James Ledward, Graham Robson, Gary Hart, Alice Blezard
SPORTS EDITOR Paul Gustafson
ARTS EDITOR Michael Hootman
SUB EDITOR Graham Robson
DESIGN Michèle Allardyce
FRONT COVER
MODELS Ant Howells, Robert Lane, Tom Bald, Bruce McCrann
PHOTOGRAPHER Jack Lynn
Concept & Design: Peter McEachern, Fixer: Graham Munday
CONTRIBUTORS
Simon Adams, Jaq Bayles, Jo Bourne, Nick Boston, Suchi Chatterjee, Craig Hanlon-Smith, Samuel Hall, Enzo Marra, Mike Mendoza, Carl Oprey, Eric Page, Del Sharp, Gay Socrates, Brian Stacey, Michael Steinhage, Sugar Swan, Glen Stevens, Duncan Stewart, Craig Storrie, Mike Wall, Netty Wendt, Roger Wheeler
PHOTOGRAPHERS
Alice Blezard, Jack Lynn, Hugo Michiels, Stella Pix, Graham Hobson @captaincockroachphotographer,
The
Sam
Sea
Craig
GARY PARGETER 50TH BIRTHDAY PICNIC, QUEENS PARK
BRIGHTON BEAR WEEKEND JUNE
15-18
) Brighton Bear Weekend (BBW) opens on Thursday June 15 with a mega quiz night at the Camelford Arms from 7pm and features a variety of beary events over the following three days, closing on Sunday, June 18 with Underbears at Subline from 10pm
For full schedule of events, view: http://brightonbear weekend com
BRIGHTON BEAR WEEKEND TO TAKE OVER ‘ OUT IN BRIGHTON' RADIO SHOW
) BBW have been invited to 'take over' the weekly Out In Brighton show presented by Kathy Caton on RadioReverb at 11am, on Saturday June 10 The show will feature guests from across the weekend, including organisers, performers, people from venues and the R ainbow Fund who BBW raise money for
Kathy Caton, said: “I’m a massive fan of the BBW and all they do, their incredible fundraising and community activities, and being general all round community heroes I'm delighted that Out In Brighton and RadioReverb 97 2fm can provide the platform for the BBW - and now we're based down at the Open Market it's the perfect place to come and see what's going on and get involved ”
PROWLER SPONSOR BEAR-B-QUE
) Prowler, the gay sex shop and online gay sex toy store, are to sponsor the Bear-B -Que during BBW in June This year’s Bear-B-Que, set to take place in Dorset Gardens on Saturday, June 17 from 12 30-5 30pm, will feature a main stage profiling a host of local performers with one of the many highlights being an appearance by Brighton's LGBT+ community choir, the R ainbow Chorus New as well this year, will be a marketplace and the Sea Serpents, Brighton's Gay Rugby Club, will be there with their coconuts Delicious food and snacks will be provided by Lunch Positive, the HIV lunch club, and a bar will be run by the Brighton & Hove LGBT Community Safety Forum
Peter Booth, Manager of Prowler in St James’s Street, said: “ We’ve provided casual support to BBW over the last few years selling their products in store commission free This year, thanks to our new owner,s ABS Holdings, we’ve been able to step the support up a gear with sponsorship I couldn't be happier BBW are a fantastic organisation who work tirelessly in support of the Rainbow Fund In addition to sponsorship, Prowler Brighton will also be offering 20% OFF all full priced stock to all BBW wristband holders from June 16-18, so pick up a wristband for just £6 Support the boys and take advantage of some great offers in Prowler and around the area ”
PROWLER STOCK NEW BBW 2017 MERCHANDISE
) Prowler are also carrying two new lines from the BBW 2017 designs There is very limited stock of a cardinal red T-shir t which once sold won’t be re-ordered For summer there’s a tasteful navy vest perfect to wear with shor ts or jeans
The black polos, navy T-shir ts and wristbands that give discounts over the whole weekend are still available at Prowler and on the BBW website where you can find schedule of the whole weekend
BBW raise money for the R ainbow Fund who give grants to LGBT+/HIV organisations delivering effective front line services to LGBT+ people in the city
For full information about BBW events and to purchase a wristband giving discounts for events and services, view: http://brightonbear weekend com
FAMILY PRIDE IN BRIGHTON & HOVE
) Brighton & Hove Pride will celebrate the city's diverse LGBT+ rainbow families this year with family events taking place across the city The improved and larger OneFamily Pride Diversity Area at Preston Park on August 5 will be a fun, family-orientated, safe and alcohol-free zone at the hear t of the Brighton Pride celebrations with local ar tists and enter tainers Children, 10 years and under, are free (but still require a ticket, available online), children aged 11-18 years are eligible for a discounted £7.50 ticket For more infor mation view the Family Ticket Shop at www brighton-pride org There will also be family enter tainment at the Pride Pleasure Gardens on Old Steine from August 4-6, the Pride Dog Show on Sunday, July 30 at Preston Park and the free Pride Community Day with spor ts fun and games also on Sunday, July 30 at Preston Park
‘ONEFAMILY’ SUPPORT LGBT+ FAMILIES AT PRIDE
) OneFamily, the Brighton-based financial ser vices company, will be sponsoring the Pride Family Diversity Area at the Summer of Love Festival on Saturday, August 5 Brighton Pride takes place from August 4-6, with 300,000 people par ticipating in celebrations across the city The enclosed family area located within the Pride festival site on Preston Park will be a fun-filled space for families to enjoy the Pride festival together
Karl Elliott, OneFamily Customer Strategy Director, said: “We’re really excited to be continuing our suppor t of the Brighton Pride festiv al and look for w ard to w hat w ill be a spectacular show case that really celebrates the div ersity of the city A s a Brighton employ er is giv es us great pleasure to be able to suppor t a local ev ent that both our employ ees and their families enjoy so much ”
OneFamily provides products and ser vices across investments, savings, lifetime mor tgages and protection, to suppor t families to meet the financial demands of moder n life.
Paul Kemp, Brighton Pride Community Interest Company, said: “Brighton Pride has ev olv ed ov er the y ears w ith more communities coming together to celebrate ev er y aspect of our city, regardless of sexuality, race, gender, age or ability. We’re delighted that OneFamily is suppor ting the ev ent for the second y ear running and sponsoring our Family Diversity A rea ”
MORE ARTISTS ANNOUNCED FOR PRIDE ‘SUMMER OF LOVE' EVENTS
) Louisa Johnson, winner of X-Factor in 2015, will join headline ar tists the legendar y Pet Shop Boys, special guests Years & Years and previously announced ar tists Becky Hill, M.O, Fickle Friends and KStewar t on the main stage. Superstar house divas Jocelyn Brown, Alison Limerick, Angie Brown and R ozalla will per for m live in the Wild Fruit Summer of Love dance tent and songsmith Lucy Spraggan will bring her unique mix of acoustic, folk and hip-hop to Victoria Gardens for Pride Unplugged on Friday, August 4 With more ar tists still to be announced to per for m at Pride’s 14 enter tainment areas, the Brighton Pride 2017 Festival is set to be the most spectacular ever
To book tickets for Brighton Pride, view: www.brighton-pride.org
Last year's Brighton Pride raised a record breaking £100,000 for LGBT+ and HIV organisations and good causes across Sussex Beneficiaries included: Allsor ts Youth Project, Lunch Positive, LGBT Community Safety Forum, MindOut, Peer Action, Blueprint 22 and Clare Project
GOLDEN HANDBAGS COME OF AGE
) Voting has now closed in the 2017 Golden Handbags The results for what is the most glamorous evening on the LGBT+ community calendar, will be announced at The Golden Handbag Awards in the Oxford Suite at the Hilton Brighton Metropole on Sunday, June 11 star ting at 7.30pm sharp
This year the show will be opened by Maisie Trollette now approaching the 84th year of her reign Maisie opened the very first Golden Handbag Show, 21 years ago at the Brighton Dome along with the much missed Phil Starr, Dockyard Doris and the original Tiller Girls
Maisie will be joined on stage by the comic genius that is Myra DuBois, the girl with the BIG voice Gabriella Parrish and the glamorous and very talented Kara Van-Park
A record number of awards will be presented this year in what is shaping up to be the closest vote on record The awards will be hosted by the enter tainer with the sharpest tongue and quickest wit, the indefatigable Lola Lasagne
All VIP tables have sold out There are a few non-reserved tickets still available on the public tables costing £20, available from Prowler at 112-113 St James’ Street, Brighton Prowler don’t charge a booking fee so you have to pay cash in person in the shop to obtain your tickets Call 01273 683680 to check availability
RAINBOW FUND OPENS ANNUAL GRANTS ROUND
) The R ainbow Fund makes grants to organisations delivering effective frontline services to LGBT+ people in Brighton & Hove The Fund’s Independent Grants Panel will be considering applications for core funding up to £1,800 from local LGBT+ and HIV related groups and organisations who are members of, and regular par ticipants at, the LGBT+ Small Groups Network New groups can apply, and the grant, if approved, will be conditional on becoming members of the network
Applications are also invited for project funding bids to be considered by the panel Applications must be from Brighton & Hove-based LGBT/HIV related groups and organisations and, for the first time this year, from any group or organisation seeking funding for projects specifically benefitting our Brighton & Hove LGBT+ and HIV communities For a full explanation of the criteria for this year’s grants, view: www.rainbow-fund.org/funding-criteria/
Chis Gull, Rainbow Fund Chair, said: "In these difficult times we remain committed to making sure we get best value for the money donated to the Rainbow Fund and will continue to carefully evaluate the success and effectiveness of the projects we fund each year "
The closing date for applications is Friday, September 1 and the first instalment of approved grants will be made on October 1
At the last funding round in September 2016, grants totalling £74,122 were awarded to Accessibility Matters, Allsor ts Youth Project, Blueprint 22, Brighton GEMS, Brighton & Hove LGBT Community Safety Forum, F TMB (now Navigate) Brighton, Lunch Positive, MindOut Mental Health Service, Older and Out, Peer Action, R adio R everb, R ainbow Chorus and Trans Can Spor t
To make an application, view: www.rainbow-fund.org
IDAHOBIT BRINGS ST JAMES STREET TO A STANDSTILL
) This year’s public vigil marking International Day Against Homophobia, Transphobia and Biphobia (IDAHOBIT) was moved at the last minute indoors to the Dorset Gardens Methodist Church due to pouring rain
IDAHOBIT marks the day in 1990 when the World Health Organisation removed homosexuality from its International Classification of Diseases The purpose of IDAHOBIT is to raise awareness of LGBT+ rights and stimulate interest in the work of LGBT+ activists worldwide Events this year were taking place in more than 120 countries on every continent in every region of the world
Following a warm welcome by the Mayor of Brighton & Hove Pete West on his final day in office, speakers including Peter Kyle MP for Hove & Por tslade, Cllr Warren Morgan Leader of the Brighton & Hove City Council, Rev Michael Hydes, Cllr Phelim MacCaffer ty Convenor of the Greens, Sgt Peter Allan from Sussex Police and R uth Hughes from the Rainbow Chorus all highlighted the plight of LGBT+ people in Chechnya and called on our national politicians to speak out and demand the killings stop
Alice Denny performed some of her wonderful poems including Street Cleaning 2017, Normal and the thought-provoking The Universal Ugly Tranny AJ Paterson sang with guitar, and the R ainbow Chorus performed You Are My Sister, Hand in Hand and A Million Voices before leading everyone out of the church singing Siyahumba St James’s Street was brought to a standstill as everyone made a minute’s protest noise
The Vigil was organised by volunteers from the Brighton and Hove LGBT Community Safety Forum
NEW CHAIR AND A RELAUNCH FOR PEER ACTION
) Peer Action, the HIV peer suppor t and social group charity for people living with HIV in Brighton & Hove, have appointed a new Chair and announced a relaunch of the charity.
New Chair, Gareth Lloyd, previously worked in the city He brings with him business and legal experience and cur rently works locally for a national charity.
New tr ustees have been appointed to the board to help improve the charity's reach and increase peer interaction. The complete board now is Adriana Naves-Silva, Aileen Norbur y, Gareth Lloyd, Michael Nelson and Terence Clarke
Previous Chair, Mike Nelson, stood down at the end of his ter m and continues as treasurer/fundraiser for a fur ther ter m
A new website will shor tly be launched with a revised look and the
charity intends to continue to offer alter native therapies, swimming, yoga, educational and social events
Gareth said: "I aim to expand upon the firm foundations w e hav e built up ov er the last three y ears and dev elop the charity w ithin the community "
For more infor mation view: peeraction net
BRIGHTON NURSE RECEIVES PRESTIGIOUS ROYAL COLLEGE AWARD
) Brighton nurse, Jason Warriner, received the Award of Merit at the R oyal College of Nursing’s (RCN) Congress in Liverpool on Saturday, May 13
The annual RCN Awards celebrate the best in nursing with Fellowships, Honorar y Fellowships and Awards of Merit presented to those who have made an outstanding contribution to the profession, along with honours for the Lear ning Representative, Safety Representative and Steward of the Year Jason, who is Clinical Ser vices Director at Sussex Beacon, has been a leading light in the College for many years and this award is in recognition of his outstanding contribution to nursing
Jason said: “I am truly honoured to receiv e this aw ard and I must extend a special thanks to those w ho nominated me T he R CN play s a piv otal role in promoting excellent nursing practice and representing nurses at w ork We also make a crucial contribution to debates around public health and shaping future health policy in the interests of nurses and patients ”
Jason is highly respected both within and outside the RCN He is the cur rent Chair of the RCN’s Public Health For um and has held many positions within the College
He says he “is passionate" about how the RCN can help benefit individuals, the profession and improve patient care His work in the field of sexual health and his clinical knowledge is "unsurpassed"
The Sussex Beacon provides specialist suppor t and care for people living with HIV The charity r uns both inpatient and outpatient ser vices to promote independence and improve health.
www.sussexbeacon.org.uk
ISLE OF WIGHT PRIDE
The Isle of Wight A little secret that the local LGBT community on the Isle of Wight have kept hidden from the rest of the world until now The picturesque island, nestled just four miles off the south coast will host its first ever Pride on Saturday July 15 and it’s definitely going to be a par ty wor th crossing the water for!
