manger, in modern language ‘trough’, and if you never went to that club in London ) And lo it came to pass that so embedded hadn’t had sex with a biological man with start the angel Gabriel had predicted for baby into our collective psyche was the miracle a virile penis that works on demand. And Jesus, but you know what? Did you predict of the Christmas story, that not even the don’t give me any diversity fertility clinic or any of this when you were crawling on your unexpected shenanigans of 2020 could put a alternative methods nonsense, it’s approx hands and knees nursing a cheap prosecco stop to the impending arrival of baby Jesus. 200BC in Judea and it’s really hot. This Mary’s hangover on January 1? No. That’s life. Jesus And so arrive he will to save mankind. I having a meltdown. Let us not judge our Mary will cope, after all he’s about to get his very mean humankind of course. Silly me. ‘Man’ is, for lying about the penetrative sex that she own musical and how many of you can say after all, cancelled. And before anyone gets had clearly been having at least every other that about your lives? their knickers or other non-gender specific underwear in a twist, don’t. Cancel culture is, after all, quite selective. We have not, for example, cancelled religious texts such as that on which this festive ditty is about to be based, and in which we witness the rape of 12-year-old girls, public stoning of women and the mass murder of babies. It is also a text that advocates, nay encourages, the practice of homosexuality and I quote: “Jesus said to Simon and Peter (nb: good Middle Eastern names) ‘cast aside your nets, come with me and let us fish for men’.” You can make this nonsense mean whatever you want it to, many do all over the world and most of them are exceedingly dangerous people. So pick your chin up off the floor or stuff a nutmeg flavoured Chupa Chups in the hole until I’ve finished. And cheer up, it’ll soon be Christmas. Tuesday. We’ve all been to that clinic. And guess what? They know you’re lying. And so they set out on their epic adventure to take part in a now legendary census. They could have saved themselves the 70 miles to Bethlehem on a donkey by using the postal system, but King Herod had spent months discrediting the service and stated repeatedly and without merit that it was not to be trusted. He even demanded that some postal boxes were closed and removed to stop the fraud. Of course, in this green and pleasant land we don’t remove postal boxes, we paint them gold if a local person wins something. Have you ever tried looking for one of these gold post boxes? Don’t. You can’t see them. There’s a reason they were red. And so off they set on their 70 miles. Seventy miles. Is it me, or in primary school did they Picture the scene. The stable is empty bar a few pigs, sheep and chickens. There may be a horse and don’t forget the donkey but that’s knackered and is about to be shot. It feels like the UK will after a no/poor-deal Brexit on December 31 and anyone who hasn’t left doesn’t want to be here anyway, even Mary was dragged into that stable screaming. It’s horrid. The host of angels might as well not bother proclaiming any of it as they’re wearing facemasks and we can’t hear what they’re saying. Not to mention the socially distanced shepherds who are arguing over who can or can’t visit baby Jesus, and whether or not the rule of six applies in Bethlehem and is that different in Jerusalem? And will King Herod’s advisor be able to do what the trucking nora he wants despite a total lack of clarity he himself penned? Our Mary had been having a time of it recently. Some months ago now she had awoken in the early hours to find a nongender specific individual in her room named Gabriel – don’t judge, this was pre-lockdown. Gabriel rabbited on for much of the night about the son of man or some such that we would never dare say now. Mary became so hot and flustered she feared she had contracted coronavirus, but it turns out she was now with child. This means pregnant in today’s language. Had Mary’s condition been discovered by her neighbours she would have make out it was so much longer than that? I’m certain Mary was up and down that school hall so many times we had to stick two extra verses on the end of Little Donkey. It’s no further than starting off in Southampton and winding up in Saltdean. It’s not that big a deal. Although best of… looking for wise men on those cliffs. Despite their desperation, Joseph and his Mary could not find suitable lodgings in which to lay their weary heads. It wasn’t so much a matter of ‘no room at the inn’ but that the inns were in lockdown by decree Imagine Matthew, Mark, Luke and John (good traditional Middle Eastern names) having to write all that down. And as the close of another fine year approaches, should you find yourself despairing at the rise of the dogmatic sociopathic leader stamping his insistent foot like a troubled child who should know better, fear not. This is familiar territory. In response to the birth of baby Jesus, King Herod demanded that his soldiers kill all of the babies. Imagine that. “Go out and kill all of the babies.” This, Mary, is just the beginning. been stoned to death in the market. While of another erratic honey monster who We wish you a Merry Christmas and a Happy I’m sure you’ve seen many a stoned Mary at had managed to hoodwink enough of the New Year. Bridge, trust me it’s grim. This is not the Stoned to death. Amen. “What a foreseeable, avoidable, years, Joseph and his Mary were perturbed by much decades in the making from all denominations, of this and insisted Mary had not yet been known to a man. In today’s language – she mess. Who will save us from the international horrors of our collective doom? Who?”

