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SEPT 2013
CONTENTS
GSCENE magazine www.gscene.org @gscene GScene.Brighton
THE FOUR PRIDE AMBASSADORS: DORRETT AGOREYO, GEORGE MONTAGUE (THE OLDEST GAY IN VILLAGE), DANNY DWYER, & HELEN MARIE CARTER
PUBLISHED BY Peter Storrow TEL 01273 722457 EDITORIAL info@gscene.com ADS+ARTWORK design@gscene.com EDITORIAL TEAM James Ledward, Graham Robson ARTS EDITOR Michael Hootman SUB-EDITOR Graham Robson DESIGN Michèle Allardyce Brighton Pride PHOTOGRAPHY Raymond Griffin brighton@smallbudget.co.uk
BRIGHTON PRIDE SUPPORTS LGBT RUSSIA
CONTRIBUTORS Jaq Bayles, Jo Bourne, Nick Boston, Suchi Chatterjee, Nick Douglas, Craig Hanlon Smith, Enzo Marra, Netty, Charles Nyereyegona, Carl Oprey, Eric Page, Kat Pope, Steph Scott, Del Sharp, Keith Sharpe, Gay Socrates, Darren Solo, Brian Stacey, Glen Stevens, Craig Storrie, Duncan Stewart, Vron, Roger Wheeler, Mike Wall, Morham White, Kate Wildblood
NEWS 6 News
SCENE LISTINGS 32 Brighton Listings 49 Solent & Bournemouth Listings
PHOTOGRAPHERS Michèle Allardyce, Phil Bailey brightonmoments.com, Raymond Griffin, Michael Hootman, Frances Hubbard, Chris Jepson, James Ledward, Ian Mager-Playford, Natasha Parker-Small, Portraits4Fun, Ultimate Planet
SUSSEX POLICE ON PRIDE PARADE
Arts News & Listings Arts Matters Classical Notes Films reviews Book reviews
REGULARS
The Brighton bisexual group celebrate 10 years
5 Letters 52 Dance Music 52 DJ profile: Alex Baker 53 Charlie’s Kitchen 60 Geek Scene 61 Shopping 63 Craig’s Thoughts 64 Heart & Sole 65 Vron’s Voice 65 Homely Homily 66 Sharp Words 67 Netty’s World 67 Queerying Queenie 68 Charlie Says 69 Suchi’s World 69 Duncan’s Domain 70 Changing Attitude 71 BSSN 71 Brighton MCC 72 Sam Transman
31 WELFARE & BENEFIT REFORMS
INFORMATION
PJ shares his stressful experience
73 Services Directory 74 Advertisers map 76 Classifieds
FEATURES 15 MAISIE TROLLETTE GALA SHOW David Raven celebrates his 80th birthday at the Theatre Royal
16 TRANS* PRIDE Photos from the first Trans* Pride event in the UK
19 CO-OP RESPECT NETWORK Thomas Anderson looks at the Co-Op’s LGBT employee group DRAG WITH NO NAME @ THE PRIDE DOG SHOW
ARTS 54 56 57 58 59
© GSCENE 2013 All work appearing in Gscene Ltd is copyright. It is to be assumed that the copyright for material rests with the magazine unless otherwise stated on the page concerned. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in an electronic or other retrieval system, transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise without the prior knowledge and consent of the publishers. The appearance of any person or any organisation in Gscene is not to be construed as an implication of the sexual orientation or political persuasion of such persons or organisations.
PRIDE REVELLERS
FRONT COVER
20 PRIDE 2013 Photos from this year’s Brighton & Hove Pride
28 BRIGHTON BOTHWAYS
62 AWAY WITH THE FAERIES Wood Pigeon attends his first faerie gathering
GSCENE 5
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR SEND LETTERS TO: GSCENE, 111 WESTERN ROAD, HOVE, BN3 1DD OR EMAIL: INFO@GSCENE.COM
others, especially the tourists who often walk through the area to get to the Marina. Peter Jones, Kemptown PC Rich Bridger, LGBT Liaison Officer, Neighbourhood Policing Team (Central), Brighton Central, responded: “We have been receiving an increasing number of complaints regarding inappropriate sexual activity in the Duke’s Mound area during daylight hours. Duke’s Mound is a public area, accessed by everybody and it is not acceptable for people to behave in this way. We are increasing patrols in the area in response to these complaints, and people found acting inappropriately during the daytime can expect to be arrested.”
THANK YOU ALL FOR BEING PART OF A VERY SPECIAL EVENING WE DID IT! And when I say ‘we’ I mean everyone who worked together to produce Maisie Trollette’s 80th birthday show at the Theatre Royal on Sunday, August 18. The first discussions for this show happened late last year. We looked at every possible scenario to put on the most fitting tribute to a true legend of the LGBT cabaret scene and judging by the amazing audience reaction to every act on the night, I say we did just that. Firstly a huge thank you to Tim Anscombe and Stephen Holroyd of Anscombe Production Associates. Not only did they co-ordinate and light the show, respectively, but they called upon their team from Privates On Parade, Chris Keen and Bryan Mercer to stage manage and sound the show. It was a pleasure to work alongside four men who went above and beyond the call of duty to make this night happen with their professionalism and good humour. It’s always a treat to work at the Theatre Royal. A beautiful venue with a fantastic backstage and front of house crew. Many thanks to the ladies and gentlemen there. Thank you to Carl Hobden who created the photo montage on the big screen. Thank you to James Ledward for your continuing faith in me. To all the artistes – thank you for your patience during a long day of technical rehearsal and for your truly outstanding performances on stage. From the opening lines of the Les Miserables medley to the closing lines of The Best Of Times you put on a show that was a joy to compere. If I remember correctly it was Miss Jason who said, on stage, “If I’d have known the show was going to be this good, I’d have bought a ticket myself”. To the audience - you are what makes this job worthwhile. Thank you. To David Raven/Maisie Trollette – I have known you for 27 years since the heady days of The Two Brewers on Wednesday nights. You encouraged me as a new performer and supported me as I carried on performing and when I moved to Brighton. It was an honour to organise the show for you. I am proud to call you a colleague and a friend. Happy Birthday! Stephen Richards, (aka Lola Lasagne), Brighton.
ZIP UP AND BEHAVE YOURSELVES! I really must complain about the level of cruising happening at Duke’s Mound during daylight hours. I have no problem with the area being used at night but I do have a problem with any activity
at all during the day. In the recent hot weather things have been getting out of control. I walk my dogs every day and no matter what time I go there is clearly visible activity going on in and around the bushes. Come on lads, show a bit of respect for
James Ledward, Gscene editor, said: “Every summer, cruising activity increases at Duke’s Mound. During the good weather of the last few weeks activity has been getting out of hand with more members of the public complaining to the police. Zip up during the day and leave your cruising till the dark hours. If you continue to show disrespect to visitors during the day police arrests are sure to follow.”
RAINBOW FUND I am writing on behalf of the Rainbow Fund to thank the organisers of Pride 2013 and all the many thousands of people who attended the park event or worked to make it happen. It really was a fantastic Pride which showed the city in the very best light. The announcement that in excess of £43,000 will be donated to local LGBT charities and voluntary sector groups via the
Rainbow Fund is probably the best possible outcome from Pride. The organisers have produced a first class parade and park event, and made improvements to the delivery of Pride in ways which most people do not even notice, for example in terms of the parade marshalling, security, health and safety and park stewards. Yes, there is always room for improvement, but each year it seems to get better and better. The Rainbow Fund benefits from the charitable funds raised during Pride, and we ensure that this is distributed via the Sussex Community Foundation to give donors assurance that the money donated is held in an accountable and transparent way. Grants will be distributed on a needs-led basis to the local LGBT groups and charities delivering frontline services, so the money makes the biggest impact possible to our community. Eligible groups and charities can apply for this money now, via the Sussex Community Foundation, and have until October 11 to do so. Paul Elgood, (Chairman of the Rainbow Fund), Brighton.
THT THANKS Terrence Higgins Trust Brighton would like to say a huge ‘thank you’ to all the staff and customers of The Brighton Sauna and Brighton Sauna Two for their recent donation of £645. The money was raised from their free day. The money raised will help support local safer sex resources provision and rapid HIV testing services which we deliver in both saunas. Kind regards, Ross Boseley
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PRIDE COMES HOME, AT LAST!
t Brighton Pride returned to its roots and found its heart and soul again this year. As well as throwing the biggest party of the year, bringing more visitors into the city than any other event, it displayed a social conscience creating a political dimension to the proceedings for the first time in many years. In the two weeks prior to Pride, the situation affecting LGBT people in Putin's Russia became very evident. Many people in Brighton were appalled. In a threeday period, Brighton Pride, just seven days before the main event, announced a ban on the sale of vodka distilled in Russia on Preston Park. James Brooks, former director of RealBrighton.com, produced a film called From Russia Without Love - A Message For Brighton Pride 2013 and DJ Kate Wildblood and fellow university student Karol Michalec created a poster campaign supporting LGBT people in Russia and called on Brighton residents to download the posters and display them during Pride. All three initiatives happened independently and simultaneously. Gay and gay owned Brighton businesses decided to take Kate and Karol's poster campaign to the streets of Brighton during the Pride Parade and paid for 100 protest posters to be made and carried on the parade to show LGBT people in Russia that they are not alone during their struggles. Vince Laws, controversial poet and artist, whose living poem This Pope is Pants! was banned from the city’s Jubilee Library during LGBT History Month in February of this year was sponsored by the Brighton Sauna to bring his 'happening' to Brighton once again. He painted faces of people with the names of the 76 countries in the world where it is illegal to be gay. Brighton's protest supporting LGBT Russia was picked up by CNN, BBC World service and Meridian TV news networks putting the message in front of millions worldwide. This year’s Pride hit the mark on many fronts. The parade was the best for years and people loved the park and the reintroduction of the main stage. The Pride Ambassadors nominated by the general public were the stars of the parade and the event displayed a social conscience for the first time in a long time. The star of the main stage was not Alison Moyet, who was fantastic, but James Brooks' film From Russia Without Love which was screened just before Peter Tatchell's rousing call to arms to support LGBT people in Russia. It was powerful stuff, made me feel very proud and had a dramatic effect on everyone present.
PRIDE RAISE OVER £43,000 FOR THE RAINBOW FUND
I’m not going to make the mistake of claiming it was the best Pride ever, as that’s not fair on all the people who have produced different Prides over the years, each year under different pressures. But what I will say is that this is the first Pride in ten years produced by gay people for gay people, and it raised in the process a record £43,000 for the Rainbow Fund to distribute to LGBT/HIV organisations providing front line services to the LGBT community in Brighton & Hove. Here's to next year and never forgetting why we do Pride - not just to party but also to put the spotlight on marginalised LGBT communities worldwide who are not as lucky as we are here in Brighton & Hove. Despite using a new e-ticketing system, the queues to get into the park this year were as long as ever and Pride organisers have acknowledged this, apologised and are already working on a solution for next year. However, it can not go without comment that the City Council's contribution to this year’s Pride Parade and the event on Preston Park was pitiful and deserves closer public scrutiny. I will cover that next month! I attended the voluntary sector meeting to discuss the Pride Parade earlier this year at Legends Hotel. There was talk that the Pride organisers might have to pull the parade because of spiralling costs and lack of financial support from the council. Groups in attendance were shocked to learn that the council contributed so little to the event, the largest in the city's calendar, that, unlike many other events the Council supports, generates income and profit for everyone in the city, and most importantly raises money which is then ploughed back into our LGBT/HIV voluntary sector. No other event grant funded by the Council manages to do this on this scale. Well done to Paul Kemp, Dulcie Weaver and David Hill who put their reputations on the line this year to raise money for our groups. They delivered a magnificent event and in doing so highlighted how the Council continues to discriminate against this community when it comes to funding issues, or perhaps the Council are just making bad business decisions? We will see! If you feel strongly about this, lobby your local councillors and politicians. Remember May 2015 is an election year and the politicians will need your votes. In the meantime if you haven’t seen James Brooks’ film From Russia Without Love, check it out, it saves me writing a thousand words. http://gscene.com/from-russian-without-love-from-putin-with-hate/ James Ledward
Paul Elgood, Chairman of the Rainbow Fund, thanked the Pride organisers, saying: “This is a fantastic, fantastic outcome from Pride, which will hugely benefit the local LGBT and HIV community sector. This amount really reflects how successful the event was this year, and I want to personally thank the t Within just seven days of the dust settling on one of the most successful organisers for the immense effort they put into delivering Pride. Prides ever staged in Brighton & Hove, the Pride organisers announced that “Local LGBT/HIV charities and voluntary sector groups delivering frontline they had smashed the fundraising target that they had set themselves and services can already apply for this funding via the Sussex Community raised £43,103 for the Rainbow Fund to distribute to LGBT/HIV organisations Foundation. These groups have until October 11 to apply, and the funding is through their grants programme independently administered by the Sussex distributed on a needs-led basis by the independent Rainbow Fund grants Community Foundation. panel.”
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WWW.GSCENE.COM ALLOUT.ORG LGBT THANK YOU FROM THE RUSSIA FUNDRAISER VILLAGE STREET PARTY
t Brighton's gay and gay owned business rallied to highlight the plight of LGBT people in Russia at Brighton Pride last month. Brighton Sauna sponsored controversial poet and activist, Vince Laws, to stage his BANNED happening at Pride. Before the start of the Parade, Vince painted people’s faces with the names of the 76 countries around the world were it is illegal to be gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgender. Kat Harding blessed the Pink Triangle to launch the BANNED happening and gave a passionate speech about equality and human rights. Singers from the Brighton Gay Men's Chorus, all dressed identically as Dorothy from the Wizard of Oz, sang Your Disco Needs You. One-hundred banners were distributed for people to carry on the Pride Parade with the message that LGBT people in Brighton were thinking and supporting LGBT people in Russia through their difficult times since Putin imposed his new anti-gay laws. The banners were designed by Brighton University students Kate Wildblood and Karol Michalec and the campaign inspired by a film made by James Brooks.
JAMES LEDWARD
Thirty of the 65 floats on the parade agreed to carry a banner supporting all LGBT people in Russia including all local political parties and the Council's LGBT Workers Forum. Sadly some corporates and statutory organisations refused to support the initiative saying it was too political as did some local LGBT/HIV groups. James Ledward, editor of Gscene Magazine, said: “This is not a political issue; it is a human rights issue. If they did not recognise that they should question why they were on the parade at all. Disappointingly a few LGBT organisations and social groups also declined to display the banners. I was appalled by their reluctance. They are not so shy when they come to the community to fundraise for them. This was their opportunity to show that Pride is about the needs of all LGBT people and not just those in Brighton where many of us are very fine thank you very much indeed.” The Brighton Sauna on Grand Parade sponsored Vince Laws’ BANNED happening for £500. The following gay and gay friendly businesses contributed financially to the costs of the 100 banners: Zone Bar, Hudsons Guest House, A-Bar, Ambassador, Amsterdam Hotel, Avalon Guest House, Banning Guest House, Bedford Tavern, Billie Lewis Promotions, Bulldog, Camelford Arms, Cavalaire, Charles Street, Church Street, Cowards Guest House, Dr Brighton's, Legends, Marine Tavern, Munkee Cafe, mrmomentcatcher.com, New Steine Hotel, Poison Ivy, Prowler, Revenge and Subline.
All profits made at the event, which features DJs Seamus Haji, Jon Pleased Wimmin, Hifi Sean, Kate Wildblood, Queen Josephine, Pablo Contraband and host Karol Michalec, will go towards the All Out campaign, and each performer has donated their time for free to maximise the profits. DJ Hifi Sean, said: “I’m involved with this fundraiser because human rights are being attacked in Russia in a barbaric way, right now, in the year 2013. If we don't do something now and make our voices heard then what future lies ahead of us all?” Disco Deviant's Promote Diversity Special: No Crime No Punishment, Friday, Sept 6, Audio, 10 Marine Parade, Brighton. Tickets: £7 advance, £10 on door. All profits will be donated to All Out. For more information, view: www.facebook.com/discodeviant Info on All Out campaign, view: www.allout.org/
t The annual Gay Village Party took place over Pride weekend on August 3-4 in St James' and adjoining streets on the Saturday evening and Sunday afternoon. Over the two days organisers estimate that over 40,000 revellers attended the event without any major incident.
This year’s party cost over £20,000 to stage but sadly once again no contribution was received from the major retailers in St James Street including the main supermarkets. However, the organisers do send their thanks to the following businesses for their participation and donations, be they many hundreds or just the ten. “Every little helps” as one noncontributor might say. Participating bars and businesses included: Bar 56, Betty LaLa's, Brighton Rocks, The Bulldog, Cafe Rococo, The Camelford Arms, City News, Cornel's, Izzy Cafe, Latest Music Bar, The Marine Tavern, The Marlborough, The Mucky Duck, Poison Ivy, The Queens Arms, Subline, The Three & Ten, 14 St James's Street Off Licence and The Zone Bar. Donating businesses, guest houses and bars included: A Bar @ The Amsterdam, Bannings @ No 14, Audio, The Brasserie Pizza Pasta, Brighton Wave, Cavalaire Guest House, Charles Street, Colson House, Craven Court, Eighty Eight Barbers, Guest & The City, Jury’s Out, Morris & Jacques Cafe, Neighbourhood Bar, New Steine Hotel & Gullivers, Nice ‘n’ Naughty, Revenge, The Royal Oak, Sean Paul Hair & Beauty and St James Tavern. Drinks sponsor for the weekend was Proof Drinks (Aqua, Briska Cider, Piston Head Beer). Sharon Barr, owner of the Zone Bar and Chair of the Gay Village Party, said: “I would like to send special thanks to the public for making the event safe and enjoyable and throwing their change in the collecting buckets and all the businesses and residents of the area for their continued support.”
SHARON BARR
BRIGHTON GAY & GAY OWNED BUSINESSES SHOW THEIR SUPPORT FOR LGBT RUSSIA
t Disco Deviant's Promote Diversity Special: No Crime No Punishment, a club night raising money for the lobby group All Out.org and their work in promoting diversity and defending the rights of LGBT people under attack and facing criminal charges in Russia takes place at Audio on Friday, September 6. The idea of the club night came about after Disco Deviant’s Pablo Contraband, DJ Kate Wildblood and artist Karol Michalec of Brighton Supports LGBT Russia discussed the abominable situation Putin’s anti-gay propaganda laws are creating in Russia today.
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WWW.GSCENE.COM SIMON KIRBY MP BISHOP OF CHICHESTER CONTACTS FOREIGN WELCOMES PEOPLE TO PRIDE SECRETARY OVER LGBT RIGHTS IN t Martin Warner, The Bishop of Chichester, spoke at a well attended RUSSIA
LEGENDS RAISE £2,499 FOR RAINBOW FUND
t Reece Roberts, manager of Legends Hotel, handed over a cheque for £2,499.01 to Paul Elgood, chair of the Rainbow Fund, the proceeds of their allday cabaret fundraiser on Pride Sunday. £1,499.01 was collected in the buckets and from the raffle and Tony Chapman personally donated a further £1,000 bringing the total to £2,499.01. Paul Elgood said: “Thanks to Tony Chapman and all the team at Legends for raising an amazing amount in one day. It was a great way to end Pride and make a difference to the local LGBT and HIV groups working in our community. Thanks also to the acts who gave up their time to perform and to the lovely Lola Lasagne for hosting the day so well. We don't fundraise directly but rely on high profile events such as this to ensure that there’s enough money available for each of our grant rounds for local community groups to apply for. We need to keep raising money as the demand is always high from applicants for grant funding.”
t Simon Kirby, Brighton Kemptown MP, has written to William Hague, Foreign Secretary, urging him to lead international condemnation of the Russian Government’s treatment of LGBT people. Mr Kirby raised the appalling recent record of the Russian Government on LGBT rights, including a recent ban on the distribution of so-called “propaganda of non-traditional sexual relations" which will silence the LGBT community and further isolate gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people within Russian society.
Service of Welcome for Pride at St John's Church, Preston Park on Saturday, August 3 at 1pm. He spoke with passion about the inclusive nature of the Christian Gospel and put the following on the diocesan website about his attitude to Pride.
HELEN JONES
SIMON FANSHAWE
t MindOut the LGBT mental health project, partnered with Time to Change, England's biggest mental health anti-stigma campaign to produce a 'pop-up village' at Brighton Pride last month. As part of a new concept to challenge mental health stigma, the village encouraged people who don’t have experience of mental health problems to get talking to those who do. The village included a village green and even a cinema. However, all of the areas were specially designed so that members of the public could enjoy the activities and learn more about mental health from people with a personal experience. Evidence suggests that this kind of contact is one of the most effective ways of breaking down stigma and improving attitudes. The cinema showed short films and adverts and the post office included an interactive ‘community notice board’. Village goers were asked to post up their thoughts on how mental health discrimination can be tackled so that Time to Change could learn directly from the local community. On the village green there was plenty of entertainment including music workshops from Lorraine Bowen, cupcake decorating and specially devised plays by theatre company Likely Story. Simon Fanshawe OBE, Brighton-based broadcaster and writer, said: “Mental health is finally coming out of the closet. Recently when I talked about my own depression on TV, I received a large number of emails from people who said they felt far more confident these days to talk about their own state of mind. But it’s still very hard. And particularly for lesbian and gay people who, perhaps because we still have to struggle at first with who we are, experience poor mental health even more than the rest of the population. Amongst our friends and colleagues, gay and straight, we can start by looking out for each other. In a healthy community we recognise that what we say and do can have a positive or negative effect on others. So we can all do things that even, in a small way, help others to improve the quality of their lives. These include challenging our prejudices, talking about mental health and supporting local mental health initiatives” Helen Jones, Director of MindOut, added: “We’re delighted that MindOut is working closely with Time to Change to tackle mental health stigma and discrimination as experienced by people from the LGBT communities. We’re involving our local volunteers in creating social change.” If you like to get involved as a volunteer in the anti-stigma campaign launched at Pride, view: www.mindout.org.uk or email info@mindout.org.uk
Kirby marched with the Conservative group on the Brighton Pride Parade on Saturday, August 3, which highlighted the plight of LGBT in Russia and pledged the city's support to them. Mr Kirby said: “The issue of LGBT rights in Russia has received attention in the media recently, and that focus will intensify in the run up to the Sochi Olympics next year. “I am calling on the Foreign Secretary to lead the international community in putting pressure on the Russian Government to reverse its oppression of LGBT people. “The local community in Brighton came together at Pride in celebration of tolerance and equality. Many people held placards in solidarity with LGBT people in Russia who do not enjoy the same freedoms. On behalf of residents of the city I have called on William Hague to make this Government’s objections clear to the Russian President in the hope that external influence can improve the lives of millions of LGBT people in Russia.”
DR KEITH SHARPE
UNIQUE ‘POP-UP’ VILLAGE AT PRIDE
“I’m delighted to take part in the Welcome Service in the Church of St John the Evangelist, Preston, for Brighton Pride, 2013. It is essential that the Christian voice is loud and clear in its welcome of Pride 2013. This is a day for everyone. It’s not simply Gay Pride, but a celebration of everything that enriches the cultural, social, material and spiritual life of Brighton & Hove and the invaluable contribution that gay and lesbian people make to that enrichment in so many different ways. We welcome the clear message from this community that human sexuality is a complex gifting and it demands that we honour the many varied aspects of human identity and the part they play in the life of human flourishing. Brighton is one of the great coastal cities of this land. On his recent visit to another coastal city, Rio de Janeiro, Pope Francis said: ‘We want a Church big enough to accommodate all humanity’. “I hope and pray, as a bishop serving Christians from one end of Sussex to the other, that we, the Church, shall be seen to expand the open arms of Jesus Christ, and, as his disciples, to embrace with love and deeper understanding all who are represented by Pride 2013 in Brighton & Hove." Dr Keith Sharpe, Chair of Changing Attitude Sussex who organised the event, said: “It was marvellous that the bishop agreed to be the preacher at the Service of Welcome. He spoke with passion about the inclusive nature of the christian Gospel and of the particular value of LGBT people. He is a senior Anglican cleric and his presence at the event and the content of his talk represent a very significant positive development in relations between the Church of England and the LGBT community.”
GSCENE 9
We are an independent LGBT Forum working with the Community to address and improve safety issues in Brighton & Hove. We hold quarterly public meetings. Please sign up for our news letter at: www.lgbt-safety-forum-brighton.com/newsletter
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GRASSROOTS’ EVENTS TO MARK WORLD SUICIDE PREVENTION DAY
t Grassroots Suicide Prevention, a local charity that challenges stigma and discrimination relating to suicide and mental ill-health, has organised a range of key events to mark World Suicide Prevention Day in Brighton & Hove this month. On Saturday 7 and Sunday 8 from 10am–5pm, the charity are holding an event with information stands taking pledge signatures, selling books and giving out suicide prevention resources to the public on Brighton seafront. You can tie a ribbon of hope or remembrance to the famous Kissing Sculpture, and there will be a Zumbathon to raise money and celebrate life. Grassroots have room for two or three other local organisations to have a stand. If you would like to join them, email: chris@prevent-suicide.org.uk
From Monday 9–Friday 13, Grassroots will be hosting a free, outdoor photographic exhibition featuring beautiful portraits with a clear stigma reduction message in Jubilee Square, outside Brighton Library. World Suicide Prevention Day is on Tuesday 10, and will be marked by Grassroots Suicide Prevention from 7–9.30pm at BHASVIC Sixth Form College, Hove. The evening's events will include: a performance from Right Here, a local project led by young people; a personal story from local artist Yvonne J Foster of how a suicide prevention intervention touched her life; a minute’s silence to remember those we have loved and lost to suicide; a screening of the charity's new film Something in the Silence; a speech from James Moncrieff, Deputy Principle of BHASVIC Sixth Form College; Brighton & Hove’s Deputy Mayor; and an update from Grassroots on the first year of our Suicide Safer Brighton & Hove Project If you would like to attend email: chris@prevent-suicide.org.uk World Suicide Prevention Day, Tuesday 10 from 7pm at BHASVIC Sixth Form College, 205 Dyke Road, Hove, BN3 6EG. For more information, view: www.prevent-suicide.org.uk/
QTUBE EPISODE 5: PRIDE 2013
t Latest TV covered Brighton Pride 2013 in the latest episode of their LGBT programme, QTube. Starting on the seafront at Madeira Drive they follow the parade all the way to Preston Park where their cameras cover the main stage featuring boy band Class A and a message from Peter Tatchell. You can catch up on events from all around the park from cabaret and line dancing, the Women's Performance Tent, to Calabash, the Bears area, and Wild Fruit. Presenters Jonesy and Torsten guide you through a fun packed day on Preston Park. This is followed by the Symposium where four women discuss ‘how they perceive media representation of lesbian sexuality’. To view: www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ri4VdEk7ll8
LUNCH POSITIVE'S COMMUNITY CAFE RAISES £2,764
t Lunch Positive's Community Café at Pride on Preston Park this year was a great success and raised £2,764 towards the ongoing costs of running the weekly lunch club, which provides a healthy meal each Friday for people who are HIV positive. The Community Café was a real team effort, involving 25 volunteers and lunch club members, who together gave over 200 hours to make the event happen. People worked very hard and exceptionally well as a team, undertaking roles and tasks which were new to them, and pulled together for a common aim. In the first five hours, volunteers served over 600 people and 400 meals . Gary Pargeter, volunteer project manager, said: “This year’s Pride was our best yet, and a fantastic event to have been part of. Preparing for and running the café was hugely enjoyable for everyone, and a great demonstration of how people work well as a team when we have a common goal and know that our individual efforts support everyone who is involved.
“People took on roles and responsibilities which were new, and it showed how effectively they did this by how easily we served such large numbers of Pridegoers on the day. The café was well received, serving affordable hot food and drinks, providing a seating area and also giving refreshments for emergency services. With so many people volunteering, everyone also had spare time to enjoy the Pride celebrations. We’d like to thank Pride for the opportunity to stage the café, everyone who helped promote our presence, and of course everyone who came along and supported us on the day.” www.lunchpositive.org
PEER ACTION’S SEPTEMBER EVENTS
t After a summer break, Peer Action’s monthly Bingo sessions with Ian return on Wednesday 18. Meet inside the main doors at 6.15pm for the early bird session or 7pm for the main event. Admission is £10 so it’s better value for the early birds. New comers need to register, so make sure you arrive in time for your application to be processed. t Julia and Chris host their Social Games Night at the Barley Mow Pub on Wednesday, September 25. Meet other peers and connect over fun, games and a drink. Game playing isn’t compulsory and you can just come along to meet with other peers and enjoy your favourite tipple. t Swim in a quiet pool in Kemptown on Tuesday 3, 10, 17 & 24 at 12.20pm, for up to an hour. t Weekly, one hour Yoga Classes with Dan Noquet are at St Mary's Church Hall, 61 St James St , 6pm on Tuesday (3, 10, 17 & 24) at the low cost of £3 per session. t Meditation Classes with Phil, now run at the Sussex Beacon: Sunday 8 & 22 at 11am prompt and last an hour. Each class costs £3, is drop-in (no need to book or attend every time). t The low-cost therapy day in partnership with Active Light-Works and Pathways to Health is on Saturday 28 at THT, 61 Ship Street and is £5 on the door. New therapies include Swedish massage with Phil, Alexander technique with Gregg and hot stones massage with Miranda. For more information on Peer Actions activities and how to get involved, view: www.peeraction.co.uk
PEER ACTION PUBLIC FORUM
t Peer Action are holding a Public Forum on Thursday, September 26 at 8–9.15pm at Friends Meeting House, Ship Street, Brighton. Tell them what you think about Peer Action and what you’d like from them. It’s also an opportunity to hear about how they are developing as a charity, acting together to live with the impact of HIV and/or Hep C. You can also find out more about getting more involved by becoming a volunteer. The meeting is open to anyone affected by HIV or Hep C. For more information on all of Peer Actions activities and how to get involved, view: www.peeraction.co.uk
GSCENE 11
HIV SELF-TESTING KITS ARE LEGALISED
ANNA SOUBRY MP
t The Department of Health (DoH) has legalised the sale of HIV selftesting kits in the UK, which allows people to use a simple saliva test at home to quickly provide a ‘negative or a positive indication’. Under the HIV Testing Kits and Services Regulations 1992, it was illegal to sell kits which offered onthe-spot HIV results and it was illegal to do a HIV test at home and read the result yourself. You could however take a sample yourself, send it off for testing in a laboratory and receive the result at a later date. The number of people with the HIV virus in November 2012 was nearly 100,000, however it is estimated a quarter of people in the UK who have the HIV virus are not aware they have been infected. Health experts hope the change in law will reduce infection rates and say home testing will help people detect their infection earlier, which could lead to more effective treatment options and reduce the infection spreading. Anna Soubry, Public Health Minister, said: “I hope that by removing the ban on self-testing kits people will be able to choose the right time and right surroundings to take a test and, if positive, help them get the best treatment available.” Last month, gay men heading home from a night out in South London were for the first time offered free home sampling kits to find out their HIV status. The innovative initiative, developed by Mortimer Market Centre, a sexual health clinic run by Central and North West London NHS Foundation Trust, was launched over the August bank holiday weekend. Street teams offered free kits to home-going clubbers around Vauxhall in the early hours. HIV home sampling kits are already available via the internet, however, this was the first time they have been handed out directly to a targeted group on the streets. The aim is to reduce the levels of undiagnosed HIV in gay men in the capital. A reduction in the number of people presenting with HIV at a late stage of infection is a national priority in the DoH’s Public Health Outcomes framework for England, 2013-2016. Dr Danielle Mercey, Clinical Director for sexual health at Central & North West London NHS Foundation Trust, emphasised the benefits for people at risk of HIV of knowing their status. She said: “Recent advances mean that there are very few sound reasons left for putting off an HIV test. If you are HIV-positive, knowing your status puts you in control. It allows you to get early treatment and boost your chances of having a relatively normal life-span, rather than waiting until your health worsens. Equally, for people who test HIV-negative, that knowledge can prevent unnecessary worry – and help them to act to stay negative.” People who accept a kit will be able to take a sample of their own saliva at a later time and send it for testing using a pre-paid envelope. They will get their result within five working days of the sample being received in the post. A kit-user whose test proves negative will receive a text to let them know the result. Where a test is reactive, indicating possible HIV antibodies, the user will be called by Mortimer Market Centre’s health adviser team and invited in for further blood-based tests. Klaus Johansen, specialist nurse Central and North West London NHS Foundation Trust’s outreach lead for men who have sex with men, said: “We wanted to try a more proactive approach by putting the kits into people’s hands.”
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ECOSTREAM PROTEST CONTINUES WITH GRACE JONES TRIBUTE
t Miss Chelsea Fox brought a city centre road to a standstill last month when she joined the demonstration organised by the Sussex Friends of Israel group outside the Ecostream Store on Western Road, Brighton. The Ecostream Store has been picketed since it opened by supporters of Boycott, Divestment & Sanctions of Israeli goods (BDS). Chelsea, who appeared as Grace Jones on Saturday, August 17 to entertain protestors and shoppers, claims she was homophobically abused during her performance by protestors from the BDS. The previous Saturday she appeared as Cher and received similar treatment. Ecostream, near Waitrose, is a refill concept store, the first of its kind in the world, trialled in Brighton and chosen for its green credentials.Since its launch, the store been picketed weekly by an antiIsraeli group, BDS. In 2005, Palestinian civil society issued a call for a campaign of boycotts, divestment and sanctions against Israel until it complies with international law and Palestinian rights. The store is owned by Israeli-owned fizzy drink manufacturer Sodastream.Concerned that the weekly BDS protests against Ecostream were going unchallenged, a diverse group calling themselves Sussex Friends of Israel formed, comprising members of the Jewish, Christian and LGBT communities in Sussex. They come together each week, outside Ecostream's store on Western Road to counter demonstrate the BDS, with fun, friendly and inclusive initiatives, to show their support to the store and for the State of Israel.
t The Gay Business Forum meets regularly to help LGBT businesses with a BN post code develop their relationships as part of the local tourism industry. Membership is drawn from bars, clubs, restaurants or any retail or service related activity. Their next meeting is on Tuesday, October 8 at the A-Bar, 11-12 Marine Parade starting at 3pm. The forum is chaired by Alex Matthews licensee at the A-Bar with deputy chair Charlie Nyereyegona and treasurer Andy Tull, owner of 112 Church Street, The Royal Oak in St James Street and the Market Inn. Part of the Forums remit is to support and encourage new businesses and services. Starting in October (8 & 10) they are
promoting LGBT Pilates classes provided by Jan Davies at Gullivers Hotel, 12a New Steine. The course is ten weeks long and takes place on Tuesdays and Fridays and classes are open to everyone. Cost is £10 (£9 conc) payable in advance just take along a mat and small towel and wear casual comfy clothes, not jeans. Jan promises that in ten weeks of classes you will notice a difference in your body, learn how to manage any back problems, you will be able to do Pilates and enjoy the experience while creating for yourself a leaner, fitter and more flexible body. Pilates is enjoyable and there will be other people there just like you. Each class finishes with a cup of coffee and a gossip! If you are interested in signing up email Jan at: jan@movementandhealth.co.uk or text/call on 07904 187 257. For more information about the Gay Business Forum, email: morham@live.com
THE BIG FAT GAY BARN DANCE
t The Big Fat Gay Barn Dance returns to Church Farm, Lancing on Saturday, September 21 from 7pm-midnight. Early bird tickets are available for £22, which includes supper, a live band with caller and a charity raffle and auction in support of the Edward Starr Trust. Group discounts are available online. For more information, view: www.geltoday.com
LOCAL ENTERTAINER JAILED
t At the end of July, local entertainer Robert Clothier was jailed at Southwark Crown Court for 26 months following an online 'sting'. He originally appeared at Westminster Magistrates Court on April 24 charged with “allegedly arranging or facilitating the commission of a child sex offence”. An application for bail was refused and he remained on remand awaiting trial. Mr Clothier appeared at Southwark Crown Court on May 31 where he pleaded guilty to the charge and three other charges including making indecent images of children, distributing an image of a child and possessing prohibited images of children.