) The Isle of Wight LGBT community will be celebrating with Islanders and visitors alike in Ryde, on the nor th-east coast of the Island Star ting at 11am with a colourful parade through the hear t of the Victorian seaside town, Isle of Wight Pride promises a day out like no other, not least because it’s the only Pride in the UK to be held on a beach
The parade will end at the golden sands of Harbour Beach, Ryde, one of the many gorgeous beaches that fringe the coastline of the Isle of Wight The rest of the day’s festivities include a line-up that boasts acts like the Freemasons R ussell Small, Horse McDonald and R eigns, speakers including Peter Tatchell and Justine Smithies, alongside a multitude of other acts, information stands, cocktail bar, family fun and VIP area Isle of Wight Pride is going to be an event not to be missed
If you’ve never been to the Isle of Wight before, you’ll find there’s something uplifting about a ferry journey to a magical island Getting across the sparkling blue water to Isle of Wight Pride is simple with fast connections from the mainland south coast by ferry and hovercraft from Por tsmouth, Southampton and Lymington
In 2014 the Isle of Wight was listed as one of the top ten honeymoon destinations for LGBT couples by msn com and it’s easy to see why The Island is an idyllic retreat from the hustle and bustle of mainland
life Surrounded by sea and with over 57 miles of coastline and unspoilt tranquil countryside, it’s easy to see why so many people fall in love with the Isle of Wight and visit time and time again
Whether you’re looking for luxury accommodation to relax and unwind in, a secluded glamping spot, a cosy B&B or a top-notch spa, the Isle of Wight has it all History buffs will fall in love with Osborne, the holiday home of Queen Victoria, adventure junkies will find it hard to get enough of our outdoor activities, from cycling and walking to coasteering and tree climbing! And if you enjoy great food, we’re the Island for you
The Isle of Wight is a foodie paradise and you’ll find a range of great Isle of Wight produce available in shops and on menus We’ve got our own gin, beer, cheese and tomatoes as well as our very own Garlic Farm! Whether you’re after fine dining with a coastal view or a cosy drink in a friendly village inn, there’s a wide variety of eating and drinking establishments to choose from
Much of our delicious local produce will be available at Pride and we’ve even got our own special bottles of Isle of Wight gin being distilled for just for Pride
The organisers of Isle of Wight Pride recognise why so many people love the Isle of Wight and want to share this love with more people If you’re thinking
about visiting for Pride, why not make a weekend of it If you’re only here for the day, why not come back and see us again, you’ll always discover a warm welcome on the Isle of Wight
ISLE OF WIGHT PRIDE ORGANISERS RECOMMEND:
John Brownscombe: “The Isle of W ight has some great places to chill out with friends or that special someone and you’ll always get a warm welcome Personal favourites for myself and my husband are Bottega in Ryde, Cafe at SkinTrade Newport and The Sun Inn Hulverstone ”
Joe Plumb: “I always recommend a visit to the Quay Arts as a fantastic venue for the best arts and culture with loads of events for all the community ”
Caroline Diamond: “I recommend the Boathouse at Seaview, Quay Arts Cafe, the Garlic Farm and the walk from Seaview to Priory Bay It's a spectacular, unspoilt beach You can't beat the view across the Solent to the Spinnaker Tower with cruise ships at the weekends and ferries travelling to and from the Island ”
Matt Bundy: “ You won’t find better dog walks anywhere in the UK, I personally love some of the coastal walks on the South Coast, usually ending up at a dog friendly pub with a nice pint of Island Ale! My favourite doggy friendly pubs include The Spyglass in Ventnor and the Kynges Well in Brading It makes for a worn out doggy and a relaxing weekend every time ”
Yve White: “The Island is a very special place I love the diversity of the Island itself - you can be in the middle of Parkhurst Forest one minute, hoping to catch a glimpse of our indigenous red squirrels and be in the middle of the countryside the next I love walking over Chillerton Downs - the views are breathtaking The beach is never far away, no matter where you are I recommend viewing the perseid meteor shower every A ugust from a beach on the South of the Island Spectacular ”
To find out more about Isle of Wight Pride and to discover everything you need to know about visiting the UK’s holiday island go to www visitisleofwight co uk
For tickets and more information about Isle Of Wight Pride, visit: www iwpride org
EXPERIENCE BALLROOM AND LATIN DANCING AT 'CHEEK2CHEEK'
) Cheek2Cheek is unique, in that it’s the only LGBTQ ballroom and Latin dance club in Brighton & Hove Originally set up in 1998, it continues to provide an alternative to the commercial gay scene with a relaxed and welcoming atmosphere You don’t need to have a regular dance par tner to join the weekly classes; many people attend alone and benefit from learning steps with different dance par tners on the night Many ballroom and Latin dances are covered, including: waltz, foxtrot, rumba, cha-cha-cha, bossa nova, jive, samba and tango Sequence dances and line dances are also included regularly You’ll be taught by a fully qualified instructor, R ober t Singer, who has 25 years of dance teaching experience and is also a member of the UK Same-Sex Dance Association The club meets on Tuesday evenings and has recently moved to St Mar y Magdalen Church Hall, Selham Drive, Coldean BN1 9EZ, which has a great wooden dance floor
The programme is as follows:
• Improvers 7.30-8.20pm: For people who know the basic steps in most dances The lesson concentrates on one par ticular dance for two weeks at a time, rotating through ballroom and Latin styles
• Beginners 8.20-9.10pm: All welcome! The basic steps of two different dances are covered in the lesson (one Latin, one ballroom); the same dances are repeated the following week Improvers also par ticipate in this class to help beginners, and to improve on their own style
• Social Dancing 9 10-10pm: After the two classes refreshments are provided (tea, coffee, biscuits), payment is taken (Improvers £9, Beginners £7) and they continue the evening with social dancing This often includes the oppor tunity to learn a line dance or sequence dance
Over the years, Cheek2Cheek has also run tea dances and New Year Balls, and on several occasions has taken par t in the annual Pride Parade, dancing the whole way!
As they approach their 20th anniversary they will be looking to organise one or two additional social/dance events and are building on their par tnership with the Brighton Lesbian and Gay Spor ts Society (BLAGSS) to achieve some of this Dancing is good for emotional and physical health, it is also a lot of fun! So why not go along and try it out? You will be welcomed and your first class will be free For more information, view: www cheek2cheekbrighton org uk
CASINO EVENING RAISES £401 FOR CANCER CHARITY
) A charity casino night at the Camelford Arms staged in association with Bear-Patrol raised £401 for local cancer charity, the Sussex Cancer Fund Full-size Roulette and Blackjack tables were installed in the bar by professional croupiers, one being Camelford regular Gar y Smith, who donated his services for the night
The money will be used to buy 10 heat warming pads for the Sussex Cancer Centre at the Royal Sussex County Hospital for patients to put around their
arms to help improve circulation when chemotherapy is being administered
For more information about Sussex Cancer Fund, view: sussexcancer fund.co.uk
HOVE MAN SENTENCED FOR ASSAULTING TRANSGENDER WOMAN
) A man has been sentenced following an incident where a woman was assaulted Philip Poole, 41, of Shirley Street, Hove pleaded guilty to common assault and intentional harassment, alarm and distress when he appeared at Brighton Magistrates’ Cour t on Wednesday, April 26
Poole, a cleaner, admitted verbally abusing a transgender woman, before punching her and pulling her hair following an incident in St James’s Street, Brighton at 12 30am on Saturday, February 11 this year Poole also admitted verbally abusing a police officer who responded to a call from a member of the public He was given a 12-month prison sentence, suspended for 18 months and a R ehabilitation Activity R equirement of up to 25 days, as well as having to pay costs of £45 and a Victim Surcharge of £115 Additionally Poole was fined £40 for the offence against the police officer
Peter Allan, Sussex Police hate crime sergeant, said: "I’m pleased the court have convicted the defendant in this case No- one should be targeted in such a personal and public way because of who they are This sentence sends out a clear signal that we will take a robust approach to those who target individuals based on their disability, gender identity, race, religion or sexual orientation I hope this case will encourage other victims of hate to report such behaviour to the police
“ What was really pleasing to me in relation to this case, is that four members of the public came to the assistance of the victim, one of whom called the police and waited with the victim until they arrived You do not have to become physically involved to stand up to hate; offering a supportive word and calling the police is more than most people would do I wrote a letter of thanks to the member of the public, acknowledging her actions in supporting a fellow human being in their time of need Hate crime can be reported to us by calling 101, or 999 in an emergency and online for those who prefer to do so ”
‘
OUT WITH ALLAN JAY ’ IS LATEST LGBT+ TV ’S NEWEST SHOW TO HIT THE SCREEN
) Usually known for his char t topping HiNRG music, Allan Jay will be giving a ‘What’s on who's who, where to go and when to be there’ look around the LGBT+ friendly venues and events in Brighton The weekly show will be going behind the scenes giving you a 'sneaky peak' around each venue and meeting some of the bar tenders, managers, cabaret acts and owners Focusing on two different venues a week and giving you the run down of what else is going on, in and around Brighton each week, as well as getting to meet the faces behind the venues
Allan Jay is an award-winning recording ar tist known for his high energy style and powerful vocals He is signed to Energise R ecords and has performed across the UK and Europe as well around many of the Brighton venues Allan describes Brighton as his "home from home" and is excited about showing you around the venues bringing some fun n laughs along the way
Tune into Latest LGBT+ TV every Thursday at 9pm star ting June 1 Latest TV (Freeview 7 | Virgin Media 159 | latest co uk or Youtube)
MISS HOPE SPRINGS TO HEADLINE HIBERNATION COMMUNITY LUNCHEON
) Hibernation, the annual community luncheon organised by Bear-Patrol, returns to the glamorous surroundings of the Paganini Ballroom at the Old Ship Hotel on Sunday, October 22 from 12-6pm Headlining the afternoon’s enter tainment will be the fabulous international chanteuse, Miss Hope Springs, who’ll be performing original numbers from her awardwinning show
Tickets are on sale costing £40 each and money raised will go towards
ensuring the Counselling Project at Brighton & Hove LGBT Switchboard, which recently announced it’s to close its doors, continues at another LGBT+ organisation in the city The first £5,000 raised on the day will go to suppor t the Counselling Project with the rest going to suppor t the impor tant work of the Brighton & Hove LGBT Community Safety Forum There will also be a charity raffle and auction To book tickets, email: info@bearpatrol org uk
BRIGHTON DIVERSITY GAMES TO INCLUDE SAME-SEX DANCE CHAMPIONSHIPS
) The Brighton Diversity Games, organised by the Brighton Lesbian & Gay Spor ts Society (BLAGSS), takes place over the weekend of July 8 and 9 and will include a SameSex Dance Championships, a Golf Tournament and a Five-A-Side Football Tournament
The Same-Sex Dance Championships will take place at the Mandela Hall, University of Sussex, Brighton on Saturday, July 8 The Morning Session from 11am–3pm will include the Women’s Ballroom and Men's Latin competitions The Afternoon Session from 4–8pm will include the Men’s Ballroom and Women's Latin competitions The closing date to enter is July 5, 2017
A BLAGSS spokesperson said: “Spectators are very welcome and make a valuable contribution to the atmosphere of the day There will be opportunities for social dancing throughout the day and a guest appearance from the Sugar Dandies, as featured on Britain’s Got Talent ”
The Golf Tournament takes place on the Downland Course at Hollingbur y, Brighton on Saturday, July 8 from 8.30am with tee times from 9.30am
The tournament is open to men and women with a congu or society handicap of 36 or lower and will be played at two levels: the Pride Shieldfor those with a congu handicap; and the R ainbow Challenge for those with a society handicap There are Men’s and Women's competitions in both categories Entry fee includes course fees, entrance, prizes, refreshments, coffee and bacon (or egg) roll on arrival Full locker room facilities will be available at the clubhouse along with plenty of parking
The Five-A-Side Football Tournament will take place on Sunday, July 8 (details to be confirmed)
For more info, view: www blagss org
Gone Today, Hair Tomorrow!
Let’s face it, most of us go bald and until now the only paths have been: acceptance (tricky) or hair plugs (frightening) or concealers/hair systems (restrictive) That is, until now Scalp micro-pigmentation is essentially when you have your head tattooed in the semblance of stubble, which sounds scary but in fact is really effective with only mild discomfort during the process
Eve Pleavin of Velvet Tattoo
Brighton was drawn to SMP to help men with male pattern baldness 3 years ago, her first model was her father! Using specialist equipment and pigments Eve artistically applies micro dots The resulting ‘buzz cut’ look sculpts the face in a way that easily takes ten years off
This procedure is available as a permanent or semi-permanent treatment. Permanent may require 1 or 2 top ups in a lifetime whereas semi-permanent requires maintenance or it can be left to fade away over a few years
OPEN DAY - SUNDAY 25TH JUNE
Eve and the team are holding an open day at their funky studio on Sunday 25th June (midday-4pm) There will be refreshments, a live demonstration, mock up hairlines, Q&As with previous clients and Eve, vouchers and information packs with free goodies. It will be nice and relaxed, no hard sell Please come along and even bring a friend/partner
CAN YOU PROVIDE A LOVING HOME TO A CHILD WITH A DISABILITY?