BY BILLIE GOLD

CHRISTMAS SPIRIT

) I wondered to myself the other day why I feel more Christmassy this year. Usually at this time of year I’m already stressed with how I’m going to afford everything, and how I’m going to get around to visit everyone. Considering that this has been the most turbulent year most of us have ever lived through, with stress less so on thriving and being the best we can be, and simply being put on surviving, you would be forgiven for thinking that Christmas 2020 would be looking pretty damn bleak.

“I reckon I can give up a cheap flight to somewhere just a little bit warmer in favour of something closer to home, and closer to the people who need a little bit of extra kindness this year”

Instead I’m finding myself getting excited when I see Christmas lights being put up, and last night being happy to be standing on my balcony on the first night of lockdown with a blanket around my shoulders watching the fireworks. And when I asked other people, it seems as a nation we have simply given up on thoughts of excess. Could it be that Christmas spirit could be a real thing? I remember when my family was on a mission to prove how big we could do Christmas when I was a kid. All 14 of us crammed on to a coach and over to Spain, where I had one of the worst Christmases of my life, not just because my family is a living nightmare, but because it just didn’t feel like Christmas and the gastric flu we all caught on the way back didn’t help. Going to another country to prove that we could be fancy too only left us feeling like something was missing. With us not being able to travel much of anywhere this year, or if we did manage to get a holiday in it was ruled by restrictions and safety concerns, it makes sense that the little bit of sparkle at the end of the year would feel more sentimental than usual. I’m not really one to get mushy, but this year has made me re-evaluate what’s important. At the start of the year I was set on getting away at the end of the year, but for a year when people have hardly left their house, I reckon I can give up a cheap flight to somewhere just a little bit warmer in favour of something closer to home, and closer to the people who need a little bit of extra kindness this year. This year has been weird enough, so it stands to reason that Christmas will be equally as weird. Perhaps I’ll go to a creepy cottage and stare wistfully out of the window, in a house that looks like it should be on a biscuit tin, or perhaps I’ll just host Christmas here with my family – chosen and blood – and be grateful that we’re able to be together and trade awful cracker jokes. Holidays are great, and one day soon we’ll be able to travel without restriction, but in the meantime I’m happy to peel and roast the spuds myself. BY JON TAYLOR

JUST CHILL

) I haven’t been away this year. Haven’t gotten on a plane. Haven’t travelled to far-off cities with their exotic weather and cheaper beer. I’ve not been able to upload holiday snaps to various social media sites and bask in the glory of being away while others aren’t. The furthest afield I’ve been is a day trip to London which was cool as I don’t get to go to the capital for any reason really so it was nice to mooch around and have a drink or three in Soho.

I was due to go to France for 10 days with my mum, dad and brother but that got shelved as France got put on the travel ban list, which made it non-viable. I know that folks who work from home have been able to go away to travel ban hotspots and then self-isolate on their return because they’d be at home afterwards anyway. As I work for the minimum wage in a shop, I didn’t have that luxury unfortunately. Try as I might, I can’t sell things at the shop from my sofa. It did strike me as ironic with the travel bans that those who weren’t engaging with the public and putting themselves at risk on a daily basis were able to escape these shores, whereas those who do interact with the public couldn’t. Hey ho.

I’ve been travelling to France with my family since I was four years old. We used to go camping when I was younger and stay in various dubious hotels on the way down to the south of France. When we got there, I used to love to wander the campsite with a carry mat, find some French people playing boules (French bowls game) and just sit there and watch them. This started my deep love of peoplewatching, which endures to this day. There’s nothing I love more than sitting with a cuppa and a cake, watching the world go by. I tend to write down the things I see and put them in my blog: www. teapotscoffeeshops.weebly.com (shameless plug). But back to France!

When we’re abroad we tend to do as little as possible. We’re a ‘sit in the sun for a bit, then read a book in the shade with a beer’ type of family. We don’t go far. We’ll mooch about a couple of towns, might have a meal out once or twice, but that’s it. So holidays for me are for sitting about relaxing with some form of alcohol readily available. None of this getting up, getting out, then visiting places and doing things. Oh no. I will swim if we’ve got a place with a pool. That’s the busiest I’ll get.