ROBERT CLOTHIER
GET FIT & HEALTHY WITH THE GAY BUSINESS FORUM
JAN DAVIES
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He was referred for psychiatric reports and appeared back at Southwark Crown Court on July 12 where he made an application to change his plea to not guilty. His solicitor stood down and a new solicitor was appointed who later advised him to plead guilty. Mr Clothier has been in prison on remand since April 2013. He will complete his sentence by Easter 2014 when he will be subject to a Sexual Offences Prevention Order restricting his internet use and access to children under 16 and must also sign the Sex Offenders’ Register.
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WWW.GSCENE.COM MARMITE HOSTS SOUTHAMPTON DRAG RACE t The Titanic in Southampton are raising money for Cancer Research UK at their Annual Drag Race on September 7 hosted by Sonia Marmite. The money raised will be used for research and treatment in the Southampton area. Last year they collected £1,375, this year they have set the target at £3,000. The Drag Race entrance rules are simple: • Men must wear a dress, handbag, wig and at least 1 inch heels • Women must wear a man's suit, shirt, tie and men's shoes (no trainers!) • You must collect sponsorship of at least £50 per person.
t It was a case of ‘Dame for a Laugh’ last month at Eastbourne’s first five kilometre walk with a unique twist – all participants completed the walk dressed as panto dames! Brighton’s Billie Lewis hosted the prewalk warm up by pulling up on stage Eastbourne’s game for a laugh mayor, Cllr Mike Thompson. The walk will become an annual event for Eastbourne, raising funds for St Wilfrid’s Hospice, Eastbourne. Since 1982, the hospice has cared for over 15,500 terminally-ill patients and continues to work within the local community to transform views on end of life care, including opening a new 20 bedroom hospice later in the year. To find out more, view: www.stwhospice.org/
OLDER LGBT AND HIV FRIENDLY BEFRIENDING IN EASTBOURNE
t Age Concern Eastbourne is LGBT and HIV friendly with many resources available to those living in and around the Eastbourne area. The William & Patricia Venton Centre in Eastbourne offers many interesting activities to those over the age of 50 ranging from an Eastbourne Rainbow social group, computer drop-in and lessons, art classes, choir, day club, tai chi, line dancing and many more. As part of Age Concern’s Community Services they are developing LGBT and HIV friendly befriending for isolated individuals whether they are living alone in the community, sheltered housing or residential/nursing homes. A spokesperson said: “Isolation is damaging to health, with research suggesting that isolation and loneliness can have a similar affect on mortality as smoking 15 cigarettes per day (Campaign to End Loneliness, 2013). For those older LGBT people who come from a generation where homosexuality was classified as a mental illness by the World Health Organisation (WHO) the stigma will never leave them and they will be cautious about who they reveal their sexuality to. This is why we believe it will beneficial to offer LGBT volunteers as part of our befriending service to ensure individuals feel they can be themselves without fear.” In order to push forward with this development they are looking to recruit volunteers living in or around the Eastbourne area who are willing to give up just a few hours each week to support someone alone and isolated. Volunteers will need to undergo an enhanced DBS check which reports on any criminal convictions and any bar from working with vulnerable groups. Out of pocket expenses will be reimbursed and ongoing training and support will be provided. For further information, email: zara.obrien@ageconcerneastbourne.co.uk Or telephone: 01323 749854
SONIA MARMITE
DAME FOR A LAUGH IN EASTBOURNE
All participants will get a certificate on completion of the race. Sponsorship forms can be obtained from the bar. The route will take you along Simnel Street into Castle Street then St Michael's Square and back along Upper Bugle Street. This is a fun event and there will be prizes for the winners and all participants will get a certificate on completion of the race. All runners must be in the bar by 3.30pm for photographs. Annual Drag Race, Saturday, September 7, 4pm, The Titanic Public House, Simnel Street, Southampton, SO14 2BE.
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TRANSFORMING LOCAL VOLUNTARY INFRASTRUCTURE
t Community & Voluntary Sector Forum (CVSF), Volunteer Centre, Performance Development Service and Skills Exchange are about to merge into one organisation with a new vision and ways of providing support and a voice for community groups and charities in the area. Since 2010, Lunch Positive has been an active member of the CVSF Smaller Groups Network and the Volunteer Centre Volunteer Coordinators Forum. Being part of the CVSF Smaller Groups Network has been invaluable in the development of Lunch Positive. They have been able to meet with other groups, discuss developments in funding, health & social care, and a whole range of other issues which affect them. They have found opportunities to work together, developed networks to support one another, and had input into and access to the types of training, support and development which their organisations need. In 2012, because of their experiences, they and five other groups had the idea of formulating a much needed position statement representing smaller organisations, which kick-started a piece of work which was developed and adopted as CVSF Position Statement on the Value and Needs of Small Community Groups (www.cvsectorforum.org.uk). Being part of the Volunteer Centre Volunteer Coordinators Forum has been equally valuable in running a volunteer-led group. The forum provides the opportunity to discuss developments in volunteering and best practice; and is a great place to meet others involved in managing, coordinating or working with volunteers. The forum facilitates short workshops, identified by its members, on approaches to involving & supporting volunteers, and also provides access to useful online resources. In 2011, Lunch Positive co-facilitated a well-attended workshop on Involving Service Users as Volunteers. The benefit of taking part in both of these networks is that they are able to meet others from the voluntary & community sector, share experiences, and together find support, solutions and opportunities to develop their work. If you’re involved in any way with community work, there’s valuable support out there, and it’s important that our LGBT communities are more aware of and part of it. You can get in touch with CVSF who are leading on the new infrastructure organisation through their website: www.cvsectorforum.org.uk If any LGBT group would like to hear more about Lunch Positive's experiences you can get in touch with Lunch Positive by emailing: info@lunchpositive.org
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A NIGHT TO REMEMBER BRIGHTON SALUTES DAVID RAVEN
t It was billed as Maisie Trollette's 80th Birthday Show, in reality it was so much more. In 2013, it’s rare outside of Pride itself to get the community to collectively assemble in support of anything. On Sunday, August 18 the world and its mother attended the Theatre Royal to pay tribute to David Raven who has been so supportive to the LGBT/HIV voluntary sector and community for all the years he’s lived and worked in Brighton. When I was approached last year and asked to spearhead a tribute to David I had no idea as to how the costs of staging a show in one of Brighton's theatres had rocketed since those heady days of the Brighton Cares annual shows staged at the Dome each February in the 1990s. Tony Chapman, owner of Legends, agreed to help with the deposits for the theatre, Stephen Richards agreed to manage the proceedings agree the lineup and we spent the next six months putting a Gala Night together that was fitting of David's achievements. It all came together on the night with an emotional show at the Theatre Royal. We were so lucky along the way to acquire the talents of Anscombe Production Associates who produced and lit the show for us. Without their help it wouldn’t have been the evening it was and I would like to personally thank Tim Anscombe, Stephen Holroyd and their production team for delivering a wonderful production for us. Their input was far beyond the call of duty. Stephen Richards, as always, managed the evening professionally putting together a brilliant show that reflected everything positive about the entertainment community in LGBT Brighton & Hove. Stephen has formally thanked everyone in letters to the editor this month. If we’ve left anyone out please accept my apologies. The purpose of the evening, apart from making us all feel good about ourselves, was to raise money for the Sussex Beacon and the Rainbow Fund. The final totals raised will be announced in next month’s Gscene. However, Tony Chapman has make a personal donation of £1,000 to David for spending money on his next holiday. The atmosphere in the theatre was electric as it was back stage, creating a unique community event which brought together all of Brighton's cabaret entertainers, our two brilliant male voice choirs and all the entertainers with a Brighton link that David had worked with over the years. It was a Brighton show, highlighting everything great about living in this city and this was reflected in the wonderful speech given at the top of the show by last year’s Mayor, Cllr Bill Randall. People came from all over Europe for the evening. If you were lucky enough to be there, thank you for coming and helping us tell the world about the wonderful contribution that David Raven has made to the lives of all LGBT people in Brighton & Hove and beyond.
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TRANS*PRIDE JULY 26-28, 2013
t The UK's first Trans*Pride in the Park event on July 27 opened in warm sunshine in New Steine Gardens with speeches from local politicians and the Trans*Pride organisers. The sun lasted for just two hours before a downpour had people running for cover, but spirits were not dampened. When the rain stopped the crowds returned to New Steine Gardens to enjoy the performers on the main stage. Trans*Pride in the Park was without doubt a huge success for the organisers with more than 1,300 people going through the gates into New Steine Gardens. The organisation was first class and there were no queues for the toilets. In the words of one attendee: “This is how I remember Brighton Pride being ten years ago. Not too busy, not too large. I felt part of a community of friends and supporters.” Organisations present included Allsorts, AIDS/HIV Alliance, Broken Rainbow UK. Rise, Mosaic, Survivors Network, Community Safety Casework Team, Sussex Police, FTM Brighton, MindOut, Pace, LGBT Switchboard, BLAGSS, Sussex Students Union, Mermaids, Trans Pride, The Clare Project and THT who had stalls offering information in the community area. Lunch Positive the HIV charity who provide a healthy meal once a week for HIV positive people, held a pop-up community café providing tea, coffee and cakes. The main stage was hosted by transgender comic Claire Parker who introduced singers, DJs, poets and comics during the afternoon to an enthusiastic audience. Trans*Pride was organised by a small group of volunteers and was part of Brighton Pride’s week of events. Broken Rainbow UK the National LGBT Domestic Violence Helpline sponsored Trans*Pride 2013. Federico Podeschi, CEO of Broken Rainbow, said: “Broken Rainbow UK is delighted to have sponsored Trans*Pride Brighton 2013. As a charity we have been supporting the trans* communities for over 10 years with our national LGBT Domestic Violence helpline and other support and awareness services. We are very pleased to be able to extend this support to the self-organised celebration of Trans*Pride Brighton. We believe they will go from strength to strength in the coming years.” To make a donation, view: www.gofundme.com/TransPrideBrighton
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SHOCKING HOMOPHOBIA & TRANSPHOBIA FIGURES RELEASED
t A new report shows shocking statistics about homophobia and transphobia in London. Released by Galop, London’s LGBT anti-violence charity, the report shows that although crime rates may be dropping, LGBT people are still experiencing high levels of abuse. It also shows low levels of confidence in the police and poor satisfaction among those who report hate crime. The report shows excellent results from police investigations of homophobia but very poor results from transphobia (anti-transgender prejudice) investigations. It also ranks areas of London according to how well the police and courts perform on hate crime. To read the report, view: www.galop.org.uk/the-hatecrime-report/
SOME KEY FINDINGS FROM THE REPORT: • Ninety-eight homophobic and transphobic crimes get recorded each week by the UK police. • A quarter of all reported homophobic crime happens in London • A fifth of all reported transphobic crime happens in London • Compared with figures on other types of hate crime, such as racism, the proportion of homophobic hate crime is on the rise. 9% of UK reported hate crime was homophobic. That rose to 10% in 2010 and 11% in 2011. (Figures for 2012 are not available yet). • Over half of homophobic and transphobic crime is not reported to the police, meaning many people suffer in silence. One in eight lesbian, gay or bisexual people are the target of hate crime each year. Three in four transgender people are the target of hate crimes each year. • It also states that LGBT people are more likely to experience crime generally. One in three lesbian, gay and bisexual people experience a crime each year compared with only 1 in 4 heterosexual people. One in 14 lesbian, gay and bisexual people experience violence each year compared with 1 in 33 heterosexual people. • One in seven reported homophobic or transphobic crimes reach court, of which 3 in 4 result in someone being found guilty. However, homophobia and transphobia trials heard in London courts are less likely to be successful than other parts of the UK. Homophobia and transphobia trials are also less likely to be successful in court than other types of crime. • Top boroughs for police and court performance on homophobic and transphobic hate crime are Westminster, Islington and Camden. Meanwhile Barking & Dagenham, Kingston and Merton show the worst performance record. Galop has been operating for over 30 years, providing support, advice and advocacy to LGBT people who experience hate crime, domestic abuse, sexual violence or who have questions about the criminal justice system. LGBT people who have concerns about safety or abuse should call the confidential Galop Helpline on 020 7704 2040.
NEW WEBSITE FOR YOUNG TRANS* PEOPLE My Face Value is a new online resource, built and run by trans* young people for trans* young people. Face Value was founded in July, 2012 by Cody Parsons (FTM trans*) as part of the Blueprint 22 young people making it happen initiative, in Worthing, West Sussex. For more information, view: http://myfacevalue.org.uk/
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BOYS BOYS BOYS!
t Last month I was invited to visit the Adonis Cabaret show at Oceana on Brighton seafront, by Davina Sparkle, the show’s Brighton host. Since its conception in 1998, Adonis has grown into a national brand, starting as just one show in Brighton it now runs six shows throughout the country every Saturday night and a little birdy tells me that there are more on the horizon for 2014. Adonis is the brainchild of Tristan Mills – former stripper Tristan Tristar – who has been a popular personality on the commercial gay scene in Brighton for many years. I wanted to see for myself what all the fuss was about and what was different about this show, especially as over the last few years many gay guys have been going along to see it as part of their stag nights. So, off I trotted, down West Street - and received a very warm welcome. ‘From the door until you hit the dance floor’ is their strap line and they don’t fail! When you arrive at the entrance of Oceana, you are welcomed by paparazzi and a stilt walker - dressed as a circus ringmaster. After entering we were escorted to the Ice House to receive our free cocktail and buffet – there’s plenty for everyone; we went back for seconds! The show started at 7.45pm. Davina made ‘her’ grand entrance to rapturous applause and loud baying from the mainly female audience. Davina holds the show together, linking the acts, with her ‘comedy glue’ which keeps the audience entertained all night. This is no ordinary strip night; it is full on cabaret, sort of burlesque meets Butlins if you like, with audience participation, though not compulsory, and even a lap dance for the hen/stag. The guys have some brilliant routines including a drummer with UV paint, a humorous take on ‘Magic Mike’ and even Superman makes an appearance during the evening. There are loads of free gifts, free photos and calendars for everyone, and a hat, sash and t-shirt for each hen/stag. Over the years Adonis Cabaret have supported the local gay community by donating £2,000 to the Rainbow Fund who give grants to organisations providing front line services to LGBT people in Brighton & Hove. They also made a donation towards the cost of the Brighton AIDS Memorial. This year they entered the Pride Gay Icons Parade for the first time with a ‘gay’ marriage car to celebrate the new gay marriage legislation. The ‘Just Married’themed car, complete with the Adonis Hunks and Drag Queens were a huge hit with the crowds especially at Muscle Beach on Preston Park and two of the guys appeared on stage with Davina in the Legends-sponsored Cabaret Tent. Tony, from Bournemouth, who had his stag night at Adonis Cabaret Brighton, said: “I had the best night ever in Brighton! Thanks to the Adonis lads and of course Davina Sparkle for a brilliant time. I can highly recommend this show to other groups of gay 'Stags'. Thanks so much we’ll definitely be back again for my Birthday, lol” If it’s your birthday, or pre-wedding celebration, Adonis should be on your list of top things to do when visiting Brighton & Hove. Adonis also have shows running every Saturday night in Bournemouth, London, Newcastle, Leeds and Blackpool. To book, view: www.adoniscabaret.co.uk/ James Ledward
t Following a suggestion by Labour MP and shadow minister for London, Sadiq Khan, to levy a 'tourism contribution' for London to generate income for the city from tourists, Simon Kirby, MP for Brighton Kemptown and Peacehaven has written to the Leader of the Labour Party, Ed Miliband, asking him to rule out a similar Tourism Tax for Brighton & Hove.
MAISE TROLLETTE
KEMPTOWN MP URGES CAUTION ON 'TOURIST TAX'
BULLDOG HELPED THE HEROES
SIMON KIRBY MP
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While many cities in the world now operate a tourist tax of one sort or another, many hoteliers in Brighton & Hove are warning of the folly of introducing such a tariff into the city. Nick Head, local hotelier and former chair of Tourism South East, said: “Brighton & Hove derives 70% of our staying tourism customers from overseas; predominantly from Scandinavia, Benelux, Germany and France. In all these countries the VAT rate for B&B and Visitor Attractions is circa 6%. In the UK vat rate is 20% some 14% higher which already makes us the most expensive holiday destination in Europe. To put an additional tax on visitors may well be the deciding factor for people to spend their money elsewhere.” Tourism is worth over a billion pounds a year to Brighton & Hove and supports many thousands of local jobs (over 13,000 full-time equivalent jobs in the sector in the city). According to labour market statistics there are 137,000 jobs in Brighton & Hove. Based on a recent Brighton & Hove City Council report, around 14% of these jobs are supported by tourism generated turnover.
t The Bulldog staged a benefit for Help The Heroes, on Sunday, August 12 and raised a magnificent £1,244.73 for the charity which provides help to soldiers injured in the line of duty and their families. Artists appearing included: Misty Lee, Wilma Fingadoo, JP Christian, Trudi Styles & The Pianoman, Fonda Cox, Maisie Trollette, Dave Lynn, Connie Conway, Laurie La Mour, Sally Vate, James Bedford, Davina Sparkle, Lascel Wood, Darren Hamlin, Candy Slag in Drag and the Actually Gay Men's Chorus. For more information about Help For Heroes, view: www.helpforheroes.org.uk/
QUEENSPARK BOOKS PUBLISH BRIGHTON THE GRAPHIC NOVEL
t Queenspark Books, Brighton & Hove’s Community Publisher, has announced that a new graphic novel, which will delve into over 300 years of Brighton & Hove history, will be published this month. Taking inspiration from Bryan Talbot's Alice in Sunderland, Brighton – The Graphic Novel will feature the work of 26 local artists and writers featured across 256 pages. It will have a huge appeal for graphic novel fans, as well as those interested in local heritage, with a quirky sideways look at the city’s history from the 1700s to the present day. Booksellers wishing to stock it should email: john@queensparkbooks.org.uk for prices and terms.
GSCENE 19 stores all embraced the event and were proudly flying the Pride flag. Earlier this year we proudly sponsored National Student Pride in Brighton and we were delighted that after a public vote The Cooperative was named Employer of the Year at their inaugural awards.
THE CO-OPERATIVE RESPECT NETWORK ‘Respect’ for an employee network group doing great things in the workplace and beyond by Thomas Anderson
The Respect network is The Co-operative’s inclusive LGBT employee network. Launched in late 2010 we’re still a relatively new network. We have been amazed by the enthusiasm and support for what we do and we are proud to be one of the largest and most active networks in Europe with over 6,500 ‘Friends of Respect’. The Co-operative is ranked 3rd in the 2013 Stonewall Workplace Equality Index, the only retailer in the Top 100. The Respect Network was also named Network of the Year at the 2013 g3 Magazine Reader’s Awards and we have been named a Stonewall Star Performer Network Group in 2011, 2012 and 2013. We have also been crowned Business of the Year at the 2011 and 2012 Lesbian & Gay Foundation’s Homo Heroes Awards, and it’s just been announced we’ve been shortlisted again. The Co-operative is officially the most gay friendly retailer in the UK! The network is co-ordinated by a Steering Group made up of employees from all levels in the business, including colleagues who work in our stores, and unlike most other LGBT networks we have over 35% female representation and heterosexual employees are also welcome to be a part of the team. If you really want to break down barriers and support an inclusive workplace and community we think we should practice what we preach. We’re supported by The Co-operative Group Executive, Board and Engagement & Diversity Team with many members of the Executive giving out the awards to inspirational Respect members at our annual awards ceremony and walking with us in our vibrant Pride parade entries.
As well as arranging over 25 social, networking and development events each year we also influence many business decisions including The Co-operative’s support of Equal Marriage (England & Wales) where we took part in the consultation and were the only business to support Equal Marriage in Parliament, as well as influencing the business to advertise in many LGBT publications across the UK – to name a few.
“We took part in the consultation and were the only business to support Equal Marriage in Parliament” Since 2010 we have supported 55 UK Pride events of all sizes, from Manchester to Brighton and Glasgow to Cardiff, with thousands of employees ’smiling with pride’. We had a blast in the Brighton Pride parade this year, our ice cream van was a big hit with the massive crowds and our city centre food
Community support is ingrained in everything we do and LGBT charities and community groups we have supported include The Albert Kennedy Trust (we rolled up our sleeves and got very messy painting one of their Purple Door houses), The Lesbian & Gay Foundation, National AIDS Trust, Stonewall, Brighton Gay Men’s Chorus and many more. For this year’s Brighton Pride our food store on St James’s St donated the food items for HIV charity Lunch Positive’s café in Preston Park. We like to do things that have a social impact as opposed to just putting our name to events.
Our monthly Respect Magazine is very popular and features lots of member stories and we’ve featured interviews with celebs including Heather Peace, Stooshe, Ben Cohen, Val McDermid and many more. Our most recent issue, our Pride Guide, was viewed more than 22,000 times by people from all over the world. We were overwhelmed by the reaction to the issue. You can read it by visiting www.co-operative.coop/respectlgbt To support other retailers do more positive things for their LGBT staff and customers we have launched the UK’s first Inter-Retail LGBT network called checkOUT. Watch this space for more news about this and our other events and initiatives. Follow us on Twitter: @CoopRespectLGBT
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GAY ICONS PRIDE PARADE
GAY ICONS PRIDE PARADE
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BRIGHTON GAY BUSINESSES SUPPORT LGBT RUSSIA @ GAY ICONS PRIDE PARADE
BRIGHTON GAY BUSINESSES SUPPORT LGBT RUSSIA @ GAY ICONS PRIDE PARADE
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ICONS ON THE PARK MAIN STAGE
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CABARET TENT, WILD FRUIT DANCE TENT, CALABASH & WOMEN’S PERFORMANCE TENT
PRIDE STREET PARTY
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PRIDE
28 GSCENE events. Talky space at the Friends Meeting House (1st Thursday of each month) and coffee meet at the Red Roaster (2nd Saturday of each month) as well sporadic special events like ice cream meet ups, a trip to see the Robert Mapplethorpe exhibition in Eastbourne and lifedrawing. The original group of people who set up Brighton Bothways have mostly moved away to Manchester, Wales and China. We have a newish core of people who help make Brighton Bothways the group that it is but like most groups we are always on the look out for other people to volunteer and take us through to our next ten years! Like all groups we have our good and bad times but it is always great to be able to help people come to terms with their bisexuality and/or to meet like-minded people.
BRIGHTON BOTHWAYS Brighton Bothways celebrates its 10th anniversary this month and we want to share our history with you! By Stephanie Scott We began in response to a question asked in the 2003 Bicon (Bisexual Conference/ Convention) held in London. The question was along the lines of “does anyone know of a bi group in Brighton and should we form one if there isn't one?” From the question it was decided that Brighton should have its own bisexual group, quickly named, in a slightly ironic fashion, Brighton Bothways. Before Facebook, our membership grew slowly, usually by word of month or by coming across one of the million flyers we put out. Of course we still had to learn that by printing meeting dates and venues etc on our flyers we would have to do a lot of reprints when things changed. We surprisingly started off by holding meetings in pubs, after all everyone likes a drink, don't they? The problems started when pubs that were initially friendly to us changed their tune or more frequently their owners! Some pubs changed their clientèle, in order to make more money and we found ourselves being subjected to biphobia and bierasure and generally made to feel unwelcome. Added to this was the growing intersection of trans people who are also bisexual, attending meetings. Quite rightly we decided that venues had to be trans* friendly as well but as is still the case, some LGBT venues are not always trans* friendly with unwanted comments and inappropriate body contact from other people. During all this time we had a presence at Brighton Pride and Winter Pride with our choice of events at Winter Pride often questioning our sanity. I mean who in their right mind would do naked sea swimming in February? Well not me as I can’t swim! Others did take part though and during one Winter Pride we had reporters from France come over to find out what these mad Brightonians were
thinking. Other Winter Pride events we did included quizzes, space hopper racing, speed dating, a trans-friendly sauna night and wrestling, in a paddling pool, whilst covered in oil. Yes we really did go overboard quite a bit. Other events during our early years included camping trips, queue the laughter at the back and a continued presence at other Bicons. Not forgetting an appearance of several of our members on the front cover of Gscene. Also we decided that for one Pride parade we would subvert the cliché that bi people are sitting on the fence. We decided that our theme would be “your fence is sitting on us”, queue lots of fences being made which we could wear on our backs. The same year The Argus decided to photograph us working on our banner before deciding that showing a picture with the word “bisexual” in it was not to their reader’s taste! We began holding our own one day events, called BiFests, which were to great way to get bi people all over the UK to come to Brighton for workshops, games, dancing and of course plenty of cake. Another subversion of the bisexual cliché that “we want to have our cake and eat it”, after all who doesn't enjoy a slice of cake? We also did serious workshops which included talking to emergency services, such as the local council and the NHS, about the way they are seen by bi people and how that could be improved. In the last few years we have taken part in the International Bi Visibility Day (September 23) and got Brighton Council to fly the bi flag over that week. Of course we have more cake as well! Moving on to the present incarnation of Brighton Bothways, we run two monthly
WHAT IS BRIGHTON BOTHWAYS? We are a social and support group for bisexual people in Brighton and the surrounding area. We started in September 2003 so this is our 10th anniversary. Am I bi enough to come to Bothways? Bisexuality means attraction to more than one gender. It doesn’t matter if you are more attracted to one gender than another. And it doesn’t matter if you’ve never acted on your attraction. There’s not an entry exam for being bi! The group also welcomes people who are questioning or unsure about their sexuality and allies. Most bisexual people have had others trying to tell us that were not really bi - that we have to pick one side of ‘the fence’ and will settle down to be ‘really’ straight or lesbian/gay. We don’t want to put anyone else under that kind of pressure and don’t want to define other people’s sexuality for them. Everyone is welcome. If I come to the group will you be able to tell me whether I’m bi or not? Only you can work out whether you are bi or not - we aren’t going to try and make up your mind for you. It’s not something you have to rush to decide anyway. Many people’s sexuality is fluid and they experience shifting levels of attraction through their lives so it may be something that changes for you over time. Or maybe you’ll find you are steadily and happily bi throughout your life. I know I’m bi, and I’m happily married/ civil-partnered. Is Bothways for me or is it just for singles and people looking for an affair? We’re a social and support group – not a pickup joint. Sometimes a romance does blossom between members but that’s not what the group is all about. We have some members who are monogamous and others who are polyamorous – some are single and others are in relationships (and some are asexual). There can be particular challenges for monogamous bisexuals - one of the hurtful stereotypes about bisexual people is that we
GSCENE 29 can’t be faithful which is just not true. And when someone is in a monogamous relationship their sexuality can be less visible. People often assume that you are straight or exclusively lesbian/gay now depending on the gender of your partner. So it can be extra important for monogamous bisexuals to have a bi space like Bothways. I describe myself as pansexual or queer – is Bothways still for me? Bothways is for everyone who finds the term ‘bisexual’ useful. Some people choose to describe themselves as pansexual, omnisexual, biromantic, queer or fluid but if the word ‘bi’ works for you, even a bit, then you’re welcome. Doesn’t the word ‘bi’ support a binary view of gender? We define bisexuality as attraction to more than one gender. It’s true that the word ‘bisexual’ originated at a time when there was a more rigid view of sex and gender but we feel that the word has moved on – just like the word terrific has moved on and now means something wonderful rather than something terrifying. We are the only people who can define our own sexuality. Brighton Bothways has always been made up of people of all genders including genderqueer and nonbinary people. What are ‘Allies’? Allies are non-bisexual people who support bisexuals. You might be a bisexual person’s partner, friend or family member - or anyone else who’s bi-friendly. Allies have always been an important part of Brighton Bothways. Inclusion is really important to us - bisexual people have often experienced being excluded or just being barely tolerated in other spaces. We’ve gained a lot from including Allies in the group. So if I come along to the group with my bi partner and then we break up am I still an ‘ally’? If you want to be! You don’t have to be a partner or family member to be an ally – you just have to be bi-friendly. If the group is so inclusive why is it bi specific and not generally LGBT? There isn’t a lot of bisexual space. The next nearest bisexual groups to Brighton are in London and Winchester and there isn’t a bisexual scene in the same way that there’s a lesbian and gay one. Bisexual people can end up feeling isolated and not knowing if we are welcome in a specific group or not. Good LGBT space is bi-friendly and inclusive but all too often the letters ‘B’ and ‘T’ have been tacked on the end without effort being made to give more than just a token welcome to bi and trans* people. Sometimes, unfortunately, LGBT people and spaces can be actively biphobic. It’s particularly hurtful to experience biphobic prejudice from people who know what it’s like to face homophobia themselves. And of course bisexual people can face homophobia too – queerbashers aren’t
MY BI HISTORY by Ludy Roper When I was 19, I finally found the courage to come out to my parents as a lesbian. Within a year I was in a relationship with a man and I didn’t know what to say to anyone about that. Growing up in a religious family in the 1980s, I’d struggled with my attraction to women. The way I saw it then was I had two choices: I could be a lesbian or I could be ‘normal’. I’d heard the word ‘bisexual’ but couldn’t imagine it applying to me. Even though I found the occasional boy pretty I was much more interested in girls. I knew that most of the people at church would disapprove of any kind of sex outside of marriage and in those days the very idea of same-sex marriage just seemed like a fairy tale. If I told them I was occasionally attracted to men then I was sure they would tell me I should settle down in heterosexual bliss and forget about the temptations of women. Eventually (and it was a very long ‘eventually’ in those days before the web) I discovered lesbian and gay Christians who argued that God had made us ‘this way’ and began to accept myself. Looking back now it seems ridiculous but I was turning myself inside out with guilt and theological dilemmas.
community. We were trying to make up the ‘rules’ as we went along. Was it okay for me to mention my female ex in front of his friends without nervous giggles and leering? Could he accompany me to a queer film without stares and tutting? We were a minor local scandal and people I'd thought of as friends disapproved. Good friends made sure I knew about contraception and the relevant safer-sex guidelines. One thing I was totally unprepared for was being read as heterosexual when we were together and the resulting assumptions people made about our relationship and plans for the future. The tensions from outside put pressure on the relationship but somehow it endured (things have developed in unexpected ways, but 19 years later we’re still together) As much as I loved my partner, and after being closeted myself, the last thing I wanted was for him to be a guilty secret – I was still reluctant to describe myself as bisexual. As I told the friends who suggested I go to BiCon, “it’s just the one boy – and I'm not planning to make a habit if it!” I didn’t want to lose my lesbian identity. I didn’t want to give ammunition to the people who had said that my attraction to women was “just a phase”. And I definitely didn’t want to listen to the voices (from church people and others) who said things like “why can’t you forget all about that lesbian stuff now and just settle down and be normal?”.
When I got to uni I found the LGB society and started making friends. It had only just become an LGB group rather than separate lesbian and gay socs (at the time there was no mention of T - in the early 90s I’d barely heard of trans* people and I'd like to apologise to all the people I was clueless at) I felt like I had to constantly justify my and it became obvious that bisexuals were sexuality. I was still at the high end of the not a welcome addition to some of the group Kinsey scale and generally more attracted to members - particularly some of the lesbians. women than to men. In my head I knew better but I still felt like I had to be equally But some of my friends from my year were attracted to men and women to call myself bisexual, and weren't afraid to talk about it bisexual (and I didn’t think much at the time in spite of biphobic jokes and sometimes about people who didn’t fit uncomplicatedly outright hostility. Living up to student into that binary). I faced biphobia from stereotypes, we would discuss theory and family, my social circle and health sexual politics late into the night - we used professionals but I was also struggling with to play Rate Yourself on the Kinsey scale at internalised biphobia. parties. I was busy falling for and breaking up with my first girlfriend and getting We carried on muddling through. After I involved in student politics. A friend tried to moved I hadn’t really gotten involved with set up a BiSoc and I was vaguely supportive the local LGBT scene because I didn't want but didn't think it had very much to do with to have to keep explaining my situation and me. checking whether I would be welcome or not. I ended up quite isolated and not knowing I'm glad I'd met confidently ‘out’ bisexual where to turn for appropriate support. people before I found myself falling for a Eventually I found the bi community online man. There was a guy in my shared house and went to my first BiCon in 2003 – it who I'd gotten close to in a friendly kind of way. It was a very pleasant shock to both of changed my life. At that BiCon, Susie stood up and said she wanted to start a bisexual us when that developed into a relationship. group in Brighton. I signed up to her email It was a shock to our friends too. He was list and the rest is history! Numerous BiCons, very much a straight bloke who'd not had any BiFests, CoffeeMeets and Talky Spaces later contact with the ‘gay community’ (he's now a I’m proudly and happily bisexual and proudly proud bisexual ally and veteran of numerous and happily amazed by the difference bisexual events and Pride stalls). Brighton Bothways has made for so many people over the last 10 years. I didn't want to lose my lesbian friends and
30 GSCENE generally bothered about the fine detail of your self-definition. This can make it hard for bisexual people to get support. Studies show that bisexual people have worse physical and mental health outcomes than heterosexuals and lesbians and gays (for more info see the Bisexuality report published last year by BiUK and the Open University, download it from www.biuk.org). The bisexual community and local groups like Brighton Bothways provide a space where being bisexual is normal and unexceptional – where you don’t have to justify or explain your sexuality or worry that you might not be welcome. Bisexual people aren’t invisible or assumed to have the same experiences as lesbians and gays, but that doesn’t mean that group members don’t value (genuinely inclusive) LGBT spaces and bifriendly parts of the straight world. What does Brighton Bothways do? We have two regular monthly meet-ups: Talky Space and CoffeeMeet and occasional one-off events. Talky Space is a confidential, facilitated, safe space to talk about bisexuality and related issues such as coming out, positive and negative reactions to your sexuality, being visibly bisexual in the world, activism and whatever else is relevant to your life as a bisexual person/someone who is questioning their sexuality/an ally. It’s on the first Thursday of the month at The Friends Meeting
House (Ship Street, Brighton), 6.30–8.30pm. The first half hour is for new people new to come along, meet facilitators and settle in so you don’t have to walk into a room full of people who already know each other. Regular attendees are welcome from 7pm. CoffeeMeet is an informal social drop-in to hang out and chat about anything and everything in a relaxed, family-friendly and alcohol-free environment at the Red Roaster Coffee House (1d St James' Street, Brighton) on the second Saturday of the month, 3-5pm. Look out for the Brighton Bothways flyers and bunny on our table. Our most recent one-off events were ice-cream parlour and pub meetups in the run up to Pride.
social than Talky Space. Because we’re in the middle of a busy café we can’t guarantee confidentiality so the conversation is often (but not always) a bit less personal. People talk about anything and everything – sometimes it has very little to do with sexuality. Popular topics of conversation are bisexual celebrities and bisexual characters in film and TV.