) Parents And Children Together (PACT), the adoption charity, is calling for people to consider adopting a child with additional needs Last year, PACT, which offers outstanding Ofsted rated adoption services to families across the South East, placed 87 children with 62 families through its adoption services There are currently more than 2,000 children waiting to be adopted in England PACT is par ticularly looking for couples or individuals, including those from the LGBT+ communities, who can consider adopting children who have additional needs, including a physical or learning disability
Nicola and her husband Mike adopted Amelia, who has cerebral palsy, when she was 18 months old through PACT The couple already had a bir th son aged four when they first approached PACT in 2014 Nicola said: “Our son was the result of seven years of IVF and we didn’t feel we were able to go through that process again We also felt our family wasn’t complete so we decided to adopt We approached PACT as we had attended their local events and felt the ethos and approach matched ours ”
The couple, whose circumstances meant their adoption journey was more complicated than some, spent three years of preparation and waiting until they met their daughter Nicola continued: “The endless paperwork seemed so removed from a living, breathing child and truthfully we struggled to see a light at the end of the tunnel However, we knew there was a child out there for us, so we persisted
“The wonderful matching team at PACT were there for us throughout the process, reassuring us it was about the right child and not just any child And, of course, they were right We were eventually matched with a child that put us well out of our comfort zone, but who is the most loving, sweetest addition to our family ”
Nicola said their decision to be matched with a disabled child was followed by hours of worrying about whether they had the capacity to raise a child who would spend her life in a wheelchair But she said that as soon as they met Amelia they knew it was the right decision She said: “As I walked through the corridor of the foster home I was so worried we could not give her the life she deserved and worried her needs would negatively impact our son’s life But then we turned into the doorway and saw her for the first time She was sitting up and she turned her head to us She immediately gave us the biggest, heart-melting smile, reaching her hand up to us All the preparation and photos meant she recognised us immediately In that minute, I knew it would all be okay I knew we could love her and give her what she needed Suddenly her disability became assigned to paper, and she became a real, living child ”
Nicola said the first few months were tough as Amelia settled into her new family and they got used to a child with a physical disability The family received amazing suppor t from PACT during this time and Amelia is now much more settled and making great progress emotionally and physically, and shares a very special bond with her older brother She concluded: “She may be disabled and she may be adopted, but that is all just one part of who she is She is my family and we are hers There is no longer a distinction between her and us She makes me angry, she makes us sad, she makes us laugh, and she brings endless joy It is a natural relationship and I frequently forget we do not share a genetic link We are four and we are happy Good days, bad days, sunny and rainy days We will be together ”
Jan Fishwick, PACT Chief Executive, said: “A t PACT we’re dedicated to finding forever homes for children who can be harder to place and who of ten have the longest wait for a permanent family We’re therefore always keen to hear from anyone who could provide a loving home to a child who has additional needs, including a physical or learning disability We can also offer specialist support to families who do adopt a child with additional needs through our Strengthening Families Team and award-winning Family And Children Therapeutic Support (FACTS) service ”
Names above have been changed to protect identities
LUNCH POSITIVE TO CELEBRATE 8TH BIRTHDAY!
Lunch Positive’s bir thday falls at the end of National Volunteers Week
The charity has been built upon the involvement of members and an amazing commitment and motivation of people volunteering, giving their time for the benefit of their community
To find more about PACT, view: www pactcharity org or call: 0300 456 4800
) Lunch Positive, the HIV charity that provides a weekly lunch club for people with HIV, will celebrate its 8th Bir thday on Friday, June 9 from the Lunch Club at Dorset Gardens Methodist Church All members are invited to attend, including those who go along regularly and those who go less frequently or haven’t been for a while
The entire volunteer team will be putting together an extra special celebration meal, which will also mark the first time use of the newly refurbished kitchen at the church The meal is free to everyone and promises to be something very special The charity trustees will also be at the lunch club to meet members, socialise and talk about plans for the future
A team of more than 30 people currently volunteer to deliver the weekly lunch club, as well as fundraise and actively suppor t wider LGBT+ and HIV community events
Gar y Pargeter, Service Manager, said:
"Some very special acknowledgments will be given to all the volunteers, members and helpers that have supported Lunch Positive over the years, giving thousands of hours of their time year- on- year "
MARINE TAVERN RAISE
£1,545.73
FOR CHILDREN’S CHARITY
) Marine Tavern raised £1,545.73 for R ockinghorse Children's Charity with a series of events over the weekend of May 12-14
The centre piece of the weekend’s fundraising activities, the Dragon Boat R ace, was cancelled due to swans nesting at Brighton Marina where the race was due to be staged Despite the disappointment, the Marine Tavern team spent the afternoon at South Coast Paintballing at Albourne near Henfield A great time was had by all and the team arrived back a little battered and bruised
£1,545 73 was raised for the Rockinghorse Children's Charity at the County & Western Night on Friday 12, a special Drag Open Mic on Sunday 14 and a raffle with prizes donated by local businesses
The Dragon Boat race has been rescheduled for September at Brighton Marina and the Marine Tavern will be entering a team
If you wish to make a donation or sponsor them, view: www.justgiving.com/fundraising/ MarineTaverners2017
PEER ACTION
Peer Action is a volunteer led support and social network that offers weekly activities for those living with or affected by HIV in Brighton and the surrounding area Our events are aimed at reducing isolation and improving the overall health and wellbeing of our members Listed below are just some of our regular events, we run many events in addition Please go to our website for more information www.peeraction.net
MON Movie Monday MONTHLY SEE WEBSITE FOR DETAILS
TUE Swim @ Brighton Swim Centre (12 30) EVERY TUESDAY
Yoga @ Hampshire Lodge (17 45) EVERY TUESDAY
WED Games Night @ Barley Mow (19 00) LAST WEEK OF MONTH
Planning & Social @ Camelford Arms (18.45) 1STOR 2ND WEEK OF MONTH
FRI Bingo @ Gala Kemptown MONTHLY SEE WEBSITE FOR DETAILS
SAT Wellbeing Therapy Day @ THT (from 13.50) 4TH WEEK OF MONTH
SUN Bent Double @ Komedia (19 00) 1ST WEEK OF MONTH
Wellbeing Therapy Day @ THT (from 13 50) 2ND WEEK OF MONTH
Bowling @ Bowlplex Marina (19 00) 3RD WEEK OF MONTH
Peer Action is always looking for new members and volunteers to help keep our activities running If you have
THE PAIN OF PRAYER
spoke about it in 2010, it was too painful and ultimately this is why I lef t Bedford ”
- HOVE VICTIM SPEAKS OUT
Craig Hanlon-Smith looks at the worrying past of someone who wants to be the next MP for Hove and Por tslade
) Local Hove resident AJ Paterson decided to do some homework in the run up to the General Election on June 8 “I just wanted to be informed before the vote,” she told me, “and so I simply Googled the names of those standing locally ”
As she entered the name of The Conservatives’ Hove & Por tslade candidate, Kristy Adams, AJ was unprepared for the unsettling and upsetting memories from over 17 years ago that would come instantly and painfully, flooding back to her
From 1995 until 2000, before moving to Brighton and Hove, AJ lived in Bedford, in accommodation suppor ted by a local Christian foundation the Kings Arms Church
Kristy Adams the prospective Conservative candidate for Hove & Por tslade was active in this church, as a public speaker for them in 2009/2010 and her husband was listed as a director of the organisation until 2013, but their association goes back many years
“I do remember her,” AJ tells me, “albeit vaguely, this was a long time ago now, but I clearly remember her husband much more ”
There is a great deal of information online linking this church with healing practices aimed at curing LGBT+ people of their sexuality
I begin by asking AJ what practices were witnessed during the time as a member of the church’s community? The response is as immediate as it is chilling:
“ Yes I witnessed it but I experienced it first hand There was an occasion where two of my close friends in the church came into my room and prayed over me; to heal me from my sexuality I know that at the time they felt that what they were doing was right but it was an experience I have never forgotten
”
I ask then, that if their intentions were ultimately of a caring nature, they thought it was the right course of action, in shor t they didn’t know any better? AJ interrupts me:
“No It never felt ok This practice never felt right to me My sexuality is only a part of who I am now as it was then, there’s so much more, but their focus was all on the sexual orientation
“There was a clear direction from the church that homosexuality was a sin and that it needed to be prayed for and I am aware that the language used in the press and online is around ‘curing gays’ but the term the church and those within it used was healing They were trying to heal me of my ‘gay- ness’ ”
Praying the gay away?
“ Yes Absolutely ”
AJ tells me that the practice of healing sexual orientation through prayer was commonplace and a clear direction from the church’s leadership
“ What they don’t appreciate though, is that however well-intentioned, this is really damaging and it affects the person on the receiving end long-term ”
What’s been the long-term impact on you since experiencing the practices of the Kings Arms Church?
“Ultimately I think they are kind people, but they just didn’t think about that The long-term impact upon people ”
AJ stops speaking, is silent then breaks down and becomes quite distressed I am devastated that something I have said has engendered this response and I apologise
“No, no, really I just want people to know about this, I want to share my story so that people are aware " Is this a stor y you’ve shared regularly since moving to Brighton?
“For ten years I didn’t tell anyone, not until I first
Because of the behaviour of people within the church?
“ Yes, definitely I mean they asked me to leave Because I had ‘come out’ they had a phrase, which was that I was ‘living outside the garden of Eden’ and that this was not compatible with their beliefs so I had to leave ”
What suppor t have you received in Brighton & Hove since moving here?
“Ultimately I came here because I knew there was an active LGBT+ community and I wanted to be a part of that and since being here I have had counselling to support me through what has happened in the past ”
To help come to terms with the experiences within this church?
“ Yes It was a form of spiritual abuse Abuse because they are putting their views of sexual orientation onto someone in a way that is coercive and controlling And if you don’t do as they wish, ultimately you experience the toughest form of discipline a church or community can impose upon you You have to leave ”
So picture the scene You are removed from a community by the very people you thought were there to suppor t you You learn to live with the abuse, enter a programme of counselling to guide you through what has happened before and live in a community that is as welcoming as it is progressive And then some 17 years later, a member of that church stands for election in your local constituency, par t of a city known for its LGBT+ communities and suppor t thereof
How do you feel at the prospect of Kristy Adams, formerly of the Kings Arms Church, becoming your local MP?
“Of course I am concerned If Kristy Adams were elected, I would find it difficult to be here People have been asking questions about her background with the church and she is ignoring them and we have so many questions that we need answers to I know that the church has done some good work with the homeless and refugees, but this election has reignited all that happened to me A politician’s background is really important in us understanding who they are and what they stand for Are they going to overturn the freedoms we have fought for?”"
It is clear that throughout our conversation, these feelings are as raw for AJ today as they ever were and AJ is about to embark on another programme of counselling
If it is so upsetting, why it is impor tant to talk publicaly about this now?
“I have never felt this way before in this area The views of the church are the same as they ever were, Kristy Young was part of that church, I have personal experiences of that church The silence in not wanting to speak of it is not as important as the need for people to know who this person really is, if this individual’s belief in God’s law is more important than the law of the land Af ter all she wants to be the MP for Hove & Portslade ”
AJ’s anxiety at the prospect of Kristy Adams as MP for Hove & Por tslade is understandable The Kings Arms Church has connections to a UK wide and international
organisation NewFrontiers (previously New Frontiers International) who actively promote homosexuality as a sin that requires healing NewFrontiers are in–turn connected to a US based think-tank The Heritage Foundation, which bills itself as a research and educational institution whose mission is to build and promote conservative public policies The Heritage Foundation was heavily involved in advising President Trump’s transition team, and is thought to have influenced the abor tion executive order that prevented any federal money going to abor tion charities, on his first day in office
Before we par t company AJ and I both agree that this issue is not about par ty politics Our current three MPs who stretch across the political spectrum, Simon Kirby, Peter Kyle and Caroline Lucas have all demonstrated that they believe in the freedoms and equalities of the LGBT+ communities in the city Kristy Adams has until today refused to answer any questions on her views on same-sex relationships or to say if she thought gay sex a sin
Given the oppor tunity, what questions would you pose to Kristy Adams?
“I would ask that as a citizen of Brighton and Hove, I would like to hear her views on same sex relationships I would then ask, that as prospective politician, would she give me her word that she would back up the local LGBT+ communities in parliament should there be any future policies that would change or challenge the progress we have made, such as a for example any suggestion of the repeal of same sex marriage We need to know and she needs to tell us ”
Kristy Adams has responded to Gscene and AJ today, saying: “I supported the government as they introduced same sex marriage four years ago and would vote against any attempt to repeal the legislation; I am committed to all forms of equality I value acceptance of people of all backgrounds, sexes and sexuality
“My personal view is that I can’t believe in 2017 that I would need to state the obvious, I have never been homophobic and find it disturbing to hear of people who are The LGBTQ community in Brighton and Hove champion tolerance and fight injustice and I share their desire to make our community a place of acceptance; I am unambiguous in my support for the LGBTQ community ”
CITY APPOINTS NEW MAYOR
) Councillor Mo Marsh was appointed Mayor of the City of Brighton & Hove at a meeting of the full council on May 18 She will serve for the next 12 months Cllr Marsh has been a Labour councillor since 1995 balancing her civic life representing the residents of Moulsecoomb and Bevendean with her family life, spending time with her daughter and grandchildren while indulging her love of the ar ts and culture
Cllr Marsh was born in Leicester, the only child of Irish/Jewish immigrant parents, and lived there until she left to study at the University of Sussex in 1965 for a BA and Postgraduate Cer tificate in Education (PGCE), and later married
Cllr Marsh enjoyed a busy professional career in education, working at different times as a teacher, school governor, administrator and examiner She spent a year in Michigan, USA studying for an MA and went on to earn diplomas in teaching English as a foreign language, counselling and career guidance at the University of Brighton
She is a friend of the Brighton Philharmonic Society, a member of the Brighton Dome and Festival and an active member of the Brighton Little Theatre She was first elected to Brighton Borough Council representing Marine Ward in 1995 and has represented the residents of Moulsecoomb and Bevendean since 2007 She has been a regular member of Licensing Panels and chaired the Licensing Committee in 2015
Cllr Marsh who is celebrating her 70th year in 2017 will be raising money for five charities during her year in office, Albion in the Community, the Marlets Hospice, RISE, the Clock Sanctuary and the Sussex Heart Charity.