I’ve had the typical gay holiday of Gran Canaria with beers, beaches and bunk ups. It’s not my natural habitat though. I prefer a hammock, a book and a small beer. You won’t see me then till pre-dinner drinks.

least. The coronavirus pandemic has taken a toll on everyone and I think most people are fairly relieved that the year is coming to an end. However, I think it’s been an excellent year for music, particularly from queer artists. Music really helped to boost my spirits this year – through personal difficulties and lockdown – and it’s a reminder of all the good things that have happened over the last 12 months. ) Hayley Kiyoko, also known as Lesbian which definitely got my year off to a good start. I’ve been a fan of Hayley since I heard her song Girls like Girls in 2015, which was a pivotal everything I love about Hayley – it’s fun and empowering, as well as unapologetically queer. Songs like this make me so incredibly proud to be a queer woman and grateful to have role models like Hayley to look up to. On top of this, I love the music video where she portrays a teenage version of herself dreaming of the day when she’ll be performing live with women throwing their bras at her – I think she can safely say she has achieved this goal. ) Dedicated Side B by Carly Rae Jepsen year and was lucky enough to meet her after the show which was definitely a high point of, well, my entire life. A standout song from her 2020 album is Solo; an upbeat synth-pop track about the importance of self-worth regardless of your relationship status. I was struggling with loneliness a lot at the beginning of 2020 and throughout lockdown so I would listen to Solo to remind me that not only are many others dealing with this issue, but that it’s possible to embrace aloneness. ) I don’t think there’s an LGBTQ+ pop fan who wouldn’t consider Lady Gaga and Ariana Grande’s Rain On Me as part of their playlist of the year. Gaga is openly bisexual and is known to be an advocate of equality for all, as seen in her popular LGBTQ+ anthem Born This Way. Grande is also an LGBTQ+ ally and I’ve been a fan of her music since her debut album Yours Truly. Besides the fact that Rain On Me is incredibly catchy and a return to Gaga’s pop roots, it was also very motivational for me as I took up running. I feel 2020 is the first year I began to genuinely start looking after my body by regularly exercising and eating well; I’d dabbled in running before but always struggled with it and given up, but this year is when I decided to take it seriously, and Rain On Me was always on my running playlist. Although it’s probably not what Gaga meant, the line “I’d rather be dry but at least I’m alive” was very relatable when I was sweating through my clothes but trying to power through. ) Another queer artist who released some amazing music this year is Miley Cyrus; her single Midnight Sky is one of the best songs of her career. Miley has gotten a lot of stick throughout her career but I think her ability to continuously reinvent herself is admirable, and I love that she doesn’t give a f**k about what anyone thinks of her, particularly in regards to her sexuality and gender identity. This ’80s-sounding song is empowering,

RAE’S REFLECTIONS The soundtrack of 2020. Rachel Badham sees out a rocky year by sharing her top tunes

) 2020 has been a strange year to say the

Jesus, released her single She in January, HAYLEY KIYOKO moment in my journey of self-discovery and self-acceptance. To me, She encapsulates DEDICATED SIDE B - CARLY RAE JEPSEN came out in May and it massively improved my lockdown. Carly has a huge LGBTQ+ fanbase and has made some of the best pop music of the last decade. I saw her live in London last

RAIN ON ME - LADY GAGA & ARIANA GRANDE

catchy and explicitly queer as it switches

MIDNIGHT SKY -MILEY CYRUS

between male and female pronouns. I think it also shows off Miley’s underrated vocal abilities and I love the dazzling music video which reminds me why she’s not only an amazing music artist but one of my fashion icons.

) Although Taylor Swift’s seventh studio album Lover came out in 2019, I Think He

Knows continued to be a favourite song of mine this year. I massively admire Taylor’s work ethic despite the adversity and blatant sexism she’s faced throughout her LOVER - TAYLOR SWIFT career, and although this song isn’t the most complex or meaningful on the album, listening to it always lifts my mood. It also reminds me of my partner, who I was lucky enough to have met this year; knowing them has massively improved my life and I’m very thankful for them, so listening to it always brings a smile to my face and reminds me that some good has come out of this year. ) Another 2019 song I’ve listened to constantly this year is You by Marina (formerly Marina and the Diamonds) – an artist I’ve loved for the past decade – from her latest album LOVE + FEAR - MARINA Love + Fear. Much like Carly, Marina has a large LGBTQ+ fanbase which she attributes to her campness and her music, which frequently explores feelings of being an outsider. And like Carly, I’ve seen

Marina live multiple times – an absolutely incredible experience. I’m not sure what You means to Marina, but I interpret it as an exploration of the various conflicts we all have with ourselves. To me, the song shows the power we all have to break ourselves down but then the equally powerful strength we have to love and support ourselves.

Marina’s ability to articulate the most complicated aspects of the human condition in such a beautiful way always astounds me and I think You is a perfect example of this.

Hydes’ Hopes BY REV MICHAEL HYDES

Interesting times

) Speaking of the 1960s, Bobby Kennedy said: “There’s a Chinese curse which says ‘may he live in interesting times’. Like it or not we live in interesting times. They are times of danger and uncertainty; but they are also more open to the creative energy of men than any other time in history.” The same is true of today. Covid-19 has made life challenging in ways I couldn’t have imagined. In order to overcome some of those challenges I have found that we need to be creative in new and inventive ways. I’ve seen relationships implode, or even explode, under the stresses of Covid-19. But then I’ve also seen relationships flourish and deepen. Chris and I found that making time for each other has made all the difference.