What are the group’s plans for the future? Bi Visibility Day/International Celebrate Bisexuality Day is coming up – it’s on September 23 every year (check out http://september23.bi.org/ for more details) Brighton Bothways is run by members so group activities are based on what people are interested in and can organise (because we’re What do people talk about at Talky Space? all volunteers and don’t have infinite time, It varies from month to month. Some people come because they have something pressing to energy or resources!) If you have an idea of something you’d like Bothways to do then talk about and some come because they want to listen and support others. People talk about come to a meet-up or join our email list or Facebook group and suggest it. everything from questioning their sexuality, experiences of biphobia, coming out to FOR MORE INFO... everyone from partners to work colleagues to Email: info@brightonbothways.org.uk bisexual resources they’ve found useful and Call/Text: 07505 385094 (leave a message plans for future activism. It’s about whatever is important to the people who’ve come along and we’ll call back). Or join our email list: http:groups.yahoo.com/groups/brightonboth to Talky Space that month. ways/or view: www.brightonbothways.org.uk What happens at CoffeeMeet? It’s different from month to month and is more BI AND WANT TO SING?
YOUNG, BISEXUAL AND FROM WORTHING! by Lucy-Marie Nelson You might chuckle at the title of this article or think it’s completely made up. I know the feeling. I mean why would any young person want to live in Worthing? It’s where people go to retire and buy beach huts. Well, hard as it is to believe there are young people in Worthing. There are schools and colleges there so there must be some young people going to those. But surely there are no LGBT people in Worthing? Even if there are, there can’t be any bisexuals, that would just be weird. Well that’s where the stereotype collapses - we don’t all live in Brighton. It’s a little expensive for one thing! You might think that as I’m the only young bisexual in Worthing, that I must spend all my time in Brighton and only live in Worthing out of need. Well that isn’t true either. Worthing is a lovely place to live and yes it has its own unique LGBT community and history.
people who go to Brighton Bothways aren’t quite the crowd you might expect. Take me for example: I’m young (24 if you’re interested) and I’m not from Brighton but I feel welcome at Brighton Bothways. I also prefer a cup of tea as opposed to a mug of coffee. (Tea is most welcome at a CoffeeMeet, so much so my tea was once drunk by someone else before I’d had the chance!) It’s also not just about chatting over a hot beverage and a slice of cake (I highly recommend a slice of red velvet cake), it’s about so much more. We enjoy the occasional ice cream parlour invasion and pub gathering from time to time, but there is also a slightly more serious side to Brighton Bothways. They hold regular Talky Space where anyone can talk in a confidential environment about bisexuality and any issues they may be experiencing.
So what is this Worthing myth-busting doing in an article celebrating Brighton Bothways? Well, contrary to popular belief, Brighton Bothways is not just for caucasian, middleclass, middle-aged bisexuals living in the New England Quarter or in Kemptown and the
Brighton Bothways is for far more than caucasian, middle-class Brighton-based people. It’s for everyone, and their ‘allies’ are also most welcome. So why not pop along and find out for yourself, no matter who you are. Brighton Bothways’ door is open for you.
The Rainbow Chorus are a community choir and the only LGBT choir in the South East. They recently performed at the Hand in Hand in London with the Pink Singers and sang at the Dolly musical 9-5 last month at the Theatre Royal. They’re having a new members night on September 9 and would particularly welcome bisexual and pansexual people of all singing abilities to go along and sing with them. There is no audition. For more information, view: www.rainbowchorus.org.uk or Facebook
OTHER BI RESOURCES • BiCon: annual national Bisexual convention: www.bicon.org.uk • Regional one-day BiFests across the UK: http://bifest.org • Latest Bi news: http://bimedia.org • Bisexual Index: info, activism and great T-shirts: www.bisexualindex.org.uk • Bi Community News: the UK’s only Bisexual magazine: http://bicommunitynews.co.uk • Bi Blogs from around the UK: http://bimedia.org/blogs • Bisexuality research: www.biuk.org • Bi Visibility Day/International Celebrate Bisexuality Day Sept 23: http://september23.bi.org • Bi web hub: http://bi.org • Bi Brighton: Bi/Pan/Poly/Queer Youth Group for ages 16-25: www.allsortsyouth.org.uk/groups/bisexualyouth-network/ • Bisexual Underground: monthly London Pub meet-up: www.bisexualunderground.org • London Bi Coffee: monthly cafe meet-up: http://bi.org/bicoffeelondon • Bi Wessex: Winchester based social group: http://groupspaces.com/biwessex
GSCENE 31
WELFARE & BENEFIT REFORMS PJ shares a stressful experience A tentative government report and consultation document (Green paper) of a policy proposing radical reform to the welfare and benefit system was first published in January 2006. It was followed by a more detailed proposal (White paper) and finalised as a bill in January 2008, having been previously announced in the Queen’s speech. Prime Minister, David Cameron, and Secretary of State for Work & Pensions, Ian Duncan Smith, the architect of the latest reforms, introduced a package in February 2011 stating it to be the most ambitious, fundamental and radical set of changes to the Welfare System since its creation. This publication became The Welfare Reform Act 2012. Its statements simplified are: • Introduce a Universal Credit to provide a single payment that will improve incentives to work. • A stronger approach to reducing benefit fraud. • A new claimant commitment showing what is expected of the claimant whilst protecting those with the greatest need. • Reform to Disability Living Allowance through the introduction of a Personal Independence Payment to meet the needs of disabled people. • Create a fairer approach to Housing Benefit to bring stability to the market and improve incentives to work. • Prevent abuse of the Social Fund by giving Local Authorities greater power. • Reform Employment & Support Allowance by phasing out Incapacity Benefit to make a fairer simpler system that will ensure help goes to those with the greatest need. • Changes to Child Support system putting the child’s needs first. The Prime Minister described the reforms as a vision for a stronger society, one where work and being in employment pays, adding that the government would always support the vulnerable and those in need. The reforms were, in his words, tough, radical, yet fair. Yet many people’s experience shows the process to be flawed, far from simple and unfair. Having recently gone through the very stressful process myself, I’d like to share my experience. Under the new rules for Employment & Support Allowance (ESA) any sick or disabled person claiming or wishing to claim ESA will be assessed using a Work Capability Assessment (WCA). This part of the process begins with form ESA50, a questionnaire and a request for supportive medical evidence. The next stage is a medical assessment carried out by a ‘healthcare professional’ working for Atos Healthcare, the Department for Work & Pensions' much-debated contractor. There are exemptions made for anyone expected to die within six months or on chemotherapy, a full
The 26 weeks waiting for my appeal to be heard at tribunal were extremely difficult as I struggled to manage the collation of further supportive medical evidence, attend meetings, get legal representation, manage my illness, list of these exemptions can be downloaded at finances and see my GP monthly for repeat statements and appointments as my physical www.brighton-hove.gov.uk/welfarerights and mental health crumbled due to stress and The medical assessment consists of a few quick anxiety. I became more unwell than I was prior mobility and manual dexterity tests that took to the medical assessment. I also lost legal seconds to complete, taking no consideration representation due to welfare benefits advice for the sustainability of those tasks over time. funding being cut, meaning despite being quite The assessment continues with a battery of unwell, I had to represent myself, which was questions contained within the Logic extremely difficult. I felt compelled, however, Integrated Medical Assessment (LIMA) to fight what I believed to be a corrupt system computer programme, which has been highly with honesty and integrity. discredited. The BBC’s Panorama highlighted At the tribunal an independent judge and its inadequacies during an under-cover report of an assessment, and now the British Medical doctor take a fresh look at the evidence and make a decision of entitlement. Even if you Association have condemned the process as still can’t score 15 points (as in my case) you not fit for purpose. can still be treated as having passed the test under exceptional circumstances. I passed the “The sick, the mentally ill assessment under Regulation 29 Schedule 2, and the disabled endure which is relevant if you suffer from a specific disease/disability or condition, which means a the stigma discrimination substantial risk to the mental and physical and humiliation of being health of anyone (including yourself).
labelled benefit scroungers by those who don’t understand. Even Atos and DWP employees call us ‘LTBs’ (lying thieving b@st@rds)”
There have been numerous accounts and many reports across the media of cases where people that have been deemed fit to work then died or committed suicide because of the stress of being deemed capable of work when they were clearly not. The reforms have certainly created much debate and have bred harsh judgement within our communities with those that are well and in employment divided in their opinions. The sick, the mentally ill and the disabled have to endure the stigma, discrimination and humiliation of being labelled benefit scroungers by those who don’t understand. Even Atos and DWP employees calling us LTBs (lying thieving b@st@rds). The assessment is a point-scoring system using ‘relevant descriptors’ or a framework of requirements that are too structured. To qualify for ESA you need to score 15 points or more. The healthcare professional then sends a report to the DWP who make the final decision of entitlement. The process comprehensively failed to adequately assess my limited capacity to work and I scored just six points. A letter informed me one month after the medical that I was no longer in receipt of benefit but if I contacted my local Jobcentre I may be entitled to Jobseekers Allowance. Housing benefit and council tax benefit had also been suspended. I appealed against the decision, which placed me on the basic rate of ESA with a disability premium (providing I produced four weekly doctors statements). Housing and council tax benefit resumed.
The tribunal also decide which group to place you in, either the 'work related activity group', (which means you must attend work-focused interviews and draw up an action plan at the Jobcentre and be more active in getting back to health and therefore employment), or the 'support group', (in order to be placed in this group you need to be able to answer 'yes' to any one of a list of descriptors and you should be awarded limited capacity to work related activity.) I’ve been placed in the 'work related activity group' which means I have up to 12 months before I’m called back for a medical and the whole process could be repeated. I hope to be back in employment as that experience isn’t one I’d wish on anyone or wish to go through again. I want to be in employment, I just need the support that I will now hopefully get, though I’ve heard this part of the process is as corrupt and judgemental as the last.
A FEW TIPS: • Get help to fill out form ESA50 from a welfare benefits advisor, (the fact that you filled it in yourself can go against you). • Take someone with you to the medical, you’re less likely to be intimidated by the very judgemental Atos healthcare professional, (the fact you’re unaccompanied also goes against you). • Prepare for the medical with good supportive evidence and have a clear idea of what you want to say. • Present all the facts of how your illness or disability affects your ability to meet your basic activities of living. Above all be truthful to yourself. If you can’t manage to prepare for the tribunal, help is out there.
32 GSCENE OUT & ABOUT
PICS FROM A-BAR, BAR 7 CRAWLEY + HELP THE HEROES FUNDRAISER @ THE BULLDOG
SEPTEMBER
LISTINGS
A-BAR
n ONE FOR THE DIARY: POST PRIDE & END OF SUMMER PARTY on Sun (29) with BBQ and live music on the terrace from 12 noon–5pm. n REGULARS: Fri & Sat is Pre-Club with drink promos. n Wed is the OPEN MIC PIANO BAR with Mark Hodge; sing your favourite tune just listen at 8.30pm. n FOOD: bar food served Mon–Fri noon–3.30pm; Sat noon–7pm; Sunday roasts served from noon, last orders 4pm, to book call 01273 696691. n Mooi Foods Caribbean restaurant and take away served Sun–Fri 5–10pm. n DRINK DEALS: double-up on spirits for an extra £1.50 on Fri & Sat. Wed & Thur are cocktail nights from 9pm; buy one get the other half price. n OPEN: Sun–Thur noon–midnight; Fri & Sat noon–2am. Unrivalled sea view, large heated smoking terrace and all big sport events.
selected menu noon-till gone; Bear Bash 5pm; open noon n CHARLES ST cabaret: Lizzy Drip 7.30pm; Tranny Rock & Roll Bingo: Sally Vate & roll over jackpot 8.30pm; Sunday lunch noon-7pm n 112 CHURCH ST Sun Roast noon-late; SUNDAY 1 open noon n A-BAR Sunday roasts: bookings 01273 n DR BRIGHTONS Hangover Therapy; open 696691 noon-4pm; Mooi Caribbean food 51pm 10pm; open noon n FUNKYFISH BAR open noon n BAR 7@CRAWLEY Ed & Tyler’s karaoke n LEGENDS BAR cabaret: Drag With No 6pm Name 3.15pm; open 11am n BAR REVENGE Sunday Funday: retro n MARINE TAVERN open 1pm games; Karaoke Queens: LouBag & Smithy n POISON IVY cabaret 5.30pm; karaoke; 8pm; open noon open 11am n BASEMENT CLUB@LEGENDS Pop!Candy: n QUEEN’S ARMS cabaret with host Sissy DJ Claire Fuller 11pm Sucs & Lola Lasagne 6pm; karaoke 7.30pm; n BEDFORD TAVERN Sunday roasts 12.30open noon 5pm; Piano Bingo 5pm; open noon n REGENCY TAVERN Sunday roasts noonn BULLDOG DJ Slip Matt 6pm; DJ Grant 5pm; Piano Bar 1.30pm; open noon 10pm; karaoke 9pm; open 11am n SUBLINE Come in Your Pants: DJ N.U.D.E, n CAMELFORD ARMS Sunday roasts & underwear party 9pm
Information is correct at the time of going to press. Gscene magazine cannot be held responsible for any changes or alterations to the listings.
BAR 7 CRAWLEY
n ONE FOR THE DIARY: Sat is PARTY NIGHT with drink promos and DJs: Claire Fuller (7), WaynsieRudeBoy (14 & 21) and Missy B (28). n REGULARS: Sun is KARAOKE host Ed & Tyler, sing to win a shot. n Tue happy hour 6–9pm. n Wed is DRAG BINGO host Lady Ty. n Thur is PARTY NIGHT with Diva DJ. n Fri is LUST with DJ Magic, drink offers, cabaret : La Voix (13), Martha D'Artha (27). n OPEN: Sun, Tue & Wed 6pm–12.30am; Thur–Sat 6pm–2.30am. Closed Mon. n www.7crawley.co.uk
n THREE JOLLY BUTCHERS live jazz: The Ian Price Jazz Project 3pm; open noon n ZONE open 10am MONDAY 2 n A-BAR bar food noon-3.30pm; Mooi Caribbean food 5-10pm; open noon n BAR REVENGE Quiz with Liz: cash & boozy prizes 8.30pm; open noon n BEDFORD TAVERN open noon n BULLDOG DJ Marcia’s Glitter Ball 10pm; open 11am n CAMELFORD ARMS food noon-3pm & 69pm; open noon n CHARLES ST food noon-8pm; open noon n 112 CHURCH ST food noon-late; open noon n DR BRIGHTONS Medication Mon; open 3pm n ENVY Studio 150: student night 10pm n FUNKYFISH BAR open noon n LEGENDS BAR Miss Jason Does Legends 9.30pm; food noon-5pm; open 11am n MARINE TAVERN open noon n POISON IVY Spice’s 80s night; open 11am
BRIGHTON SAUNA
n QUEEN’S ARMS Kamp Kevin’s Youtube Karaoke Show 9pm; open noon n REGENCY TAVERN food noon-2.30pm & 6-8.30pm; open noon n ZONE open 10am TUESDAY 3 n A-BAR bar food noon-3.30pm; Mooi Caribbean food 5-10pm; open noon n BAR 7@CRAWLEY open 6pm n BAR REVENGE VIP Tue: Harry’s Karaoke, DJs Kelly & Fifi, win drinks/VIP cards/bar tabs 8pm; open noon n BEDFORD TAVERN open noon n BULLDOG open 11am n CAMELFORD ARMS food noon-3pm & 69pm; open noon n CHARLES ST food noon-8pm; open noon n 112 CHURCH ST food noon-late; open noon n DR BRIGHTONS Twisted Tue; open 3pm n FUNKYFISH BAR open noon n LEGENDS BAR food noon-5pm; open 11am n MARINE TAVERN Nat’s Quiz 9pm; open noon
n ONE FOR THE DIARY: Wed (4) is BEARS NIGHT for bears, cubs and their admirers; drink offers, club music at 7pm. n REGULARS: Wed (11 & 25) is NAKED all day, no towels to be worn. n Wed (18) is mandatory UNDERWEAR NIGHT, thongs, briefs, speedos, at 7pm. n DRINK DEALS: The Brighton Sauna has a licensed bar 7 days a week; Sun–Thur 11–1am and Fri & Sat 11–2am. n For listings visit: www.thebrightonsauna.com
PICS FROM HELP THE HEROES FUNDRAISER @ THE BULLDOG
BULLDOG
n ONE FOR THE DIARY: Fri is with DJ Grant Knowles at 10pm, DJ Little Rob (20), and then CABARET in the top bar at midnight: Miss Penny (6), Davina Sparkle (13), La Voix (20) and Cookie (27). n REGULARS: Sat is with DJ V John at 10pm, DJ Lil Alex at 3am, and karaoke upstairs at 10pm. n Sun DJs Slip Matt at 6pm & Grant Knowles at 10pm, karaoke is upstairs at 9pm. n Mon is DJ Marcia’s GLITTER BALL with 70s/80s tunes at 10pm. n Wed is DIVA RUSH with DJ Marcia, all drinks £1.60 when selected artist is played and the traffic light turns to green, 10pm–2am. n Thur is RELEASE with DJ Grant Knowles at 10pm. n DRINK DEALS: Mon & Tue 3–7pm & 11pm–midnight; Wed 3–7pm; Thur 3–7pm & 10pm–midnight; Fri 3–7pm & drinks £1.60 10pm–midnight; Sat 10pm–midnight; Sun all day–midnight. Includes pints from £1.95, double spirit & mixer from £2.30, bottles from £1.85 (Terms & conditions apply). n OPEN: daily from 11am–very late. n www.bulldogbrighton.com
n POISON IVY Bar 150 karaoke 7pm; open 11am n QUEEN’S ARMS sing-along with Peter & friends 9pm; open noon n REGENCY TAVERN food noon-2.30pm & 6-8.30pm; open noon n REVENGE Naughty Pop: DJs Trick & Alex Baker 11pm n ZONE open 10am WEDNESDAY 4 n A-BAR open mic with Mark Hodge 8.30pm; bar food noon-3.30pm; Mooi Caribbean food 5-10pm; cocktail night; open noon n BAR 7@CRAWLEY Lady Ty’s Drag Bingo 6pm n BAR REVENGE open noon n BASEMENT CLUB@LEGENDS Crush: DJ Missy B 10pm n BEDFORD TAVERN open noon n BRIGHTON SAUNA Bears Night 7pm n BULLDOG Diva Rush: DJ Marcia 10pm; open 11am n CAMELFORD ARMS seniors lunch 23.30pm; reg food noon-3pm & 6-9pm; open noon n CHARLES ST Cabaret Carousel: Bitch’n Sync (Rose Garden & Mitzi Macintosh) 9.30pm; food noon-8pm; open noon n 112 CHURCH ST food noon-late; open noon n DR BRIGHTONS Cocktail Clinic; open 3pm
n FUNKYFISH BAR open noon n LEGENDS BAR food noon-5pm; open 11am n MARINE TAVERN open noon n POISON IVY Gloria Hole’s karaoke: win £100 7pm; open 11am n QUEEN’S ARMS Sissy & Kamp Kevin’s Karaoke Party 9pm; open noon n REGENCY TAVERN food noon-2.30pm & 6-8.30pm; open noon n SUBLINE Backlash: retro night 9pm n THREE JOLLY BUTCHERS Big Cash Quiz 7.30pm; open noon n ZONE open 10am THURSDAY 5 n A-BAR bar food noon-3.30pm; Mooi Caribbean food 5-10pm; cocktail night; open noon n BAR 7@CRAWLEY Diva DJ 6pm n BAR REVENGE Girls On Top warm-up 9pm; open noon n BEDFORD TAVERN Thur Social; open noon n BULLDOG Release: DJ Grant 10pm; open 11am n CAMELFORD ARMS £300 Big Cash Quiz 9pm; food noon-3pm & 6-9pm; open noon n CHARLES ST Mad Cow’s Tea Party: Ms Joan Bond, tea pot cocktails, ‘drink me’ shots, fab decor, tunes & win bar tabs 8pm; open noon n 112 CHURCH ST food noon-late; open noon
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34 GSCENE OUT & ABOUT
PICS FROM CAMELFORD ARMS
SEPTEMBER
LISTINGS
CAMELFORD ARMS
n ONE FOR THE DIARY: Thur is the £300 BIG CASH QUIZ at 9pm. n REGULARS: The FRIDAY CLUB is at 6pm. n Sun (1) & (15) is The BEAR BASH at 5pm. n FOOD: Wed is seniors' lunch with two courses for £5.50 served 2–3.30pm; homecooked menu & manager's specials served Mon–Fri noon–3pm & 6–9pm; Sat noon–7pm; Sunday roasts & selected menu served noon–till gone! n OPEN: daily from noon. The Camelford is the most dog-friendly pub in town! n DR BRIGHTONS Thirsty Thur; open 3pm n ENVY Mad Cow’s Tea Party: Ms Joan Bond, tea pot cocktails, ‘drink me’ shots, fab decor, tunes & win bar tabs 8pm n FUNKYFISH BAR open noon n LEGENDS BAR food 12-5pm; open 11am n MARINE TAVERN It’s Pants: free drinks every hour if your pants match the picture 8.30pm; open noon n POISON IVY cabaret 9.30pm; karaoke; open 11am n QUEEN’S ARMS Karaoke Madness with guest host 9pm; open noon n REGENCY TAVERN food noon-2.30pm & 6-8.30pm; open noon n REVENGE Girls On Top: reg DJs & Lady Bex, SD2 tickets giveaway 10.30pm n SUBLINE Leathered 9pm n ZONE open 10am FRIDAY 6 n A-BAR Pre-club music; bar food 12-3.30pm; Mooi Caribbean food 5-10pm; open 12 n BAR 7@CRAWLEY Lust: DJ Magic 6pm n BAR REVENGE Shameless warm-up 9pm; open noon-6am n BASEMENT CLUB@LEGENDS Friday Night Live with Lady La Rue: 2 floor party, DJ Peter Castle in club 11pm n BEDFORD TAVERN Krazy Kamikaze Karaoke 8.30pm; open noon
n BULLDOG DJ Grant Knowles 10pm; cabaret: Miss Penny midnight; open 11am n CAMELFORD ARMS food noon-3pm & 69pm; Friday Club 6pm; open noon n CHARLES ST Fruity Fri Fix: DJ Leeroy 9pm; food noon-7.45pm; open noon n 112 CHURCH ST cabaret: Krissie DuCann 9pm; food noon-late; open noon n DISCO DEVIANT@AUDIO Disco Deviant Promote Diversity Special: No Crime No Punishment All Out Fundraiser for LGBT Russia: DJs Jon Pleased Wimmin, Seamus Haji, Hifi Sean, Pablo Contraband, Kate Wildblood, Queen Josephine, hosted by Karol Michalec; £7 adv/£10 on door, 100% of profits to All Out n DR BRIGHTONS Funky Fri: DJ Nick Hirst 9.30pm; open 1pm n FUNKYFISH BAR open noon n FUNKYFISH CLUB Funny Fridays: comedy night with headliner Dave Thomson & support act Phil Jerrod 7.30pm; Thank Funk It’s Friday: DJ Antony 10pm n LEGENDS BAR Friday Night Live with Lady La Rue, 2 floor party 9pm; DJ Peter Castle in club 11pm; food noon-5pm; open 11am n MARINE TAVERN open noon n POISON IVY karaoke 7pm; open 11am n QUEEN’S ARMS Camp Attack & Flashback with karaoke 9pm; open noon n REGENCY TAVERN food noon-2.30pm & 6-8.30pm; open 11am
n REVENGE Shameless: DJs Lee Harris & Trick 10.30pm n SUBLINE Steam 9pm; open 5pm n ZONE live music: Back Beat 9.30pm; open 10am SATURDAY 7 n A-BAR Pre-club music; food noon-7pm; open noon n BAR 7@CRAWLEY DJ Claire Fuller 6pm n BAR REVENGE SweetRevenge Warm-Up 9pm; open noon-6am n BASEMENT CLUB@LEGENDS Fusion: DJ Lee Harris 11pm n BEDFORD TAVERN open noon n BULLDOG DJ V John 10pm; DJ Lil Alex 3am; karaoke 10pm; open 11am n CAMELFORD ARMS food 12-7pm; open 12 n CHARLES ST Boys In The Bar: all-male DJs Jonesy, Lil Alex, Grant Knowles, Leeroy on rotation 9pm; food noon-7.45pm; open noon n 112 CHURCH ST food 12-late; open 12
n DR BRIGHTONS Sexy Sat: DJ Tony B 9.30pm; open 1pm n FUNKYFISH BAR open noon n FUNKYFISH CLUB Old School Sat: DJ Sean Quinn 10pm n LEGENDS BAR Pre-Fusion 7pm; food noon-5pm; open 11am n MARINE TAVERN open noon n PARIS HOUSE live jazz 4pm; TC’s Joyful Noise: DJ Kenny 9pm; open noon n POISON IVY afternoon karaoke & Betty Swollocks’ karaoke till midnight; open 11am n QUEEN’S ARMS cabaret: Misty Lee & guests 4.30pm; guest host karaoke 6pm; Kamp Kevin’s Party 9pm; open noon n REGENCY TAVERN food noon-6pm; open 11am n REVENGE Sweet Revenge: DJs 10.30pm n SUBLINE Men’s Room: DJ Screwpulous 9pm; open 5pm n ZONE cabaret: Maisie Trollette 9.30pm; open 10am
36 GSCENE OUT & ABOUT
PICS FROM CHARLES STREET + ENVY
SEPTEMBER
LISTINGS
CHARLES STREET BAR
n ONE FOR THE DIARY: Sun (8) is Chris & Ruby's 5th Annual BIRTHDAY BASH Charity Fundraiser for Rainbow Fund with host Lola Lasagne and performers La Voix, Lady Imelda, Rose Garden, Sandra, Maisie Trollette, Mrs Moore, Davina Sparkle, Connie Conway, Mitzi Macintosh and many more at 6pm. n REGULARS: Wed is CABARET CAROUSEL at 9.30pm: Bitch'n Synch (Rose Garden & Mitzi Macintosh) perform (4 & 18), Myra Dubois performs (11 & 25). n Thur is The MAD COW'S TEA PARTY with Alice in Wonderland décor, tea pot cocktails, 'drink me' shots, pumping tunes & hostess Ms Joan Bond at 8pm; drinks from ￡1, win a bar tab for the night, entry £1.n FRUITY FRIDAY FIX is with DJ Leeroy spinning dance & funky house at 9pm; cocktails from £3.50 for a glass, £8.50 for a jug from 9pm–close, free entry. n Sat is The BOYS IN THE BAR with an all-male DJ line-up including Jonesy, Lil Alex, Grant Knowles & Leeroy on rotation at 9pm, free entry! n Sat (28) is the SKOOL DISCO FRESHERS PARTY with DJ Leeroy, hostesses Joan Bond & Sally Vate, games, drink offers & prizes galore at 9pm. n Sun CABARET at 7.30pm: Lizzy Drip (1), Topping & Butch (15), Tammy Twinkle (22), Mary Mac (29); TRANNY ROCK & ROLL BINGO with Sally Vate and a rolling jackpot follows at 8.30pm. n FOOD: Two for £7.95 on selected mains and 2-4-1 on all desserts, all day every day; Sunday Lunch: home roast beef, chicken or veggie served noon–7pm, £6.95. n DRINK DEALS: Afterwork happy hours: All drinks 1/3rd off Mon–Sat from 5–9pm, till 8pm on Thurs, on Sun after the show till close. All deals excl sparkling wine & cocktails & not in conjunction with other offers. n OPEN: daily from noon. www.charles-street.com
SUNDAY 8 n A-BAR Sunday roasts: bookings 01273 696691 noon-4pm; Mooi Caribbean food 510pm; open noon n BAR 7@CRAWLEY Ed & Tyler’s karaoke 6pm n BAR REVENGE Sunday Funday: retro games; Karaoke Queens: LouBag & Smithy 8pm; open noon n BASEMENT CLUB@LEGENDS Pop!Candy: DJ Claire Fuller 11pm n BEDFORD TAVERN Sunday roasts 12.305pm; Piano Bingo 5pm; open noon n BULLDOG DJ Slip Matt 6pm; DJ Grant 10pm; karaoke 9pm; open 11am n CAMELFORD ARMS Sunday roasts & selected menu noon-till gone; open noon n CHARLES ST Chris & Rupert’s 5th Annual Birthday Cabaret Fundraiser for Rainbow Fund: host Lola Lasagne, performers La Voix, Lady Imelda, Rose Garden, Sandra, Maisie Trollette, Mrs Moore, Davina Sparkle, Connie Conway, Mitzi Macintosh & many more 6pm; Tranny Rock & Roll Bingo: Sally Vate & roll over jackpot 8.30pm; Sunday lunch noon-7pm
n 112 CHURCH ST Sun Roast noon-late; open noon n DR BRIGHTONS Hangover Therapy; open 1pm n FUNKYFISH BAR open noon n LEGENDS BAR cabaret: Topping & Butch 3.15pm; open 11am n MARINE TAVERN open 1pm n POISON IVY cabaret 5.30pm; karaoke; open 11am n QUEEN’S ARMS cabaret: host Sissy Sucs & Myra Dubois 6pm; karaoke 7.30pm; open 12 n REGENCY TAVERN Sunday roasts noon5pm; Piano Bar 1.30pm; open noon n SUBLINE Come in Your Pants: DJ N.U.D.E, underwear party 9pm n THREE JOLLY BUTCHERS live jazz: The Ian Price Jazz Project 3pm; open noon n ZONE live music: Jennie Castelle 6pm; open 10am MONDAY 9 n A-BAR bar food noon-3.30pm; Mooi Caribbean food 5-10pm; open noon n BAR REVENGE Quiz with Liz 8.30pm; open noon
ENVY@ CHARLES ST
n REGULARS: Mon is the STUDIO 150 student night with singles or bottles for £1.50 all night, entry £1.50. Thur is The MAD COW'S TEA PARTY with Alice in Wonderland décor, tea pot cocktails, 'drink me' shots, pumping tunes & hostess Ms Joan Bond at 8pm, drinks from £1, win a bar tab for the night, entry £1. n www.charles-street.com n BEDFORD TAVERN open noon n BULLDOG DJ Marcia’s Glitter Ball 10pm; open 11am n CAMELFORD ARMS food noon-3pm & 69pm; open noon n CHARLES ST food noon-8pm; open noon n 112 CHURCH ST food 12-late; open 12 n DR BRIGHTONS Medication Mon; open 3pm n ENVY Studio 150: student night 10pm n FUNKYFISH BAR open noon n LEGENDS BAR Miss Jason Does Legends 9.30pm; food noon-5pm; open 11am n MARINE TAVERN open noon n POISON IVY Spice’s 80s night; open 11am n QUEEN’S ARMS Kamp Kevin’s Youtube Karaoke Show 9pm; open noon n REGENCY TAVERN food noon-2.30pm & 6-8.30pm; open noon n ZONE open 10am TUESDAY 10 n A-BAR bar food noon-3.30pm; Mooi Caribbean food 5-10pm; open noon n BAR 7@CRAWLEY open 6pm n BAR REVENGE VIP Tue: Harry’s Karaoke, DJs Kelly & Fifi, win drinks/VIP cards/bar tabs 8pm; open noon n BEDFORD TAVERN open noon
n BULLDOG open 11am n CAMELFORD ARMS food noon-3pm & 69pm; open noon n CHARLES ST food noon-8pm; open noon n 112 CHURCH ST food 12-late; open 12 n DR BRIGHTONS Twisted Tue; open 3pm n FUNKYFISH BAR open noon n LEGENDS BAR food noon-5pm; open 11am n MARINE TAVERN Nat’s Quiz 9pm; open 12 n POISON IVY Bar 150 karaoke 7pm; open 11am n QUEEN’S ARMS sing-along with Peter & friends 9pm; open noon n REGENCY TAVERN food noon-2.30pm & 6-8.30pm; open noon n REVENGE Naughty Pop: DJs Trick & Alex Baker 11pm n THREE JOLLY BUTCHERS The Pickin’ Circle 8pm; open noon n ZONE open 10am WEDNESDAY 11 n A-BAR open mic with Mark Hodge 8.30pm; bar food noon-3.30pm; Mooi Caribbean food 5-10pm; cocktail night; open noon n BAR 7@CRAWLEY Lady Ty’s Drag Bingo 6pm
38 GSCENE OUT & ABOUT
PICS FROM CHURCH STREET + CHARLIE'S BIRTHDAY @ DR BRIGHTONS
SEPTEMBER
LISTINGS
CHURCH STREET
n ONE FOR THE DIARY: Fri CABARET at 9pm: Krissie DuCann (6), OMT Showman (13), Pooh La May (20) and Lola Lasagne (27). n FOOD: specials served Mon–Sat noon–late, buy two lunches for £10; Golden Handbag-winning Sunday lunches served noon–late. All private parties catered for, contact Collin on 01273 606864 or ask in the bar. n OPEN: the secret beer garden is the perfect place for a drink and a smoke!