GET A UNIVERSITY EDUCATION WITH NO PRICE TAG
) Fancy a university education without forking out tens of thousands of pounds in tuition fees? It’s possible if you live in or near Brighton & Hove Free University Brighton (FUB) offers degree-level courses in Social Science and Humanities which are completely free Nick-named the ‘Freegree’ , the course is externally validated in the same way as conventional universities Students can study a range of subjects including Criminology, Sociology, Gender Studies and Philosophy After running successfully for two years FUB is about to take in more students
Ali Ghanimi, FUB’s founder, said: “Anyone can study this course, you don’t need ‘A’ levels, just an open mind and a willingness to learn We’ve designed the course so that people who work, care for others or have other commitments can participate Our key aim is to provide education that’s accessible, fun, builds confidence and empowers people to improve their lives ”
Ghanimi set up FUB after the Coalition Government trebled tuition fees and introduced above-inflation interest rates on student loans The move sparked student protests and occupations around the country but also a new wave of free, community-led education initiatives The courses are free thanks to a group of university lecturers who teach voluntarily Many do so because they believe in FUB’s ethos that education should be accessible to all and for the benefit of society Universities used to be sites of critical inquiry but are now market-driven businesses where courses are determined by what brings in the most money Feedback has been positive One student said: “It’s been my life-long dream to study at university level but finances prevented that FUB has given me this opportunity It has broadened my thinking and opened up my mind to other views and possibilities!” Another said: “It is challenging on so many levels, and an absolutely wonderful experience!”
For more info, view: www.freeuniversitybrighton.org or go to their Open Day: 12-4pm, Saturday, July 15 at the Learning Centre in the City Clean Depot on Upper Hollingdean Rd, Brighton BN1 7GA
OUTGOING MAYOR RAISES £94,000 FOR HIS CHOSEN CHARITIES
Cllr Pete West whose term of office as Mayor of Brighton & Hove ended this month invited to the Mayor ’s Parlour, friends and suppor ters who had helped him raise £94,000 towards the Mayors Charity Fund during his year in office The money will be shared between the 27 charities nominated by Cllr West which included the Sussex Beacon and the Clare Project
WHO ’S THE BOSS BEHIND THE BAR?
Morgan Fabulous chats to Jackie Perr y, the co-owner and manager of Velvet Jacks on the border of Brighton and Hove about what makes it the perfect place to relax and have a cocktail
) Velvet Jacks, a small and quirky independent bar with friendly staff and customers, is the kind of place you can walk in to on your own and instantly feel at home and relaxed It celebrated its second bir thday on May 23, which is also the date of Jackie’s wife and business par tner Eve’s bir thday
Jackie grew up in the East End of London in the 1950s, in the kind of place where your aunt and uncle lived next door The whole neighbourhood was like one big extended family and you could leave your doors and windows open without a second thought
She worked as a prison officer for 14 years, with women, young offenders and people serving life sentences But, Jackie wanted to see what else the world had to offer and decided she would go travelling She travelled around Australia on two separate occasions for six months at a time, lived in Key Largo, an island in the upper Florida Keys archipelago for three and a half years, and backpacked around South East Asia for a few years in the 1990s
Before Velvet Jacks opened, the place had been a family-run restaurant for the last 30 years Her wife, Eve, owned the tattoo shop a few doors along from the restaurant and had always wanted to turn it into a bar if the oppor tunity arose When she heard it was being sold, she managed to persuade the owners to sell it to her
In the past, Jackie had run a themed bar and restaurant in the East End of London, which unfor tunately attracted a poorly behaved crowd, so she was more than happy, eager and equipped to get back behind a bar and transform it into somewhere she and like-minded people would love to socialise in
They totally redecorated and replaced everything, except for the signature Ar tex ceiling, transforming it into a cosy hang out Jackie says it feels like a cave inside and keeps them nice and warm in the winter They have an all-female team of five staff who are very friendly and accommodating
The bar attracts a wide range of clientele, from gay woman and men who enjoy good wine and cocktails to locals dropping by for an after work drink Jackie and Eve both love dogs You will often find Olive their Airedale Terrier asleep on the floor of the bar and they both enjoy being around people who share their interests
First and foremost, Jackie is a people person and the bar is a way of life to her In fact, it is her life, and she thinks of it and her regulars, like one large extended family
It’s so evident from the decor and the great customer service that Jackie loves the bar and wants others to love it just as much as she does She serves amazing cocktails and gin bowls, and everyone who drinks there is guaranteed a warm and friendly welcome
BAR PERSON PROFILE: MATT
RICHARDS
@ BEDFORD TAVERN
The person many LGBT+people meet when they first ar rive in the city is the bar person at their local LGBT+ venue These gatekeepers to the community provide an impor tant role both befriending and signposting new ar rivals. Gscene finds out a bit more about them and what makes them tick.
) Matt Richards works at the Bedford Tavern, the popular community pub on the border between Brighton & Hove In the last five years he’s won the Golden Handbag for Favourite Bar Boy three times and been r unner-up twice
Where are you from? Guildford in Sur rey
What brought you to Brighton? I moved here with my then boyfriend as we loved the place! That was 21 years ago
Oddest thing you’ve been asked for? A guy asked to buy my under wear I politely declined, they were my favourites
Worst kind of punter? I love all customers, obviously?!?
What do you do when it’s quiet? I really enjoy chatting with people. The quieter periods are as impor tant as busy times It gives you time to lear n about your customers and they you Also, if Adam (the boss) is reading this I do lots of cleaning and tidying! Difference between ale and beer? Ale is more flavoursome and fragrant, beer/lager is crisp and refreshing
Can you pull a pint? Of course! Per fect head always!
Shaken or stirred? Now that's personal. I love a good shimmy, so somewhere in between.
Favourite tipple? I have a new -found love for gin We have star ted stocking an extensive range with complementing tonics I'm enjoying working through the menu
What makes you roll your eyes? Bad manners and people who think they are always right
Are those really your photos on Grindr? I'm not on it (shame Ed), What makes a per fect barman/girl? Personality You can teach a person how to pour a drink, but to give good customer ser vice balanced with banter is something you've either got or you haven't
Where do you like to go out when you’re not working? I go to lunch quite a lot, but also like a good pub I really enjoy an af ter noon bevvy I go to the Brighton Taver n of ten as I used to work there before the Bedford, so have lots of friends there. The Grosvenor is another as it’s close by and friendly Night time there is only one choice Bar Broadway! I love a camp tune
Tell us a secret about yourself... A lady never divulges!
Nickname behind the bar? Tilly (my drag persona for Easter Bonnet).
Are you single or in a relationship? I've been with my husband, Aaron, for over 10 years We got mar ried two years ago.
A NIGHT AT THE SAUNA
Sam Bowles checks out the new trans evening at the Brighton Sauna.
) I was very excited when I found out that there was going to be a trans-inclusive night at Brighton Sauna, for many reasons: I haven't been to a sauna for about 10 years, and that was at a gym on the outskirts of Brighton.
Secondly, I knew that I was finally going to meet Jak (one of the staff), whom several of my friends had raved about. But most importantly, it was a night meant for people like me.
My partner and I had to arm ourselves with knowledge from friends who had been to similar places, about what to expect as well as etiquette. It took a few weeks to build this up and even then on the day I was still a little nervous that I would end up not behaving in the right way
It turns out that I needn’t have worried. It was an incredibly relaxed atmosphere from the beginning Having now been to both trans nights that have taken place so far, James, on reception, recognised me the second time and struck up a conversation
He gave me the right information about lockers, explained about the tab you can set up, provided me with a towel and then let me through
By the second visit, of course, I knew how to navigate my way around the building The food bar, lounge area and computers are on the ground floor, as well as some private rooms and a dark room with a stand-up sun bed. I utilised the latter on my second visit, and as I’d never used one before, James explained everything to me and made it easy to understand.
Downstairs, you will find the majority of the private rooms, as well as a changing room, sauna, steam room and jacuzzi, as well as access to a smoking area.
From what I could see, everything is incredibly well-maintained in terms of cleanliness. I did also spot some signs around the premises that gave guidelines on etiquette, particularly surrounding pronouns; as well as consent I'm unsure if those signs are shown on other nights apart from the trans night, but I appreciated how we ’ re expected to be treated with respect
It had also been arranged that trans-friendly porn was being shown around the premises I was very happy with the level of detail, and effort, that Jak went through in order to ensure this night could be run successfully, and to get it running in the first place
Once I realised how relaxed the atmosphere was, I was completely at ease in being in the state of undress that generally happens here I am generally quite comfortable with being naked, but I hadn't been naked around these particular friends before, and I do sometimes have some dysphoria to contend with. I was quite happy being mostly naked and it didn't cross my mind throughout most of the night. It was such a good feeling to be able to have a laugh and talk about things that people in
“I needn’t have worried. It was an incredibly relaxed atmosphere from the beginning”
a similar situation to me would be able to understand On my second visit, I brought a friend instead of my partner, and they were so excited to be able to freely be in a queer space in such a relaxed setting.
On both of my visits so far, I have utilised the jacuzzi quite a lot! I've had back problems recently and I found the jacuzzi to really help to relieve some of the tension, so the sauna has physical benefits for me as well as mental. As mentioned before, with it being a long time since I'd been in such an environment, there’s still a great feeling of novelty and excitement for me when I use the jacuzzi.
Overall, I am incredibly pleased with the experiences I've had at these sauna nights, and I will most definitely be attending as many as possible. My only concern at the moment is the entry price, but that is purely down to personal circumstances I would absolutely recommend it to trans folk as well as their SOFFAs (significant others, friends, family and allies)!
TRANS SAUNA
) The TRANS SAUNA evening is on the fourth Monday each month from 6pm-1am
) The next TRANS SAUNA evening is on Monday, June 26 Entry is £15 for a standard entry or £16 for the day pass
A spokesperson for Brighton Sauna, said:
“You must be trans to enter (that includes all trans identities) or the guest of a trans person If someone is a cis guest, they must arrive with whoever they’re coming with unless we get a heads up beforehand
“We do allow SOFFAs Some folks may have a cis partner, friend or support person that they wish to enjoy the night with
“We have a safer space policy which must be adhered to which we have dotted about the building and we ask everyone to make themselves familiar with it upon entry
Anyone breaking that policy will be asked to leave ”
THE GOLDEN HANDBAGS QUIZ
SUBLINE RECL AIM THEIR GOLDEN CROWN
) Subline, the gentlemen’s bar on St James’s Street, beat 20 other teams at Charles Street last month to become acknowledged as the cleverest LGBT+ crew in the city and regain the crown they last held in 2014
The quiz was hosted by on form Lola Lasagne who had an answer for everyone and kept the evening moving along at breakneck speed, barely pausing to neck the line of drinks that an appreciative audience kept insisting on buyer her Lola said: “This is my favourite gig of the year, bringing together the voluntary sector, the statutory sector and local LGBT+ businesses all under one roof to let their hair down and have a really good evening out
“I would like to thank my assistants, DJ Ruby Roo, Jon-Paul Mager and Nicki Delmege, who kept the quiz moving along very smoothly, James Brooks for writing the questions and Chris Marshall and all his wonderful staff at Charles Street for working so hard all evening ”
Winners on the night were Subline with Charles Street and Bedford Tavern sharing joint second place
However, the star of the show was Lola Lasagne who managed to wring every last moment of drama out of the proceeding, especially when revealing in Eurovision style the positions of all the teams at the end of the evening
£420 was raised for the R ainbow Fund who distribute grants to local LGBT+ organisations who provide effective front-line services to LGBT+ people in the city
SUBLINE WINNERS OF THE GOLDEN HANDBAGS QUIZ 2017
LOLA LASAGNE WITH WINNER & RUNNERS UP
CHARLES STREET JOINT RUNNERS UP
BEDFORD TAVERN JOINT RUNNERS UP
AMSTERDAM BAR & KITCHEN
DOCTOR BRIGHTONS
MARTIN FISHER FOUNDATION
MARINE TAVERN
VILLAGE MCC
RAINBOW CHORUS
GSCENE
SEA SERPENTS RFC
Brighton & Hove Sea Serpents RFC play in the Union Cup tournament in Madrid.
) Brighton & Hove Sea Serpents, the city's gay rugby football club, attended their first foreign tournament over the bank holiday weekend at the end of April, travelling to Madrid to play in the Union Cup The Union Cup is a biennial European, nonprofessional, gay and inclusive rugby union tournament bringing together 30 teams and joint teams from all over Europe The tournament is run as three separate competitions depending on the experience of the competing sides The Sea Serpents as a new club were placed in the Union Bowl competition
Initially, the Serpents played pool matches against three other European sides: the Bristol Bisons, Manchester Village Spar tans 3 and the Munich Monks
The scores in these initial matches were:
Sea Serpents 15 – 5 Bristol Bisons
Sea Serpents 19 – 0 Manchester Village Spar tans 3
Sea Serpents 42 – 3 Munich Monks
These scores put the Serpents in second place in the pool and on Sunday afternoon they played in the Bowl competition Gold Final against R ebelyons RFC from Lyon, France, a club who’ve played rugby since 2007 French amateur rugby clubs are not allowed to contest scrums by their union, and while the Serpents were entitled to an extra man to play 15 v 14 they declined and chose to complete on their own merits
The match, a shor t timed game at 15 minutes a half, was watched by a vocal contingent of players and suppor ters from other clubs whose matches had finished, and played on a good pitch, which, despite it being Madrid in May, had been rained on all weekend!