We decided to make every Saturday night ‘date night’ and took it in turns to ‘take each other out’. The first couple of weeks the weather was nice so we put a gazebo up in the back yard. We played music to help set the scene – Thai music to go with a pad thai and Indian music to go with a curry. But then the weather got cold so we moved the gazebo and set up an ‘outside’ space inside. Over the weeks we became increasingly more inventive. I found a two-hour Youtube video of a view over a Tuscan lake. In the gazebo I set up the TV, put a fan on to mimic a breeze, found some restaurant noise and chill-out music, ordered pizza from Pizzaface, and created a Tuscan Pizzeria. We talked for hours, just like we were on holiday, Every week we treated each other to an evening ‘out’ – even dressing for the occasion. Using a webcam feed of the Brighton seafront, we had fish & chips looking out over the pier. We had a snow scene for a ski-lodge theme, and a PC on the floor showing a video of a roaring fire. A night at the aquarium using videos, screensavers, and a night light that had fish gently swimming round the room. We celebrated Christmas in July (complete with Christmas dinner), and a Mexican evening with a piñata full of chocolate. We spent an evening at the theatre, a movie night with hotdogs and popcorn, and a Burns Night in the Scottish highlands with haggis and whisky (in our kilts of course). Chris created a Dutch pancake house, a 1950s American diner, and a Chinese meal complete with new year’s fireworks. We had dinner in the International Space Station (where going round the Earth made me motion sick, so scratch that one), a night at an art museum, afternoon tea on the Love Boat, a Teddy Bear’s picnic at the Brighton Bear Weekend online event, an evening of Spanish tapas overlooking a gorgeous courtyard, and more besides. Some evenings worked really well. Others not so much. But we talked for hours and hours, felt like we were away somewhere special, and had the chance every week to do something special for each other. Even after 18 years together our relationship deepened and has been the rock that both of us have used as a touchstone during the Covid rollercoaster.

My advice in the midst of all of this is be creative. Don’t be afraid to be silly, try something new, and spend time – real or virtual – with those you care about. You might be surprised at the difference it makes. Scene & Done It BY MICHAEL STEINHAGE

Not quite a getaway

) So the other week I cranked the heating right up to the max. Then I dragged the big yucca from the lounge to the bathroom, put Greatest Club Anthems 2000 on shuffle, and got into a lukewarm bath with a jug of Sangria. Pretend really hard, and it’s almost Ibiza I reckoned. God, I need a holiday. I’m not asking much of you, 2020, but how about just a little break? Nothing fancy, no one expects a fortnight off from those sudden surprises that seem to jump from behind the next, well, next anything really. On a much too regular basis. No, we’ve all become accustomed to that fact, and we know our place, 2020. You’re in charge, that much is clear to even the most adamant Covid-denier by now. But is a few days too much to ask? It’s like that lady on the radio, when everyone had to leg it back before the quarantine deadline. “Was it worth it, would you say Madam, to go to Paris?” “Well,” she told the reporter, “for five hours not really, but it’s nice to get away.” “The ski vacation almost worked, even though Jess and Tim from upstairs soon ran out of cotton wool balls to throw out the window” Lockdowns, quarantines and cancellations, one just can’t know if it’s worth it to chance it these days, or whether you should even bother hunting for the passports in the admin drawer. So I thought alternatives. What else are we to do? The Mediterranean mini-break in the bathroom wasn’t a bad start, but I couldn’t stretch that out to a whole weekend – I got wrinkly granny skin after four hours (and you’re always worried it won’t go back to normal). The ski vacation almost worked, even though Jess and Tim from upstairs soon ran out of cotton wool balls to throw out the window, us sat on the patio in our tracksuits and Ray-Bans. To be honest it was the Jägermeister that pulled that one off more than anything. Then we tried watching David Attenborough’s Deep Ocean, wearing swimming shorts and snorkels, but the door bell went for a delivery, and that kind of spoiled the Maldives fantasy. Couldn’t really see through the goggles anyway. “Finest French cuisine ideas to make at home,” I thought, if that doesn’t make you feel like you’re dining ‘al fresco’ in Marseille then what will? Well, the thought was there, but it’s just not the same if you have to cook for yourself, and pretend to be your own ill-mannered French waiter.

So, speaking of France, at the end of the day we did the only thing we could do, and stayed in our kitchen, crying into yet another glass of Merlot. At least all my friends are stranded too, and Facebook is eerily devoid of people with tans, holiday countdowns, or hammocks hung between palm trees. We’re, how does that tired old slogan go, ‘in this together’. A small relief, but just to be safe, I’m gonna hibernate for a while and come back out when it’s Easter.