n BAR REVENGE open noon n BASEMENT CLUB@LEGENDS Crush: DJ Missy B 10pm n BEDFORD TAVERN open noon n BRIGHTON SAUNA Naked Day: no towels 10-1am n BULLDOG Diva Rush: DJ Marcia 10pm; open 11am n CAMELFORD ARMS seniors lunch 23.30pm; regular food 12-3pm & 6-9pm; open 12 n CHARLES ST Cabaret Carousel: Myra Dubois 9.30pm; food noon-8pm; open noon n 112 CHURCH ST food 12-late; open 12 n DR BRIGHTONS Cocktail Clinic; open 3pm n FUNKYFISH BAR open noon n LEGENDS BAR food 12-5pm; open 11am n MARINE TAVERN open noon n POISON IVY Gloria Hole’s karaoke: win £100 7pm; open 11am
n QUEEN’S ARMS Sissy & Kamp Kevin’s Karaoke Party 9pm; open noon n REGENCY TAVERN food noon-2.30pm & 6-8.30pm; open noon n SUBLINE Backlash: retro night 9pm n THREE JOLLY BUTCHERS Big Cash Quiz 7.30pm; open noon n ZONE open 10am THURSDAY 12 n A-BAR bar food 12-3.30pm; Mooi Caribbean food 5-10pm; cocktail night; open 12 n BAR 7@CRAWLEY Diva DJ 6pm n BAR REVENGE Girls On Top warm-up 9pm; open noon n BEDFORD TAVERN open noon n BULLDOG Release: DJ Grant 10pm; open 11am n CAMELFORD ARMS £300 Big Cash Quiz
DR BRIGHTONS
n REGULARS: FUNKY FRIDAY with DJ Nick Hirst at 9.30pm, free entry. n SEXY SATURDAY with DJ Tony B is at 9.30pm, free entry. n HAPPY HOURS: from Sun–Thur all day and Fri & Sat from 1–7pm: Fosters & Carling £3.15 a pint, large Smirnoff & mixer £4, large Smirnoff & energy drink £5. Buy two cocktails for £11 from Sun–Thur. n Free game of pool every day with every round of drinks purchased during happy hour. n OPEN: Mon–Thur 3pm–midnight; Fri & Sat 1pm–2am; Sun 1pm–midnight. n www.doctorbrightons.co.uk
9pm; food noon-3pm & 6-9pm; open noon n CHARLES ST Mad Cow’s Tea Party: Joan Bond, tea pot cocktails, ‘drink me’ shots, fab decor, tunes & win bar tabs 8pm; open noon n 112 CHURCH ST food 12-late; open 12 n DR BRIGHTONS Thirsty Thur; open 3pm n ENVY Mad Cow’s Tea Party: Ms Joan Bond, tea pot cocktails, ‘drink me’ shots, fab decor, tunes & win bar tabs 8pm n FUNKYFISH BAR open noon n LEGENDS BAR food noon-5pm; open 11am n MARINE TAVERN It’s Pants: free drinks every hour if your pants match the picture 8.30pm; open noon n POISON IVY cabaret 9.30pm; karaoke; open 11am
n QUEEN’S ARMS Karaoke Madness with guest host 9pm; open noon n REGENCY TAVERN food noon-2.30pm & 6-8.30pm; open noon n REVENGE Girls On Top: DJs 10.30pm n SUBLINE Leathered 9pm n ZONE open 10am FRIDAY 13 n A-BAR Pre-club music; bar food 12-3.30pm; Mooi Caribbean food 5-10pm; open noon n BAR 7@CRAWLEY cabaret: La Voix & DJ Magic 6pm n BAR REVENGE Shameless warm-up 9pm; open noon-6am n BASEMENT CLUB@LEGENDS Friday Night Live with Lady La Rue: 2 floor party, DJ Peter Castle in club 11pm n BEDFORD TAVERN Krazy Kamikaze Karaoke 8.30pm; open noon n BULLDOG DJ Grant Knowles 10pm; cabaret: Davina Sparkle midnight; open 11am n CAMELFORD ARMS food noon-3pm & 69pm; Friday Club 6pm; open noon n CHARLES ST Fruity Fri Fix: DJ Leeroy 9pm; food noon-7.45pm; open noon n 112 CHURCH ST cabaret: OMT Showman 9pm; food noon-late; open noon n DR BRIGHTONS Funky Fri: DJ Nick Hirst 9.30pm; open 1pm n FUNKYFISH BAR open noon n FUNKYFISH CLUB Thank Funk It’s Friday: DJ Antony 10pm n LEGENDS BAR Friday Night Live with Lady La Rue, 2 floor party 9pm; DJ Peter Castle in club 11pm; food noon-5pm; open 11am n MARINE TAVERN open noon n POISON IVY karaoke 7pm; open 11am
42 GSCENE OUT & ABOUT
PICS FROM FUNKY FISH + RAINBOW FUND CABARET FUNDRAISER @ LEGENDS BAR + BASEMENT CLUB
SEPTEMBER
LISTINGS
FUNKY FISH
n ONE FOR THE DIARY: Fri (6) is FUNNY FRIDAYS comedy night with professional acts including headliner Dave Thomson and support act Phil Jerrod; doors 7.30pm, show 8pm, tickets £10. n REGULARS: Fri is THANK FUNK IT’S FRIDAY with DJ Antony playing funk/soul/disco/dance at 10pm, drink promos and free entry. Fri (27) is DIRTY RETRO with some of London's funkiest DJs playing 60s–80s funky disco grooves & electro rocking retro club classics at 10pm, free entry. n OLD SCHOOL SATURDAY is with DJ Sean Quinn playing the hottest hits of the 70s/80s & 90s at 10pm, entry £5. n OPEN: The Funky Fish Bar is open daily from noon. www.funkyfishclub.co.uk
n QUEEN’S ARMS Kamp Kevin’s Birthday Pyjama Party with DJ & cabaret with Mary Mac 8pm; open noon n REGENCY TAVERN food noon-2.30pm & 6-8.30pm; open 11am n REVENGE Shameless: DJ Trick & Lee Harris 10.30pm n SUBLINE Steam 9pm; open 5pm n ZONE live music: Jamie Watson 9.30pm; open 10am SATURDAY 14 n A-BAR Pre-club music; food noon-7pm; open noon n BAR 7@CRAWLEY DJ WaynsieRudeboy 6pm n BAR REVENGE Sweet Revenge Warm-Up 9pm; open noon-6am n BASEMENT CLUB@LEGENDS Fusion: DJ Peter Castle 11pm n BEDFORD TAVERN open noon n BULLDOG DJ V John 10pm; DJ Lil Alex 3am; karaoke 10pm; open 11am
n CAMELFORD ARMS food noon-7pm; open noon n CHARLES ST Boys In The Bar: all-male DJs Jonesy, Lil Alex, Grant Knowles, Leeroy on rotation 9pm; food noon-7.45pm; open noon n 112 CHURCH ST food 12-late; open 12 n DR BRIGHTONS Sexy Sat: DJ Tony B 9.30pm; open 1pm n FUNKYFISH BAR open noon n FUNKYFISH CLUB Old School Sat: DJ Sean Quinn 10pm n LEGENDS BAR Pre-Fusion 7pm; food noon-5pm; open 11am n MARINE TAVERN open noon n PARIS HOUSE live jazz 4pm; TC’s Joyful Noise: DJ Kenny 9pm; open noon n POISON IVY afternoon karaoke & Betty Swollocks’ karaoke till midnight; open 11am n QUEEN’S ARMS cabaret: Broadway to Brighton & West End star 4.30pm; guest host karaoke 6pm; Corruption & Cozmic 9pm; open noon n REGENCY TAVERN food noon-6pm; open
LEGENDS BAR
n ONE FOR THE DIARY: Sun (22) is the launch of Sunday Roasts, served by new chef Lisa from noon–3pm. Expect top quality locally sourced meat, poultry and vegetarian options, plus a special launch offer of a free glass of wine with every roast. n REGULARS: Mon is MISS JASON DOES LEGENDS at 9.30pm. n FRIDAY NIGHT LIVE over 2 floors with Lady La Rue, DJ Peter Castle and drink deals. n Sat is PREFUSION with DJ sounds at 7pm. n Sun CABARET at 3.15pm: Drag With No Name (1), Topping & Butch (8), Dave Lynn (15), Lady Imelda (22) and Lola Lasagne (29). n FOOD: including gourmet burgers, salads, specials and cream teas served Mon–Sat noon–5pm. From Sun (22), new chef Lisa will be serving Sunday Roasts noon–3pm. of top quality locally sourced meat, poultry and vegetarian options, plus a special launch offer of a free glass of wine with every roast. n OPEN: daily from 11am–5am. Heated smoking area, free entry and all day sun-terrace. www.legendsbrighton.com
11am n REVENGE Sweet Revenge: guest DJ Zach Burns & regs 10.30pm n SUBLINE Men’s Room: DJ Screwpulous 9pm; open 5pm n ZONE cabaret: Sally Vate 9.30pm; open 10am SUNDAY 15 n A-BAR Sunday roasts: bookings 01273 696691 noon-4pm; Mooi Caribbean food 510pm; open noon n BAR 7@CRAWLEY Ed & Tyler’s karaoke 6pm n BAR REVENGE Sunday Funday: retro games; Karaoke Queens: LouBag & Smithy 8pm; open noon n BASEMENT CLUB@LEGENDS Pop!Candy: DJ Claire Fuller 11pm n BEDFORD TAVERN Sunday roasts 12.30-
5pm; Piano Bingo 5pm; open noon n BULLDOG DJ Slip Matt 6pm; DJ Grant 10pm; karaoke 9pm; open 11am n CAMELFORD ARMS Sunday roasts & selected menu noon-till gone; Bear Bash 5pm; open noon n CHARLES ST cabaret: Topping & Butch 7.30pm; Tranny Rock & Roll Bingo: Sally Vate, roll over jackpot 8.30pm; Sun lunch noon-7pm n 112 CHURCH ST Sun Roast noon-late; open noon n DR BRIGHTONS Hangover Therapy; open 1pm n FUNKYFISH BAR open noon n LEGENDS BAR cabaret: Dave Lynn 3.15pm; open 11am n MARINE TAVERN open 1pm n POISON IVY cabaret 5.30pm; karaoke; open 11am
PICS FROM MAISIE TROLLETTES 80TH BIRTHDAY AFTER SHOW PARTY @ LEGENDS BASEMENT CLUB
GSCENE OUT & ABOUT 43
SEPTEMBER
LISTINGS
LEGENDS BASEMENT CLUB
n FREE ENTRY: to the Basement Club every day. n ONE FOR THE DIARY: Wed is CRUSH with DJ Missy B playing tracks to get you jumping and requests, drinks from £2, £1.50 shots. n REGULARS: FRIDAY NIGHT LIVE over 2 floors with Lady La Rue, DJ Peter Castle and drinks from £1.50. n Sat is FUSION with DJ Peter Castle’s house & chart sounds. Sat (7) is with DJ Lee Harris. n Sun is POP!CANDY with DJ Claire Fuller’s recent & classic pop tracks, drinks from £2. n OPEN: Fri–Sun 11pm & Wed 10pm. Closed Mon, Tue & Thur. Legends will host your party from £150, call Matt on 01273 624462 for more info. www.legendsbrighton.com
n QUEEN’S ARMS cabaret host Sissy Sucs & La Voix 6pm; karaoke 7.30pm; open 12 n REGENCY TAVERN Sunday roasts noon5pm; Piano Bar 1.30pm; open noon n SUBLINE Come in Your Pants: DJ Nude, underwear party 9pm n THREE JOLLY BUTCHERS live jazz: The Ian Price Jazz Project 3pm; open noon n ZONE live music: Collusion 6pm; open 10am MONDAY 16 n A-BAR bar food noon-3.30pm; Mooi Caribbean food 5-10pm; open noon n BAR REVENGE Quiz with Liz 8.30pm; open noon n BEDFORD TAVERN open noon n BULLDOG DJ Marcia’s Glitter Ball 10pm; open 11am n CAMELFORD ARMS food noon-3pm & 69pm; open noon n CHARLES ST food noon-8pm; open noon
n 112 CHURCH ST food 12-late; open 12 n DR BRIGHTONS Medication Mon; open 3pm n ENVY Studio 150: student night 10pm n FUNKYFISH BAR open noon n LEGENDS BAR Miss Jason Does Legends 9.30pm; food noon-5pm; open 11am n MARINE TAVERN open noon n POISON IVY Spice’s 80s night; open 11am n QUEEN’S ARMS Kamp Kevin’s Youtube Karaoke Show 9pm; open noon n REGENCY TAVERN food noon-2.30pm & 6-8.30pm; open noon n ZONE open 10am TUESDAY 17 n A-BAR bar food noon-3.30pm; Mooi Caribbean food 5-10pm; open noon n BAR 7@CRAWLEY open 6pm n BAR REVENGE VIP Tue: Harry’s Karaoke, DJs Kelly & Fifi, win drinks/VIP cards/bar tabs
8pm; open noon n BEDFORD TAVERN open noon n BULLDOG Poptastic: DJ Lee 10pm; open 11am n CAMELFORD ARMS food noon-3pm & 6-9pm; open noon n CHARLES ST food noon-8pm; open noon n 112 CHURCH ST food 12-late; open 12 n DR BRIGHTONS Twisted Tue; open 3pm n FUNKYFISH BAR open noon n LEGENDS BAR food 12-5pm; open 11am n MARINE TAVERN Nat’s Quiz 9pm; open noon n POISON IVY Bar 150 karaoke 7pm; open 11am n QUEEN’S ARMS sing-along with Peter & friends 9pm; open noon n REGENCY TAVERN food noon-2.30pm & 6-8.30pm; open noon n REVENGE Naughty Pop: DJs Trick & Alex Baker 11pm n ZONE open 10am
WEDNESDAY 18 n A-BAR open mic with Mark Hodge 8.30pm; bar food noon-3.30pm; Mooi Caribbean food 5-10pm; cocktail night; open noon n BAR 7@CRAWLEY Lady Ty’s Drag Bingo 6pm n BAR REVENGE open noon n BASEMENT CLUB@LEGENDS Crush: DJ Missy B 10pm n BEDFORD TAVERN open noon n BRIGHTON SAUNA underwear night 7pm n BULLDOG Diva Rush: DJ Marcia 10pm; open 11am n CAMELFORD ARMS seniors lunch 23.30pm; reg food 12-3pm & 6-9pm; open 12 n CHARLES ST Cabaret Carousel: Bitch’n Sync (Rose Garden & Mitzi Macintosh) 9.30pm; food noon-8pm; open noon n 112 CHURCH ST food noon-late; open noon n DR BRIGHTONS Cocktail Clinic; open 3pm n FUNKYFISH BAR open noon n LEGENDS BAR food noon-5pm; open 11am n MARINE TAVERN open noon n POISON IVY Gloria Hole’s karaoke: win £100 7pm; open 11am n QUEEN’S ARMS Sissy & Kamp Kevin’s Karaoke Party 9pm; open noon n REGENCY TAVERN food noon-2.30pm & 6-8.30pm; open noon n SUBLINE Backlash: retro night 9pm n THREE JOLLY BUTCHERS Big Cash Quiz 7.30pm; open noon n ZONE open 10am
44 GSCENE OUT & ABOUT
PICS FROM MARINE TAVERN, PARIS HOUSE + POISON IVY
SEPTEMBER
LISTINGS
MARINE TAVERN
n ONE FOR THE DIARY: Tue is NAT’S QUIZ at 9pm. n REGULARS: Thur is IT'S PANTS, a competition to win a free drink if the brand or colour of your pants matches the picture, every hour at 8.30pm, 9.30pm and 10.30pm. n DRINK DEALS: Wed & Thur 7–11pm: pints of Carlsberg & Stowford Press £3, plus buy a single spirit and get the mixer free. n OPEN: Mon–Sat noon, Sun 1pm.
THURSDAY 19 n A-BAR bar food noon-3.30pm; Mooi Caribbean food 5-10pm; cocktail night; open 12 n BAR 7@CRAWLEY Diva DJ 6pm n BAR REVENGE Girls On Top warm-up 9pm; open noon n BEDFORD TAVERN open noon n BULLDOG Release: DJ Grant 10pm; open 11am n CAMELFORD ARMS £300 Big Cash Quiz 9pm; food noon-3pm & 6-9pm; open noon n CHARLES ST Mad Cow Tea Party: Ms Joan Bond, tea pot cocktails, ‘drink me’ shots, fab decor, tunes & win bar tabs 8pm; open noon n 112 CHURCH ST food 12-late; open 12 n DR BRIGHTONS Thirsty Thur; open 3pm n ENVY Mad Cow’s Tea Party: Ms Joan Bond, tea pot cocktails, ‘drink me’ shots, fab decor, tunes & win bar tabs 8pm n FUNKYFISH BAR open noon n LEGENDS BAR food 12-5pm; open 11am n MARINE TAVERN It’s Pants: free drinks every hour if your pants match the picture 8.30pm; open noon n PARIS HOUSE live jazz: Stuart Blagden Trio 9pm; open noon n POISON IVY cabaret 9.30pm; karaoke; open 11am
PARIS HOUSE
n QUEEN’S ARMS Fag Machine: alt cabaret night 9pm; open noon n REGENCY TAVERN food noon-2.30pm & 6-8.30pm; open noon n REVENGE Girls On Top: DJ Becky Perry & regs over 2 floors 10.30pm n SUBLINE Leathered 9pm n ZONE open 10am FRIDAY 20 n A-BAR Pre-club music; bar food noon3.30pm; Mooi Caribbean food 5-10pm; open 12 n BAR 7@CRAWLEY DJ Magic 6pm n BAR REVENGE Shameless warm-up 9pm; open noon-6am n BASEMENT CLUB@LEGENDS Friday Night Live with Lady La Rue: 2 floor party, DJ Peter Castle in club 11pm n BEDFORD TAVERN open noon n BULLDOG DJ Little Rob 10pm; cabaret: La Voix midnight; open 11am n CAMELFORD ARMS food noon-3pm & 69pm; Friday Club 6pm; open noon n CHARLES ST Fruity Fri Fix: DJ Leeroy 9pm; food noon-7.45pm; open noon n 112 CHURCH ST cabaret: Pooh La May 9pm; food noon-late; open noon
n ONE FOR THE DIARY: Thur (19) is live gypsy jazz with the Stuart Blagden Trio at 9pm, free entry. n REGULARS: Sat is free live jazz at 4pm; then it's TC's Joyful Noise with DJ Kenny at 9pm, free entry. n FOOD: platter of French food to share & large carafe of wine £15. n OPEN: daily from noon. www.parishousebrighton.com
POISON IVY
n REGULARS: KARAOKE all week with drag hosts, including: Spice, Betty Swollocks, Misty Lee & Gloria Hole. n Mon is 80s night with Spice. n Tue is Bar 150 Karaoke. n Wed is Karaoke Competition with Gloria Hole, win £100! n Thur cabaret at 9.30pm. n Sun cabaret at 5.30pm. n HAPPY HOURSS: 60 a week, including 11am–7pm Tue–Sat; all day Sun & Mon. n OPEN: daily from 11am. n DR BRIGHTONS Funky Fri: DJ Nick Hirst 9.30pm; open 1pm n FUNKYFISH BAR open noon n FUNKYFISH CLUB Thank Funk It’s Friday: DJ Antony 10pm n LEGENDS BAR Friday Night Live with Lady La Rue, 2 floor party 9pm; DJ Peter Castle in club 11pm; food noon-5pm; open 11am n MARINE TAVERN open noon n POISON IVY karaoke 7pm; open 11am n QUEEN’S ARMS Camp Attack & Flashback with karaoke 9pm; open noon n REGENCY TAVERN food noon-2.30pm & 6-8.30pm; open 11am n REVENGE Shameless: DJs Trick & Lee Harris 10.30pm n SUBLINE Back to School Fundraiser for Sussex Beacon: school uniform fancy dress 10pm; open 5pm n ZONE live music: JJ & Juliet 9.30pm; open 10am SATURDAY 21 n A-BAR Pre-club music; food noon-7pm; open noon n BAR 7@CRAWLEY DJ WaynsieRudeboy 6pm n BAR REVENGE SweetRevenge Warm-Up 9pm; open noon-6am n BASEMENT CLUB@LEGENDS Fusion: DJ Peter Castle 11pm n BEDFORD TAVERN open noon n BULLDOG DJ V John 10pm; DJ Lil Alex 3am; karaoke 10pm; open 11am n CAMELFORD ARMS food12-7pm; open 12 n CHARLES ST The Boys In The Bar: all-male DJs Jonesy, Lil Alex, Grant Knowles, Leeroy on rotation 9pm; food noon-7.45pm; open noon
n 112 CHURCH ST food 12-late; open 12 n DR BRIGHTONS Sexy Sat: DJ Tony B 9.30pm; open 1pm n FUNKYFISH BAR open noon n FUNKYFISH CLUB Old School Sat: DJ Sean Quinn 10pm n LEGENDS BAR Pre-Fusion 7pm; food noon5pm; open 11am n MARINE TAVERN open noon n PARIS HOUSE live jazz 4pm; TC’s Joyful Noise: DJ Kenny 9pm; open noon n POISON IVY afternoon karaoke & Betty Swollocks’ karaoke till midnight; open 11am n QUEEN’S ARMS cabaret: Stacey Starr & guests 4.30pm; guest host karaoke 6pm; Kamp Kevin’s Party 9pm; open noon n REGENCY TAVERN food noon-6pm; open 11am n REVENGE Sweet Revenge: guest DJ DMS & regs over 2 floors 10.30pm n SUBLINE Men’s Room: DJ Screwpulous 9pm; open 5pm n ZONE cabaret: Tammy Twinkle 9.30pm; open 10am SUNDAY 22 n A-BAR Sunday roasts: bookings 01273 696691 noon-4pm; Mooi Caribbean food 510pm; open noon n BAR 7@CRAWLEY Ed & Tyler’s karaoke 6pm n BAR REVENGE Sunday Funday: retro games; Karaoke Queens: LouBag & Smithy 8pm; open noon n BASEMENT CLUB@LEGENDS Pop!Candy: DJ Claire Fuller 11pm n BEDFORD TAVERN Sunday roasts 12.305pm; Piano Bingo 5pm; open noon
GSCENE 45
46 GSCENE OUT & ABOUT
PICS FROM PRIDE’S GOT TALENT FINAL @ QUEENS ARMS, BAR REVENGE + REVENGE
SEPTEMBER
LISTINGS
QUEENS ARMS
n ONE FOR THE DIARY: Fri (13) is Kamp Kevin's Birthday PYJAMA PARTY with cabaret from Mary Mac plus DJ at 8pm. n REGULARS: Wed (25) is the 5% VAT DAY PARTY with Sissy & Kamp Kevin, all drinks reduced to promote the benefits of reducing VAT in the hospitality sector. n Sat CABARET is at 4.30pm n Sun CABARET is at 6pm; all cabaret is followed by karaoke, for full line-up see the listings. n OPEN: daily from noon. n BULLDOG DJ Slip Matt 6pm; DJ Grant 10pm; karaoke 9pm; open 11am n CAMELFORD ARMS Sunday roasts & selected menu noon-till gone; open noon n CHARLES ST cabaret: Tammy Twinkle 7.30pm; Tranny Rock & Roll Bingo: Sally Vate, roll over jackpot 8.30pm; Sun lunch noon7pm n 112 CHURCH ST Sun Roast noon-late; open noon n DR BRIGHTONS Hangover Therapy; open 1pm n FUNKYFISH BAR open noon n LEGENDS BAR Sunday Lunch Launch: free glass of wine with meal noon-3pm; cabaret: Lady Imelda 3.15pm; open 11am n MARINE TAVERN open 1pm n POISON IVY cabaret 5.30pm; karaoke; open 11am n QUEEN’S ARMS Dave Lynn Does It His Way: songs, games & stories 6pm; karaoke 7.30pm; open noon n REGENCY TAVERN Sunday roasts noon5pm; Piano Bar 1.30pm; open noon n SUBLINE Come in Your Pants: DJ N.U.D.E, underwear party 9pm n THREE JOLLY BUTCHERS live jazz: The Ian Price Jazz Project 3pm; open noon n ZONE open 10am MONDAY 23 n A-BAR bar food noon-3.30pm; Mooi Caribbean food 5-10pm; open noon n BAR REVENGE Quiz with Liz 8.30pm; open noon n BEDFORD TAVERN open noon n BULLDOG DJ Marcia’s Glitter Ball 10pm; open 11am n CAMELFORD ARMS food noon-3pm & 6-9pm; open noon
n CHARLES ST food noon-8pm; open noon n 112 CHURCH ST food noon-late; open noon n DR BRIGHTONS Medication Mon; open 3pm n ENVY Studio 150: student night 10pm n FUNKYFISH BAR open noon n LEGENDS BAR Miss Jason Does Legends 9.30pm; food noon-5pm; open 11am n MARINE TAVERN open noon n POISON IVY Spice’s 80s night; open 11am n QUEEN’S ARMS Kamp Kevin’s Youtube Karaoke Show 9pm; open noon n REGENCY TAVERN food noon-2.30pm & 6-8.30pm; open noon n ZONE open 10am TUESDAY 24 n A-BAR bar food noon-3.30pm; Mooi Caribbean food 5-10pm; open noon n BAR 7@CRAWLEY open 6pm n BAR REVENGE VIP Tue: Harry’s Karaoke, DJs Kelly & Fifi, win drinks/VIP cards/bar tabs 8pm; open noon n BEDFORD TAVERN open noon n BULLDOG open 11am n CAMELFORD ARMS food noon-3pm & 6-9pm; open noon n CHARLES ST food noon-8pm; open noon n 112 CHURCH ST food noon-late; open noon n DR BRIGHTONS Twisted Tue; open 3pm n FUNKYFISH BAR open noon n LEGENDS BAR food noon-5pm; open 11am n MARINE TAVERN Nat’s Quiz 9pm; open noon n POISON IVY Bar 150 karaoke 7pm; open 11am
BAR REVENGE
n ONE FOR THE DIARY: Mon is QUIZ WITH LIZ with cash & boozy prizes at 8.30pm. n REGULARS: Tue is VIP KARAOKE with Harry & DJs Kelly & Fifi at 8pm; win drinks, VIP cards and bar tabs in the club. n Thur is the Girls on Top Official Warm-Up at 9pm. n Fri is the Shameless Warm-Up with DJ Alpha at 9pm. n Sat is the SweetRevenge Warm-Up at 9pm. n SUNDAY FUNDAY with retro games at the bar; Karaoke Queens with LouBag & Smithy then at 8pm. n DRINK DEALS: 2-4-1 cocktails Sun–Fri 5–9pm; drinks from £1.99 & get half price and reduced wines noon till late on Wed; from £1.50 Thur after 7pm; from £2.49 Fri & Sat; Jagerbombs £1.99 on Sat. n REVENGE PASSES: Free Revenge discount passes on Thur; buy a drink and get free entry into the club on Fri & Sat before midnight. n OPEN: daily from noon–2am & till 6am on Fri & Sat. n www.revenge.co.uk n QUEEN’S ARMS sing-along with Peter & friends 9pm; open noon n REGENCY TAVERN food noon-2.30pm & 6-8.30pm; open noon n REVENGE Naughty Pop: DJs Trick & Alex Baker 11pm n THREE JOLLY BUTCHERS The Pickin’ Circle 8pm; open noon n ZONE open 10am WEDNESDAY 25 n A-BAR open mic with Mark Hodge 8.30pm; bar food noon-3.30pm; Mooi Caribbean food 5-10pm; cocktail night; open noon n BAR 7@CRAWLEY Lady Ty’s Drag Bingo 6pm n BAR REVENGE open noon n BASEMENT CLUB@LEGENDS Crush: DJ Missy B 10pm
n BEDFORD TAVERN open noon n BRIGHTON SAUNA Naked Day: no towels 10-1am n BULLDOG Diva Rush: DJ Marcia 10pm; open 11am n CAMELFORD ARMS seniors lunch 23.30pm; reg food noon-3pm & 6-9pm; open noon n CHARLES ST Cabaret Carousel: Myra Dubois 9.30pm; food noon-8pm; open noon n 112 CHURCH ST food noon-late; open noon n DR BRIGHTONS Cocktail Clinic; open 3pm n FUNKYFISH BAR open noon n LEGENDS BAR food noon-5pm; open 11am n MARINE TAVERN open noon n POISON IVY Gloria Hole’s karaoke: win £100 7pm; open 11am
PICS FROM FOAM PARTY + GIRLS ON TOP @ BAR REVENGE + REVENGE
GSCENE OUT & ABOUT 47
SEPTEMBER
LISTINGS
REVENGE
n ONE FOR THE DAIRY: Sat is SWEET REVENGE with regular DJs joined by guests Zach Burns (14), DMS (21), Lee Harris (28); all drinks £2.50 before midnight, Jagerbombs £2.50 all night, double up for £1.50 all night, entry free/£5. n REGULARS: Tue is NAUGHTY POP with DJs Trick & Alex spinning your fave tunes from the 90s/00s; £1.50 shots, all other drinks £2, entry £3, £2 NUS. n Thur is GIRLS ON TOP lesbian night, regular GOT DJs joined by guests Lady Bex & SD2 tickets giveaway (5), Becky Perry (19); drinks from £1.50, entry free/£3/£4. n Fri is SHAMELESS with DJs Trick and Lee Harris fresh pop & guilty pleasures; entry free/£5. n DRINK DEALS: All drink specials exclude champers & doubles (excl doubling up). Free entry passes available through the week from Bar Revenge or from www.revenge.co.uk. n OPEN: 11pm on Tue; 10.30pm Thur, Fri & Sat. n QUEEN’S ARMS 5% VAT Day Party: Sissy Sucs & Kamp Kevin 9pm; open noon n REGENCY TAVERN food noon-2.30pm & 6-8.30pm; open noon n SUBLINE Backlash: retro night 9pm n THREE JOLLY BUTCHERS Big Cash Quiz 7.30pm; open noon n ZONE open 10am THURSDAY 26 n A-BAR bar food noon-3.30pm; Mooi Caribbean food 5-10pm; cocktail night; open noon n BAR 7@CRAWLEY Diva DJ 6pm n BAR REVENGE Girls On Top warm-up 9pm; open noon n BEDFORD TAVERN open noon n BULLDOG Release: DJ Grant 10pm; open 11am n CAMELFORD ARMS £300 Big Cash Quiz 9pm; food noon-3pm & 6-9pm; open noon n CHARLES ST Mad Cow’s Tea Party: Ms Joan Bond, tea pot cocktails, ‘drink me’ shots, fab decor, tunes & win bar tabs 8pm; open noon n 112 CHURCH ST food noon-late; open noon n DR BRIGHTONS Thirsty Thur; open 3pm n ENVY Mad Cow’s Tea Party: Ms Joan Bond, tea pot cocktails, ‘drink me’ shots, fab decor, tunes & win bar tabs 8pm n FUNKYFISH BAR open noon n LEGENDS BAR food noon-5pm; open 11am
n MARINE TAVERN It’s Pants: free drinks every hour if your pants match the picture 8.30pm; open noon n POISON IVY cabaret 9.30pm; karaoke; open 11am n QUEEN’S ARMS Fag Machine: alt cabaret night 9pm; open noon n REGENCY TAVERN food noon-2.30pm & 6-8.30pm; open noon n REVENGE Girls On Top: DJs over 2 floors 10.30pm n SUBLINE Leathered 9pm n ZONE open 10am FRIDAY 27 n A-BAR Pre-club music; bar food noon3.30pm; Mooi Caribbean food 5-10pm; open noon n BAR 7@CRAWLEY cabaret: Martha D’Artha & DJ Magic 6pm n BAR REVENGE Shameless warm-up 9pm; open noon-6am n BASEMENT CLUB@LEGENDS Friday Night Live with Lady La Rue: 2 floor party, DJ Peter Castle in club 11pm n BEDFORD TAVERN open noon n BULLDOG DJ Grant Knowles 10pm; cabaret: Cookie midnight; open 11am n CAMELFORD ARMS food noon-3pm & 69pm; Friday Club 6pm; open noon n CHARLES ST Fruity Fri Fix: DJ Leeroy 9pm; food noon-7.45pm; open noon n 112 CHURCH ST cabaret: Lola Lasagne 9pm; food noon-late; open noon
n DR BRIGHTONS Funky Fri: DJ Nick Hirst 9.30pm; open 1pm n FUNKYFISH BAR open noon n FUNKYFISH CLUB Dirty Retro: DJs 10pm n LEGENDS BAR Friday Night Live with Lady La Rue, 2 floor party 9pm; DJ Peter Castle in club 11pm; food noon-5pm; open 11am n MARINE TAVERN open noon n POISON IVY karaoke 7pm; open 11am n QUEEN’S ARMS Camp Attack & Flashback with karaoke 9pm; open noon n REGENCY TAVERN food noon-2.30pm & 6-8.30pm; open 11am n REVENGE Shameless: DJs Trick & Lee Harris 10.30pm n SUBLINE The Big Scrum: sportskit night 10pm; open 5pm
n ZONE live music: Stone & Street 9.30pm; open 10am SATURDAY 28 n A-BAR Pre-club music; food noon-7pm; open noon n BAR 7@CRAWLEY DJ Missy B 6pm n BAR REVENGE SweetRevenge Warm-Up 9pm; open noon-6am n BASEMENT CLUB@LEGENDS Fusion: DJ Peter Castle 11pm n BEDFORD TAVERN open noon n BULLDOG DJ V John 10pm; DJ Lil Alex 3am; karaoke 10pm; open 11am n CAMELFORD ARMS food noon-7pm; open noon
48 GSCENE OUT & ABOUT
PICS FROM SUBLINE, THE THREE JOLLY BUTCHERS + THE ZONE
SEPTEMBER
LISTINGS
SUBLINE
n ONE FOR THE DIARY: Fri (20) is the BAK 2 SKOOL Fundraiser for Sussex Beacon with a fancy dress school theme, music from the 70s–90s, regular entry prices for those dressed up, £1 extra for those who aren't, all door money donated to the charity. n REGULARS: Wed is BACKLASH retro tunes and prices, including selected drinks £3 all night for members. n Thur is LEATHERED with free lockers. n Fri is STEAM free entry for mems b4 11pm; Fri (27) is THE BIG SCRUM sportskit night at 10pm. n Sat is THE MEN'S ROOM with DJ Screwpulous, members get cheap drinks and free entry till 11pm. n Sun is COME IN YOUR PANTS underwear party with DJ N.U.D.E. n OPEN: Fri & Sat from 5pm–4am, Sun from 8pm–2am, Wed & Thur from 9pm–1.30am. Closed Mon & Tue. n www.sublinebrighton.com n CHARLES ST Skool Disco Freshers Party: DJ Leeroy, hostesses Ms Joan Bond & Sally Vate 9pm; food noon-7.45pm; open noon n 112 CHURCH ST food 12-late; open 12 n DR BRIGHTONS Sexy Sat: DJ Tony B 9.30pm; open 1pm n FUNKYFISH BAR open noon n FUNKYFISH CLUB Old School Sat: DJ Sean Quinn 10pm n LEGENDS BAR Pre-Fusion 7pm; food noon-5pm; open 11am n MARINE TAVERN open noon n PARIS HOUSE live jazz 4pm; TC’s Joyful Noise: DJ Kenny 9pm; open noon n POISON IVY afternoon karaoke & Betty Swollocks’ karaoke till midnight; open 11am n QUEEN’S ARMS cabaret: Sissy Sucs & guests 4.30pm; guest host karaoke 6pm; Kamp Kevin’s Party 9pm; open noon n REGENCY TAVERN food noon-6pm; open 11am n REVENGE Sweet Revenge: guest DJ Lee Harris & regs over 2 floors 10.30pm n SUBLINE Men’s Room: DJ Screwpulous 9pm; open 5pm n ZONE cabaret: Miss Jason 9.30pm; open 10am
SUNDAY 29 n A-BAR Sunday roasts: bookings 01273 696691 noon-4pm; Mooi Caribbean food 510pm; open noon n BAR 7@CRAWLEY Ed & Tyler’s karaoke 6pm n BAR REVENGE Sunday Funday: retro games; Karaoke Queens: LouBag & Smithy 8pm; open noon n BASEMENT CLUB@LEGENDS Pop!Candy: DJ Claire Fuller 11pm n BEDFORD TAVERN Sunday roasts 12.305pm; Piano Bingo 5pm; open noon n BULLDOG DJ Slip Matt 6pm; DJ Grant 10pm; karaoke 9pm; open 11am n CAMELFORD ARMS Sunday roasts & selected menu noon-till gone; open noon n CHARLES ST cabaret: Mary Mac 7.30pm; Tranny Rock & Roll Bingo: Sally Vate, roll over jackpot 8.30pm; Sun lunch noon-7pm n 112 CHURCH ST Sun Roast noon-late; open noon n DR BRIGHTONS Hangover Therapy; open 1pm n FUNKYFISH BAR open noon n LEGENDS BAR Sunday Lunch noon-3pm; cabaret: Lola Lasagne 3.15pm; open 11am
n MARINE TAVERN open 1pm n POISON IVY cabaret 5.30pm; karaoke; open 11am n QUEEN’S ARMS cabaret host Sissy Sucs & Sandra 6pm; karaoke 7.30pm; open noon n REGENCY TAVERN Sunday roasts noon5pm; Piano Bar 1.30pm; open noon n SUBLINE Come in Your Pants: DJ N.U.D.E, underwear party 9pm n THREE JOLLY BUTCHERS live jazz: The Ian Price Jazz Project 3pm; open noon n ZONE live music: Back Beat 6pm; open 10am
n BULLDOG DJ Marcia’s Glitter Ball 10pm; open 11am n CAMELFORD ARMS food noon-3pm & 69pm; open noon n CHARLES ST food noon-8pm; open noon n 112 CHURCH ST food noon-late; open noon n DR BRIGHTONS Medication Mon; open 3pm n ENVY Studio 150: student night 10pm n FUNKYFISH BAR open noon n LEGENDS BAR Miss Jason Does Legends 9.30pm; food noon-5pm; open 11am n MARINE TAVERN open noon MONDAY 30 n POISON IVY Spice’s 80s night; open 11am n A-BAR bar food noon-3.30pm; Mooi n QUEEN’S ARMS Kamp Kevin’s Youtube Caribbean food 5-10pm; open noon Karaoke Show 9pm; open noon n BAR REVENGE Quiz with Liz 8.30pm; open n REGENCY TAVERN food noon-2.30pm & noon 6-8.30pm; open noon n BEDFORD TAVERN open noon n ZONE open 10am
ZONE THREE JOLLY BUTCHERS
n ONE FOR THE DIARY: Sun live jazz with Ian Price Jazz Project at 3pm, free entry. n REGULARS: Tue (10 & 24) is live bluegrass and old-time country with The Pickin Circle at 8pm, free entry. n Wed is the BIG CASH QUIZ at 7.30pm. n FOOD: served noon–3pm & 6–9pm; two burger meals £15. Private function room available for parties call 01273 608571. n OPEN: daily from noon. n www.3jollybutchers.com
n ONE FOR THE DIARY: Fri is live music at 9.30pm: Back Beat (6), Jamie Watson (13), JJ & Juliet (20) and Stone & Street (27). n REGULARS: Sat cabaret at 9.30pm: Maisie Trollette (7), Sally Vate (14), Tammy Twinkle (21) and Miss Jason (28). Sun is live music at 6pm: Jennie Castelle (8), Collusion (15) and Back Beat (29). n DRINK DEALS: promos every Mon–Thur, day and night. n OPEN: daily from 10am.