Rebelyons took the kick off and broke through to score after seven minutes with a try which they failed to conver t Score: 0-5 The Serpents took the kick to restar t, keeping Rebelyons back with some play on their 22 metre line Rebelyons finally broke through the Sea Serpents’ defensive line on the 15 minute
mark and scored their second try, this time, conver ted Score 0-12 The half time whistle went immediately
The Sea Serpents kicked off the second half and almost immediately Rebelyons scored, feeling the benefit of a stronger team and a loud French contingent in the crowd Score 17-0 Despite a tired, smaller and less experienced squad, the Sea Serpents played strongly and defended throughout the second half, keeping the Rebelyons from scoring again The final whistle blew and Rebelyons had won the competition for the Bowl
The Sea Serpents congratulated them all round
The Sea Serpents have had a hard first full season of rugby playing 17 matches, mostly against more experienced Sussex Clubs This experience gave them a good star ting point in this their first foreign competition
The Sea Serpents are grateful to the Camelford Arms for the sponsorship of the Club’s kit and to the Sussex Community Fund for a grant to cover the cost of professional coaching in the 20016-17 season
If you’re interested in playing rugby in an inclusive club, whether a competent player or one who has not played team spor ts since school, the Sea Serpents are keen to help you get involved and play
To message them view: www.facebook.com/bhssr fc/ To see matches that were streamed live, view: www.youtube.com/channel/UCvHHFHd990gNT4V4rYZ
TDKA
A SIGHT FOR SORE EYES
Is our use of poppers impacting our ability to see the wood for the trees?
By Craig Hanlon-Smith
) My own introduction to poppers back in 1993 was of a completely non-sexual nature. I arrived at a late night (straight) party in the back streets of deepest south London, to find a packed living room containing a deep shagpile rug, behind which a gas fire was blazing. Periodically, the hosts would pour amyl nitrate or whatever the blazes was in the inch high bottle, onto the carpet Wholly stupid fire risk aside, we all buzzed happily along for hours
A couple of years later; the tube trip back into Soho from London’s Gay Pride event at Victoria Park, and cut to a carriage rammed with gaymen singing ABBA songs at the tops of our voices, passing round a handful of small brown bottles to dozens of homos we had never set eyes on before and would possibly never see again “Does your mother know that you ’ re ‘out’?” we screamed in between the sniffs and bouts of hysterical raucous laughter. We barely noticed the handful of Japanese and American tourists who looked on aghast, clutching their children close to their bossoms in the firm belief that they had all died and gone to hell.
Fun times then, and yet, in the remembering I’m cringing somewhat and mightily thrilled that both smart phones and social media were still some 20 years away. I was taking poppers from strangers on the dance floor for years before I graduated onto their frequent use as a sexual relaxant, in the assumption that they were completely harmless and after all, they’re fun right?
For years, urban myths surrounded poppers use, particularly in relation to how many brain cells they were killing compared to alcohol, but in recent months a wholly more sinister health problem connected to the use of poppers is emerging “I didn’t make the connection at first,” David, local and regular on the scene, tells me “I just woke up one day and couldn’t see clearly It was like there were patches of water on my eye, or as if I’d just stared into sunlight – you know that distortion you get immediately after, only it didn’t go away. ”
David presented immediately at the accident emergency department at the Royal Sussex County Hospital, but doctors were baffled.
Over several weeks his eyes appeared to get better until six months later it happened again, only much more severely. “This time I went to the optician who referred me immediately to the specialist although I had begun to make connections between the problem and poppers use myself by then ” David’s own connection of his vision difficulties and poppers was confirmed by the specialist who made it clear this was not the first case he had seen
I spoke to Robert Purbrick, Consultant Ophthalmologist at the Royal Sussex County Hospital, and asked if the issue concerned actually getting poppers into the eye (we’ve all been there right?) “No! This issue is not a direct effect of the poppers, so closing your eyes when sniffing the bottle won’t help either. It’s chemical, so I would expect these changes [to vision] if the poppers were injected for example.”
Poppers, which are used as a relaxant, specifically, although not exclusively, by gay men for use in anal sex, operate by expanding blood vessels, which in turn lessen involuntary muscle movement or spasms. They also bring about a temporary high in the form of lightheadedness and giddiness, which is why they’re sometimes used in a non-sexual context, such as club dance floors
In 2006, a common ingredient, isobutyl nitrite, was classified as a cancer-causing agent and banned in the UK and France It remains in use in much of mainland Europe and the chemical composition of poppers in many countries remains unchanged, but not here The replacement chemical, isopropyl nitrite, is what is now thought to damage the fovea, the part of the retina responsible for central vision The issue is known as ‘Poppers Maculopathy’.
I asked Robert Purbrick if the problem is widespread in the Brighton & Hove area “I have nine cases on my personal database We’re planning a study to try and assess the prevalence of Poppers Maculopathy in the local population, examining clinical signs, which could be present in the absence of symptoms. Poppers use is very high in the UK amongst
the population of men who have sex with men so we’d expect to pick up quite a lot ”
A little light research indicates this issue has been knocking around for a few years with initial reports as far back as 2010 and the first recorded UK case in Sidcup in 2012 Martin McKibbin, Consultant Ophthalmologist in Leeds, has reported that within the past 12 months, a small group of patients in Leeds, Manchester and North Wales who have used poppers have experienced fluctuating vision and that whilst in some patients vision has recovered to normal when they stop using poppers, in others it has not. McKibbin is clear: “Visual problems have been observed with both one-off and chronic use Some patients have experienced damaged vision after just one dose ”
A recent report in The British Journal Of Ophthalmology suggests that poppers use may cause serious and permanent eye damage Lead researcher, Dr Rebecca Rewbury, stated; “The mounting body of evidence [suggests] that poppers can have serious effects on central vision Users and health care professionals may be unaware of the risk ”
This study followed 12 men who presented with blurriness or blind spots in their vision within hours or days of poppers use Researchers examining the chemical makeup of the brands that the men used found they all contained the post-2006 ingredient isopropyl nitrite
In 2015, poppers were included on a list of socalled legal highs debated in Parliament prior to the introduction of a wider ban, which included synthetic cannabis and nitrous oxide as part of the Psychoactive Substances Bill. Conservative MP, Crispin Blunt, outed himself as a poppers user in the debate with much media coverage and poppers were eventually left off the list.
I asked Robert Purbrick if with hindsight he thought that leaving poppers off the ban was wise, and whilst he wouldn’t be drawn on the question directly, he told me: “There is plenty of evidence of harm from poppers in the form of poppers maculopathy.” Some of which was available prior to the debate in 2015. “I think an erroneous label of safety could be applied to poppers through their omission from this list ”
I ask him, considering the wide use of poppers amongst the gay community, what advice he has for anyone using poppers either during sex or other recreational activities His message is clear: “It’s not advisable And certainly in the context of any visual symptoms then they should stop use immediately and either visit an optician or attend Eye Casualty at Sussex Eye Hospital A macular OCT scan (optical coherence tomography) is necessary for diagnosis ”
And whilst our local friend David’s vision is much improved, he remains concerned As our conversation ends he says to me: “This issue is totally under the radar and nobody is talking about it ”
Some names have been changed at the request of those interviewed @craigscontinuum
) FOOD Mon–Fri 11am–8pm; Sat & Sun 10.30am–8pm; Sunday roasts from 12pm–sold out FOOD SPECIALS: Mon–Wed, 5–8pm: main course from specials menu and a pint or medium glass of house wine £10
) DRINK PROMOS House wine, £10 90 a bottle To celebrate the launch of the Amsterdam’s premium gin and tonic menu, double up for £2
) ONE FOR THE DIARY Wednesday is QUIZ NIGHT with Mark Flood, general knowledge, picture round and multiple choice questions at 9pm - £2 to play, rolling cash jackpot and other prizes
) REGUL ARS Friday is live enter tainment alternating between Jason Thorpe’s KARAOKE and Sally Vate’s FUN FRIDAY FROLIC S, both at 9pm sharp
) Saturday is SANFRANDISCO with DJ Mick Fuller (Radio Reverb) chilled out soul from 8pm
Information is correct at the time of going to press Gscene cannot be held responsible for any changes or alterations to the listings
THURSDAY 1
l BAR 7@CRAWLEY Total Request Thursdays: DJ FRESH Princess 9pm
l BAR BROADWAY Big Thursday Quiz: prizes 8pm
l BAR REVENGE FOMO pre-par ty 9pm
l CAMELFORD ARMS £300 Big Cash Quiz 9pm
l CHARLES ST Throwback Thursday: DJ Ruby Roo/hostess Ms Joan Bond 9pm
l GROSVENOR BAR Abel Mabel’s Bingo 8 30pm
l MARINE TAVERN Throwback Thursday: 80s Jukebox 8pm
l PARIS HOUSE live music: Fleur de Paris 8pm
l PRISCILL A’S Pete Bennett’s Big Bender 8pm
l QUEEN’S ARMS cabaret: Miss Jason 9 30pm
l REVENGE FOMO DJs 11pm
l SUBLINE Brace Yourself 9pm
l THREE JOLLY BUTCHERS Quiz: cash jackpot 7.30pm
FRIDAY 2
l AMSTERDAM Jason Thorpe’s Karaoke or Sally Vate’s Fun Friday Frolics 9pm
) OPEN Mon–Thu 6pm–1am, Fri 5pm–3am, Sat 4pm–3am, Sun 4pm–1am
) BRIGHTON BEAR WEEKEND Saturday (17) is BEARA- OKE from 5.30pm with the BBW boys, incl super talented hosts Chris and Jon Bee from Brighton & Hove Sea Serpents RFC, inviting you to sing your favourite songs to impress your beary buddies and furry friends! Arrive early, as Bar Broadway will be rammed for one of the most popular events on the BBW calendar Entry is free, but donations to sing (or not!) to the R ainbow Fund will be gratefully accepted BBW say: “Af ter a full house and lots of fun at our first Bear-a- oke, we’re doing it all again! If you need a Tony to your Maria, A udrey to Seymour or even a Roxie to your Velma we’ll be glad to help! ”
) ONE FOR THE DIARY Sunday (11) is the GOLDEN HANDBAGS AF TER PARTY with the Late Night Fireplace Sessions presenting The Handbag Collective from 11pm till 3am Bar is closed from 7–11pm for the Golden Handbags
) REGUL ARS Tuesday is SHOWSTOPPER SING-ALONG with the R egency Singers, piano & open mic at 9pm ) Wed is STAR -A- OKE, a new type of quiz with Jason Thorpe at 9pm ) BIG THURSDAY NIGHT QUIZ with R oss Cameron and prizes at 8pm, £1 goes to Men Talk Health charity ) Fri & Sat is BROADWAY JUKEBOX Download the Bar Broadway app and request your favourite songs! ) Sunday FIREPLACE SESSIONS at 8 30pm: Emily Farrah (4), Spice (18) and Jennie Castell (25)
Jennie Castell is a versatile, powerful and experienced singer who’s shared stages Lulu, Alexandra Burke and Joe McElderry Expect full-throttle enter tainment and blow-theroof-off vocals! Jennie says: “Expect to be entertained with great vocals, off the cuff humour and cheekiness!”
l CHARLES ST Fabulous Fridays: DJ
Morgan Fabulous 9pm
l DR BRIGHTONS House Rules: DJ
Nick Hirst 9.30pm
l LEGENDS BAR Pre-Glitter: Stephanie
Von Clitz 9.30pm
l MARINE TAVERN Matt’s Jukebox
Disco 8pm
l PARIS HOUSE Guest DJ 9pm
l PRISCILL A’S All-Day Karaoke: Betty
Swollocks & Linda Bacardi 2pm
l QUEEN’S ARMS cabaret: Jennie
Castell 9.30pm
l REVENGE Pop Tar tz DJs 10.30pm
l SUBLINE Steam 9pm
l THREE JOLLY BUTCHERS DJ Havoxx
7pm
l ZONE cabaret: Stone & Street 10pm
SATURDAY 3
l AMSTERDAM SanFranDisco: DJ Mick
Fuller 8pm
l BAR 7@CRAWLEY 7 Sins 9pm
l BAR BROADWAY Jukebox 4pm
l BAR REVENGE WTF warm-up 9pm
l BASEMENT CLUB@LEGENDS
Fusion: DJ Peter Castle 11pm
l BOUTIQUE Open Cocktail
Masterclasses 8pm; DJ Prynesh +
Summer Roof Terrace Par ty 10pm
l CHARLES ST Fierce: DJs on rotation 9pm
l DR BRIGHTONS Saturday Session: DJ
Tony B 9 30pm
l GROSVENOR BAR cabaret: Spice 9 30pm
BAR 7 CRAWLEY
) 7 Pegler Way, Crawley, RH11 7AG, Tel: 01293 511177, www 7crawley co uk
) OPEN 6pm daily ) DRINK PROMOS Tue, Fri & Sat drink deals all night
) ONE FOR THE DIARY Friday is 7-UPSTAIRS with all-star DJs playing pop/dance /guilty pleasures from 8pm, free entry till 11pm
) REGUL ARS Tuesday is CREWSDAY with DJ Lewis
Osborne spinning the tunes ) Saturday is 7-SINS with all-star DJs spinning tunes from 8pm, free till 11pm
) Sunday is KARAOKE with DJ Bullard from 8.30pm
Bar 7 say: “Expect a massive collection of songs ready for you to perform! Whether you're a shower singer or a show singer, we don't judge; it's all about the good times!”