LAURIE'S ALLOTMENT BY LAURIE LAVENDER

Festive faves

) Now that the winter is upon us, you may think I’ve been sitting on my bottom, binge-watching The Vicar of Dibley and other such delights to be found on streaming TV. Well, I have, but that is beside the point. There is plenty to be getting on with up in the shed and on the plot. It’s a good time to wash out all your pots and have them ready for anything that sprouts early next year. Also, do you need to move anything plantwise? We have just moved all the strawberry plants. It is now a good time to think which crops you want to rotate, it’s always a good idea to keep your potatoes on the move – we had a particularly good crop of pink ones this year. CLASSIFIEDS Email info@gscene.com by 15th December to book an advert

LGBTQ CHURCH/ PROFESSIONAL SERVICES

STRAWBERRY PLANTS

We have also planted some more broccoli, cauliflower, cabbages, leeks and garlic in some of the gaps and are expecting a bumper crop of Jerusalem artichokes, which are ideal for lockdown soups etc if you get my drift (I would put in a ‘windy’ emoji here but I don’t think Word does emojis. The clue is in the title I suppose). PLUGGING THE GAPS I took Tina out in the camper van for a visit to Boxgrove Priory (she thought it was where The Boxgrove Garden came from but was a bit disappointed when I pointed out it was The Beechgrove Garden). Mind you she was even less pleased when she got kicked out of the village hall because the ‘facilities’ were not for the general public, don’t you know! She wreaked revenge in a nearby ditch. She was all for nipping over to Tangmere and commandeering a Spitfire but I took her home for a soothing cup of Darjeeling… anyway, I digress.

Christmas is almost upon us and plants can make a pleasing present for someone who has most things and maybe not a garden.

Poinsettias (have you ever asked anyone to spell poinsettia? Go on, ask the person next to you) come in a variety of colours, red being the most popular, but I do like the yellowy-cream ones. Also cyclamen (another spelling bee favourite) come in reds, whites, pinks and mauves. Remember if you either give or receive a cyclamen you must water it from the bottom otherwise you will spoil the foliage. If you are really adventurous you could have a go at making a wreath. CHRYSANTHEMUMS We have also just cut the last of the chrysanthemums, which have been rather fine this year even if I say so myself.

Well I must draw to a close, my thanks to Donald (King Weed) for his weeding thoroughness and help throwing horse manure around the place, and Tina Thyme for photos and helping with the article.

Have a peaceful Christmas and see you in 2021, Laurie x

Whilst every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of statements in this magazine we cannot accept responsibility for the views of contributors, errors, or ommisions, or for matters arising from clerical or printers errors, or an advertiser not completing a contract

SERVICES DIRECTORY

LGBTQ+ Services

l Allsorts Youth Project Drop-in for LGBT or unsure young people under 26 Tues 5.30–8.30pm 01273 721211 or email info@

allsortsyouth.org.uk. www.allsortsyouth.org.uk

l Brighton & Hove Police Report all homophobic, biphobic or transphobic incidents to: 24/7 assistance call Police on 101 (emergencies 999) Report online at: www.sussex.police.uk LGBT team (not 24/7) email: LGBT@sussex.pnn.police.uk • LGBT Officer PC James Breeds: Tel: 101 ext 558168

James.breeds@sussex.pnn.police.uk

l Brighton & Hove LGBT Safety Forum Independent LGBT forum working within the communities to address and improve safety and access issues in Brighton & Hove. For more info: 01273 675445 or admin@lgbt-help.com or www.lgbt-help.com l Brighton & Hove LGBT Switchboard • LGBT Older People’s Project • LGBT Health Improvement and Engagement Project • LGBTQ Disabilities Project • Rainbow Café: support for LGBT+ people with Dementia • Volunteering opportunities 01273 234 009 Helpline hours: Wed & Thur, 7–9.30pm; trans-only webchat on Sun 3–5pm: call 01273 204 050 email info@switchboard.org.uk webchat www.switchboard.org.uk/helpline

www.switchboard.org.uk/brighton

l Brighton OneBodyOneFaith Formerly The Gay Christian Movement. Contact: Nigel Nash

nigelnash@me.com. www.onebodyonefaith.org.uk

l Brighton Women’s Centre Info, counselling, drop-in space, support groups 01273 698036 or visit www.womenscentre.org.uk l Lesbian & Gay AA 12-step self-help programme for alcohol addictions: Sun, 7.30pm, Chapel Royal, North St, Btn (side entrance). 01273 203 343 (general AA line) l LGBTQ+ Cocaine Anonymous Meeting every Tues 6.30-8pm, 6 Tilbury Pl, Brighton, BN2 0GY, CA isn’t allied with any outside organisation, and neither endorses or opposes any causes. Helpline 0800 6120225,