GSCENE OUT & ABOUT 49
SOLENT & BOURNEMOUTH BOURNEMOUTH
n BAKERS ARMS 77-79 Commercial Rd, BH2 5RT, Tel: 01202 555506 n BAR VENTANA at CUMBERLAND HOTEL East Overcliff Dr, BH1 3AF, Tel: 01202 556529 www.cumberlandbournemouth.co.uk n BRANKSOME ARMS 152-154 Commercial Rd, BH2 5LU, Tel: 01202 292254 n CUMBERLAND HOTEL East Overcliff Drive, BH1 3AF, Tel: 01202 290722 www.cumberlandbournemouth.co.uk n DYMK 31 Poole Hill, BH2 5PW, www.dymk-bar.com n SAUNABAR 140 Commercial Rd, BH2 5LU, Tel: 01202 552654 www.gaysaunabournemouth.co.uk n 2930 THE TRIANGLE CLUB 29-30 The Triangle, BH2 5SE, Tel: 0845 496 2934 www.2930thetriangle.com n EASY TIGER 27 The Triangle, BH2 5SE; open: Mon-Fri 10am-8pm, Sat 10am-6.30pm, Sun 11am-5pm. Tel: 01202 554195 www.easytigerstore.com n XCHANGE 4 The Triangle, BH2 5RY, Tel: 01202 294321
PORTSMOUTH
n HAMPSHIRE BOULEVARD 1 Hampshire Terr, Southsea, Tel: 02392 297509 Open: Sun 9pm-2am, Mon 9pm-2:30am, Tue closed, Wed & Thur 7pm-2am, Fri & Sat 7pm3am, cabaret bar and club SUNDAY 1 BOURNEMOUTH n CUMBERLAND HOTEL Sun lunch 12.302.30pm & 7-9pm; open 9am n DYMK open 2pm PORTSMOUTH n HAMPSHIRE BLVD karaoke till 2am n OLD VIC Sun lunch 1-5pm; open noon SOUTHAMPTON n EDGE Fundays: DJ Liam Searle 11pm n LONDON HOTEL Dolly Partem’s Sunday Service 8.30pm; Topping & Butch 9.30pm; Sun lunch noon-3.30pm; open noon
n OLD VIC 104 St Paul’s Rd, Southsea Tel: 02392 297013 www.oldvicportsmouth.co.uk Open: Mon-Fri: 11am till late, Sat: 5pm-late, Sun: noon-12,30am. Regular cabaret, food. n TROPICS SAUNA 2 Market Way Tel: 02380 296100 www.tropics-sauna.com Open: 7 days a week, 11am-10pm
SOUTHAMPTON
n ISOBAR 100c St Mary’s Street Tel: 02380 222028 Open: Mon 5–11pm, Tue 3pm-11pm, Wed-Sat 3pm-midnight, Sun 4pm-midnight. Modern bar, decked garden, popular with younger crowd. n LONDON HOTEL 2 Terminus Terrace Tel: 02380 710652 www.the-london.co.uk Open: Mon-Wed noon-11pm, Thur noon12.30am, Fri & Sat noon-1.30am, Sun noon11.30pm. Friendly cabaret venue, serves food. n EDGE Compton Walk Tel: 02380 366163 www.theedgesouthampton.com Open: Tue, Thur & Sun 11pm-3am; Wed, Fri & Sat 10pm-5am. Stylish club on 2 floors with 3 bars. n PINK BROADWAY SAUNA 797/80 East St Tel: 02380 238804 www.pink-broadway.com Open: Sun-Thur noon-10pm, Fri & Sat noonmidnight
SOUTHAMPTON n EDGE Bar 150: DJ Lady Bex, Liam Searle, Cheeky Pete’s karaoke & WKD giveaways 10pm n LONDON HOTEL Quiz 8pm; food noon3pm
THURSDAY 5 BOURNEMOUTH n CUMBERLAND HOTEL food & drinks; open 9am n DYMK open 2pm PORTSMOUTH n HAMPSHIRE BLVD karaoke till 2am n OLD VIC karaoke 8pm; food noon-5pm SOUTHAMPTON MONDAY 2 n EDGE Pure Pop: DJ Neil Sackley 11pm BOURNEMOUTH n CUMBERLAND HOTEL food & drinks; open n LONDON HOTEL Karaoke Cruising: Pat Cruise 8.30pm; food noon-3pm; open noon 9am n DYMK open 2pm FRIDAY 6 PORTSMOUTH BOURNEMOUTH n HAMPSHIRE BLVD DJ till 2am n CUMBERLAND HOTEL food & drinks; open n OLD VIC food noon-5pm; open noon 9am SOUTHAMPTON n LONDON HOTEL chillout; food noon-3pm n DYMK open 2pm PORTSMOUTH n HAMPSHIRE BLVD DJ till 3am TUESDAY 3 n OLD VIC food noon-5pm; party till 2am BOURNEMOUTH n CUMBERLAND HOTEL food & drinks; open SOUTHAMPTON n EDGE Get Some: DJs Lady Bex, Lohands, 9am Rob Davies 10pm n DYMK open 2pm n LONDON HOTEL Fairylea: DJ Ruby Roo & PORTSMOUTH Miss Thunderpussy 10pm; food noon-3pm n OLD VIC Quiz 8pm; food noon-5pm SOUTHAMPTON SATURDAY 7 n EDGE Bomb It!: video jukebox 11pm BOURNEMOUTH n LONDON HOTEL chillout; food noon-3pm n CUMBERLAND HOTEL food & drinks; open 9am WEDNESDAY 4 n DYMK open 2pm BOURNEMOUTH PORTSMOUTH n CUMBERLAND HOTEL Ventana Bar & Brasserie: food, afternoon tea, drinks; open 9am n HAMPSHIRE BLVD DJ till 3am n OLD VIC food noon-5pm; DJs all night n DYMK open 2pm SOUTHAMPTON PORTSMOUTH n EDGE The Big One: 3 bars & DJs 10pm n HAMPSHIRE BLVD open till 2am n OLD VIC NUS night 7pm; food noon-5pm n LONDON HOTEL Guilty Pleasures: DJ Neil Sackley 10pm; food noon-3pm
50 GSCENE OUT & ABOUT
PICS FROM THE EDGE + THE LONDON HOTEL, SOUTHAMPTON
LOLA LASAGNE FRI (20)
TOPPING & BUTCH SUN (1)
SOLENT & BOURNEMOUTH
LONDON HOTEL SOUTHAMPTON
n ONE FOR THE DIARY: This month, Ray & David celebrate 10 years at The London Hotel! n REGULARS: Wed (4) is monthly QUIZ Night with cash prizes at 8pm; £1 per person to enter, winner takes all! n Thur is Pat Cruise’s KARAOKE CRUISING at 8.30pm. n Fri is with FAIRYLEA with DJ Ruby Roo and CABARET at 10pm: Miss Thunderpussy (6), CC Swan (13), Lola Lasagne (20) and Saski (27). n Sat is GUILTY PLEASURES with DJs & vocalists at 8.30pm: Neil Sackley (7), Pat Cruise & Jacquii Cann (14), Lucinda & Sam Solace (21) and Tiny & Eva La Diva (28). n Dolly Partem’s SUNDAY SERVICE is at 8.30pm, CABARET follows at 9.30pm: Topping & Butch (1), Son of a Tutu (8), Sally Vate (15), special guest (22) and Dave Lynn (29). n FOOD: traditional pub food served Mon–Sat noon–3pm; Sunday lunch served noon–3.30pm, 2 courses £8.50. n OPEN: daily from noon. www.the-london.co.uk
EDGE SOUTHAMPTON
n REGULARS: Sundays are FUNDAYS with DJ Liam Searle; drinks from £1.25, Loft Lounge, entry free b4 11.30pm, £2 after. n Tue is BOMB IT with £2 Jagerbombs all night, free video jukebox & entry. n Wed is BAR 150 with DJ Lady Bex, Liam Searle, Cheeky Pete’s Karaoke & win a case of WKD at 10.30pm; entry free b4 10.30pm, £3-£6 after. n Thur is the PURE POP with DJ Neil Sackley playing pop tunes; XXL cocktails, Loft Lounge and entry £1. n Fri is GET SOME, win £50 cash (20), Shag Tag (27), with DJs Lohands, Lady Bex, Rob Davies, entry £1 b4 10.30pm, £4–£6 after. n Sat is THE BIG ONE with resident DJs, guest Lee Harris (21) & Tim Sandford (28), and 3 bars, entry free–£6. n OPEN: Tue, Thur & Sun 10pm–3am; Wed, Fri & Sat 10pm–5am. Closed Mon. n www.theedgesouthampton.com
SUNDAY 8 BOURNEMOUTH n CUMBERLAND HOTEL Sunday lunch 12.30-2.30pm & 7-9pm; open 9am n DYMK open 2pm PORTSMOUTH n HAMPSHIRE BLVD karaoke till 2am n OLD VIC Sun lunch 1-5pm; open noon SOUTHAMPTON n EDGE Fundays: DJ Liam Searle 11pm n LONDON HOTEL Dolly Partem’s Sunday Service 8.30pm; Son of a Tutu 9.30pm; Sun lunch noon-3.30pm; open noon MONDAY 9 BOURNEMOUTH n CUMBERLAND HOTEL open 9am n DYMK open 2pm PORTSMOUTH n HAMPSHIRE BLVD DJ till 2am n OLD VIC food noon-5pm; open noon SOUTHAMPTON n LONDON HOTEL chillout; food noon-3pm TUESDAY 10 BOURNEMOUTH n CUMBERLAND HOTEL open 9am n DYMK open 2pm PORTSMOUTH n OLD VIC Quiz 8pm; food noon-5pm SOUTHAMPTON n EDGE Bomb It!: video jukebox 11pm n LONDON HOTEL chillout; food noon-3pm
WEDNESDAY 11 BOURNEMOUTH n CUMBERLAND HOTEL open 9am n DYMK open 2pm PORTSMOUTH n HAMPSHIRE BLVD open till 2am n OLD VIC NUS night 7pm; food noon-5pm SOUTHAMPTON n EDGE Bar 150: DJ Lady Bex, Liam Searle, Cheeky Pete’s karaoke & WKD giveaways 10pm n LONDON HOTEL chillout; food noon-3pm THURSDAY 12 BOURNEMOUTH n CUMBERLAND HOTEL open 9am n DYMK open 2pm PORTSMOUTH n HAMPSHIRE BLVD karaoke till 2am n OLD VIC karaoke 8pm; food noon-5pm SOUTHAMPTON n EDGE Pure Pop: DJ Neil Sackley 11pm n LONDON HOTEL Karaoke Cruising: Pat Cruise 8.30pm; food noon-3pm; open noon FRIDAY 13 BOURNEMOUTH n CUMBERLAND HOTEL open 9am n DYMK open 2pm PORTSMOUTH n HAMPSHIRE BLVD DJ till 3am n OLD VIC food noon-5pm; party till 2am
SOUTHAMPTON n EDGE Get Some: DJs Lady Bex, Lohands, Rob Davies 10pm n LONDON HOTEL Fairylea: DJ Ruby Roo & CC Swan 10pm; food noon-3pm
PORTSMOUTH n OLD VIC Quiz 8pm; food noon-5pm SOUTHAMPTON n EDGE Bomb It!: video jukebox 11pm n LONDON HOTEL chillout; food noon-3pm
SATURDAY 14 BOURNEMOUTH n CUMBERLAND HOTEL open 9am n DYMK open 2pm
WEDNESDAY 18 BOURNEMOUTH n CUMBERLAND HOTEL open 9am n DYMK open 2pm PORTSMOUTH n HAMPSHIRE BLVD open till 2am n OLD VIC NUS night 7pm; food noon-5pm SOUTHAMPTON n EDGE Bar 150: DJ Lady Bex, Liam Searle, Cheeky Pete’s karaoke & WKD giveaways 10pm n LONDON HOTEL food 12-3pm; open 12
PORTSMOUTH n HAMPSHIRE BLVD DJ till 3am n OLD VIC food noon-5pm SOUTHAMPTON n EDGE The Big One: 3 bars & DJs 10pm n LONDON HOTEL Guilty Pleasures: DJ Pat Cruise & Jacquii Cann 10pm; food noon-3pm SUNDAY 15 BOURNEMOUTH n CUMBERLAND HOTEL Sunday lunch 12.30-2.30pm & 7-9pm; open 9am n DYMK open 2pm PORTSMOUTH n HAMPSHIRE BLVD karaoke till 2am n OLD VIC Sun lunch 1-5pm; open noon SOUTHAMPTON n EDGE Fundays: DJ Liam Searle 11pm n LONDON HOTEL Dolly Partem’s Sunday Service 8.30pm; Sally Vate 9.30pm; Sun lunch noon-3.30pm; open noon MONDAY 16 BOURNEMOUTH n CUMBERLAND HOTEL open 9am n DYMK open 2pm PORTSMOUTH n HAMPSHIRE BLVD DJ till 2am n OLD VIC food noon-5pm; open noon SOUTHAMPTON n LONDON HOTEL chillout; food noon-3pm TUESDAY 17 BOURNEMOUTH n CUMBERLAND HOTEL open 9am n DYMK open 2pm
THURSDAY 19 BOURNEMOUTH n CUMBERLAND HOTEL open 9am n DYMK open 2pm PORTSMOUTH n HAMPSHIRE BLVD karaoke till 2am n OLD VIC karaoke 8pm; food noon-5pm SOUTHAMPTON n EDGE Pure Pop: DJ Neil Sackley 11pm n LONDON HOTEL Karaoke Cruising: Pat Cruise 8.30pm; food noon-3pm; open noon FRIDAY 20 BOURNEMOUTH n CUMBERLAND HOTEL open 9am n DYMK open 2pm PORTSMOUTH n HAMPSHIRE BLVD DJ till 3am n OLD VIC food noon-5pm; party till 2am SOUTHAMPTON n EDGE Get Some: DJs Lady Bex, Lohands, Rob Davies, win £50 cash 10pm n LONDON HOTEL Fairylea: DJ Ruby Roo & Lola Lasagne 10pm; food noon-3pm SATURDAY 21 BOURNEMOUTH n CUMBERLAND HOTEL open 9am
GSCENE OUT & ABOUT 51
PAT CRUISE KARAOKE CRUISING
DAVE LYNN SUN (29)
SOLENT & BOURNEMOUTH
n DYMK open 2pm PORTSMOUTH n HAMPSHIRE BLVD DJ till 3am n OLD VIC food noon-5pm SOUTHAMPTON n EDGE The Big One: 3 bars, DJ Lee Harris & regs 10pm n LONDON HOTEL Guilty Pleasures: DJ Lucinda & Sam Solace 10pm; food noon-3pm SUNDAY 22 BOURNEMOUTH n CUMBERLAND HOTEL Sunday lunch 12.30-2.30pm & 7-9pm; open 9am n DYMK open 2pm PORTSMOUTH n HAMPSHIRE BLVD karaoke till 2am n OLD VIC Sun lunch 1-5pm; open noon SOUTHAMPTON n EDGE Fundays: DJ Liam Searle 10pm n LONDON HOTEL Dolly Partem’s Sunday Service 8.30pm; guest cabaret 9.30pm; Sun
lunch noon-3.30pm; open noon MONDAY 23 BOURNEMOUTH n CUMBERLAND HOTEL open 9am n DYMK open 2pm PORTSMOUTH n HAMPSHIRE BLVD DJ till 2am n OLD VIC food noon-5pm; open noon SOUTHAMPTON n LONDON HOTEL chillout; food noon-3pm TUESDAY 24 BOURNEMOUTH n CUMBERLAND HOTEL open 9am n DYMK open 2pm PORTSMOUTH n OLD VIC Quiz 8pm; food noon-5pm SOUTHAMPTON n EDGE Bomb It!: video jukebox 11pm n LONDON HOTEL chillout; food noon-3pm
WEDNESDAY 25 BOURNEMOUTH n CUMBERLAND HOTEL open 9am n DYMK open 2pm PORTSMOUTH n HAMPSHIRE BLVD open till 2am n OLD VIC NUS night 7pm; food noon-5pm SOUTHAMPTON n EDGE Bar 150: DJ Lady Bex, Liam Searle, Cheeky Pete’s karaoke & WKD giveaways 10pm n LONDON HOTEL food 12-3pm; open 12 THURSDAY 26 BOURNEMOUTH n CUMBERLAND HOTEL open 9am n DYMK open 2pm PORTSMOUTH n HAMPSHIRE BLVD karaoke till 2am n OLD VIC karaoke 8pm; food noon-5pm SOUTHAMPTON n EDGE Pure Pop: DJ Neil Sackley 11pm n LONDON HOTEL Karaoke Cruising: Pat Cruise 8.30pm; food noon-3pm; open noon FRIDAY 27 BOURNEMOUTH n CUMBERLAND HOTEL open 9am n DYMK open 2pm PORTSMOUTH n HAMPSHIRE BLVD DJ till 3am n OLD VIC food noon-5pm; party till 2am SOUTHAMPTON n EDGE Get Some Shag Tag: DJs Lady Bex, Lohands, Rob Davies 10pm n LONDON HOTEL Fairylea: DJ Ruby Roo & Saski 10pm; food noon-3pm
SATURDAY 28 BOURNEMOUTH n CUMBERLAND HOTEL open 9am n DYMK open 2pm PORTSMOUTH n HAMPSHIRE BLVD DJ till 3am n OLD VIC food noon-5pm; DJs all night SOUTHAMPTON n EDGE The Big One: 3 bars, DJ Tim Sanford & regs 10pm n LONDON HOTEL Guilty Pleasures: DJ Tiny & Eva La Diva 10pm; food noon-3pm SUNDAY 29 BOURNEMOUTH n CUMBERLAND HOTEL Sunday lunch 12.30-2.30pm & 7-9pm; open 9am n DYMK open 2pm PORTSMOUTH n HAMPSHIRE BLVD karaoke till 2am n OLD VIC Sun lunch 1-5pm; open noon SOUTHAMPTON n EDGE Fundays: DJ Liam Searle 10pm n LONDON HOTEL Dolly Partem’s Sunday Service 8.30pm; Dave Lynn 9.30pm; Sun lunch noon-3.30pm; open noon MONDAY 30 BOURNEMOUTH n CUMBERLAND HOTEL open 9am n DYMK open 2pm PORTSMOUTH n HAMPSHIRE BLVD DJ till 2am n OLD VIC food noon-5pm; open noon SOUTHAMPTON n LONDON HOTEL chillout; food noon-3pm
52 GSCENE
DANCE
MUSIC
BY QUEEN JOSEPHINE & KATE WILDBLOOD n This month’s “give me more of that beauty”: includes the Blimey, well after that weekend we stunning Teleport: Echo City by Murphy Jax on Chiwax. The lad are still in a proud recovery position. Talk about amazing; but has swallowed the best bits of disco, 80s electronica and house after every party must come the and delivered a venture so sound reality, unless of course you have some decent tunes in your ears and and addictive you’ll be first in his a post-Pride bounce in your heart. teleport. n Having been smitten with his Sail On release earlier this We, dear readers, have both. year, the arrival of Luca Lozano’s Life in Black and White on Klasse n The rather Recordings generated much girlie delicious (10 Years of) Virtue excitement in Queenie towers. & Vice by Slum Beautiful textured grooves that Science on Hudd sample wonders to glorious effect. Yum. n Equally delicious are the Traxx jacks a timeless grooves of Honey Dijon’s bass ridden punch that will insist compilation Classic Through The on your groove. n If you prefer Eyes Of: on Classic Music Company. sonic to soaring check out the Her selection of deep, jacking and trippy electronica of Wareika’s seminal house grasped us by the debut Wternal! on Visionquest. soul and won’t let go. Class. n As Chill just grew some. n For those are the choices who need their house Balearic, made by Cassy Bargrooves Ibiza 2013, with for fabric 71 on Dennis Ferrer, Noir & Sandy Rivera Fabric Records. and Finebassen on the menu is a Wow. If you late summer treat. n If like need something Queenie you remember clubbing to shake your foundations, charge way, way, way back when, then your night and then entice you Trevor Jackson’s Metal Dance back for more this is the one. Industrial, New Wave & EBM Stripped back hedonism anyone? Classics & Rarities 1981-1988 with tracks by Visage, Front 242 Catch Wildblood and Queenie at and Godley & Crème will fill you DSD and Disco Deviant. with more nostalgic joy than a www.perfectdistractions.com Curly Wurly. Genius.
REVIEWS
DJ PROFILE
An enthralling class combination of artist, remixer and vocalist
Well my little dancing cherubs, the nights may be getting a little longer now that September’s upon us, and with an Indian summer forecast, who better to work up a late seasonal sweat with than Mr Revenge himself? Queen Josephine talks top tunes, fantasy gigs and even philosophical thoughts from the lovely Alex Baker. Where do you play? Catch me at Club Revenge on Tuesdays and Saturdays and also on the occasional Thursday! DJing style? Crowd pleasing good times – it depends where I am, but on the Revenge main floor it's all about those big tracks that everyone wants to hear. But I keep the crowd on their toes by throwing in the odd curveball that they haven't heard for ages. Favourite song of all time? Marvin Gaye’s I Heard It Through The Grapevine Tune that always fills/rescues your dancefloor? 212 by Azaelia Banks (though a little part of me dies every time someone asks for it these days!) Ultimate dream gig? I always wanted to play Heaven when I was younger. Such a lot has changed on the London scene now, but it's still such an iconic club with an amazing heritage. Tune you wish you’d never played? I don't regret playing anything. As someone once said to me, “it's not brain surgery, if you get it wrong, nobody dies”. If a DJ never gets something wrong, it means they never take risks, so will get stale quickly. Guilty pleasure? The Macarena. Your best ever gig? It's got to be Revenge. I think it must be about five years since I started here so it's sort of become a little part of me! Tell us a secret! I ain't no gossip!
Wild Fruit tent magic from London’s finest lasses.
TOP 5 TUNES
WILDBLOOD & QUEENIE’S SEPTEMBER 12”S n FRANCESCA LOMBARDO What To Do Crosstown Rebels
Slice of heaven that will ensure all is well in the world.
n JAYMO & ANDY GEORGE Remember (Original Mix) Moda Black
A deep house groove that ensures a wiggle is had
n JULIAN M We Are Young Catwash Records
Queenie DSD fav that rocked the terrace all Pride long
n PET SHOP BOYS Vocal (Flashmob Mix) X2
The boys are back and they are sounding good
n ADAM SHELTON ft FRANCESCA LOMBARDO Mirrors One Records n SE-SA v RUDIMENTAL Waiting All My Life White n MAYFLY ft AMY SKIPPINGS Kiwi Needwant
Haunting, heartfelt stuff that will stay long after your lover leaves n HAUSWERKS Worth The Wait Moda Black 4am soundtrack that delivers a sweaty dancefloor high n FRANCESCO ROSSI Paper Aeroplanes Strictly Rhythm Is there a producer more on form than MK right now? We think not. n SLAVA SUPINSKY A Good Thing (Original Mix) Kidology Right decent house from the Kidology stable.
n MILEY CYRUS We Can't Stop RCA n BREACH Jack Dirtybird Records n ONE DIRECTION Best Song Ever Syco/Columbia n ELLIE GOULDING Burn Polydor n RUDIMENTAL ft Foxes Right Here Asylum Records
Get yourselves down to Revenge to hear Alex on Tuesdays, Saturdays and the occasional Thursday. And try not to ask for Azaelia Banks!
GSCENE 53
CHARLIE’S
KITCHEN BY CHARLIE NYEREYEGONA
CHARLIE’S RECIPES Here are some easy to prepare recipes that I love to eat when I’m entertaining and don’t want to spend hours in the kitchen. Hope you like them. Enjoy! SUMMER LAMB KEBABS Ingredients • 4 lamb leg steaks (approx 400g) • 1 tbsp honey • 1 tbsp tomato puree • 2 large cloves garlic • 1 large onion • 4 chunks fresh pineapple
(serves 4) • 1 tbsp apricot jam • 2 tbsp soy • 1 tbsp sunflower oil • 1 large green pepper • 4 chunks fresh mango • bunch fresh rosemary
Method: Light the barbecue! Soak wooden kebab skewers in cold water to prevent them from burning. Peel the onion and cut the lamb, onion and pepper into large chunks. Place in a large bowl and add the pineapple and mango chunks. Mix together the jam, honey, soy, tomato puree and sunflower oil. Peel and crush the garlic, add to the marinade, pour over the meat and mix together, making sure the meat, onion and pepper chunks are coated well. Cover with cling film and leave to marinate in the fridge for at least 20 minutes, the longer the better! Place lamb chunks, onions, peppers and fruit alternately on skewers and place evenly on the barbie. Cook on each side for approx 4 to 5 minutes, basting with any extra juices until char grilled on the outside but tender within. To serve: Place two kebabs on each plate and accompany with a refreshing salad of avocado, tomato and mint. GRILLED LEMON & CORIANDER CHICKEN Ingredients (Serves 3-4) • 1 large free range chicken (cut into pieces) • bunch fresh coriander (roughly chopped) • bunch fresh mint (roughly chopped) • 4 large bulbs fresh garlic (peeled & finely chopped) • 1 large piece root ginger (peeled & finely chopped) • juice of a lemon • lemon wedges • tbsp sunflower oil • salt & pepper to taste Method: Reserve a little of the coriander and mint for garnish. Grind the rest of the coriander, mint, ginger and garlic together with a pestle and mortar or food processor. Throughout the process regularly add the oil and lemon juice to make a smooth paste. Place the chicken pieces into a bowl and cover well with the mixture. Cover with cling film and allow to marinate in the fridge for at least ½ an hour. Heat the grill and cook the chicken pieces for about 10 minutes on each side. Remove from the grill pan and allow to rest for a few minutes. Arrange chicken on plates, pour over juices, garnish with chopped mint and coriander. Serve with fresh crusty bread and a green salad with avocado
MARINATED TUNA STEAKS WITH NOODLES Ingredients (Serves 2) • 2 x 200g tuna steaks • 1 packet straight to wok fresh flat noodles (available in supermarkets and Asian stores) • 1 medium bunch broccoli (finely chopped) • 2 green birds eye chillies (roughly chopped) – optional • 1 bunch spring onions (finely sliced) • 1 good handful fresh coriander (finely chopped) • 1 large clove garlic (crushed) • 1 tsp honey • ½ tsp soy • ½ tsp French mustard • 1 tbsp sesame oil • olive oil • salt & pepper to taste Method: Combine coriander honey, soy, mustard and garlic in a blender. Add the tuna steaks and marinate for 10 minutes. Meanwhile brush a griddle pan with a little olive oil and heat over a high heat. Remove the tuna steaks from the marinade and sear in the griddle pan (about 2 minutes on each side). Reduce the heat and pour over the remaining marinade and allow to simmer for about a minute. Remove from the heat and cover loosely with tin foil to keep warm. Meanwhile heat a wok or deep frying pan over a high heat and add the sesame oil. Fry the spring onions (keep some for decoration) for about 30 seconds, add the chopped broccoli and green chillies and fry for a further minute. Add the noodles and gently mix together for a further 2 -3 minutes.
To serve: Divide the noodles evenly between plates and arrange a tuna steak on top. Spoon over some marinade and sprinkle over some spring onion to finish. For recipe ideas or cookery questions, contact me at: tastydelish@hotmail.com
54 GSCENE
ARTS EDDIE IZZARD
DAVID WATTS’ SILENT MOVIE EXPERIENCE
BY MICHAEL HOOTMAN
BRIGHTON CENTRE Kings Rd, Brighton, Box office: 0844 847 1515 www.brightoncentre.co.uk n JOE BONAMASSA - LIVE IN CONCERT (Sat 28). Bonamassa will perform songs from his classic albums including Sloe Gin, Dust Bowl, Black Rock, The Ballad of John Henry, and Driving Towards The Daylight. “Bonamassa is the new messiah for guitar music lovers.” The Sun
Girls), but their newfound liberation doesn't make them any happier. Presented by queer film group, Eyes Wide Open.
EMPORIUM DUKE OF YORK’S CINEMA Preston Circus, Brighton Box office: 0871 902 5728 n WOMEN IN REVOLT (Sun 29). Paul Morrissey's satire of the women's liberation movement stars a trio of female impersonators: Candy Darling, Jackie Curtis and Holly Woodlawn. Candy is an aloof heiress caught in an unhappy relationship with her brother. Jackie is a virginal intellectual who believes women are oppressed in contemporary American society. And Holly is a nymphomaniac who has come to loathe men, despite her attraction to them. Together, they join a militant feminist group, P.I.G. (Politically Involved
88 London Road, Brighton www.emporiumbrighton.com n RAGROOF TEA DANCE - A SWINGING AFFAIR (Sun 1). This three-hour participatory event features authentic vintage music, glamorous costumes and glorious dance displays. Ragroof's unique instant dance classes in a number of popular dance rhythms provides a chance for everyone to trip the light fantastic.
n THE SILENT MOVIE EXPERIENCE (Sun 8 & 15). How did comic geniuses such as Charlie Chaplin create their masterpieces? How do the professionals throw custard pies? Is it safe to sit in the front row? David Watts provides all the answers, plays live music to silent movie favourites, creates live sound effects and invites his audience to participate in this wildly chaotic show. n MORLINGTON MYSTERIES: EPISODE 2 (Sun 8). Welcome to Morlington Hill, a sleepy Cornish village in which not a week passes without a hideous death in mysterious circumstances. 368 Theatre Company present a new episode every month, challenging you to solve the crime and win a bottle of bubbly – a murderous soap opera that will have you coming back for more again and again! “Stunning performance which cleverly combined some serious and convincing acting with a light, soufflé style approach” West Sussex County Times n HAVE A WORD (Wed 18). A monthly event presented by Ellis
Collins celebrating spoken word, music, art and literature mostly but not exclusively performed by members of the LGBTQ community. Each event showcases the work of known and unknown artist and writers, some who may never have been published or heard. Performers this month include: Godphotography BG (artist and photographer); Lucas Luca (writer and artist); Elaine Axten (storyteller and blogger); Peter Daniels (author, poet and historian); plus open Mic slots of 5 minutes. Music supplied by resident DJ Josh the Barber. Tickets £6, early bird 10% discount tickets, emporiumbrighton.com/. Supporting The Sussex Beacon with collection box.