l LEGENDS BAR Pre-club DJs 7pm
l MARINE TAVERN Saturday Club 8pm
l PARIS HOUSE Live jazz 4pm; TC’s Joyful Noise: DJ Kenny 9pm
l PRISCILL A’S All-Day Karaoke: Kayne & Gloria Hole 2pm
l QUEEN’S ARMS cabaret: Myra Dubois 9 30pm
l REVENGE WTF!: DJs over 2 floors 11 30pm
l SUBLINE Leathermen South 10pm
l ZONE cabaret: Topsie Redfern 10pm
SUNDAY 4
l AMSTERDAM Sunday roasts 12pmtill gone
l BAR 7@CRAWLEY DJ Bullard’s karaoke 8pm
l BAR BROADWAY Fireplace Sessions pres Emily Farrar 8 30pm
l BAR REVENGE Sunday Club DJs 9pm
l BASEMENT CLUB@LEGENDS
Pop!Candy: DJ Claire Fuller 11pm
l BRIGHTON SAUNA Naked Day 12pm
l CAMELFORD ARMS Bear Bash, free food & raffle 5pm; roasts & select menu 12pm–till gone
l CHARLES ST cabaret: Davina Sparkle
7 30pm; Sally’s Rock & Roll Bingo
8 30pm
l LEGENDS BAR cabaret: Lady Imelda
3 30pm; roasts 12–3pm
l MARINE TAVERN Sunday roasts 125pm; Drag Open Mic with Stephanie Von Clitz 9pm
l PARIS HOUSE live music: Gemina
7 30pm
l PRISCILL A’S All Day Karaoke: Betty Swollocks & Princess C*nty 2pm
l QUEEN’S ARMS Barry’s Leaving Par ty with Miss Penny & surprises 6pm
l SUBLINE Guilty Pleasures: DJ Screwpulous 9pm
l THREE JOLLY BUTCHERS Jazz Roast 3pm; Sunday roasts 12-5pm
MONDAY 5
l BAR BROADWAY Monday Night Classics 7pm
l BRIGHTON SAUNA You Takin’ the Piss? waterspor ts night 6pm
l CHARLES STREET Studio 150 10 30pm
l LEGENDS BAR Miss Jason’s Mad Mondays 9.30pm
l PARIS HOUSE live jazz: Mick Hammer Trio 2pm; Oli Howe Trio 7pm
TUESDAY 6
l BAR 7@CRAWLEY Crewsday: DJ Lewis Osborne 9pm
l BAR BROADWAY Showstopper Singalong: open mic 9pm
l MARINE TAVERN Nat’s Quiz 9pm
l PRISCILL A’S Karaoke: Marilyn Manswoon 7pm
l REVENGE Bangers & Trash: DJs Toby Lawrence & Trick 11pm
I S T I N G S
BOUTIQUE
) 2 Boyces St, West St, BN11AN, 01273 327607 www.boutiqueclubbrighton.com
) OPEN daily from 4pm–ver y late
) FOOD All day till 10pm
) DRINK PROMOS Mon–Fri: bottles of Moet £50 & Veuve £60 Five J -Bombs for £5 and 2-4-1 selected cocktails
) ONE FOR THE DIARY Thur (15) is the SINGLE & MINGLE singles night from 7pm with South Downs Dating agency and cocktail master classes to help you break the ice! Entry is £5
) REGUL ARS Star t the weekend with a bang every Friday with DJ Oli, Franco (16 & 30), shot drops and giveaways from 10pm Quote Gscene on the door on Fri (23) for free KARAOKE and on Fri (30) for free entr y till 11pm ) Learn how to make your favourite cocktail every Saturday at the OPEN COCKTAIL MASTER CLASS in Bar 2 from 8pm In the evening, join renowned DJ Pr ynesh for tunes, themes, specials/giveaways from 10pm Sat (3) is the SUMMER SHAKE UP PARTY on the roof terrace from 10pm
WEDNESDAY 7
l AMSTERDAM Quiz: Mark Flood 9pm
l BAR 7@CRAWLEY Fresh!: DJ Jazzy Jane 9pm
l BAR BROADWAY Star-a-oke: Jason Thorpe, prizes 9pm
l BAR REVENGE Lip Sync For Your Life 9pm
l BASEMENT CLUB@LEGENDS Ice:
DJ Claire Fuller 11pm
l BRIGHTON SAUNA Naked Day 11am
l CAMELFORD ARMS Seniors’ lunch
2-3 30pm
l CHARLES ST Silly Willy Wednesdays: Drag With No Name 9pm
l PARIS HOUSE live music: Chris Coul 8pm
l PRISCILL A’S Karaoke Competition:
Linda Bacardi, £50 prize 7pm
l QUEEN’S ARMS Sally Vate 9.30pm
l SUBLINE Happy Hump Day 9pm
l VELVET JACKS Quiz: cash prize 8pm
THURSDAY 8
l BAR 7@CRAWLEY Total Request Thursdays: DJ FRESH Princess 9pm
l BAR BROADWAY Big Thursday Quiz: Ross Cameron, prizes 8pm
l BAR REVENGE FOMO pre-par ty 9pm
l CAMELFORD ARMS £300 Big Cash Quiz 9pm
l CHARLES ST Throwback Thursday: DJ Ruby Roo & hostess Ms Joan Bond 9pm
l GROSVENOR BAR Abel Mabel’s Bingo 8 30pm
l MARINE TAVERN Throwback Thursday: 80s Jukebox 8pm
l PARIS HOUSE live music: The Son 8pm
l PRISCILL A’S Pete Bennett’s Big Bender 8pm
l QUEEN’S ARMS cabaret: Lola Lasagne 9 30pm
l REVENGE FOMO DJs 11pm
l SUBLINE Brace Yourself 9pm
l THREE JOLLY BUTCHERS Quiz: cash jackpot 7.30pm
FRIDAY 9
l AMSTERDAM Jason Thorpe’s Karaoke or Sally Vate’s Fun Friday Frolics 9pm
) OPEN daily from 12pm The most dog-friendly pub in town
) FOOD Mon–Sat 12–9pm; Sunday roasts and select menu served 12pm–till gone; seniors’ lunch served Wed 2–3 30pm, two courses £9 50
) BRIGHTON BEAR WEEKEND Thursday (15) is the BBW BIG PRIZE RAFFLE and QUIZ with £300 cash prize from 9pm; arrive early to secure a table Entry for the Quiz is £2 pp, £1 of which goes straight to the R ainbow Fund Raffle: £1 a ticket or buy 6 for £5 BBW say: “It is the big, beary quiz and raffle so put a team together, grab a table, answer the most questions right and go home a very happy Bear!” ) Saturday (17) is the BBW BREAKFAST at 10.30am, hear ty por tions guaranteed Normal price for breakfast is £10 50 all in, or £8 50 with a BBW wristband To book, call 01273 622386 BBW say: “If you’ve just arrived in town and need some energy for the weekend then the Camelford is opening especially early to serve full English breakfasts, the best and biggest in town Fit for any bear, otter and cub Gentle music will ease you into a full day of pleasure and the Brighton Bear Team will be there to help you with any questions about what is happening and where to go over the whole weekend ” ) If you’re exhausted after all that par tying, replenish yourself with a massive Sunday R oast on Sunday (18) from 12pm; the BEAR BASH & RAFFLE DRAW is at 5pm Roasts can be washed down with 10% off Fosters and 10% off guest ale with a BBW wristband available for £5 behind the bar Advance booking highly recommended - call: 01273 622386 ) Monday (19) is the BBW COME DOWN from 12pm
) REGUL ARS Sunday is the BEAR BASH with free food and a raffle from 5pm
) Thursday is the BIG CASH QUIZ with a £300 cash prize, free sarnies and great atmosphere from 9pm
l BASEMENT CLUB@LEGENDS
Glitter: DJ David Noakes 11pm
l BOUTIQUE DJ Oli & shot drops 10pm
l CAMELFORD ARMS Friday Club 6pm
l CHARLES ST Fabulous Fridays: DJ
Morgan Fabulous 9pm
l DR BRIGHTONS Funky Friday: DJ
Nick Hirst 9 30pm
l LEGENDS BAR Pre-Glitter: Stephanie
Von Clitz 9 30pm
l MARINE TAVERN Pre-Scrum 10pm
l PARIS HOUSE DJ Havoxx 9pm
l PRISCILL A’S All-Day Karaoke: Betty
Swollocks & Linda Bacardi 2pm
l QUEEN’S ARMS cabaret: Topsie
Redfern 9 30pm
l REVENGE Pop Tar tz DJs 10 30pm
l SUBLINE The Big Scrum spor tskit night 10pm
l ZONE cabaret: Tabitha Wild 10pm
SATURDAY 10
l AMSTERDAM SanFranDisco: DJ Mick Fuller 8pm
l BAR 7@CRAWLEY 7 Sins 9pm
l BAR BROADWAY Jukebox 4pm
l BAR REVENGE WTF! pre-par ty 9pm
l BASEMENT CLUB@LEGENDS Fusion: DJ Peter Castle 11pm
) FOOD Mon–Sat 12–8pm Tue deals include: 2 for £7 99 on selected mains and 2-for-1 on full size pizzas Bottomless Pizza & Prosecco every Sat & Sun 1–5pm with 2 90-minute sittings, 1pm & 2.30pm, £20 per person Pre-booking is required by phone 01273 624091 or email: charlesstreet brighton@stonegatepubs com
) DRINK PROMOS All drinks half price 5–9pm Mon–Sat and all night on Sun from 8 30pm, right after the cabaret Offer excludes sparkling wine and cocktails
) BRIGHTON BEAR WEEKEND Sunday (18) is Brighton Bear Weekend Cabaret and R ock & R oll Bingo with Lola Lasagne from 7 30pm, £1 from every ticket from the bingo will be donated to the R ainbow Fund Lola says: “I'm spoiled! Not only am I performing at Charles Street, which is always a joy, but I'll be surrounded by Brighton Bears! As a performer you don't just want to hear applause and laughter but you want something nice to look at too Providing Rupert isn't going nuts on the bloody smoke machine! So join me for Drag Queens, Bingo and Bears - Oh My!”
ENVY @ CHARLES STREET
) 8 Marine Parade, BN2 1TA, Tel: 01273 624091
) BRIGHTON BEAR WEEKEND Celebrate all things GRIZZLY on Friday (16) at UPROAR , the official Brighton Bears Weekend club night with DJ Bozzy Bear and R ob C from 10 30pm Entry on the night is £5 with BBW wristbands, £7 without Drink promos: £2 deals on selected pints, spirits & bottles all night BBW organisers say: “Af ter last year, our successful dance night is back again for the Friday night We will get you hot and sweaty with two DJs and if you get the chance to leave the dance floor, we have some great drink deals!”
l BAR REVENGE Sunday Club: DJs 9pm
l BASEMENT CLUB@LEGENDS
Pop!Candy: DJ Claire Fuller 11pm
l BRIGHTON SAUNA Naked Day 12pm
TUESDAY 13
l BAR 7@CRAWLEY Crewsday: DJ Lewis Osborne 9pm
l BAR BROADWAY Showstopper Singalong: open mic 9pm
) ONE FOR THE DIARY Exciting live performers every Sunday from 7 30pm: Davina Sparkle (4), Cinebra (11) and Mrs Moore (25) Every Sunday, right after the cabaret, is Sally Vate’s ROCK & ROLL BINGO with big cash prizes Cinebra (11), a collaboration between Alexander Joseph and R o R ober tson who you may know as Lydia L’Scabies and R ococo Chanel, is a feature-length show following the lives of Sophie Chiswell (a coeliac asthmatic) and Megan Taylor (a social asthmatic) who both have a mutual love of movies With Cinebra, Alexander and Ro have created an accessible, multimedia experience with intellect, humour and hear t Cinebra say: “This ‘adorkable’ original drag comedy duo are back! Fresh from their Fringe Festival hype, movie lovers Megan and Sophie serve you all their infinite cinematic knowledge through song, spiel, and laughs "
) REGUL ARS Wed is Drag With No Name SILLY WILLY WEDNESDAYS – a night of crazy enter tainment with hilarious antics and cash prizes from 9pm Don’t miss this season’s finale on Wed (28)
l GROSVENOR BAR cabaret: Miss Jason 9 30pm
l LEGENDS BAR Pre-club DJs 7pm
l MARINE TAVERN Saturday Club 8pm
l PARIS HOUSE Live jazz 4pm; TC’s
Joyful Noise: DJ Kenny 9pm
l PRISCILL A’S All-Day Karaoke: Kayne & Gloria Hole 2pm
l QUEEN’S ARMS cabaret: Son of a Tutu 9 30pm
l REVENGE WTF!: DJs over 2 floors 11pm
l SUBLINE Men’s Room: DJ Screwpulous 9pm
l ZONE cabaret: Sally Vate 10pm
SUNDAY 11
l AMSTERDAM Sunday roasts 12pmtill gone
l BAR 7@CRAWLEY DJ Bullard’s karaoke 8pm
l BAR BROADWAY Golden Handbags
After Par ty Fireplace Sessions: The Handbag Collective 11pm
l CAMELFORD ARMS Bear Bash, free food & raffle 5pm; roasts & select menu 12pm–till gone
l CHARLES ST cabaret: Cinebra
7 30pm; Sally’s Rock & Roll Bingo
8 30pm
l LEGENDS BAR cabaret: Miss Jason 3.30pm; roasts 12–3pm
l MARINE TAVERN Drag Open Mic with Stephanie Von Clitz 9pm
l PARIS HOUSE live music: Miss Dionne 6pm
l PRISCILL A’S All Day Karaoke: Betty Swollocks & Princess C*nty 2pm
l QUEEN’S ARMS cabaret: Dave Lynn 6pm; Golden Handbags After Par ty with Miss Jason 10pm
l SUBLINE Handbag Hoedown: PostGolden Handbags par ty 11pm
l THREE JOLLY BUTCHERS Jazz Roast 3pm; Sunday roasts 12-5pm
MONDAY 12
l BAR BROADWAY Monday Night Classics 7pm
l BRIGHTON SAUNA Bears night 6pm
l CHARLES STREET Studio 150 10.30pm
l LEGENDS BAR Miss Jason’s Mad Mondays 9 30pm
l PARIS HOUSE live jazz: Mick Hammer Trio 2pm; Simon Spillett 7pm
l MARINE TAVERN Nat’s Quiz 9pm
l PRISCILL A’S Karaoke: Marilyn Manswoon 7pm
l REVENGE Bangers & Trash: DJs Toby Lawrence & Trick 11pm
WEDNESDAY 14
l AMSTERDAM Quiz: Mark Flood 9pm
l BAR 7@CRAWLEY Fresh!: DJ Jazzy Jane 9pm
l BAR BROADWAY Star-a-oke: Jason Thorpe, prizes 9pm
l BAR REVENGE Lip Sync For Your Life 9pm
l BASEMENT CLUB@LEGENDS Ice: DJ Claire Fuller 11pm
l BRIGHTON SAUNA Naked Day 11am
l CAMELFORD ARMS Seniors’ lunch 2-3.30pm
l CHARLES ST Silly Willy Wednesdays: Drag With No Name 9pm
l PARIS HOUSE live jazz: Andy Panayi 8pm
l PRISCILL A’S Karaoke Competition: Linda Bacardi, £50 prize 7pm
) OPEN Mon–Thur 3pm–midnight; Fri & Sat 1pm–2am; Sun 1pm–midnight
) HAPPY HOURS all day Sun–Thur; 1pm–close on Fri; 1–7pm on Sat BOGOF Cocktails all day Sun–Fri and till 7pm on Sat Free pool with every round every day
) ONE FOR THE DIARY VINYL FRIDAY (30) is with a selection of DJs literally spinning the tunes from 9.30pm Doctor Brighton’s say: “ Vinyl Friday goes from strength to strength, it’s our most talked about night with top DJs ” ) REGUL ARS Fri (2) is HOUSE RULES with DJ Nick
Hirst playing decadent house from 9 30pm Fri (23) is REFLEX 80s Night with DJ Adam Rice spinning the campest tunes of the decade at 9.30pm ) SATURDAY
SESSIONS with DJ Tony B at 9 30pm Born and raised in Brighton, Tony B star ted DJing whilst living in London in the 1990s at a bar called Kudos, near Charing Cross In 2007, his close friend, Charles, took over Doctor Brighton’s and asked Tony to DJ for him And so star ted a Saturday institution, which is more popular than ever!