www.cocaineanonymous.org.uk www.sussexcocaineanonymous.co.uk

l LGBTQ+ NA Group Brighton-based LGBTQ+ (welcomes others) Narcotics Anonymous group every Tue 6.30–8pm, Millwood Centre, Nelson Row, Kingswood St. 0300 999 1212 l LGBT+ Meditation Group Meditation & discussion, every 2nd & 4th Thur, 5.30–7pm, Anahata Clinic, 119 Edward St, Brighton. 07789 861 367 or www.bodhitreebrighton.org.uk l Lunch Positive Lunch club for people with HIV. Meet/make friends, find peer support in safe space. Every Fri, noon–2.30pm, Community Room, Dorset Gdns Methodist Church, Dorset Gdns, Brighton. Lunch £1.50. 07846 464 384 or www.lunchpositive.org l MCC Brighton Inclusive, affirming space where all are invited to come as they are to explore their spirituality without judgement. 01273 515572 or info@mccbrighton.org.uk

www.mccbrighton.org.uk

l Mindout Independent, impartial services run by and for LGBTQ people with experience of mental health issues. 24 hr confidential answerphone: 01273 234839 or email info@ mindout.org.uk and out of hours online chat

www.mindout.org.uk

l Navigate Social/peer support group for FTM, transmasculine & gender queer people, every 1st Wed 7-9pm & 3rd Sat of month 1-3pm at Space for Change, Windlesham Venue, BN1 3AH. https://navigatebrighton.wordpress.com/ l Peer Action Regular low cost yoga, therapies, swimming, meditation & social groups for people with HIV. contact@peeraction. net or www.peeraction.net l Rainbow Families Support group for lesbian and/or gay parents 07951 082013 or info@rainbowfamilies.org.uk.

www.rainbowfamilies.org.uk

l Rainbow Hub Information, contact, help and guidance to services for LGBT+ communities in Brighton, Hove and Sussex at Rainbow Hub drop in LGBT+ one-stop shop: 93 St James Street, BN2 1TP, 01273 675445 or visit

www.therainbowhubbrighton.com

l Some People Social/support group for LGB or questioning aged 14-19, Tue 5.30-7.30pm, Hastings. Call/text Cathrine Connelly 0797 3255076 or email somepeople@eastsussex.gov.uk l TAGS – The Arun Gay Society Social Group welcome all in East & West Sussex Areas. Call/Text 07539 513171. More info: www.tagsonline.org.

uk

l Victim Support Practical, emotional support for victims of crime

08453 899 528

l The Village MCC Christian church serving the LGBTQ community. Sundays 6pm, Somerset Day Centre, Kemptown. More info: 07476

667353, www.thevillagemcc.org

HIV Prevention, Care & Treatment Services

l AVERT Sussex HIV & AIDS info service 01403 210202 or confidential@avert.org l Brighton & Hove CAB HIV Project Money, benefits, employment, housing, info, advocacy. Appointments: Tue-Thur 9am-4pm, Wed 9am-12.30pm Brighton & Hove Citizens Advice Bureau, Brighton Town Hall. 01273 733390 ext 520 or www.brightonhovecab.org.uk l Clinic M Free confidential testing & treatment for STIs including HIV, plus Hep A & B vaccinations. Claude Nicol Centre, Sussex County Hospital, on Weds from 5-8pm. 01273 664 721 or www.brightonsexualhealth.com l Lawson Unit Medical advice, treatment for HIV+, specialist clinics, diet & welfare advice, drug trials. 01273 664 722 l Martin Fisher Foundation HIV Self testing kits via digital vending machines available from: The Brighton Sauna, Prowler, Marlborough Pub and The Rainbow Hub. www.martinfisherfoundation.org l Substance Misuse Service Pavilions Partnership. Info, advice, appointments & referrals 01273 731 900. Drop-in: Richmond House, Richmond Rd, Brighton, Mon-Wed & Fri 10am-4pm, Thur 10am-7pm, Sat 10am-1pm; 9 The Drive, Hove 01273 680714 Mon & Wed 10am-12pm & 1pm-3pm, Tue & Thu 10am-4pm, info & advice only (no assessments), Fri 10am-12pm & 1pm-3pm. • Gary Smith (LGBT* Support) 07884 476634 or email gsmith@pavilions.org.uk

www.pavilions.org.uk/services/treatment-recoveryoptions/

l Sussex Beacon 24 hour nursing & medical care, day care 01273 694222 or www.sussexbeacon.org.uk l Terrence Higgins Trust services For more info about these free services go to the THT office, 61 Ship St, Brighton, Mon–Fri, 10am–5pm 01273 764200 or info.brighton@tht.org.uk • Venue Outreach: info on HIV, sexual health, personal safety, safer drug/alcohol use, free condoms/lubricant for men who have sex with men

• The Bushes Outreach Service @ Dukes Mound:

advice, support, info on HIV & sexual health, and free condoms & lube • Netreach (online/mobile app outreach in Brighton &

Hove): info/advice on HIV/sexual health/local services.