GSCENE 55 and the place of ‘deviant’ desires in society today. Artist talk-back after each show! “The most intimate and insightful theatre experience you're likely to have, in more ways than one.” roverarts.com. n COWARD (Thu 12–Sat 14). Set during the height of Noël Coward's fame in the 1930s, James Martin Charlton's play looks at the writer's relationship with a
n THE POWER OF THE DOODLE (Thu 26). As part of the Brighton Digital Festival, this 60-minute workshop delves into the powerful act of doodle-creation.
KOMEDIA
PINK FRINGE www.pinkfringe.org.uk The autumn season of the queer and LGBT arts festival is at the Marlborough Theatre, Princes Street and the Nightingale Theatre, Surrey Street.
SHAZIA MIRZA
PHONE WHORE
Gardner Street, Brighton Box office: 0845 293 8480 www.komedia.co.uk n BENT DOUBLE (Sun 1). An irreverent night of fun and frolics hosted by Zoe Lyons (Mock The Week and Michael McIntyre's Comedy Roadshow). Headliner: the sharp tongued Shazia Mirza, makes a welcome return with
Robert White (“Manic, camp and mildly afflicted… absolutely cracking gags.” Chortle) and Holly Walsh (Mock The Week, Buzzcocks and 8 Out Of 10 cats).
MARLBOROUGH THEATRE 4 Princes St, Brighton www.brownpapertickets.com n PHONE WHORE (Wed 4 & Thur 5). Truth and taboo collide in this intimate, one-hour visit with a phone sex operator. Listen closely: she may change your views on sex forever. A slice-of-life comedy/drama, Phone Whore invites audiences in for an unflinching look at taboo, fantasy,
struggling young actor named Leonard who is initially star struck and taken in by Noël’s charm and wit. Lured away from his girlfriend and his faith, Leonard is seduced by the lifestyle Noël promises him. But will Leonard ever become the great actor he always wanted to be, or is the part Noël has in mind for him more amorous than it is theatrical? All the while, events are observed and stage-managed by Noël's personal assistant, Cole Lesley, the epitome of the good and faithful servant. n GOBLIN MARKET (Fri 27 & Sat 28). Christina Rossetti's darkly sensuous poem, accompanied by masked play and puppetry, with an improvised soundscape and a backdrop of abstract film, all weaving a dreamlike spell.
THE WORST OF SCOTTEE
MR PINEAPPLE HEAD
GOBLIN MARKET
ROSEMARY ASHE
n THE LAST WINTER OF DANI LANCING (Sun 15). Book launch for PD Viner's thriller. Something very bad happened to Dani Lancing. Twenty years later, her father is still trying to get her to talk. Her best friend has become a detective, the last hope of all the lost girls. And her mother is about to become a killer. “Brilliant... audacious, clever and bold’ Sophie Hannah; ‘An exciting thriller... deeply moving. A hugely impressive debut” Mark Billingham n MR PINEAPPLE HEAD (Sat 21). Let Mr Pineapple Head take you on a rollercoaster ride of clown beauty and mayhem. Mr Head works in the style of a silent clown, performing physical comedy and slapstick routines to music. This delightful and funny clown show combines a good old fashioned children’s entertainer with modern visual comedy.
NIGHTINGALE THEATRE Grand Central Bar, Surrey St, Brighton n THE WORST OF SCOTTEE (Sat 14). Scottee encounters past flames, ex-friends and people who no longer like him in an attempt to find out where he went wrong. ‘“Witty and accessible, frightening and wondrous in equal measure” WhatsOnStage.
56 GSCENE
ART
M AT T E R S BY ENZO MARRA
For September I’ve sourced a pair of opportunities in Brighton for you to view and experience the arts in two widely differing ways.
Corn Exchange, Brighton www.brightonartfair.co.uk n The BRIGHTON ART FAIR (Fri 20 11am–8pm, Sat 21 10am–6pm, Sun 22 10am–5pm) is celebrating its 10th year and is bringing together over 100 contemporary artists from the UK and abroad. The selected artists include Geoff Hands, with his abstractly painted imagery that relate to land and seascapes, and Dong LiBlackwell with her sparely suggested feminine nudes. Tickets are available in advance for £6 or on the door for £7.50 (children under 14 free). Private View tickets (6–8.30pm, Thurs 19) cost £12 and include an exhibitor catalogue.
PHOENIX GALLERY 10–14 Waterloo Place, Brighton, BN2 9NB Tel: 01273 603700, www.phoenixarts.org n At the nearby Phoenix Gallery is a very different experience, MUTATOR 1 + 2: EVOLUTIONARY ART by William Latham (Sept 7–Oct 13). William Latham was one of the first UK artists in the 1980s to create computer art, and he rapidly gained an international reputation as a pioneer in the field. His work blending organic imagery and computer animation, using software modelled upon the processes of evolution. Mutator 1 + 2 is Latham’s first major exhibition in the UK in over twenty years, and includes his early hand-drawn work, large computer generated Cibachrome prints, video art and his most recent interactive projected imagery that explores and embodies evolutionary processes, physical and virtual space. After working in the computer games industry for thirteen years, Latham returned to research and academia as Professor of Computer Art at Goldsmiths, University of London, where he works with Professor Frederic Fol Leymarie. His recent interactive video projections and webbased programmes draw upon his most recent work undertaken at Goldsmiths, and they allow viewers to participate in and witness the process of evolution in a direct and intuitive way, whether this takes place within a gallery setting in Brighton or online from across the world. Sue Gollifer (curator for ACM SIGGRAPH international computer graphics, ArCade 1-V11, and director of ISEA International Headquarters) brings Latham’s creative work from over three decades to Phoenix Brighton as part of this year’s Brighton Digital Festival. As part of Mutator 1 + 2, Gollifer has commissioned the artist to create a large scale Retro-Form Synth drawing directly on the gallery walls. This piece will link together the various aspects of Latham’s unique career and serve as an entry point to his body of work while also revealing the scope and range of his works.
2013 WORLD SUICIDE PREVENTION EXHIBITION Jubilee Square, Brighton n GRASSROOTS SUICIDE PREVENTION are hosting a free, outdoor photographic exhibition in Jubilee Square, outside Brighton Library (Mon 9–Fri 13). The photographs by Eva Voutsaki are portraits of people holding anti-stigma signs and also more intimate portraits of people directly affected by suicide. The exhibition is part of a series of events organised by Grassroots Suicide Prevention to mark World Suicide Prevention Day (Sept 10), and to celebrate their work towards making Brighton & Hove a ‘Suicide Safer City’. The theme for World Suicide Prevention this year is Stigma: A Major Barrier To Suicide Prevention (www.iasp.info/wspd/). Grassroots say stigma can be fatal as it can prevent people in need from reaching out and asking for help. We can collectively reduce stigma through taking part in, and talking about, events such as this. Grassroots Suicide Prevention is a small charity based in Brighton, who provide mental health and suicide prevention training courses. For more info about Grassroots, view: www.prevent-suicide.org.uk For more info about Eva Voutsaki, view: www.evavoutsaki.com
BRIGHTON DRAWS MEN Friends’ Meeting House, Ship Street, Brighton n As Brighton Draws Men sharpens its pencils for its second meeting in September (12–3pm, Sat 14), organiser Ian Shepherd explained the purpose of the group; “It's the life-drawing group where the model is always male. I set the group up for two reasons. I had been going to various groups for ages and it became obvious there was a definite lack of male models, maybe one or two classes out of 10 featured a male model. Secondly I was sitting next to a young student in Pompoko, where you can't help but overhear other people's conversations. It was his firmly held belief that the male form could not hold any appeal and that only female bodies were worthy of capturing. I loved that he held that opinion so forthrightly but I felt I had to challenge his ignorance. Plus I like drawing guys!” CHRIS
GEOFF HANDS
BRIGHTON ART FAIR
Brighton Draws Men is open to all levels of experience, professional and amateur, male and female, gay and straight. Simply bring your materials along and an open attitude. Our model this month, Chris, is a personal trainer so those looking to draw good musculature will have a challenge. Brighton Draws Men, Friends’ Meeting House, Ship Street, Brighton, 12–3pm, Sat 14 September, cost £10. For more info, email: contact@iantheanimator.co.uk, or view: www.meetup.com/Brighton-Draws-Men/
GSCENE 57
BY NICK BOSTON
REVIEWS n The Brodsky Quartet have
released In the South, a collection of works designed to evoke a sense of sun, passion and dance. The largest work here, and central to the disc’s programme is Verdi’s (1813-1901) Quartetto, his only string quartet, in fact his only extant chamber composition. Despite the fact that Verdi rather talked it down, it is a strong work, showing his excellent command of sonata form, as well as a more expected capacity for melodic invention, and ends with a triumphant fugal finale. Prior to this, the Quartet give us the Italian Serenade from Hugo Wolf (1860-1903), followed by Puccini’s (1858-1924) touching Cristantemi (Chrysanthemums). The Italian Serenade is full of joy and playful dance, in contrast to the heart-rending sadness of Cristantemi, and both are
performed here with consummate ease. After the Verdi, we have La Oración Del Torero (The Toreador’s Prayer) by Spanish composer Joaquín Turina (1882-1949), an enjoyable one movement programmatic work for string quartet, evoking the scene of a bullfighter praying and receiving the holy sacrament before entering the bull-ring. Then comes a great mature work, Four, for Tango by Astor Piazzolla (1921-1992), originally written for the Kronos Quartet. This shows how far Piazzolla took his own Nuevo Tango, with extremes of dissonance and rhythmic effect. They end the disc with viola player, Paul Cassidy’s arrangement of two movements from the 24 Caprices for solo violin by Nicolò Paganini (1782-1840). The slow, sixth caprice is followed by the famous final theme and variations. The arrangements work remarkably well, although the virtuosity is diluted in the sixth, where the challenging multiple stopping is spread out between the
CONCERTS BRIGHTON DOME NICOLA BENEDETTI
Tel: 01273 709709, www.brightondome.org n Violinist Nicola Benedetti comes to Brighton (7.30pm, Sun 15), with cellist Leonard Elschenbroich and pianist Alexei Grynyuk, to perform music by Korngold, Mahler and Tchaikovsky, and other works from her best-selling CD, The Silver Violin.
ST LUKE’S CHURCH
CYRILL IBRAHIM
Queen’s Park Road, Brighton www.stlukesconcerts.webeden.co.uk n Dutch pianist Cyrill Ibrahim performs Beethoven, Debussy, Rachmaninov and Chopin (7.30pm, Fri 13), and the current concert series ends with a Charity Gala Concert in aid of the Neighbourhood Care Scheme (7.30pm, Fri 27).
THE WESTERN LAWNS Eastbourne
n PROMS ON THE LAWNS – why not watch the BBC’s Last Night of the
Proms (Sat 7) on a Big Screen? There’s also a performance by the Ensemble Reza beforehand (3.45pm), and a Fireworks Finale afterwards. Gates open 3pm, tickets £12.
CONGRESS THEATRE Winter Garden, 14 Compton St, Eastbourne, BN21 4BP Tel: 01323 412000, www.eastbournetheatres.co.uk n Opera & Ballet International present Verdi’s Nabucco (7.30pm, Fri 27) and Aida (7.30pm, Sat 28)
CINEMA
PETER GRIMES
NOTES
unaccompanied opening and quieter passages of the fourth section, this is a convincing and dramatic performance, and McNeff’s imaginative and varied orchestration add to an accessible yet engaging work. The final work, n Back in March, Secret Destinations, was dedicated I was sent a to McNeff’s friend, the poet Charles wonderful CD of Causley, who died in 2003, and mezzo soprano represents three places of Clare McCaldin significance to Causley – the Rocky singing music by Mountains, the Basilica in Assisi, British composer Stephen McNeff and Eden Rock. Once again, (b.1951) – you can find a review of McNeff’s varied use of the orchestra this on my blog. On the back of creates constant interest, this, I’ve been listening to a CD of particularly his use of percussion his larger scale orchestral works, and the brass section. Overall, a performed by the Bournemouth great showcase for a British Symphony Orchestra, conducted by composer I would definitely like to Dominic Wheeler. Between 2005 & hear more from. Dutton Epoch 2007, McNeff was composer in CDLX7301 residence with the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra (BSO), during Marin Alsop’s tenure as Principal Conductor. All four pieces on this n Britten’s PETER GRIMES, CD were written then, and performed on the beach at premièred in Bournemouth. The Aldeburgh this June, wowed the first work, Sinfonia, is in three critics, and is now being shown on movements, with a mysterious the big screen at Duke’s At The opening (Quietly and Oddly), followed by a beautifully warm and lyrical slow movement, with touches of Copland or even John Adams. The final movement, Boisterous, has a real sense of fun, making great use of the percussion section. Apparently, the brief for this was to ‘make it lyrical and fun’, Komedia, Brighton (8.30pm, Thurs which this definitely is. 5) Tel: 0871 902 5728, Heiligenstadt was composed to www.picturehouses.co.uk and accompany Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony in concert, and the title Cineworld, Eastbourne (7.30pm, Thurs 5 Sept) Tel: 0871 200 2000, refers to the Heiligenstadt Testament, which Beethoven wrote www.cineworld.co.uk at the height of his despair about his deafness. McNeff uses brief, poignant and almost longing references to various Beethoven songs, which build to a climax, with jubilant horns claiming victory, before the work subsides into an uneasy close, almost in preparation for Beethoven’s Fifth to follow. For n The Royal Opera House kick off their new cinema season with a live Weathers, the BSO are joined by the Bournemouth Symphony Chorus, relay of Puccini’s Turandot (7.15pm, in a work drawing on the poetry of Tues 17) in a range of local cinemas, including: Duke’s at the Thomas Hardy. Sadly, the CD does Komedia (Brighton, Tel: 0871 902 not include the words – I had to look them up, as the words are not 5728, www.picturehouses.co.uk) and Connaught Cinema (Worthing, always clear from the otherwise Tel: 01903 206206, proficient chorus. This is a great www.worthingtheatres.co.uk). showcase choral work, with some Cast includes Lise Lindstrom challenging moments for the (Turandot) and Marco Berti (Prince chorus. It’s good to know that Calaf) in a spectacular production composers such as McNeff, and by Andrei Serban. notably others such as Jonathan Dove, are still composing ambitious Reviews, comments and events: works for large chorus and nicks-classical-notes.blogspot.co.uk orchestra. With only occasional Email: nbclassical@hotmail.co.uk tuning issues, mainly in the
instruments. However, the range of effects on display in the finale is great fun, and this finishes off another enjoyable programme from these great players. Chandos CHAN10761
TURANDOT
CLASSICAL
58 GSCENE
FILM
BY MICHAEL HOOTMAN
MORE THAN HONEY Dir: Markus Imhoof Stars: Fred Jaggi, Randolf Menzel, John Miller Plot: An in-depth look at honeybee colonies in California, Switzerland, China and Australia. Word on net: “What's really frightening about Honey isn't what a hive of angry bees might do to us, but what we've done to them.” n “Without any preachiness, this magically beautiful film urges us to take better care of the bees, and honor the irreplaceable things that they do for us.” n “A curious, audacious mix of personal essay film and nature documentary.” n “May be the most visually beautiful documentary ever made.”
PAIN & GAIN Dir: Michael Bay Stars: Mark Wahlberg, Dwayne Johnson, Anthony Mackie Plot: A trio of bodybuilders in Florida get caught up in an extortion ring and a kidnapping scheme that goes terribly wrong. Word on net: “In between scenes of the muscleheads torturing their victim, Bay indulges his taste for treating women as sluts and grisly brutality as a nifty excuse for a cheap laugh.” n “Strongly recommend if you don't overvalue taste, subtlety, and moral decency.” n “Like a giant sculpture that is so strange and off-putting, it's instantly, intriguingly postmodern.”
Word on net: “A singularly thrillless thriller which, nevertheless, is lovely to look at.” n “Gem of a psychological thriller is far superior to Minghella's 1999 remake.” n “Presents Ripley's actions with little editorializing and the film is both laid-back and taut at the same time.”
NO ONE LIVES Dir: Ryûhei Kitamura Stars: Luke Evans, Adelaide Clemens, Derek Magyar
films don't come much more formulaic that this.” n “Film's hysteria, dysfunction and mendacity...and its idiotic culture of popular patriotism feels strikingly authentic to our historical moment.” n “Exactly what you'd expect, only louder and dumber.”
THANKS FOR SHARING Dir: Stuart Blumberg Stars: Mark Ruffalo, Gwyneth Paltrow, Tim Robbins
too much more from the first feature film by a young director.” n “A delightful comedy that goes a long way on the strength of its very likeable cast.”
ALSO OUT.
n Richard (Four Weddings and a
Plot: Three people undergo a 12step treatment for sex addiction. Word on net: “The film can't quite find its footing as either a drama or a comedy, and near the end it's actively sliding off the rails.” n “Ultimately felled by a lamentable emphasis on almost eye-rollingly conventional and hackneyed elements.” n “There's a generous pinch of very funny lines, mostly bestowed on Robbins.” n “At least in the end, we'll always have Shame.”
Funeral) Curtis's latest, ABOUT TIME, is a sci-fi rom com. At the age of 21, Tim discovers he can travel in time and change what happens and has happened in his own life. He decides to make his world a better place by getting a girlfriend. Stars Domhnall Gleeson, Bill Nighy and Rachel McAdams. n Fernando Trueba's THE ARTIST AND THE MODEL stars Jean Rochefort, Aida Folch and Claudia Cardinale. In occupied France a famous old sculptor who is tired of life and wars finds the desire to work on his last masterpiece when a beautiful young Spanish girl seeks refuge after escaping a refugee camp.
IN A WORLD... Dir: Lake Bell Stars: Lake Bell, Fred Melamed, Demetri Martin Plot: An underachieving vocal coach is motivated by her father, the king of movie-trailer voicePlot: A gang of ruthless highway overs, to pursue her aspirations of n Woody Allen's BLUE JASMINE killers kidnap a wealthy couple has the usual impressive line-up of becoming a voiceover star. travelling cross country only to stars: Cate Blanchett, Alec shockingly discover that things are Word on net: “To call Lake Bell a Baldwin, Sally Hawkins. But will magnetic, intelligent, blithely not what they seem. screwball leading lady in the Carole the drama of a woman travelling to Word on net: “Director's latest Lombard tradition might be selling San Francisco to reconnect with genre bloodbath is par for the course, in spite of the occasionally her short.” n “Funny, touching and her sister be another 'return to form' for the auteur? flourish of interesting subtext.” n warm-hearted, you can't ask for “Genuinely striking and unnerving, the film manages to ramp up the fright factor to overly intense levels.” n “Bloody, artistically n Naomi Watts stars as DIANA in bankrupt thriller.” a biopic which looks at the princess's campaign against land WHITE HOUSE DOWN mines and her relationship with Dir: Roland Emmerich surgeon Dr Hasnat Khan. Stars: Channing Tatum, Jamie n To win two tickets to the Odeon Foxx, Maggie Gyllenhaal Brighton send the answer to the Plot: While on a tour of the White following question to Gscene Film House with his young daughter, a Competition, 111 Western Rd, Hove, BN3 1DD: Capitol policeman springs into Name the character that has been played by Fay Wray, Jessica Lange action to save his child and and Watts. protect the president from a heavily armed group of August Competition: HARD CANDY. paramilitary invaders. Word on net: “Formula action
FILM C O M P E T I T I O N
PLEIN SOLIEL Dir: René Clément Stars: Alain Delon, Maurice Ronet, Marie Laforêt Plot: A young sociopath is charged with bringing a millionaire's wayward son back from the States. Instead, he steals the son's life. Reissue for the 1960 French adaptation of Patricia Highsmith's The Talented Mr Ripley.
GSCENE 59
ARTS
BOOKS B Y E R I C PAG E
n JAZZ, NEW YORK IN THE
n SEX WORKS, Del LaGrace
ROARING TWENTIES, illustrated and edited by Robert Nippoldt, text by Hans-Jürgen Schaal (£34.99, Taschen). This awardwinning book pays homage to this exceptional era, in an entertaining blend of illustrations, facts, and amusing anecdotes presenting 24 leading lights of New York’s jazz scene in the 1920s, complete with a CD of some of their best tunes. It covers the period in some detail but without too much clutter, giving a clear overview of the racial politics, economic background and social reasons as to why jazz flourished at this time. Each page explores the career of a different singer/musician using neat icons to show the who/where /what of their musical lives. The information is displayed using uncomplicated graphics showing interconnections and facts. The illustrations and graphics are a delight and so is the quality of the paper - it’s as much fun to touch as to read. The CD features a track from each singer/musician so you get to hear some of the less familiar artists as well as unfamiliar tracks from the well known names.
Volcano (£17.99, sales@gaystheword.co.uk) I had a photo on my bedroom wall of a very sexy man for years until a helpful lesbian friend pointed out it was a woman, it was a Del LaGrace picture. In this new photo essay book, legendary alternative photographer and gender artist Del LaGrace shows us sexy people, rather than labels and it’s a page turner for all the right reasons. Del LaGrace returns with a photographic anthology exploring the world of LGBT sexual encounters. Queer and transgender sex practices are documented in this stunning and well crafted collection of images. The result of years of active participation in,
Brimming with unforgettable characters, this extraordinary coming-of-age story reminds you that sometimes it takes courage (and the odd Disney song) to be the person you were meant to be.
erotic and dreamlike story of looming personal crisis is a remarkable portrait of hidden lives. n THE SILVER AGE OF DC COMICS
1956-1970, Paul Levitz (£34.99, Taschen). Following on from The Golden Age of DC Comics, Levitz, comic fan, writer of more than 300 stories and former DC president and publisher, looks at how DC redefined and rebooted their super heroes for the space age by infusing them with science fiction elements and ever more fantastical storylines. This was partly to get around the censorship of the Comics Code Authority, formed in 1954 to cut down on graphic or sexualised content in comics, and partly the influence of a new generation of editors, writers and artists coming up through the DC ranks whose youthful vibrance reflected the sweeping societal changes of the 1960s. There is an exclusive interview with Green
n THE OTHERS, Seba Al-Herz
and documentation of, the dyke, queer, trans and intersexual scenes in London and San Francisco, Sex Works is a colourful, provocative and explicitly revealing exploration of trans-queer boundaries. n GYPSY BOY ON THE RUN by
I was impressed by this book for many reasons: it’s novel but effective sharing of information but aso the quality of the book itself, from the design and typography to illustrations and to its feel. This would make a great present for someone who has an interest in jazz or the development of American music during the 1920s or for someone who simply loves a well designed and executed object.
the outside world isn't all he expected. After learning that his father had put a contract out on him and that he was being hunted down by gangs of thugs determined to claim their reward, Mikey realises that life will never be the same again.
Mikey Walsh (£6.99). The story of his escape from a violent upbringing, Gypsy Boy, became a number one bestseller. Stephen Fry said he would never forget it and Dermot O’Leary compared him with author Frank McCourt (Angela’s Ashes). This is the next book about the perils of escaping from a secret world. Mikey is a Romany Gypsy living in a caravan on sites across the UK. He adores his family and the rich vibrant Romany culture he had inherited, but eventually he is forced to make a heartbreaking decision - to stay and keep secrets, or escape and find somewhere to finally belong. He quickly discovers that life in
(£9.99, sales@gaystheword.co.uk). This book has a cult following in its original Arabic and is a stunning literary powerhouse showing us a secret world within the most secluded and repressive cultures on Earth. Al-Herz tells the story of a nameless teenage girl, who is at a girl’s school in Saudi Arabia. Like all the other girls at her school she has no contact with men outside her family. When the glamorous Dai tries to seduce her, her feelings of guilt are overcome by an overwhelming desire for sexual and emotional intimacy. Dai introduces her to a secret world of lesbian parties, online flirtations and hotel liaisons - a world in which the thrill of infatuation and the shame of obsession are deeply intertwined. Al-Herz’s sensual,
Lantern/Batman artist Neal Adams, whose superb draughtsmanship and revolutionary sense of design and colour helped to shake up the stale characters of the DC universe. Adams’ dynamic style was unlike anything seen in American comics at that time and helped lead Batman away from the camp of 1966 hit TV show towards the Dark Knight Detective era. Characters documented in this installment include Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, The Flash, Green Lantern, Hawkman and Sgt Rock along with anecdotes and behind-the-scenes stories of those who created them. It’s jam-packed with hundreds of gorgeous colour reproductions of comic covers, pages, panels, original illustrations, photographs, film stills and collectibles. This is an absolute treat for comics fans. The Silver Age of DC Comics is part of a series, so make room on your bookshelf for the Bronze, Dark, and Modern ages!
60 GSCENE
GEEK
SCENE
BY CRAIG STORRIE
COMICS IN A GALAXY FAR FAR AWAY... Being such a massive geek I love so many different characters, stories, and franchises but out of everything I am passionate about it’s Star Wars that will always be my first love. Ever since I saw the first Star Wars on TV at Christmas when I was three I’ve been madly obsessed about that galaxy far far away. At first it was because I loved the idea of light sabers; the way that they move and sound called out to me but as I got older I began to appreciate everything else including the story, the music and even the costumes and set design. By the time I reached my teenage years I was hooked and absorbing everything Star Wars related from novels and soundtracks to comics and video games. So I thought why not share some of my favourite Star Wars comic books which I think everyone should experience beginning with the fantastic Knights of the Old Republic. Set almost 4,000 years before the Star Wars films, Knights of the Old Republic or KOTOR follows the story of Zayne Carrick, a young Padawan (Jedi in training) who is tasked with capturing a notorious smuggler Gryph which will allow him to be promoted to Jedi Knight at the next graduation ceremony. After numerous hurdles along the way, Zayne manages to capture Gryph, but is late to the graduation ceremony. Upon arriving back at the academy, Zayne is horrified to find the Jedi Masters standing over the slain corpses of his fellow Padawans!
GAYMING STAR WARS GAMES Ever since the first Star Wars film was released back in 1977 there have been games based around the franchise. Today if you can think of a genre then you can bet that there’s a Star Wars game firmly planted within that niche. In celebration of the forthcoming Episode 7 and the new Star Wars animated series Rebels, here’s a list all of my favourite Star Wars games ever made (in no particular order). Whilst it’s not part of the main series, XWing vs TIE Fighter has many technical improvements over earlier games in the franchise. The biggest inclusion, and why it’s on my list, is the fantastic multiplayer for up to eight players in various different modes. It’s the only game in the series designed specifically for multiplay and why it’s so highly regarded. It’s the perfect example of how multiplayer modes should be implemented into games. Like most geeks, many of us have dreamed of having a lightsaber or being a Jedi or a Sith (depending on your leanings). Jedi Knight: Jedi Outcast is possibly the best game ever to release your inner Jedi. Taking control of Kyle Katarn, a man who has abandoned his Jedi training since the previous game Jedi Knight, you must reignite your special abilities and reclaim your lightsaber to save your partner Jan Ors from the latest Jedi who wishes to become a true Sith Lord. Jedi Outcast still looks and sounds amazing and an incredible thrill ride in single player but it’s within multiplay where the game truly shines. It also features possibly the best lightsaber combat system in any game easy to get the hang of but difficult to truly master.
This begins a 50-issue cat and mouse series with the Jedi Masters trying to track down Zayne and stop him from discovering the truth about why they murdered his friends. The series is fantastically written and beautifully drawn with so many twists and turns that leave you dying to keep reading just to see what direction the story will flow next. If KOTOR is too far away from the main Star Wars story then Dark Empire might be the comic for you. This new trilogy follows the adventures of Luke, Leia and Han after the events of Return Of The Jedi as they strive to defeat the remnants of the Empire that was left after the death of the Emperor. Little do they know that Palpatine has returned in a slowly dying clone body and desires to reclaim his Empire as well as converting Luke Skywalker to the Dark Side of the Force. Also Leia must protect her unborn child from Palpatine as he tries to possess her son who will grow up to be extremely powerful in the Force. Dark Empire’s strengths come from the familiarity of the characters as well as being a continuation of the story of the original trilogy. Seeing Luke try to succeed where his father failed is a truly gripping story and the art is moody and enticing with some stunning battle scenes.
If you ever wanted to be a soldier taking part in the various battles featured within the Star Wars films then Star Wars: Battlefront is the game for you. Want to join the Empire and hijack an ATAT to shoot down the Rebels on Hoth? Go ahead. Want to use a Y-Wing to bomb the Empire on Cloud City? You can! Whilst Battlefront had a lacklustre sequel, a new game in the series has been high on many gamers’ wishlist for years. In fact, the announcement at this year’s E3 that a new Battlefront was in development for PS4 and XboX One caused the internet to explode with delight and gamer geekgasms. For that perfect Star Wars experience, you can’t go far wrong with Knights of the Old Republic. Set 4,000 years before the films, you are a Jedi tasked with taking down the Sith Lord Darth Malak and his new army. KOTOR is almost perfect in every way and features one of the greatest story twists in the history of gaming!
ALSO OUT THIS MONTH...
ALSO OUT THIS MONTH...
Tales of the Jedi, Star Wars: Empire, Jedi vs Sith, Star Wars Tales
Saints Row 4, Disney Infinity, Flashback Remake, TMNT: Out of the Shadows.
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SHOPPING WITH MICHAEL HOOTMAN
AussieBum from £28, free lanyard with every purchase while stocks last. (Prowler, 112-113 St James's Street, Brighton, 01273 683680)
VW Washbag, also available in pink, £19.99. (England at Home, 22b Ship Street, Brighton, 01273 205544)
Landsby Cup, porcelain with oak lid, £28 a pair. (Edited, 3 Gardner Street, Brighton, 01273 604006, editedbrighton.com)
Horsehair and steel dustpan & brush – magnetised for storage, £22.95 each. (Lara, 5 Prince Albert Street, Brighton, 01273 723066)
BIRTH OF A NATION (Eureka blu-ray). DW Griffith's 1915 epic, cinema's first blockbuster, is of incalculable historical importance. Though, unfortunately, there's little else to recommend it. The story shows two families from both side of the American Civil War and how their fates are entwined. The first half is (to me, at least) a fairly dull plod through US history finishing with the assassination of Abraham Lincoln. The second half is, whilst certainly exciting, practically a hate crime. The film's black villains, now freed from slavery, set about using their power for various 'insolences' such as trying to rape the film's white heroines. Oh, and these villains are played by white actors in blackface. And the Ku Klux Klan - who used the movie as a recruiting tool - are the heroes. Its three hours are essential viewing for film academics and foaming-at-the-mouth racists. THE TARNISHED ANGELS (Eurkea blu-ray). Douglas Sirk's 1957 melodrama focusses on daredevil pilots in Depression America. Rock Hudson plays a reporter who wants to write about a fairground pilot and his stunt parachutist wife (Robert Stack and Dorothy Malone). With its look at the seamy side of sports competitions, its glorious black and white Cinemascope images and a villain who uses people for his own ends, the movie is very much a companion piece to Robert Rossen's The Hustler. But it suffers from some incredibly stagy 'poetic' dialogue, two male leads who don't quite have the charisma to carry the movie (Malone though is excellent), and some obvious imagery (a laughing Mardi Gras reveller wearing a skull mask hints unsubtly that the Grim Reaper's just around the corner). Panned on its initial release, it's now rated as one of Sirk's best - I'm hoping its greatness will reveal itself on subsequent viewings.
62 GSCENE The next morning, as the day broke, I climbed up to the Tor to get some air and perspective on what was unfurling below me. Walking alone to the top of this sacred, spiritual monument I already began to miss the energy of the gathering below. Sat atop in the rain with dark clouds swirling I understood what I would learn this weekend was not a solo journey but one spent with this new family of queer spirited brothers and sisters. I descended and rejoined the group for breakfast. Slightly fuzzy from the night before I was excited about what the rest of the weekend would hold. It turned out to be a rollercoaster of new experiences! We started off with a Faerie Heart Circle then there was a workshop called How To Bring Your Faerie Life Into Your Ordinary Life and that was followed in the afternoon by a kundalini yoga workshop
WHAT IS IT LIKE TO BE AWAY WITH THE FAERIES? Gscene chats to novice faerie Wood Pigeon to find out! Novice faerie, Wood Pigeon, returns to Brighton after a weekend Faerie Gathering camping in the middle of the Glastonbury countryside. He is a young man in his early thirties. He’s a little tired, but excited and also a bit emotional with that happy/sad feeling of someone recently parted from a found experience, which had long been sought. He agrees to talk with Gscene about his experience. How long have you been involved with the faeries? About four days! How did you first hear about the faeries and what was it that drew you towards the Faerie Movement? WP: My boyfriend went away to the February 2013 Featherstone Castle gathering in Northumberland and came back as Faerie Magnoose. He was like a completely different person! The way the experience shone through him and filled him with love, confidence, happiness and joy was incredible. I had to go on the next faerie gathering and so organised to travel to Glastonbury Tor for the 2013 Summer Solstice weekend. Can you describe what took place? When we arrived there was an opening circle and a practical circle where we were given a quick intro to the layout of the accommodation, camping areas, timings for food etc and then we all affirmed our names as a group in a triumphant chorus of faerie voices.
We then tucked into a sumptuous feast prepared by Kitchen Mum Teal for everyone (about 50 of us), which was wholesome, vegetarian and very welcome. As the dishes were being washed the banging of drums and lighting of a fire led us all around into another circle, this time to open the four directions of Earth, Wind, Fire, and Water. I guess this was a pagan element to the gathering, which I really liked; deepening our connection to nature and to each other. Some of the faeries danced round the fire, dressed in various costumes and drag, and others sat supping cider and chatting.