THURSDAY 15
l BAR 7@CRAWLEY Total Request
Thursdays: DJ FRESH Princess 9pm
l BAR BROADWAY Big Thursday Quiz: Ross Cameron, prizes 8pm
l BAR REVENGE FOMO pre-par ty 9pm
l BOUTIQUE Single Mingle singles night 7pm
l CAMELFORD ARMS Brighton Bear
Weekend: £300 Big Cash Quiz & Big Prize Raffle fundraiser for Rainbow Fund 9pm
l CHARLES ST Throwback Thursday: DJ Ruby Roo & hostess Ms Joan Bond 9pm
l GROSVENOR BAR Abel Mabel’s Bingo 8 30pm
l MARINE TAVERN Throwback Thursday: 80s Jukebox 8pm
l PARIS HOUSE live music: Pollito 8pm
l PRISCILL A’S Pete Bennett’s Big Bender 8pm
) OPEN daily from noon–late
) ONE FOR THE DIARY Fri (30) is the CHARITY FUNDRAISER for the Sussex Beacon with the legendary vocalist Krissie Ducann on hosting duties from 8pm Krissie says: “I’ll be bringing fun, happiness and a wide range of songs to the Grosvenor, which for me is a fabulous place to perform as it reminds me of the old days in cabaret bars There’ll be a vibrant and happy atmosphere with friendly bar staff and a real feel-good atmosphere – and it’s all for a really great cause!”
) REGUL ARS Thur is Abel Mabel’s BINGO at 8.30pm Fri (16) is MUSIC HALL hosted by Krissie DuCann from 9pm Sat is top CABARET with stars of the cabaret scene from 9.30pm: Spice (3), Miss Jason (10), Jason Lee (17) and Davina Sparkle (24)
l QUEEN’S ARMS cabaret: Kara Van Park 9 30pm
l REVENGE FOMO DJs 11pm
l SUBLINE Brace Yourself 9pm
l THREE JOLLY BUTCHERS Quiz: cash jackpot 7.30pm
FRIDAY 16
l AMSTERDAM Jason Thorpe’s Karaoke or Sally Vate’s Fun Friday Frolics 9pm
l BAR 7@CRAWLEY 7 Upstairs 9pm
l BAR BROADWAY Jukebox 5pm
l BAR REVENGE Brighton Bear
Weekend Welcome Par ty: host Jon Bee, cabaret from Spice & DJ Alex B 9pm
l BASEMENT CLUB@LEGENDS Glitter: DJ David Noakes 11pm
l BOUTIQUE DJ Franco & shot drops 10pm
l CAMELFORD ARMS Friday Club 6pm
l CHARLES ST Fabulous Fridays: DJ Morgan Fabulous 9pm
l DR BRIGHTONS Funky Friday: DJ Nick Hirst 9 30pm
l ENVY Brighton Bear Weekend: Uproar: DJs Bozzy Bear & Rob C 10 30pm
) FOOD Mon–Sat 12–5pm; Sunday lunch 12–3pm Choose from beef, pork, chicken or wholesome nut roast, served with seasonal veg, crisp roast potatoes, homemade Yorkshire pudding and real stock gravy
) DRINK PROMOS Buy one bottle of wine and get the 2nd half price, Mon–Fri 12–11pm
) ONE FOR THE DIARY Sunday is CABARET with top acts at 3 30pm: Lady Imelda (4), Miss Jason (11), Mar y Mac (18) and Davina Sparkle (25) The outrageous Davina Sparkle is one of the UK's top drag queens who, for over the last 15 years, has treaded the boards of venues in the UK, Europe, the US and Asia She has 'show business' running through her veins and her act is completely live with jokes, outrageous humour, patter and song- all wound together with fabulous patter and new twists on age-old camp Davina says: “I’ll be plopping myself onto the Podium at Legends for tunes, camp comedy and anecdotes galore from the prettiest (Ahem!) drag queen in Brighton! Come on my everyone, let’s have some fun and a gay old time, af ter all no one should dull your sparkle!”
) REGUL ARS Miss Jason’s MAD MONDAYS at 9 30pm ) Fri is PRE- GLIT TER with ever-fabulous Stephanie Von Clitz heating you up for the big one downstairs from 9pm Legends say: “Our Hostess tonight, Stephanie, will be sprinkling a bit of Glitter, performing several songs and getting you ready for the party downstairs Feel free to sing along! What are you waiting for? Get yourself ready and let’s party!”
Stephanie says: “Join me at the Pre- Glitter Party for games and sing-songs Look forward to see you all later, lovers!”
l GROSVENOR BAR Music Hall: Krissie DuCann 9pm
l LEGENDS BAR Pre-Glitter: Stephanie
Von Clitz 9 30pm
l MARINE TAVERN Matt’s Jukebox Disco 8pm
l PARIS HOUSE Guest DJ 9pm
l PRISCILL A’S All-Day Karaoke: Betty
Swollocks & Linda Bacardi 2pm
l QUEEN’S ARMS cabaret: Gabriella
Parrish 9 30pm
l REVENGE Pop Tar tz DJs 10 30pm
l SUBLINE Bear Gaiden 9pm
l THREE JOLLY BUTCHERS DJ
Havoxx 7pm
l ZONE cabaret: Davina Sparkle 10pm
SATURDAY 17
l AMSTERDAM SanFranDisco: DJ Mick Fuller 8pm
l BAR 7@CRAWLEY 7 Sins 9pm
l BAR BROADWAY Brighton Bear Weekend: Bear-a-oke 5 30pm
l BAR REVENGE WTF warm-up 9pm
l BASEMENT CLUB@LEGENDS
Fusion: DJ Peter Castle 11pm
l BOUTIQUE Open Cocktail
Masterclasses 8pm; DJ Prynesh 10pm
l CAMELFORD ARMS Brighton Bear Weekend breakfasts 10.30am
) OPEN Wed, Fri–Sun from 11pm ) ONE FOR THE DIARY Friday is GLIT TER with DJ David Noakes sparkling up the star t of your weekend with char t & dance tracks Legends say: “Thank F it’s Friday! Our Friday resident DJ and producer, David Noakes, will be spinning you exclusive remixes of his own tunes plus all the big tunes & classic anthems all night!”
) REGUL ARS Sat is FUSION with DJ Peter Castle spinning char t/club remixes to blow your mind from 11pm Sun is POP!CANDY with DJ Claire Fuller sweetening you up with a sugary mix of new and retro pop Wed is ICE with DJ Claire Fuller melting the dancefloor with a hot mix of char t/house/r&b tunes
l GROSVENOR BAR cabaret: Jason Lee 9.30pm
l LEGENDS BAR Pre-club DJs 7pm
l MARINE TAVERN Saturday Club 8pm
l PARIS HOUSE Live jazz 4pm; TC’s Joyful Noise: DJ Kenny 9pm
l PRISCILL A’S All-Day Karaoke: Kayne & Gloria Hole 2pm
l QUEEN’S ARMS cabaret: Davina Sparkle 9.30pm
l REVENGE WTF!: DJs over 2 floors incl guest DJ Sam DMS 11pm
l SUBLINE Brighton Bear Weekend: SubWoofer 11pm
l ZONE cabaret: Kara Van Park 10pm
SUNDAY 18
l AMSTERDAM Sunday roasts 12pmtill gone
l BAR 7@CRAWLEY DJ Bullard’s karaoke 8pm
l BAR BROADWAY Fireplace Sessions
pres The Life of Spice 8.30pm
l BAR REVENGE Sunday Club: DJs 9pm
l BASEMENT CLUB@LEGENDS Pop!Candy: DJ Claire Fuller 11pm
) FOOD daily from 12–9pm; Tue is Curr y Night, curry for £1 7.30–8.30pm, Sunday roasts served 12–5pm
) ONE FOR THE DIARY Every Sunday, Bee serves up delicious roasts from 12–5pm All food is fresh and cooked to order with locally sourced lamb, beef and chicken or nut roast, served with carrots, broccoli, creamy leaks, mashed potatoes, crisp roast potatoes and Yorkshire pudding Roasts are great value at £6.95 each or two for £13 You can mix things up with two meats for £1 per head extra If you have the appetite, opt for three-courses: star ters at £3.95 include: fish cakes, deep-fried Brie and soup of the day; and deser ts at £2 95 include cheesecake, fruit salad, pavlova or ice cream Booking advised call 01273 905578
) REGUL ARS Wed is SPIN THE BOT TLE with drinks to be won at 8pm ) Fri enter tainment: JUKEBOX DISCO with Matt at 8pm (2 & 16), PRE-SCRUM drinks at 10pm (9), CABARET with Gabriella Parrish at 9pm (23) and debut cabaret with Carmelle Toe at 9pm (30)
l LEGENDS BAR Miss Jason’s Mad Mondays 9 30pm
l PARIS HOUSE live jazz: Mick Hammer Trio 2pm; Oli Howe’s Trio 7pm
TUESDAY 20
l BAR 7@CRAWLEY Crewsday: DJ
Lewis Osborne 9pm
l BAR BROADWAY Showstopper Singalong: open mic 9pm
l MARINE TAVERN Nat’s Quiz 9pm
l PRISCILL A’S Karaoke: Marilyn Manswoon 7pm
l REVENGE Bangers & Trash: DJs Toby Lawrence & Trick 11pm
WEDNESDAY 21
l AMSTERDAM Quiz: Mark Flood 9pm
l BAR 7@CRAWLEY Fresh!: DJ Jazzy Jane 9pm
l BAR BROADWAY Star-a-oke: Jason Thorpe, prizes 9pm
129 ST JAMES STREET • OPEN TUE-THUR 6PM-MIDNIGHT FRI-SUN 2PM-MIDNIGHT 1/2 PRICE BAR TUE-THUR from 6-8PM TUESDAY: KARAOKE with MARILYN MANSWOON • 7PM
WEDNESDAY: KARAOKE COMPETITION with LINDA BACARDI • £50 prize • 7PM
THURSDAY: PETE BENNETT’S BIG BENDER • 8PM ALL DAY KARAOKE FROM 2PM FRIDAY with BETTY SWOLLOCKS & LINDA BACARDI
SATURDAY with KAYNE & GLORIA HOLE
SUNDAY with BETTY SWOLLOCKS & PRINCESS C*NTY
P R I S C I L L A ’ S
) 129 St James’ Street, Brighton, BN2 1TH
) OPEN Tue–Thur 6pm–midnight, Fri, Sat & Sun 2pm–midnight (closed Mon)
) DRINK PROMOS daily drinks promos; ask at the venue for more info
) ONE FOR THE DIARY Wednesday is Linda Barcardi’s KARAOKE COMPETITION with £50 cash prize at 7pm
) REGUL ARS Saturday is ALL DAY KARAOKE with Kayne & Gloria Hole from 2pm ) Sun is ALL DAY KARAOKE with Betty Swollocks & Princess C*nty from 2pm ) Tue is KARAOKE with Marilyn Manswoon from 7pm ) Thur is Pete Bennett’s BIG BENDER from 8pm ) Fri is ALL DAY KARAOKE with Betty Swollocks & Linda Bacardi from 2pm
l BAR REVENGE Lip Sync For Your Life 9pm
l BASEMENT CLUB@LEGENDS Ice: DJ Claire Fuller 11pm
l BRIGHTON SAUNA Naked Day 11am
l CAMELFORD ARMS Seniors’ lunch
2-3 30pm
l CHARLES ST Silly Willy Wednesdays:
Drag With No Name 9pm
l PARIS HOUSE live music: Jason
Henson Trio & Darren Beckett 8pm
l PRISCILL A’S Karaoke Competition:
Linda Bacardi, £50 prize 7pm
l QUEEN’S ARMS Sally Vate 9 30pm
l SUBLINE Happy Hump Day 9pm
l VELVET JACKS Quiz: cash prize 8pm
P A R I S H O U S E
THURSDAY 22
l BAR 7@CRAWLEY Total Request Thursdays: DJ FRESH Princess 9pm
l BAR BROADWAY Big Thursday Quiz: Ross Cameron, prizes 8pm
l BAR REVENGE FOMO pre-par ty 9pm
l CAMELFORD ARMS £300 Big Cash Quiz 9pm
l CHARLES ST Throwback Thursday: DJ Ruby Roo & hostess Ms Joan Bond 9pm
l GROSVENOR BAR Abel Mabel’s Bingo 8.30pm
l MARINE TAVERN Throwback Thursday: 80s Jukebox 8pm
l PARIS HOUSE live music: Babou 8pm
) 21 Western Rd, BN3 1AF, T: 01273 724195, www.parishousebrighton.com
) OPEN daily from 12pm ) FOOD daily from 12pm–close
) ONE FOR THE DIARY Sunday is LIVE MUSIC: soul from Gemina (4) at 7 30pm; Miss Dionne (11 & 25) at 6pm; Dave Williams (18) at 6pm
) REGUL ARS Mon is free LIVE JAZZ with the Mick Hammer Trio at 2pm; more jazz at 7pm: Oli Howe Trio (5 & 19), saxophonist Simon Spillett (12), jazz guitarist Nigel Price (26) ) Wed is free LIVE MUSIC at 8pm: Chris Coul (7), Andy Panayi (14), the Jason Henson Trio with Daren Beckett on drums (21) and Geoff Simkins at 7pm (28) ) Thur is free WORLD MUSIC night at 8pm: Fleur de Paris (1), The Son (8), Pollito (15), Babou (22) and Tudo Bern (29) ) Fri is PARTY TIME with guest DJ, incl Havoxx (9 & 23), at 9pm ) Sat is AND ALL THAT JAZZ with live jazz at 4pm; TC'S JOYFUL NOISE with DJ Kenny at 9pm, free entry
L I S T I N G S
Q U E E N S A R M S
) 7 George St, BN2 1RH, T: 01273 696873, thequeensarms.wix.com/thequeensarms ) OPEN 4pm Wed–Fri; 2pm Sat & Sun
) ONE FOR THE DIARY Sunday (4) is landlord BARRY’S LEAVING PARTY from 6pm with cabaret from Miss Penny plus a few surprises throughout the evening When Barry took over the reins of the QA, his aim was to give the venue a facelift to re-establish it as a full-time cabaret bar This was achieved in 2014, when the QA went through a full refurbishment, which breathed new life into one of the oldest established gay bars in the city, creating a bigger, better and brighter venue for staff, customers and acts, new and old
Barry says: “In three years I have seen relationships begin, end, and witnessed laughter and tears I’ve met some amazing people (and the odd idiot), worked with some fabulous people, made lots of new friends and worked with some of the best acts on the circuit new and old It is with a heavy heart that I hand the reins over, but the time is right for me to move on I would like to thank everyone for their support, loyalty and custom and all the acts that have placed a stiletto on the Queen’s Arms stage! So it’s bye for now and don’t forget there is still time to vote for me in the Golden Handbag A wards 2017 as your Favourite Landlord and for Victoria Sponge, who for the time being I am shoving back into her box, as Favourite Hostess ”
) ONE FOR THE DIARY Sunday (11) is the GOLDEN HANDBAGS AF TER PARTY with the legendary Miss Jason right after the awards ceremony!