THT Brighton Outreach workers online on Grindr, Scruff, & Squirt • Condom Male: discreet, confidential service posts free condoms/lube/sexual health info to men who have sex with men without access to East Sussex commercial gay scene • Positive Voices: volunteers who go to organisations to talk about personal experiences of living with HIV • Fastest (HIV testing): walk-in, (no appointment) rapid

HIV testing service open to MSM (Men who have sex with Men). Anyone from the African communities, male and female sex workers and anyone who identifies as

Trans or non-binary. We now offer rapid 15 minutes results for HIV/Syphilis: Mon 10am-8pm, Tues-Fri 10am-5pm, Thurs 10am-8pm (STI testing available) • Sauna Fastest at The Brighton Sauna (HIV testing): walk-in, (no appointment) rapid HIV testing service for men who have sex with men, results in 20 minutes:

Wed: 6–8pm (STI testing available) • Face2Face: confidential info & advice on sexual health & HIV for men who have sex with men, up to 6 one hour appointments • Specialist Training: wide range of courses for groups/ individuals, specific courses to suit needs • Counselling: from qualified counsellors for up to 12 sessions for people living with/affected by HIV • What Next? Thurs eve, 6 week peer support group work programme for newly diagnosed HIV+ gay men • HIV Support Services: info, support & practical advice for people living with/affected by HIV • HIV Welfare Rights Advice: Find out about benefits or benefit changes. Advice line: Tue–Thur 1:302:30pm. 1-2-1 appts for advice & workshops on key benefits l Terrence Higgins Eastbourne • Web support & info on HIV, sexual health & local services via netreach and www.myhiv.org.uk • Free condom postal service contact Grace Coughlan on 07584086590 or grace.coughlan@tht.org.uk l Sexual Health Worthing Free confidential tests & treatment for STIs inc HIVA; Hep vaccinations. Worthing-based 0845 111345645 National Helplines l National LGBT Domestic Abuse Helpline at www.galop.org.uk and 0800 999 5428 l Switchboard 0300 330 0630 l Positiveline (Eddie Surman Trust) Mon-Fri 11am-10pm, Sat & Sun 4-10pm 0800 1696806 l Mainliners 02075 825226 l National AIDS Helpline 08005 67123 l National Drugs Helpline 08007 76600 l THT AIDS Treatment phoneline 08459 470047 l THT direct 0845 1221200

GEORGE ST

CHURCH RD

THE DRIV E E DR I

) Bars & pubs

1 Affinity Bar

129 St James’s St, www.affinitygaybar.co.uk

2 Amsterdam Bar & Kitchen

11-12 Marine Parade, 01273 688 826 www.amsterdambrighton.com

3 Bar Broadway

10 Steine Street, 01273 609777 www.barbroadway.co.uk

4 Bedford Tavern

30 Western Street, 01273 739495

5 All New Bulldog

31 St James St, 01273 696996

6 Camelford Arms

30-31 Camelford St, 01273 622386 www.camelford-arms.co.uk

7 Charles Street Tap

8-9 Marine Parade, 01273 624091 www.charles-street.com

8 Fallen Angel

24 Grafton St, 07949590001

9 Giu & Su Café & Wine Bar

GRAND PARADECHURCH ST 2 Church St, BN1 1UJ 10 Grosvenor Bar 16 Western Street, 01273 438587 11 Legends Bar 31-34 Marine Parade, 01273 624462 www.legendsbrighton.com 12 Marine Tavern 13 Broad St, 01273 681284 www.marinetavern.co.uk