“Too often encounters with others are based on quick, furtive, sexual explosions that leave you with less than you came with. This gave me more” The first night was a lovely long night of making new connections, hearing other people's stories, understanding their journeys, who they were and appreciating their unique faerie spirits. One of the faeries performed a beautiful healing for me, which allowed something to move deep inside and present itself. It felt great to be able to drop life, let go, and immerse myself in a totally new and wonderful experience of human harmony.
The final evening workshop was essentially a tantric massage workshop, with faeries naked and massaging each other. There was an option for us all to be clothed but it seemed like an unnecessary obstacle to intimacy. I felt totally relaxed, at home, safe and comfortable being unclothed within the group. The one thing that struck me, as the workshop was unfolding, was that it wasn't a carnal, sexual experience, but was tantric and I absolutely loved it! The session went on into personal exploration with different people, evolving into hugging and kissing, reassuring and cradling. It was deeply moving, powerful, exciting, comforting, loving. By then end of the night I was in a whole new space; a place I'd never been before. Too often encounters with others are based on quick, furtive, sexual explosions that leave you with less than you came with. This gave me more; filled me with warmth and energy and a longing for more. Do you think this gathering has changed you? It’s funny but I've always wanted to wear a ring and for years have never been able to do it. I suppose I’d never felt that comfortable with the idea of it. But now I have one! And a necklace! I spent £2.80 and put them on and felt this incredible lightness across my heart. It almost sang out when I laid some bright orange beads across my chest, as if to say YES! Thank you! I am free! To be a faerie! To love others without the burden of a life not of my making, or of my wishing. I felt so nervous leaving the shop, with a ring on. RIDICULOUS! It's just a butterfly ring, come on Wood Pigeon you can do it! And do you know what? I now know I certainly can! If you want to read the unedited version of Wood Pigeon’s Faerie adventures or to get to know more about Albion Faeries check out the website http://albionfaeries.wordpress.com/ or email brightonfaerie@gmail.com to join the e-list.
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CRAIG’S THOUGHTS PUNCH ME THE MIRROR HAS TWO FACES ...IF THE SHOE FITS BY CRAIG HANLON-SMITH It is said unwise to judge a man until you have been standing in his shoes, but much can be derived of a society from the behaviour of its members. No shoes necessary. As a gay community we stand in appropriate judgement of the Russian Government for the introduction of their oppressive legislation which forbids the promotion or in their word 'propagandising' of an alternative sexual lifestyle. You, me, us. However somewhat more disconcerting is that the behaviour of the government has given licence to the regular folk to openly attack in the street, physically and sometimes with improvised weapons, those suspected of being gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgender: ‘I get to beat the living breath out of you because if I don't, the government might throw me in the back of a police van on suspicion of colluding with an alternative sexual lifestyle’; survival of the fittest, or state sponsored violence waved on through into the statute books, by President Vladimir Putin like a long lost cousin returning to the former Eastern Block after a short spying trip to the West. Oh... those Russians we sigh whilst watching a moving film montage of the plight of the Russian people on the large screens at Brighton Pride quick on the heels of Hazel Dean's German beat version of This Is My Life as we crack open another can of Fosters and run after the scallywag selling us poppers and vodka jelly in bulk. I think there's an Apprentice style business idea for poppers-jelly, or perhaps poppers vodka (but not Russian vodka of course). And so we raise our arms in solidarity and surrender to the party. Of course Russia isn't the only fruit in the political orchard. Ladies and Gentlemen, let us consider for a moment Zimbabwe. Ah yes, that bastion of Colonial residue whereupon in our Victoria times we stripped the former Rhodesia of not only its name but its tolerance towards homosexuality (although one suspects it may have gone by a different title in more primitive times). We gave them a strict heterosexual code to live by and my goodness are they invoking those Victorian ideals today and sprinkling them with more than a little fascist tendency.
Robert Mugabe has recently been re-elected President for the umpteenth time, albeit in a rather suspect manner. Polling cards and ballot papers dropping out of the sky, multiple voting as Mugabe-friendly constituents are bussed into opposition strongholds and allowed to vote as many times as the authorities choose. Allegedly. Never have we seen a man walk into such a shadowy election victory; that is to say since, now let me think - ah yes, Vladimir Putin. Mr Mugabe however, appears to have his pants in a palaver over the recent words of Desmond Tutu. Reverend Tutu has stated that he does not believe in a homophobic God and that he would rather go to "that other place" than a homophobic heaven. Mr Mugabe (amongst others from the African continent) was less than pleased. One cannot blame Mugabe for recently calling homosexual practice "a white man's disease"; after all none of his countrymen dare indulge in such a romantic collusion as Mugabe has announced that all homosexuals should have their heads cut off. And before we get too excited about Pope Francis's recent change of direction on the issue of homosexuality, (he has announced we should tolerate homosexuals provided that we do not engage in sexual practice - which puts us on a par with everyone else who cannot naturally procreate through the medium of nicky nicky noo noo - gay men, lesbians, people of transgender and those God has seen fit to strike down as barren for they have sinned), Robert Mugabe was welcomed by Pope Francis to his Papal inauguration despite an appalling record on human rights abuses during his tenure. One might not need the shoes but it is fair enough to judge a man by the company he is keeping.
“Get up off your disco arse and do something - just remember that it’s going to take a lot more than not drinking vodka” I was thrilled to experience such a positive atmosphere at Brighton Pride this year. Aside from the one gentlemen who was unreasonably upset that I had trodden on his picnic blanket, it was a festival of smiles and positivity all round. I think the market and political stalls may have had a quieter time which may be the result of a ticketed event. Having paid their way in, your audience demands a slice of entertainment for its buck and is less inclined to part with £60 for a hat that looks like a dildo (I think it was a hat, it was certainly big enough). But the political stalls and presence is important; we owe Stonewall alone a lot and there is much to celebrate. The international battle for LGBT rights however has never been more prevalent or necessary; Russia and Zimbabwe are only two examples but in the results of a survey released to mark the International Day against Homophobia and Transphobia, more than 25% of the European LGBT community claims to have suffered a homophobic physical attack where their personal safety was threatened and or injury was suffered.* We are European - it happens here; and in light of this, let us not turn upon ourselves. Let us not as gay men wince upon reception of the word lesbian. Let us not as a 'different' aspect of one community petition against another. Let us not roll our eyes or dig our elbows because a man has walked into a bar wearing a dress and he's not the drag act. Let us not trawl the internet for baseless gossip from so-called 'dating sites' and assassinate the characters of those who are serving the community for little or no personal gain. If you're not able to wear the shoes, at least try them on and if they don't fit you pass them on to someone else - with a smile and a kind word. If you haven't seen James Brooks’s film already - watch it. And then, get up off your disco arse and do something - just remember that it’s going to take a lot more than not drinking Vodka. www.youtube.com/watch?v=DksNaeojuJg *www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/2013/05/17/ (statistics)
64 GSCENE
HEART & SOLE LIFE BEGINS... MY TOP FORTY BY DARREN SOLE By the time that this hard copy of Gscene has flopped into your expectant hands, I will have reached the lauded milestone of 480 months or, as it’s more commonly known, 40 years old. Actually, I prefer the month count, it suits me better, encapsulating how I really feel at this much trumpeted pit stop in my life; like a bumbling, dribbling toddler, tripping over and into things with not much of a clue of what the hell’s going on. I’ve been told though at 40, ‘my life is just beginning’ and I’m at the age to supply sophisticated musings on existential conundrums like; Who’s the real me? What’s it all about? And what is the purpose of Nicki Minaj? But the only things I do know for certain on this particular birth date are that I can’t for the life of me keep down oysters and beetroot, I’m turning, whether I like it or not, into Curb Your Enthusiasm’s Larry David, and however hard I try, I still can’t pull off a three-quarter length sleeve. How I’ve managed to reach this ridiculous age so quickly, I honestly don’t know, but when the numbers 4 and 0 come together to party, it means that their owner DEFINITELY isn’t a child anymore. But who couldn’t forgive my confusion when 40 is supposed to be the new 30, and 30 in gay years, is actually 45? Does all this mean that my life has already begun, is beginning now or that it’s undeniably Game Over?
“Who couldn’t forgive my confusion when 40 is supposed to be the new 30, and 30 in gay years, is actually 45?” What does being 40 years old actually mean for the average gay bloke in 2013’s Britain anyway? Well, it’s certainly different today than it was in 1983, 2003 or even last year, because what with the latest series of equality measures kicking in, and most recently (and ‘controversially’) the Equal Marriage Bill proclaiming ‘I do’ too, we’ve never been treated (barring some unresolved titbits that have to be straightened out) more like human beings (straight people) in the eyes of the law at least, than as we are now. Yes, I know that marriage isn’t for everyone and that some of you would rather face the prospect of an oiled-up corduroy and permfuelled sex session with Jeremy Clarkson, than be dragged up the aisle, but I can only wonder what effects these long-overdue human rights would’ve had on the hopes, self-confidences and perceptions of gay men around the time I was born and, more importantly, what additional things we would’ve let ourselves achieve if we’d been respected in the same way in 1973, as we supposedly are today. Being forty-something must’ve seemed a much darker and lonely place for previous generations but in 21st century Britain, everyone’s after a piece of the more mature, gay meat; whether it’s the Ad Men trying to flog them the luxury cars, holidays and lavish whatnots that can’t make Mr 2.4’s shopping list, the TV execs who out-brownnose each other to sign up channel savers Norton, Fry and O’Grady, or even us, who’re flinging open evermore pub, club and cruise ship doors, in order to plunder the bigger spending bulges available in the pockets of our ageing XXLSugarDaddyHairyMary generation.
But is MY life at 40, how I’d imagined it as a child? How do I gauge if I’m a midlife ‘success’? Is it about being as good as, better than, or having more than the next person or, perhaps if the tabloid media is meant to be believed, it’s about being rich, ripped and famous? Well in my case, I’ve a beautiful partner of 17 years (relationship length, not age), have a creative job, and when I look down can still see my penis, so I guess I for one, should be happy with my lot. I don’t really believe in the ‘midlife crisis’ as such, and supposed stories of desperados trading their way out of feeling trapped by shagging the secretary, buying the yacht or changing their face; the only way NOT to feel trapped in life is having nothing or no-one in the first place, and who wants that? And anyway, nervous breakdowns should be accessible to people of all ages, I know for a fact that the ones I ‘enjoyed’ in my twenties, helped me drop two dress sizes. It has to be said though, that gay middle-aged role models are certainly thin on the ground, and without an official road map, us boys can sometimes find ourselves easily off-piste, but we’ve never been more in control of our destiny than we are today and can grasp at opportunities that Oscar Wilde, Harvey Milk and Quentin Crisp could never have thought possible.
“Being forty-something must’ve seemed a much darker and lonely place for previous generations but in 21st century Britain, everyone’s after a piece of the more mature, gay meat” If I’ve learned anything in life so far (cliché klaxon alert), it’s this: life’s all about timing (most of which is out of your control), people who think highly of themselves are just better at forgetting stuff about who they really are and, fundamentally, we all just want to be loved. Perhaps the tattoo-caked, lobe-stretched, juiced-up generation coming through now, who’ll make up the forty-something’s of 2033 will have this middle-aged lark cracked or, more probably, will be too busy in a selfie-shooting oily fug to care. But one fact remains, however old you are this very second, seize the moment because it’s the youngest you’re ever going to be. Darren Sole is a freelance TV Producer @DarrenSole
GSCENE 65
HOMELY
HOMILY
VRON’S
BY GLENN STEVENS
VOICE
CAUSING A STIR
TO BE ACCEPTED
Sex sells, particularly when it comes to the ambiguity of a pop/rock/ media star’s sexuality. Last month there was the titillating headline in GQ magazine, regarding whether Harry Styles’ (from One Direction) friendship with Radio 1 DJ Nick Grimshaw was anything more than platonic; the piece further questioned if Styles was in fact bisexual. Of course Styles is media fodder; if he stood by a lamppost long enough he would be questioned if he was shagging that.
When, back in the distant mists of the 1970s, I came out to my sister, she was remarkably unfazed. We met in the café of a well-known chain store in Cardiff, a kind of mid-way point for each of us (she journeying from South Wales; me from London). Our rendezvous followed a letter I’d sent her, suggesting that we meet as I had something important to tell her!
David Bowie, the grand dame of reinvention, single handily (according to Wikipedia) made it fashionable to be bisexual. How? Well back in the 1970s during his performance of Starman on Top Of The Pops, David casually draped his arm around guitarist Mick Ronson’s shoulder. This set the nation’s tongues wagging and if reports are to be believed, Mary Whitehouse’s pet poodle spontaneously combusted. The 1980s were a smorgasbord of sexuality, with the likes of Annie Lennox, Boy George, Pete Burns and Marylyn challenging the public’s perception of gender, while Jimmy Summerville and the rest of the boys from the band Bronski Beat shouted loud and proud that they were gay. Going off on a tangent, according to the Urban Dictionary (so it must be true), Bronski means pushing and mushing your face between a woman’s breasts, so perhaps these boys had bisexual tendencies too? Since those heady days, coming out as gay has been less shocking and to a certain degree hardly caused much of a ripple. Most recently, boy-group Union J’s Jaymi Hensley came out as gay, along with the obligatory quote, “I want to marry my partner and have children.” But then with the band’s star rising, he’s hardly going to say, “I want to dance on a podium at Hard-On while sniffing two bottles of poppers”. But that would make a nice change. I guess we’ll leave Rylan (I’m the new Jordan) Clark, for that sort of sound bite.
“When it comes to bisexuality, this can still cause a bit more of a stir in the tabloid press, depending on the person’s gender” Interestingly, when it comes to bisexuality, this can still cause a bit more of a stir in the tabloid press, depending on the person’s gender. Inevitably the headline will be more titillating when it’s a famous female artist snogging another famous female artist. Yes Madonna, it’s you I’m taking about, along with your two pop puppets, Britney and Christina. This also goes for Jessie J, Lindsay Lohan and Fergie from the Black Eyed Peas, who have all made it known that in the past they’ve had desires for both sexes; but it would seem that none of them have really committed to such statements once the headlines have lost their initial impact and their promotion for whatever product has reached its goal. I think it says a lot about the tabloid press who will inevitably run a negative response when it’s a male heartthrob who comes out as bisexual. It’s as if this makes him less sexually attractive to his legion of fans. No, I’m not referring to Cliff Richard (he’s straight, thank goodness) but Duncan James from Blue. Personally, I like all sexualities, be it L,G,B,T,Q or straight; but like Boy George, I prefer a nice hot cup of tea, but it don’t half make my knob sore.
The café was crowded and we sat cheek-by-jowl at a tiny table surrounded by the clatter of crockery and scraping of chairs. Young families with noisy toddlers out for Saturday lunch. Not ideal conditions for soul-baring. However, sister Susie managed, amid the din, to hear what I whispered (“I’m, er, gay, actually”) – and after a brief pause, her response was, simply: “Oh well, they say everyone’s bisexual, don’t they?” I was relieved, to put it mildly, to receive such a low-key reaction. It came almost as an anti-climax after the preceding days of high tension. I’d been nervous at the prospect of telling her. Not exactly shit-scared, but fearful enough. There was no way I could have told my parents, but I needed to offload on to someone in my immediate family and sensed that my sister would be the least judgmental (not counting a favourite aunt who had a rather laisser-faire, libertarian attitude to life).
“I chose to call myself bisexual, assuming perhaps naively that my previous heterosexual liaisons meant that I couldn’t ‘qualify’ as a real lesbian” Like many women I know, I dated men for a few years before my first lesbian relationship, and during that time identified solely as heterosexual. I enjoyed this phase of my life, enjoyed the company of these guys, while simultaneously yearning for the Unobtainable: Women - or, more often, A Particular Woman. To call them crushes underestimates their power. They were obsessions. We are talking mid1960s here - a time when to lead a double life was the norm for those of us beset with the agonies of same-sex longings. After I finally, proactively - and euphorically - found myself a female lover, I chose to call myself bisexual rather than lesbian, assuming perhaps naively – that my previous heterosexual liaisons meant that I could not ‘qualify’ as a real lesbian. In any case, I was reluctant to dismiss those early experiences in my life as of no consequence. They were meaningful in their own right. Later on, I identified as gay or lesbian, and have continued to do so despite a brief fling with a bisexual man in touch with his feminine side. One of my closest female friends is bisexual. She lives with a man but has had relationships with women and continues to be strongly attracted to them. The coming-out process, she found, was very fraught for the bisexual woman, who ran the risk of rejection by both straight and gay groups. It can be extremely isolating, she says. And there are still plenty of lesbians out there who regard any hint of bisexuality as ‘sleeping with the enemy’. Much as I dislike being pigeonholed, there is a sense in which I still think of myself as bi. Or is that just a cop-out, I wonder? When my sister used the term all those years ago, it felt very reassuring. To be accepted, in those censorious times, was of paramount importance.
66 GSCENE
SHARP WORDS LITTER BUG DEL SHARP ON RIDING THE TIDAL WAVE OF RUBBISH As if the Sharp Words front window view wasn’t dismal enough, there are now two massive communal bins right in front of the house. In the road. Causing traffic to swerve away from them because there’s not enough room for the cars let alone the lorries and the occasional offduty bus hoofing it back to the depot. Well done Cityclean, not. Honestly, I supported the striking for fair pay and everything despite the scaremongering press stories about nests of rats (I’ve only ever seen a live rat in Brighton once and it was outside Waitrose and nowhere near a bin so it just goes to show) but am having to be a complete Nimby when it comes to having bins the size of a camper van being placed directly outside my window instead of having a weekly refuse bag collection.
well drop from the sky for all I know. Anyone I glare at approaching the bins carrying anything remotely suspicious disposes of it just how they should then I get a nasty look back in return. And I saw the woman opposite undressing twice, unfortunately she saw me too. Since then I’ve walked around the living room naked a little bit just so she doesn’t feel threatened or think I’m odd. I’ve suddenly noticed her blinds are shut all the time now. But it’s further proof that there is obviously no end to the liability these bins are. A traffic hazard, health hazard, Sharp Words getting beaten up or arrested hazard; I don’t know how I sleep at night. Well actually I do, a few glasses of Vinho Verde usually does the job but it’s being sorely pushed to the limit with my ever sharpening sixth sense of the approach of rustling polythene. I am mystified as to what people find to actually throw away. I can quite easily get rid of just one bag every couple of weeks if I have to. Everything is recyclable; I wash up more plastic, glass and tin than I do my own dishes, there’s hardly anything left to get rid of, and there’s no such thing as food waste with me as I eat everything.
Every time I leave the front door I just don’t know what I’ll see. The expected seagull pecked food scraps yes, but mattresses, chairs, sash windows, fireplaces - you name it it’s converging ever closer to my doorstep like a tidal landfill and all I can do is hope it’s retreated by the time I get home.
“Every time I leave the front door I just don’t know what I’ll see... it’s converging ever closer to my doorstep like a tidal landfill and all I can do is hope it’s retreated by the time I get home” Not only is it an eye sore, granted I have to stand on a chair to look out over the window frosting to be fully affronted from within the flat, but of course I go outside so I see the terrible mess on the pavement because people just aren’t using the bins in the correct way. They leave their rubbish bags next to the bins rather than put them inside by using the handy openings that they’re made with. Or not even lifting the lid on the other side of the bin should the rubbish be bigger than the hole. A rather more charitable friend has suggested that perhaps some people just can’t lift their arm up high enough to put the bag in the hole because of age or illness. Cynically I reckon that if they even had one good arm that can carry the bag there in the first place, then they can go home and fetch a stool, carry that to the bin and then stand on it therefore achieving required elevation to put the bloody bag where it should be. Now I’m feeling twinges of guilt that many of my neighbours just might actually have some dreadful ailments, perhaps the incessant drum solos and band rehearsals I hear at all hours have taken a toll on their limbs. It’s only right to check on who is leaving the rubbish and whether or not I am the oldest person on the street or if there really is an army of ninety year-olds I have never seen who live on pizzas and do their own house renovation and possibly spend hours dragging their rubbish within the vicinity of the bin but can go no further due to exhaustion. An extensive Meerkatting session at the window has proved fruitless. The rubbish on the pavement just appears out of thin air, it may as
I’ve recently decided to purge the underwear drawer of anything that was holey, frayed, gray, saggy, embarrassing or will never ever fit again, so now it’s completely empty - apart from anything else you might expect to find in there of course, but am left with stuff I can’t recycle and feel bad about wasting.
“I recently decided to purge the underwear drawer of anything that was holey, frayed, gray, saggy, embarrassing or will never ever fit again, so now it’s completely empty” It’s all in the kitchen now, I thought I could clean the floor with the er... garments before throwing away. It’s the kind of ‘top tip’ you hear on money saving programmes, in fact I think I probably did. I can’t imagine thinking it up all on my own. Maybe everyone is secretly up or recycling at home, perhaps that’s why my black tubs keep getting stolen, I’d love to know what’s happening to them. Not only do I have to look out for what people are carrying towards my watch post, now I have to see who’s taking things away as well. It’s tough being an urban environmental guardian…
GSCENE 67
NETTY’S
QUEERYING
WORLD
QUEENIE BY QUEEN JOSEPHINE
THE BI-STANDER
LET’S DO THE TIMEWARP
Bisexuality. It’s the ‘B’ in LGBT, but I never mentally separate bi people from lezzers, homos or trannies. I really should, because their open sexuality often renders them pray to ‘the haters’ from all angles. On the sexual savannah their ‘inclusive’ minds and bodies all too often make them theoretical outsiders. They have no sexual homeland, we cannot pin them down.
Well then, it’s September and I’ve kind of recovered from Pride. I’m walking upright, can remember my name and still get a warm glow when I think about everything that happened over the first weekend in August and how truly fabulous it all was. Strength, solidarity, f***ing amazing parties, wonderful people, Love! Love! Love! We’re so lucky here in the UK to be allowed to hold such a fantastic event in relative safety – and within it to show support for those in less fortunate circumstances. Yes Mr Putin and the rest of you bigoted idiotic regimes who outlaw all things LGBT, I’m referring to you in your 77 draconian law-ed countries. A mammoth ‘big up’ to each and every one of you who joined together as one in demonstrating that we will not stand by whilst our brothers and sisters are persecuted. And we will not shut up now that Pride is over!
Bi people face particularly vicious prejudice from the bigoted straight world where their perceived dabbling in ‘the murky cesspool of homosexuality’ forever taints them as feckless perverts. And yet, they often get similar treatment from the gay world for not being quite ‘perverted’ enough. They can’t win, it’s not that they’re sitting on the fence, it’s that they’re being continually fenced in. In our more permissive society, many people admit to being genuinely attracted to both sexes. Sounds perfect for me. I started my ‘coming out’ by telling my then boyfriends (much to their delight) that I was attracted to women. Similarly I experienced my first lesbian kiss with a college girlfriend. She’s now happily married, with kids, to a man. How we now laugh about the teen pain of trying to find oneself amid the crap of growing up. Bisexualism was my conduit to the gay universe. Strangely, it’s more acceptable for a woman to call herself ‘bi’, it somehow enhances her sexual prowess. In thinking about this subject, I had no problem listing an endless myriad of female celebs who’ve revelled in their bisexual status. I was a little more hardpressed with the fellas. All I could name off the top of my head were Michael Redgrave, David Bowie, next doors cat, and Caligula. I think this discrepancy is due (like so much of life) to a big stinking dollop of misogyny. A woman enjoying the pleasures of lesbian sex alongside heterosexuality is a useful titillation to the male onlooker. Actually, it’s the primo straight-male fantasy, (see the front cover of any ‘lads mag’ where it’s de rigueur to enjoy the image of two young ladies, eyes popping, holding each others breasts). I can’t imagine ANY woman’s mag boasting a similar male-generated image… boys, hands plunged down each other’s Y-fronts, giggling. Women and their antics are weak and silly, and therefore quite irrelevant in the face of an almighty penis.
“I can’t imagine ANY woman’s mag boasting a similar male-generated image… boys, hands plunged down each other’s Y-fronts, giggling” So, lesbianism doesn’t threaten Man or Woman’s heterosexuality. However, men who love both sexes are deemed to have diluted their masculinity. Often straight women mistrust and deride them, straight men fear and despise them, gays believe them to be time-wasters. Neither fish nor foul, I think male bisexuals are truly marginalised. I’ve heard it said that bi people are easy… ALMOST as easy as The Sun crossword. Maybe some are, but most of my bi friends are monogamous. I think some straights and gays are jealous that bisexuals have double the chances of pulling. Maybe one day we’ll all stop worrying about what other adults do in bed, and to whom. In the words of Billy Bragg: “Sexuality, strong and warm and wild and… free. Sexuality… your laws do not apply to me.”
“A mammoth ‘big up’ to everyone who joined together demonstrating that we will not stand by whilst our brothers and sisters are persecuted” But on a more trivial note, as the days move on, millions of social media photos help revive Pride memories that were growing dim (just realised I’ve lost that jacket I was wearing on Saturday as I’d completely forgotten I’d put it on in the first place – thanks Instagram) and therefore make things easier to recount to anyone who’s still remotely interested. But… it did take me longer than usual to recover and it got me thinking about that old chestnut that I love to harp on about. Yep – getting on a bit! I almost feel that I’ve taken on cat timescales recently. You know – seven years is equal to one human one etc etc. Now it takes me seven days to get over a night out whereas it used to take one and my just nodding off for ten minutes actually means one hour and ten minutes. Hang on… I never actually used to ‘nod off’ at all! It’s a little bit scary. How long is it going to take before the cat years have run off and time has been replaced by some huge, minute gulping accelerator? So my Pride recovery only happens in time for the next Pride? It could go something like this: I go into the bedroom to fetch my bikini (quite a horrifying thought in itself) as it’s a beautiful sunny day in May and the missus and I fancy a little trip to the beach to take in the early summer/late spring sunshine. I come out writing a Christmas card list as it’s already a bit late and we may miss the last posting dates for Malta and by the time I’ve got to the post office it’s time to put on my third Pride outfit and go to play at DSD. Rush home to put in the turkey then pop out into the garden to plant up some bulbs for spring and in doing so trip over a fossilised bikini from prehistory. I know. Ridiculous. However, I maybe mistaken but I’m sure my pussy is looking younger by the day...
68 GSCENE
CHARLIE SAYS MONEY, HONEY BURN HOLLYWOOD BURN SAYS CHARLIE BAUER PhD When asked about ‘Realism’ in the movies, the writer Dorothy Parker famously replied, “The only ‘ism’ Hollywood believes in is ‘plagiarism’” Hiding all things Queer in Hollywood has gone on since the first moving images were recorded. By the time the 1933 Greta Garbo Queen Christina movie about a lesbian monarch was released, there was anything but a whiff of dykery to be seen. This was even a full year before they would legally have to put the queer reins on with the hysterically titled 1934 ‘Legion of Decency’ code. Eventually, a plethora of other ‘issues’ were needed to mask Queer themes to keep them away from the ‘easily offended’. The problem became how to get around the ‘homo problem’ and still maintain a high level of drama and persecution. In the movie Crossfire, they turned all the queer-bashing and murder from the book into anti-Semitism. Same thing, apparently. Same with The Lost Weekend when Ray Milland morphed from a man wrestling with his sexual identity, into that of a raging alcoholic - well, if the glove fits… Thank goodness we live in more evolved times. Isn’t it great that we now have movies like Milk and Brokeback Mountain to finally weigh up those old queer scores? Isn’t it groovy that the mainstream has finally embraced Queer culture? And how swell it is when films like Malcolm X fore-front issues of contemporary black identity and remind the world that the struggle is far from over. And that Schindler’s List is actually an eternal reminder of what happens when the hatred of a single race acquires a political platform? I actually think that all these films should be part of an enforced global school curriculum to keep all the haters and revisionists at bay. Unless there is ever going to be a Gay Nation of Islam remake of Malcolm X, that is. And I’m not saying that boardroom Hollywood is homophobic. Not xenophobic, sexist, racist, anti-Muslim either. But Hollywood has never been the pioneer of the underdog. The saying goes that there is no ‘Pink’ dollar’ in Hollywood, and no ‘Black’ dollar either. In Hollywood there is only THE dollar, and whoever walks in the door with it gets to stay. And when there is no money honey, there is no Hollywood selling someone’s idea of freedom. And so Hollywood falls.
“There is no ‘Pink’ dollar’ in Hollywood and no ‘Black’ dollar either. There is only THE dollar, and whoever walks in the door with it gets to stay” Since the Internet has taken hold, Hollywood has become nothing more than a slow money grab - just take a look at the garbage it churns out today. The only bonus being that, since Hollywood no longer controls distribution, (hurrah to Netflix) other narratives are free to spread. Great for us, sad for the executives who now have to find someone else to fleece. In the current, post-capitalist period, Hollywood has even more to get it just ‘right’ - the right combination of sex, violence, ambiguity etc so that they can get the maximum audience into the cinema seats. The real prize is getting an audience where grandpa takes grandson to the
cinema – meaning that the product can be sold to everyone in between. But increasingly, if any films don’t fill these quadrants, i.e. have ‘minority subjects’ like Queers in them - then they just don’t get financed. Unless Matt Damon agrees to star, that is. This is why there’s so much shite at your local Multiplex and why Lucas and Spielberg have been freaking out stating that if a few more $200 million movies fold, then it’ll be the end of $200 million dollar movies. Bring it on, I say. But it’s not only about the Dorothy Parker plagiarism issues and stealing of ideas - it’s also the ‘normalising’ of those ideas where the damage really lies. Let’s face it, if Hollywood could get away with turning Nelson Mandela white, they’d book Leonardo DiCaprio in advance. Even in its demise, Hollywood is still viewed as being all about good ideas and a platform for the people whose voices have been suppressed. Realistically any real trace of this went away with the blacklist. And I’m not being hypothetical here. The most recent debacle is the forthcoming Benedict Cumberbatch movie about gay code breaker Alan Turing, who has apparently averted his sexuality and butched-up considerably. In addition, a colleague’s serialised novel, The Man Who, has been withdrawn from this magazine for ongoing legal reasons. This ‘gay’ story written ten years ago (and lifted five years later) has become the latest chapter of heterosexualised Hollywood. Yes, the gay sperm donor and all the complications surrounding him all those years ago, has now become not only straight but indeed anal – if only to get more bums on seats. (Make your own decision whether you prefer the ‘homosexual’ book or the ‘heterosexual’ film later this year). But either way, thank god it will be one of the last Hollywood movies you’ll probably ever see. Besides the slated remake of Lassie which goes into production next year, that is. When I say that Hollywood has lost control of their distribution model to the Internet, read it as everyone else’s ‘artistic freedom’. It means any of us can make a movie that has a chance of becoming a hit. And there are enough sassy, Queer, off-Hollywood films in production Michael Urie’s Such Good People springs to mind - to keep us all going. So, as the studios struggle to keep up the heterosexual front end, the queers are doing what we know best – using the back door. For those at the top, it’s well and truly over because there’s finally a drive from the ‘bottom up’ and sometimes, as we all know, that hurts like hell. So, let’s welcome the new underdog movies that are surfacing, offering us all a different ‘Queer.’ charliebauerphd.blogspot.com
“As the studios struggle to keep up the heterosexual front end, the queers are doing what we know best – using the back door”
GSCENE 69
SUCHI’S
DUNCAN’S
WORLD
DOMAIN
BY SUCHI CHATTERJEE
BY DUNCAN STEWART
A HEFTY APPETITE
HOSPITAL MANAGEMENT
So it’s official; Suchi is a greedy girl... a very greedy girl. And before you jump to conclusions, yes, I love my food, yes, I am traditionally built (big buns and bums) and yes the last time I saw a size 12 was when I was a teenager in the age of the New Romantics! But this greed has nothing to do with being a plus size woman in a world full of skinny ass women with food issues so bad it is a wonder they are not permanently in rehab.
No sooner had I experienced the euphoria, and surprise, at having duped my examiners into thinking I was safe to be let loose on an unsuspecting public than I began to feel twinges of anxiety about having to actually practice medicine. Entering a hospital ward for the first time as a qualified doctor is a frightening event, and probably not just for the doctor. My initiation was at BGH in May 1967 and, like all junior housemen, I had signed on for six months with no fixed hours, any off-duty by arrangement and a salary of £80 per month. The pristine white coat and new stethoscope camouflaged an anxious novice but support was plentiful and I soon learned that ignorance was far less dangerous than overconfidence. The hospital was managed very competently by a small team: the Superintendant Dr Firth, a consultant geriatrician; Mrs Bentley, the secretary who surprisingly still liked doctors; the catering manager, who clearly did not and presumably ate elsewhere; Matron; and a couple of secretaries.
No this is about being bisexual and what I like in the way of men and women. My proclivity in my youth was to drool over a pretty girl, which was not difficult as I attended an all-female Catholic school where girls formed relationships based not just on friendship but also on sexual compatibility. Those were the wonder days when life was full of secrets you could share between the sheets of your boarding school bed.
Thirty years later, when at its most dysfunctional, the internecine warfare posing as hospital management resembled a soccer match controlled not by a single referee but with one for each player. Imagine 22 players being chased round the pitch by 22 clip board toting mini-refs, with no whistle, while recording contacts with the ball, passing outcomes, bad language and disrespect towards referees, and completely obscuring the view of the goal. One local consultant was actually suspended from his post for some months for criticising the RSCH management’s decision to employ a management consultant of doubtful ability at enormous cost. I won’t labour the football analogy, so if it has summoned up a vision of chaos I will pension it off, index–linked. Hardly surprising then that management, bloated by politicians keen to stifle decision making by the medical staff, was generally despised by them. This does not mean that the behaviour of the medical staff was above criticism; their time keeping was often extremely poor and some preferred to pursue special interests of their own rather than shorten waiting times for routine procedures.
So I grew up finding both men and women attractive. A girl with the right smile, the right sense of humour could get my pulse racing as could a guy with similar traits. I mulled over this a lot, mainly because some of my not so enlightened pals thought I was a bit weird when I stared at a girl for too long. Luckily ‘She Who Shall Be Obeyed’ was available to guide me, telling me; “You love who you want to love, there's no rocket science about it”.
“One local consultant was actually suspended from his post for criticising the RSCH management’s decision to employ a management consultant of doubtful ability at enormous cost”
But surely I should make a choice. I argued with her; "Why?" She Who Shall Be Obeyed replied “Do you always want to buy the same flavoured sweets when you go to the sweet shop?” Actually no, the sweets I have always desired came in all flavours, all shapes, all sizes and all colours. And both sexes and recently at Trans Pride I found myself drooling over a lovely young Trans man who sure knew how to rub sun cream into my burning flesh, and along the way made my heart flutter... oh to be 20 years younger.
But my greed is reciprocated, I am not alone. There are many bisexual folk out there, who She Who Shall Be Obeyed says, "Love who they love."
But to return to 1967, although medical treatment was less sophisticated than today, patients in those long clean cold Nightingale wards were looked after very well. Ward sisters, who were often unmarried middle-aged women, expected and extracted hard work from their student nurses. Wards were not places for chatting, uniforms were uniform, no room for sartorial self-expression in those days, and any nurse who made the mistake of standing still was rapidly directed to a patient’s bedside. The combination of pressure and wet bedding rots holes in human skin at an alarming rate and, as bedsores were viewed as the ultimate sign of nursing incompetence, frequent inspection and hands-on care of patients’ bodies was a priority. I would suggest that ward discipline resulted from the effortless seniority of ward sisters who chose to stay in touch with patients and not be seduced away by offers of more highly paid administrative jobs. For a young nurse it was like working for a stern maiden aunt who might remember you in her will as opposed to being taught by an, only slightly, older cousin.
So if who and what I am offends you, then walk away. We don't have to be friends, we don't have to talk to each other, all we have to do is treat each other with respect and get on with living and loving. Like She Who Shall Be Obeyed said to her friend Dorothy, "It's not rocket science, it's who and what you are inside and if it makes you happy, get on with it!"
Sadly, I get the impression from many sources that the standard of nursing care in our hospitals is patchy especially where elderly patients are involved. As my next ward entry is likely to be on a trolley, covered in one of those white cotton blankets only found in hospitals and ambulances which look effective but produce no sensation of warmth, I expect once again to feel a bit fearful.
So it is official, I am greedy. Very greedy. I have lusted after girls and men with equal aplomb. I have raided the sweetie jar and enjoyed each and every morsel. I am I suppose quite eclectic in my tastes when it comes to the sexes.
70 GSCENE
KEITH SHARPE ACT ON IT! DO NOT BE DECIEVED BY WARM WORDS SAYS DR KEITH SHARPE FROM CHANGING ATTITUDE SUSSEX
POPE FRANCIS
July 2013 has seen the leaders of the two biggest Christian denominations make remarkably positive noises about gay people. But don’t be deceived. Read the small print before you get excited about our apparent new friends. On his way back from the astonishing experience of celebrating mass for 3 million people on the Copacabana beach in Brazil, Pope Francis told journalists sharing his flight that gay people should be integrated into society and not discriminated against or marginalised. He also said that he did not condemn gay people. “If someone is gay and he searches for the Lord and has goodwill, who am I to judge?” he declared.
POPE FRANCIS
This does sound better than his predecessor who happily announced that gay people were a bigger threat to the future of the planet than the disappearance of the rain forests, and that being gay was an ‘objective disorder’ with a ‘tendency to evil’.
In other words he expected a goodly quota of bigots and homophobes to crawl out from the woodwork and support the traditional condemnation of homosexuality, which of course is the Church’s official position. Apart from Norman Tebbit and his ludicrous imagined scenario of the dire consequences of Britain having a lesbian queen, it was indeed a wonder to behold that bigots and homophobes were extremely thin on the ground. He said it was also noteworthy that the debate was very well attended, with almost the biggest attendance and largest majority in the vote at any time since 1945. The vast majority of peers voted in favour of gay marriage and the bishops, who all voted against or abstained, were massively outnumbered. And not only were they outnumbered, they were also reviled. “There was noticeable hostility to the view of the churches” lamented Justin ruefully.
“The Vatican remains a deeply homophobic institution and continues to hold to Pope Benedict’s ruling which blocks anyone with ‘deeply rooted homosexual tendencies’ and/or supporters of ‘gay culture’ from becoming priests”
However, as Peter Tatchell has pointed out, Francis’s apparently warm words represent only a change of tone and not a change of substance. They might appear conciliatory but actually they alter nothing. He still regards homosexual acts as sinful and is virulently opposed to gay relationships and adamantly against same-sex marriage. The Vatican remains a deeply homophobic institution and continues to hold to Pope Benedict’s ruling which blocks anyone with ‘deeply rooted homosexual tendencies’ and/or supporters of ‘gay culture’ from becoming priests.
For reasons which need not detain us here, I was called on to interview the Bishop of Chelmsford last week. He said that one of the most important facts the Church has to face up to now is that for the first time in history most people now think that it has lower moral standards than society at large. I think he is right that this unprecedented situation is very significant. Many people think the Christian church is nasty and fails to respect basic standards of humanity and decency, largely because of its attitude to gay people. This means that the Church’s traditional position of being the guardian of morality has been almost entirely lost, which seems to me to be a shocking indictment and a tragic failure of its mission.
Francis was also opposed to ‘gay lobbies’, apparently because one such lobby exists within the Vatican and made life difficult for Benedict. I have no idea whether this is true but if it is then more power to their elbow, say I. Benedict made life extremely difficult for gay people, and gave succour to homophobes all around the world. If a Trojan horse full of queers has managed to install itself in the heart of Roman Catholicism I can only say good luck to them all!
Archbishop Justin went on to link his dismay at the strength of feeling about the Church’s nastiness with his growing understanding of the terrible statistics on homophobic bullying. For example the principle cause of death of gay adolescents in the USA is suicide due to bullying. He also referred to the horror of gay executions in Iran. He confessed “there is a revolution in the area of sexuality, and we have not fully heard it”.
And then there was the new Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, who pronounced his first presidential address to the General Synod. And again much of it sounded very positive.
He went on to announce an initiative to tackle homophobic bullying in church schools.
Basically the theme of his talk was ‘living in a time of revolution’ and he wanted the Church to respond to the rapid changes going on in the wider world. He feared that “the trouble with revolutions is once they start no-one knows where they will go”. What he said was: “We are the custodians of the Gospel that transforms individuals, nations and societies. We are called by God to respond radically and imaginatively to new contexts – contexts that are set up by revolutions. The revolutions are huge.’ The particularly huge revolution he had in mind was the experience of sitting as one of the Church of England bishops in the House of Lords listening to the debate about the Same-Sex Marriage Bill. Nobody, he said, could fail “to be struck by the overwhelming change of cultural hinterland. Predictable attitudes were no longer there”.
All of this breastbeating about the church’s failures is one thing but the key question is what is actually going to change as a result? Let us not forget that Anglican teaching does not differ fundamentally from the Vatican position. The Church of England currently has a review going on into its teaching on human sexuality, conducted by a group of bishops and others under the chairmanship of Sir Joseph Pilling. It is due to report in December this year. Justin now needs to back up his words at Synod with real action to ensure that the Pilling Report delivers real change so that LGBT people can be fully and properly included, if his warm words at Synod are not to be remembered as so much hot air.
OPEN AND WELCOMING CHURCHES Changing Attitude Sussex is committed to telling the truth about Christian teaching on homosexuality, and works for the full inclusion of LGBT people in every province of the Anglican Communion and more widely in all Christian Churches. For more information, view: www.changingattitudesussex.com and www.thegaygospels.com
GSCENE 71
BRIGHTON & SUSSEX
SEXUALITIES NETWORK BY KEITH STEWART
BRIGHTON
MCC
BY MICHAEL HYDES
WHAT’S “QUEER” GOT TO DO WITH ME?
A LOT OF LOVE!
“Purple sequins, orange feather head-dresses, lime-green platforms shimmy through the rain… WE parade in your name.”*
Hello! My name is Michael Hydes and I am the recently appointed pastor of the Brighton Metropolitan Community Church (Brighton MCC). I'm English born and bred, although I've spent the last 11 years in the USA, firstly in New York and then in Maryland. It's great to be home and I'm slowly settling back into English life and into a radically open and affirming church. It's lovely to be a part of so many wonderful communities; Christian, family, LGBT, Bear, just to name a few! And I'm only here a short while when I find myself launching into Brighton Pride.
What has ‘queer’ or Pride got to do with me? I don’t feel part of that LGBT community – I don’t see people like me reflected in those bars, clubs, rainbow flags, magazines, parades or the Pink Power List. I switch off and ignore things labelled as for ‘queers’. Like the reclaiming of the word ‘nigger’, I don’t see what is positive there. It doesn’t empower me and I disconnect from the word and maybe from MY identity. But others “bloody love the word queer”. How does that language or way of being help me to deal with these day to day things? When I’m trying to find a home, looking for my next job, dealing with another price rise or the service I get in a shop. What about the treatment of disabled people, transphobia, biphobia, racism and ageism in the LGBT community? Look at some Gaydar profiles for those little comments. Being camp or effeminate is not okay. It isn’t about being PC, for some people this is their day to day life. Having the right to marry, adopt and an Equalities Act hasn’t made us all equal, the same and the free. Why do some LGBT people struggle to be so straight? Tons of questions in my head and I am excited to be running a workshop at the Queer in Brighton: Life Stories, Histories & Differences Conference on Wednesday, September 18, 2013. As a nonactivist and non-academic being accepted to deliver a workshop is a great opportunity to hear from others and expand the discussion. I want to know how are we and how can we make sure that LGBT communities (a minority group?) are inclusive and welcoming to ALL? The conference is organised by Brighton & Sussex Sexualities Network, Queer in Brighton and Brighton Transformed. Come to the conference and participate. Register at queerinbrighton.bpt.me or www.brownpapertickets.com/event/437753 before September 5. Come and join our debate on September 18, 10am–5pm at University of Brighton, Grand Parade Campus. Contact me: info@keithstewart.co.uk or on Twitter @skysnolimitinfo with information on research, views and suggestions that I can feed into the workshop and the debate. *An extract from Bent by Robert Hamberger from the collection Torso published by Redbeck Press 2007.
LIFE STORIES, HISTORIES & DIFFERENCES BSSN Conference, September 18, 10am-5pm, Cost: £25 waged/£15 unwaged, concession, includes coffee/tea and lunch. Other workshops, discussions and papers include: DIFFERENCES chaired by Kathy Caton, with Rabbi Elli Tikvah Sarah Does Queer Inclusion Embrace Other Differences?; Jane Traies Suffering, Surviving & Surpassing: Stories Old Lesbians Tell; Raphael Fox and Lewis Hancox My Generation Documentary Film Project. E-J Scott Brighton Trans*formed; Lesley Wood Queer in Brighton. Workshop with Bob Cant Queer History In A Small Nation. PLACES chaired by Kath Browne, with Lisa Overton Writing Their Own Bodies: Queer Performance Spaces and their Impact on Young Women’s Gendered-Sexualities in Post-Katrina New Orleans; Kate Turner Queer Spatiality in the work of Ali Smith; Gemma Burford Being Out Here: Places, Spaces & Identities of LGBTQ Women in Brighton; workshop with Shaun Levin Mapping Our Queer Journeys. HISTORIES chaired by Sally Munt, with Al Start Queer Folk – Tracing Brighton’s Hidden Lives, Stories & Histories through contemporary songwriting in a Folk tradition; Rose Collis Does Worthing HAVE a Gay History, Then?; Pawel Leszkowicz Dispersed & Lost In The Museums? Gay Art Jewels on Display and in the Collections of Sussex Museums For full conference details, view: www.queerinbrighton.co.uk
I love Pride. I love the parade, I love the party. I love the special worship service we hold on the Sunday. I love the colour, I love the noise, I love the celebration. It's a celebration of life! It's a wonderful way of saying to the world 'Here I am, and whatever bigotry or prejudice you may hold isn't going to hold me to any closet'. It's an affirmation of life, and in a way it's an affirmation of faith. It's faith in oneself and one's judgement. It's faith in the right to self-expression. It's faith in our LGBTQI community, friends, and allies. I met my first Bear community at Pride. I bought my first rainbow Tshirt at Pride. I came to Metropolitan Community Churches through Pride. No wonder I love Pride.
I've only been in Brighton a few months but already it's started to feel like home. The community feels warm and welcoming. The Bear community feels genuine and accepting. The Church is open and affirming. There's a genuine mix across communities of gay and straight, lesbian and trans*, bi and intersex, as well as those who refuse to label themselves in any way and are simply a unique creation. Whether it's a formal community like a church, or an informal one like the gay community, finding our place in the world is important. It affirms as well as establishes us as individuals. It grounds us in something greater than ourselves. It helps us to see the world outside ourselves, and how we can make it better. Whether it's taking care of the homeless in Brighton or supporting the LGBTQI communities in places like Russia, Uganda, or Jamaica, where a person's sexuality can get them killed. Pride helps us to stand tall and be counted. Life is about our connectedness to ourselves and others. I live with my husband, two adorable beagles, two crazy cats, in the midst of communities which bring me great pride and joy. It's good to stand up and be counted, be reminded of the importance of being who I am. I hope you feel the same way too. I hope that you stand tall. I hope that you too are proud.
72 GSCENE
SAM THE TRANS MAN
IN MY SKIN GROWING INTO MYSELF BY DR SAMUEL JAMES HALL Puberty is a disastrous time for a transperson. Until the onset of those dreaded changes, I allowed myself to live in some fantasy world where somehow I would be able to avoid it altogether. Negotiating the disappointment of a body that betrayed me in the most profound way was painful indeed. I remember the day I started to menstruate. A deeply confusing moment of realisation that the hitherto unthinkable was becoming a reality. And yet somehow I also recognised that here was the mechanism by which I would one day be able to have children of my own, something I already knew I wanted. At thirteen I was sent to an all-girls Catholic boarding school. I begged my parents to send me to a boys’ school, but of course they couldn’t. This was the point at which I put myself away. I tucked the real me tight inside a box, and sat very firmly on the lid. There. Now no-one would ever know. The shame I felt about being so very different was something I just wasn’t prepared to confront or own up to. If I concentrated hard, copied the other girls carefully (make-up, putting on tights, wearing the right colour combinations etc), then perhaps no-one would notice.
pronouns to refer to myself. Looking back, I can see that the wise words of some of the early desert hermits “knowledge of God is knowledge of self” are true. It was the rediscovery of my inner spiritual life that also allowed me to begin to express the truth of who I am. Sadly this small step on the route to self-emancipation was quickly squashed. I left school and went to medical college (St Thomas’s Hospital) in London, an environment so disturbingly right-wing, conservative and upper-middle class, that I happily forced myself to conform even more than I had done at school. I would rather have hung myself than ‘come out’ at medical school. As one of my closest friends and confidantes of that era said to me recently, “Do you remember the LGBT society at Tommy’s?”, “No!?” I replied, quizzically. “Exactly” came the quip. There was no such support. I remember one colleague declaring his homosexuality, but even this brave soul didn’t come out until the final year - he had spent five years in the closet before plucking up the courage. Noticeable then was a second and perhaps more profound loss of faith. I spent those years drinking myself into oblivion, as is the custom and expectation of medical students. I had the record for the fastest yard of ale, as well as an honorary pass to the boys’ toilets. Somehow I found a way to be ‘one of the lads’ without quite telling the truth. It was enough perhaps to take the edge off the feeling of not being in the right body. During the summer after my second year in training to be a doctor, I went travelling with a girl from the year below me. I was desperately in love, but there was no way in the world that I was going to tell her. I settled for being by her side, exclusively, whilst inter-railing in Europe. We had a heavenly trip, soaking up France, Italy and Greece whilst spending as little money as possible. It was at the end of this trip that I made a very significant choice which would affect the circumstances of my life for many years to come, and cemented my self-repression for the next two decades… TBC
“I remember the day I started to menstruate. A deeply confusing moment of realisation that the hitherto unthinkable was becoming a reality” Of course that kind of self-repression is never healthy. I turned very quickly to the usual routes of self-harm and addiction that we all use when we are trying to block out shame and painful truths about ourselves. Smoking, drinking and sexual activity from a young age gave me a get-out clause, a way to numb my feelings and pretend that everything was normal. I was known for being a rebel and I enjoyed it. My friendships were precarious however, and as adolescence progressed, I was confused by the feelings I had for the girls around me. I didn’t understand them, but I liked them very much. I wasn’t one of them, but I wanted to be among them. They were attractive to me I suppose, but even that possibility was not on my radar screen at the time. Boys were even more confusing. I felt like one of them, but was never allowed to be. I understood them, yet I felt ostracized. I was a devout child, but lost my faith somewhat in adolescence. Not surprisingly. A healthy adult faith is a matter of coming to terms with who we are, and what we are a part of. A deep sense of trust in fate, karma, positive energy, God, or any other name we might chose to give to that sense that many people have of a power greater than ourselves. Faith is about the macrocosm and the microcosm. The spiritual forces that are in the Universe and that are mirrored deep within the human soul. The mighty wind and the still small voice inside. At the age of 17 I went with my school on a pilgrimage to Israel. Here I rediscovered a sense of faith that had been missing for the past five years. Interestingly, I kept a journal at the time and was using male
Based in central Brighton, the Clare Project weekly drop-in is a safe and confidential space to explore issues around gender identity. Facilitated peer support is an important element, as well as providing access to low-cost psychotherapy.
CLARE PROJECT meets every TUESDAY at DORSET GARDENS METHODIST CHURCH Dorset Gardens (off St James St) Brighton BN2 1RL from 2.30–5.30pm except on the first Tuesday of each month, when there is an optional meal out in the evening preceded by the drop-in from 5–7.30pm. More details can be found on the website www.clareproject.org.uk or find on us facebook under Clare Project. Email clareprojectinfo@gmail.com
GSCENE 73
SERVICES
DIRECTORY LGBT SERVICES t ACCESS 4 ALL
LGBT disabled people’s forum. Safe, welcoming, support, activities, awareness. Tel: 07981 170071 or access4all@fsmail.net
t ANYTHING BUT…
Youth social support group for LGB or unsure under 26, every other Wed. Tel: 01424 724150 or 01424 447033
t ALLSORTS YOUTH PROJECT
Drop in for LGBT or unsure young people under 26, Tues 5.30-8.30pm. Tel: 01273 721211 or info@allsortsyouth.org.uk, www.allsortsyouth.org.uk
t BRIGHTON & HOVE POLICE
Report all homophobic and transphobic incidents to: • The Sussex Police 101 (for emergencies 999) email: LGBT@sussex.pnn.police.uk tweet: @policeLGBT • LGBT Officer PC Rich Bridger on 101 ext 550727 • LGBT caseworker Rory Smith on 101 ext 550727 or 07775 546548 • Facebook Brighton LGBT Police
t BRIGHTON & HOVE LGBT SAFETY FORUM Independent LGBT forum working with the Community to address and improve safety issues throughout Brighton & Hove. info@lgbt-safety-forum-brighton.com www.lgbt-safety-forum-brighton.com
t BRIGHTON & HOVE LGBT SWITCHBOARD
Phone Helpline, Hate Crime reporting, Counselling service, Proud2connect (relationship counselling in partnership with Brighton Relate). www.switchboard.org.uk/brighton • Helpline from 5pm daily: Tel: 01273 204050 • Services info 01273 234009 • email brighton.manager@switchboard.org.uk • or brighton.admin@switchboard.org.uk
t BRIGHTON OURSTORY PROJECT
Oral history projects including shows, exhibitions, books, support to researchers Tel: 01273 207757 or 01273 328592 or www.brightonourstory.co.uk
t BRIGHTON WOMEN’S CENTRE
Info, counselling, drop-in space, support groups. Tel: 01273 698036 or www.womenscentre.org.uk
t FTM BRIGHTON
Social/support group for all female-to-male trans people. Every 3rd Sat of the month, 6-8pm, THT Office, 61 Ship St, Brighton, BN1 1AE. For info visit: www.ftmbrighton.org.uk or contact info@ftmbrighton.org.uk
t GEMS (GAY ELDERLY MEN’S SOCIETY)
Social group for mature gay men, meet 7–9pm every last Fri of month at Dorset Gardens Methodist Church Hall Tel: 01273 385000 or info@gems-bh.org.uk www.gems-bh.org.uk
t LESBIAN LINK BRIGHTON
Local social group offers friendship, social events, meets 1st Thursday at The Regency Tavern 7.30pm Tel: 07594 578035 (eve) www.lesbianlinkbrighton.co.uk
t LESBIAN & GAY AA
12 step self-help programme for alcohol addictions. Sun 7.30pm, Chapel Royal, North St, Btn (side entrance). Tel: 01273 203343 (general AA line)
t LGBT NA GROUP
Brighton based LGBT (welcomes others) Narcotics Anonymous group every Tue 6.30–8pm, Millwood Centre, Nelson Row, Kingswood St. Tel: NA Helpline 604604
t LGBT MEDITATION GROUP Meditation & discussion, every 2nd & 4th Thur, 5.30–7pm, Anahata Clinic, 119 Edward St, Brighton. Tel: 07789 861367 www.bodhitreebrighton.org.uk
t LUNCH POSITIVE
Lunch club for people with HIV to meet, make friends, find peer support in safe environment. Every Fri, noon–2.30pm, Community Room, Dorset Gdns Methodist Church, Dorset Gardens, Brighton. Lunch £1.50. Tel: 07846 464384 or www.lunchpositive.org
t MINDOUT
Independent, impartial info, guidance for LGBT people with mental health problems. 24 hr confidential answerphone: Tel: o1273 234839 or info@mindout.org.uk www.mindout.org.uk
t RAINBOW FAMILIES
Support group for lesbian and/or gay parents Tel: 07951 082013 or info@rainbowfamilies.org.uk www.rainbowfamilies.org.uk
t VICTIM SUPPORT
Practical, emotional support for victims of crime. Tel: Brighton 01273 234009 or Hove 01273 439942
HIV PREVENTION TREATMENT & CARE SERVICES t AVERT
Sussex HIV & AIDS info service, available by phone Tel: 01403 210202 or email confidential@avert.org
t 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, 1 Tisbury Rd, Hove, Tel: 0845 1203710 www.brightonhovecab.org.uk
t CLINIC M
Free confidential testing & treatment for STIs including HIV. Hep A & B vaccinations. Out Patients Dept of Royal Sussex County Hospital, Eastern Rd, from 6-8m. Tel: 01273 664721 www.brightonsexualhealth.com
t LAWSON UNIT
Medical advice, treatment for HIV+, specialist clinics, diet & welfare advice, drug trials. Tel: 01273 664722
t SUBSTANCE MISUSE SERVICE
CRI / Sussex Partnership Foundation Trust. Open access drop in, assessment, support, advice, info on drug & alcohol issues Tel 01273 607575. LGB&T worker provides confidential, non judgemental outreach service. Support for people over 18 wishing to address substance misuse Tel 07717 774 658
t SUSSEX BEACON
24 hour nursing & medical care, day care. Tel: 01273 694222 or www.sussexbeacon.org.uk
• 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 for men who have sex with men. Pre & post test discussion with clinical staff. Results in an hour. 10 men max tested per session. Mon: 6–8pm. (Full sexual health screen available) • Sauna Fastest at The Brighton Sauna (HIV Testing): walk-in, (no appointment) rapid HIV testing service for men who have sex with men. Pre & post test discussion with clinical staff. Results in 30 minutes. Wed: 6–8pm. (STI Testing available) • Face2Face: confidential info & advice on sexual health & HIV for men who have sex with men. Face-2-face or phone. Up to 3 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 • Informed Passions: Expert Volunteers project to identify & support sexual health needs of local men who have sex with men and carry out wide-ranging field research in B&H on issues affecting men’s sexual health. Extensive training provided. • Lounge (Group for Gay Men Living with HIV): fortnightly peer support group for gay men. • 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. • Volunteer Support Services: 1-2-1 community support for people living with or affected by HIV. • HIV Welfare Rights Advice: Find out about benefits or benefit changes that may affect you. Advice line: Mon–Thur 1:30-2:30pm. 1-2-1 appointments for advice and workshops on key benefits. For more info about these FREE services go to the THT office, 61 Ship St, Btn, Mon–Fri, 9.30am–5.30pm Tel: 01273 764200 or info.brighton@tht.org.uk
t TERRENCE HIGGINS EASTBOURNE
Covering East Sussex, Services: Health Promotion Outreach, free condoms, lube, sexual health info & advice; HIV Health Coach, short term support for people living with HIV; counselling; Positive Grants; Face-2-Face 1-2-1 support & advice on sexual health, HIV; Condom Male: free condoms by post; Fastest: 1 hour HIV tests; Positively Social: group for people living with HIV; Volunteering. Dyke House, 110 South St, Eastbourne, BN21 4LZ, Tel: 01323 649927 or info.eastbourne@tht.org.uk
t WARREN BROWNE UNIT
Free confidential tests & treatment for STIs inc HIV. Hep A & B vaccinations. Shoreham based. Tel: 01273 461453
NATIONAL HELPLINES t BROKEN RAINBOW
LGBT Domestic Violence Helpline, Mon 2-8pm, Wed 10-1pm, Thur 2-8pm Tel: 08452 604460
t LONDON LESBIAN & GAY SWITCHBOARD
t TERRENCE HIGGINS TRUST SERVICES
Tel: 02078 377324
• 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, personal safety. Free condoms, lube, tea/coffee from Outreach van parked next to ‘The Patio’ at the Bushes. • Netreach (online Outreach in Brighton & Hove): info/advice on HIV/sexual health/local services. THT Brighton Outreach workers online @ Gaydar: Thur 7–10pm, Sat 6pm-12am, chatroom HEALTH INFO THT • Condom Male: discreet, confidential service posts free condoms/lube/sexual health info to men who have sex with men without access to commercial gay scene in East Sussex.
Mon-Fri 11am-10pm, Sat & Sun 4-10pm Tel: 0800 1696806
t POSITIVELINE (EDDIE SURMAN TRUST) t MAINLINERS Tel: 02075 825226
t NATIONAL AIDS HELPLINE 08005 67123
t NATIONAL DRUGS HELPLINE 08007 76600 t THT AIDS TREATMENT PHONELINE Tel: 08459 470047
t THT DIRECT Tel: 0845 1221200
ADVERTISERS MAP HORE
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1 A-BAR 11–12 Marine Parade, 688825 2 BAR REVENGE 7 Marine Parade, 606064 6 CAMELFORD ARMS 30-31Camelford St, 622386 7 CHARLES ST BAR 8-9 Marine Parade, 624091 11 LEGENDS BAR 31-34 Marine Parade, 624462 33 NEW STEINE BISTRO 12a New Steine, 681546 14 PARIS HOUSE 21 Western Rod, 724195
l COMMUNITY
30 SMOKEYS 123-125 Kings Rd, 323888 19 THREE JOLLY BUTCHERS 59 North Rd, 608571
44 BRIGHTON WOMEN’S CENTRE 72 High St, 698036 www.womenscentre.org.uk 45 LUNCH POSITIVE l SAUNAS Dorset Gardens Methodist Church, 41 BRIGHTON SAUNA 07846 464384 75 Grand Parade, 689966 www.lunchpositive.org 42 TBS2 SAUNA 46 MINDOUT 84-86 Denmark Villas, Hove, 723733 Community Base, 113 Queens Rd 234839 www.mindout.org.uk l LEGAL & FINANCE 46 SWITCHBOARD 43 ENGLEHARTS Community Base, 113 Queens Rd 49 Vallance Hall, Hove St, Hove, 204411 204050 (5–11pm)
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1 AMSTERDAM 11–12 Marine Parade, 688825 25 AMBASSADOR HOTEL 22-23 New Steine, 676869 26 AVALON HOTEL 7 Upper Rock Gardens, 692344 27 CAVALAIRE HOTEL 34 Upper Rock Gardens, 696899 28 COURTLANDS HOTEL 19-27 The Drive, Hove, 731055 29 COWARDS HOTEL 12 Upper Rock Gardens, 692677
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35 PROWLER 112 St James’ St, 683680 36 SUSSEX BEACON Charity Shop 130 St James’ St, 682992 37 SUSSEX BEACON Home Store 72-73 London Rd, 680264
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11 BASEMENT CLUB (below Legends) 31-34 Marine Parade, 624462 8 ENVY (above Charles St Bar) 8-9 Marine Parade, 624091 21 FUNKY FISH @ New Madeira Hotel 19-23 Marine Parade, 01273 698331 22 DIGITAL 187-193 Kings Road Arches www.aeonevents.co.uk 23 REVENGE 32-34 Old Steine, 606064 24 WILD FRUIT @ SHOOSHH 214 Kings Road Arches www.aeonevents.co.uk
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30 GRANVILLE HOTEL 124 Kings Rd, 326302 31 GULLIVERS HOTEL 12a New Steine, 695415 32 HUDSONS 22 Devonshire Place, 683642 11 LEGENDS HOTEL 31-34 Marine Parade, 624462 33 NEW STEINE HOTEL 10/11 New Steine, 681546 34 QUEENS HOTEL 1/3 Kings Rd, 321222
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1 A-BAR 11–12 Marine Parade, 688825 2 BAR REVENGE 7 Marine Parade, 606064 3 BEDFORD TAVERN 30 Western St, 739495 4 BULLDOG TAVERN 31 St James’ St, 696996 5 BRIGHTON TAVERN 99-100 Gloucester Rd, 680365 6 CAMELFORD ARMS 30-31Camelford St, 622386 7 CHARLES STREET BAR 8-9 Marine Parade, 624091 8 CHURCH STREET 112 Church St, 606864 9 DR BRIGHTON’S 16 Kings Rd, 208113 10 GROSVENOR 16 Western St, 770712 11 LEGENDS BAR 31-34 Marine Parade, 624462 12 MARINE TAVERN 13 Broad St, 681284 13 MARLBOROUGH 4 Princes St, 570028 14 PARIS HOUSE 21 Western Rod, 724195 15 POISON IVY 129 St James St 16 QUEENS ARMS 7 George St, 696873 17 REGENCY TAVERN 32-34 Russell Sq, 325652 18 SUBLINE 129 St James St, 624100 19 THREE JOLLY BUTCHERS 59 North Rd, 608571 20 ZONE 33 St James’ St, 682249
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GSCENE 75
MT CARPENTRY & BUILDING
• LOFT CONVERSIONS • EXTENSIONS • BRICKWORK • PAINTWORK • DECORATING • INSURANCE REPAIRS
FREE ESTIMATES
CALL MICK: 01273
383 767 MOBILE: 07939 581 791
76 GSCENE
SEPT 2013
CLASSIFIEDS
CALL 01273 722457 BY 12TH SEPT TO GUARANTEE ADVERT PLACEMENT
BUILDERS, CARPENTERS, ELECTRICIANS, HOUSEHOLD, PAINTERS & DECORATORS, PLUMBERS
paintworks GAY PAINTER & DECORATOR * * * *
Competitive Rates Interior / Exterior Artexing / Coving Quality & Reliability Guaranteed
HOME 01273 589329 MOBILE 07973 839214 over 15 years experience
E L E Brighton C T Rbased ICAN For all your electrical requirements No jobs too small, rewire, phone points etc. Call Barry for free advice on
01273 624610 / 07889 730640 barry.butcher2@ntlworld.com
Electrical Mechanical Services
Est 1990
RAINBOW DECOR
07749 471497
CITB Qualifie d
Guaranteed Work carried out by Gay Professional Man •Painting & Decorating •Tiling •Kitchens/ Bathrooms fitted •General plumbing MOST OTHER TRADES UNDERTAKEN
MT CARPENTRY & BUILDING • LOFT CONVERSIONS • EXTENSIONS • BRICKWORK • PAINTWORK DECORATING • INSURANCE REPAIRS
01273 383767 07939 581791 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
GSCENE 77
SEPT 2013 PROFESSIONAL
CLASSIFIEDS
COUNSELLING, SEXUAL HEALTH, TREATMENTS, WEIGHT LOSS GSCENE SUGGESTS READERS SHOULD ALWAYS VERIFY THERAPISTS QUALIFICATIONS & EXPERIENCE NR Hove Seafront/ Your Home or Hotel
• • • • 1st Treatment • ITEC Qualified Fully Insured
25% OFF
Call Graham:
Swedish Body Indian Head Hot Stone Thai Foot Reflexology
07905 850 313
www.massageatworkuk.vpweb.co.uk
SUSSEX DIVE CLUB TRY DIVE
£15
training courses & Gift certificates available
www.sussexdiving.co.uk
CALL 01273 722457 BY 12TH SEPT TO GUARANTEE ADVERT PLACEMENT
AN AD THIS SIZE COSTS £35 + VAT CALL
01273 722457
1
Somerhill Avenue, Hove
£ 850,000 Unique penthouse apartment with wrap-around terrace providing amazing rooftop and distant sea views. Positioned on the top (4th) floor of a modern purpose built building, moments from St Ann’s Well Gardens, with lift access directly into the apartment, secure underground parking and residents gym. 3
3
2
Buy&sell with the experts.
Six of our favourite properties this week. Visit our website at justinlloyd.co.uk to view all our properties. St James’s Avenue, Brighton
£ 650,000 Four bedroom terraced house with south/west facing patio and terrace, just off St James's Street, moments from the seafront. Well presented throughout and offering the flexibility to be used as a family house or a raised ground/ first floor maisonette with separate one bedroom lower ground floor flat. 4
3
2
“Justin Lloyd were ‘on the ball’ very quickly and I was very impressed right from the beginning” Vendor Comment
23 23
Marine Parade, Brighton
£ 419,950
Newly refurbished fourth floor two bedroom two bathroom apartment with south facing balcony located in prestigious Van Alen Building on Brighton seafront; well maintained and benefitting from allocated underground parking, communal garden and concierge service. Share of freehold. 2
2
1
Kemp Town 118 St James’s Street, Brighton BN2 1TH City 111 Western Road, Hove BN3 1DD Hove 176 Church Road, Hove BN3 2DJ
4
Carlisle Road, Hove
£ 799,500 Substantial (213.30 sq.m / 2295.9 sq.ft) semidetached six double bedroom Edwardian home on three floors in New Church Road area with host of period features and flexible living space, front and rear gardens with side access, completed with a first floor west facing balcony. 6
3
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"Thank you for supporting us through this stressful time. The feedback after each viewing was really good. Very friendly and approachable staff" Vendor comment
Sackville Gardens, Hove
£ 799,950
5
A substantial (2185 sq. ft.) four bedroom, three bathroom semidetached Victorian house, situated just off the seafront in Hove, with potential to extend into the loft space. There are also three reception rooms plus a conservatory and kitchen/breakfast room. Mature garden to the rear. 4
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3
6 Brunswick Square, Hove
£ 395,000 Stunning two bedroom apartment situated on the second floor of a Grade I listed Regency house on one of the most desirable addresses in Brighton & Hove. Benefitting from glorious views over the square and a west facing terrace to the rear. Sold with a share in the freehold and no onward chain. 2
1
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Call us now 01273 692424 Email info@justinlloyd.co.uk
Visit justinlloyd.co.uk