13 Nautilus Lounge

129 St James’s St, 01273 624100 OLD SHOREHAM RD RD Gscene Advertisers’ Map N SEVEN ALSDIALS DYKE RD WESTERN RDKINGSWAY 1ST AV E PALMERIA SQUARE KINGS RD WEST PIER MONTPELIER RDHOLLANDD RD GOLDSMID RD 26 10 4 30 14 19 www.nautiluslounge.com 14 Paris House 21 Western Road, 01273 724195 www.parishouse.com 16 DYKE RD 17 WEST ST C CLOCK T TOW TOWER 29 NORTH RD QUEENS R RD EEN BRIGHTON STATION ST JAMES STREET MARINE PARADE LONDON RDLON RD EDWARD ST GRAND PARADE G OLD STE INENORTH STO LEWES RD LE ELM GROVEELM ISLINGWORD RD CHURCH ST C ST TRAFALGAR ST EASTERN RD NEW RD SOUTHOVER ST FRESHFIELD RD QUEENS PARK RD 27 31 32 8 36 9 23 18 33 28 15 Queen’s Arms 7 George St, 01273 696873 www.theqabrighton.com 16 Railway Club ) Food BRIGHTON PIER BRIGHTON MARINA > 4 Belmont, Dyke Rd, 01273 328682 2 Amsterdam Bar & Kitchen 17 Regency Tavern 32-34 Russell Sq, 01273 325 652 11-12 Marine Parade, 01273 688 826 www.amsterdambrighton.com 18 Three Jolly Butchers 59 North Rd, 01273 608571 www.three-jolly-butchers.co.uk 19 Velvet Jacks 50 Norfolk Square, 07720 661290 http://tinyurl.com/VelvetJacks 20 Lé Village 2-3 High Street, 01273 681634 21 Zone 33 St James’s St, 01273 682249 www.zonebrighton.co.uk ) Clubs 11 Basement Club (below Legends) 31-34 Marine Parade, 01273 624462 www.legendsbrighton.com 7 Envy (above Charles St Tap) 8-9 Marine Parade, 01273 624091 www.charles-street.com 6 Camelford Arms 30-31 Camelford St, 01273 622386 www.camelford-arms.co.uk 7 Charles Street Tap 8-9 Marine Parade, 01273 624091 www.charles-street.com 23 Cup of Joe 28 St George’s Rd, 01273 698873 www.cupofjoebrighton.co.uk 9 Giu & Su Café & Wine Bar 2 Church St, BN1 1UJ 11 Legends Bar 31-34 Marine Parade, 01273 624462 www.legendsbrighton.com 12 Marine Tavern 13 Broad St, 01273 681284 www.marinetavern.co.uk 24 New Steine Bistro 12a New Steine, 01273 681546 www.newsteinehotel.com 14 Paris House 21 Western Road, 01273 724195 www.parishouse.com 17 Regency Tavern 32-34 Russell Sq, 01273 325 652 18 Three Jolly Butchers 59 North Rd, 01273 608571 www.three-jolly-butchers.co.uk 19 Velvet Jacks 50 Norfolk Square, 07720 661290 http://tinyurl.com/VelvetJacks 20 Lé Village 2-3 High Street, 01273 681634 ) Hotels 25 Gullivers Hotel 12a New Steine, 01273 695415 26 Hilton Brighton Metropole 1 Kings Rd, 01273 775 432 www.hilton.com 11 Legends Hotel 31-34 Marine Parade, 01273 624462 www.legendsbrighton.com 24 New Steine Bistro 12a New Steine, 01273 681546 www.newsteinehotel.com 27 Queens Hotel 1/3 Kings Rd, 01273 321222 www.queenshotelbrighton.com ) Health & Beauty 28 Barber Blacksheep 18 St Georges Rd, 01273 623408 wwww.barberblacksheep.com www.gullivershotel.com 29 Dental Health Spa 14–15 Queens Rd, 01273 710831 www.dentalhealthspa.co.uk

30 Velvet Tattoo

50 Norfolk Square, 07720 661290 http://tinyurl.com/VelvetJacks

ROYAL PAVILLION NORTH ST

OLD STEINE

PRINCES STREET

35 1 13

3 STEINE STREET GEORGE STREET 15 ST JAMES’ STREET

MANCHESTER STREET CHARLES STREET

34

12BROAD STREET

7

MARINE PARADE

2

DORSET GARDENS

39

5 21 20

HIGH STREET

38

MADEIRA PLAC E

2 40

CAMELFORD STREET 6

11 24 25

N EW STEINE EDWARD ST ) Sexual Health 31 Clinic M Claude Nicol

Abbey Rd, 01273 664721 www.brightonsexualhealth.com/node/11

32 THT Brighton

61 Ship St, 01273 764200

DEVONSHIRE PLACE

AIDS MEMORIAL

NEW STEINE ) Saunas

33 Brighton Sauna

75 Grand Parade, 01273 689966

ST JAMES’ AVENUE UPPER ROCK GARDENS www.thebrightonsauna.com ) Shops 34 Prowler 112 St James’ St, 01273 683680 35 Sussex Beacon Charity Shop 130 St James’s St, 01273 682992 36 Sussex Beacon Home Store 72-73 London Rd, 01273 680264 www.sussexbeacon.org.uk ) Legal Services

37 Engleharts

49 Vallance Hall, Hove St, 01273 204411 ROCK P LACE L OWER ROCK GARDE NS ) Community 38 Brighton Women’s Centre 72 High St, 01273 698036 www.womenscentre.org.uk 39 Lunch Positive Dorset Gadens Methodist Church, Dorset Gardens, 07846 464384 www.lunchpositive.org

40 Rainbow Hub

93 St James’s St, 01273 675445 www.therainbowhubbrighton.com