) REGUL ARS Thur CABARET at 9 30pm: Miss Jason (1), Lola Lasagne (8), Kara Van Park (15), Davina Sparkle (22) and Stephanie Von Clitz (29) ) Fri CABARET at 9.30pm: Jennie Castell (2), Topsie R edfern (9), Gabriella Parrish (16) and Fanny Burns (23) Fri (30) is Par ty Time with Drag With No Name at 9 30pm ) Sat CABARET from 9 30pm: Myra Dubois (3), Son of a Tutu (10), Davina Sparkle (17) and Lola Lasagne (24) ) Sun is DOUBLE CABARET at 6 30pm & 9pm: R ose Garden (18), Lucinda Lashes (25) Sun (11) Dave Lynn at 6pm; then the Golden Handbags After Par ty with cabaret from Miss Jason
) OPEN Sun–Wed 12pm–1am, Thur 12pm–2am, Fri & Sat 12pm–6am
) DRINK PROMOS 50% off all drinks Sun–Fri 5–9pm, from £2 50 every Sat
Buy a drink on Thur, Fri & Sat to pick up discount entry passes for Club Revenge
) BRIGHTON BEAR WEEKEND Friday (16) is the BBW WELCOME PARTY at 9pm with BBW’s compere, Jon Bee, cabaret from the fabulous Aaron as Spice and tunes from DJ Alex B, free entry/drink deals incl 50% off all drinks 5–9pm
Bar Revenge say: “We’re starting your weekend with a bang! Bar Revenge is a new venue for BBW events, and it's right in front of Brighton's world famous Palace Pier! Meet and greet old and new friends, and collect your clothing and wristband orders from the BBW crew We'll also have them on sale if you would rather just buy on the night!”
) REGUL ARS LIP SYNC FOR YOUR LIFE every Wed from 9pm to be in with a chance of winning £50 cash prize plus the chance to compete at the grand final where you could win a paid gig at the next Powder R oom Show!
l LEGENDS BAR Pre-Glitter: Stephanie
Von Clitz 9 30pm
l MARINE TAVERN cabaret: Gabriella Parrish 9pm
l PARIS HOUSE DJ Havoxx 9pm
l PRISCILL A’S All-Day Karaoke: Betty
Swollocks & Linda Bacardi 2pm
l QUEEN’S ARMS cabaret: Fanny
Burns 9 30pm
l REVENGE Pop Tar tz DJs 10 30pm
l SUBLINE Filth: full-fetish 9pm
l ZONE cabaret: Spice 10pm
SATURDAY 24
l AMSTERDAM SanFranDisco: DJ
Mick Fuller 8pm
l BAR 7@CRAWLEY 7 Sins 9pm
l BAR BROADWAY Jukebox 4pm
l BAR REVENGE WTF warm-up 9pm
l BASEMENT CLUB@LEGENDS
Fusion: DJ Peter Castle 11pm
l BOUTIQUE Open Cocktail
Masterclasses 8pm; Roof Terrace Par ty 1pm; DJ Prynesh 10pm
l CHARLES ST Fierce: DJs 9pm
l DR BRIGHTONS Saturday Session:
DJ Tony B 9 30pm
l GROSVENOR BAR cabaret: Davina Sparkle 9 30pm
l LEGENDS BAR Pre-club DJs 7pm
l MARINE TAVERN Saturday Club 8pm
l PARIS HOUSE Live jazz 4pm; TC’s Joyful Noise: DJ Kenny 9pm
l PRISCILL A’S All-Day Karaoke: Kayne & Gloria Hole 2pm
R E V E N G E
S U B L I N E
D
) 32-34 Old Steine, BN1 1EL, Tel: 01273 606064, www.revenge.co.uk
) OPEN Tue at 11pm, Thur, Fri & Sat at 10 30pm, Sun (28) at 10 30pm
) DRINK PROMOS all drinks £2 50 and double up for £1 50 on Tue; £1 drinks before midnight on Wed & Thur
) ONE FOR THE DIARY Saturday (17) guest DJ Sam DMS spins tracks to get you moving on level 1 Sam is a DJ and producer based in London who’s known for blowing the roof off and heating up the dancefloors of clubs in the UK and internationally
Revenge say: “GUEST DJ ALERT! London’s finest Sam DMS will be bringing his signature sing-a-long pop style to the Revenge dancefloor! Expect nothing but the best in pop, R&B, dance and your favourite guilty pleasures!”
) REGUL ARS Sat is WTF with DJs and special guests over 2 floors spinning tunes to get you moving ) Tue is BANGERS & TRASH with DJs Toby Lawrence & Trick celebrating the biggest char t bangers and the trashiest pop Revenge say: “It's all about sl*t-dropping to Sia, booty-shaking to Beyonce and twerking to Taylor Swif t courtesy of our two resident DJs!” ) Thur is FOMO with Revenge’s all-star DJs spinning an eclectic mix of pop/char t/house/pop-punk/bass/hip-hop ) Fri is POP TARTZ with resident DJs sweetening up the dancefloor on level 1 with pop anthems Fri (30) is FAT LIP with DJ Fifi taking to the decks for a night of rock/ indie/nu-metal/pop-punk all night long!
l QUEEN’S ARMS cabaret: Lola Lasagne 9 30pm
l REVENGE WTF!: DJs over 2 floors 11pm
l SUBLINE Men’s Room: DJ Screwpulous 9pm
l ZONE cabaret: Sally Vate 10pm
SUNDAY 25
l AMSTERDAM Sunday roasts 12pmtill gone
l BAR 7@CRAWLEY DJ Bullard’s karaoke 8pm
l BAR BROADWAY Fireplace Sessions: Jennie Castell 8 30pm
l BAR REVENGE Sunday Club: DJs 9pm
l BASEMENT CLUB@LEGENDS
Pop!Candy: DJ Claire Fuller 11pm
l BRIGHTON SAUNA Naked Day 12pm
l CAMELFORD ARMS Bear Bash, free food & raffle 5pm; roasts & select menu 12pm–till gone
l CHARLES ST cabaret: Mrs Moore
7.30pm; Sally’s Rock & Roll Bingo
8.30pm
l LEGENDS BAR cabaret: Davina Sparkle 3 30pm; roasts 12–3pm
l MARINE TAVERN Sunday roasts 125pm; Drag Open Mic with Stephanie Von Clitz 9pm
) OPEN Wed–Sun from 9pm ) DRINK PROMOS Sat drink promos all night
) BRIGHTON BEAR WEEKEND Sat (17) is BBW
SUBWOOFER, a night of Subterranean furry fun with drink deals and DJ Bozzy Bear getting you banging to the beat from 11pm till 6am, entry £7 or £5 with BBW
WRISTBAND BBW say: “Explore and indulge your fantasies at SubWoofer, which will keep you going until you can't take any more! So put on the leather, slide into the rubber, kit yourself out or get your boots and braces on!” ) Sun (18) is UNDERBEARS, the Official Closing Par ty of BBW with drink deals, from 10pm, entry £6 or £4 with BBW wristband BBW say: “Let's finish with a blast! It's our closing party so pop on your jocks, briefs and Y- fronts for some frisky fun!” BBW and Subline will be raising funds for the R ainbow Fund all weekend! Subline say: “Every year it's bigger and better, with substantial money raised for the Rainbow Fund We are selling the W ristbands here, which entitle you to, as well as holding a small stock of their Polo Shirts (£15) and T-Shirts (£12) for sale, proceeds to the Rainbow Fund ”
) ONE FOR THE DIARY Sun (11) is the HANDBAG HOEDOWN Post- Golden Handbag Awards Par ty from 11pm Subline say: “It's the Golden Handbag awards and we've taken a table this year, because you are all going to vote for us *ahem* Join us to celebrate our numerous victories! ‘It's all about the confidence!’ - sorry ”
) REGUL ARS Fri (9) is THE BIG SCRUM spor tskit night, entry £5 is kit or £7
) Fri (23) is FILTH, the ticketed full-fetish par ty from 9pm ) Sat is MEN’S ROOM with DJ Screwpulous from 9pm, entry free before 11pm, £3 after, guests £5
l PARIS HOUSE live music: Miss Dionne 6pm
l PRISCILL A’S All Day Karaoke: Betty Swollocks & Princess C*nty 2pm
l QUEEN’S ARMS cabaret: Lucinda Lashes 6 30pm & 9pm
l SUBLINE Cum In Your Pants: underwear night 9pm
l THREE JOLLY BUTCHERS Jazz Roast 3pm; Sunday roasts 12-5pm
MONDAY 26
l BAR BROADWAY Monday Night Classics 7pm
l BRIGHTON SAUNA Transgender night 6pm
l CHARLES STREET Studio 150 10 30pm
l LEGENDS BAR Miss Jason’s Mad Mondays 9 30pm
l PARIS HOUSE live jazz: Mick Hammer Trio 2pm; Nigel Price 7pm
TUESDAY 27
l BAR 7@CRAWLEY Crewsday: DJ Lewis Osborne 9pm
l BAR BROADWAY Showstopper Singalong: open mic 9pm
l MARINE TAVERN Nat’s Quiz 9pm
l PRISCILL A’S Karaoke: Marilyn Manswoon 7pm
l REVENGE Bangers & Trash: DJs Toby Lawrence & Trick 11pm
) OPEN Tue–Thur 4–11 30pm, Fri & Sat 12–11 30pm, Sun 1–11pm
) FOOD Meat & cheese boards and wood-fired pizzas served all day
) DRINK PROMOS Gin bowls served every day
) ONE FOR THE DIARY Sun (18) is an intimate afternoon of live chilled out tunes with Mike Newsham and his guests from 4pm If you’re interested in performing then message Mike on Facebook
) REGUL ARS Wed is QUIZ NIGHT with a cash prize at 7.45PM for an 8PM star t
l BAR BROADWAY Star-a-oke: Jason Thorpe, prizes 9pm
l BASEMENT CLUB@LEGENDS Ice: DJ Claire Fuller 11pm
l BRIGHTON SAUNA Naked Day 11am
l CAMELFORD ARMS Seniors’ lunch
2-3 30pm
l CHARLES ST Silly Willy Wednesdays Season Finale: Drag With No Name 9pm
l PARIS HOUSE live music: Geoff Simkins 8pm
l PRISCILL A’S Karaoke Competition: Linda Bacardi, £50 prize 7pm
l QUEEN’S ARMS Sally Vate 9 30pm
l SUBLINE Happy Hump Day 9pm
l VELVET JACKS Quiz: cash prize 8pm
THURSDAY 29
l BAR 7@CRAWLEY Total Request Thursdays: DJ FRESH Princess 9pm
l BAR BROADWAY Big Thursday Quiz: Ross Cameron, prizes 9pm
) DRINK PROMOS all day Sun-Thur, till 7pm Fri & Sat; 2-4-£10 selected cocktails 5–8pm ever yday
l CAMELFORD ARMS £300 Big Cash Quiz 9pm
l CHARLES ST Throwback Thursday: DJ
Ruby Roo & hostess Ms Joan Bond 9pm
l GROSVENOR BAR Abel Mabel’s Bingo 8 30pm
l MARINE TAVERN Throwback
Thursday: 80s Jukebox 8pm
l PARIS HOUSE live music: Tudo Bern 8pm
l PRISCILL A’S Pete Bennett’s Big Bender 8pm
l QUEEN’S ARMS cabaret: Stephanie
Von Clitz 9 30pm
l REVENGE FOMO DJs 11pm
l SUBLINE Brace Yourself 9pm
l THREE JOLLY BUTCHERS Quiz: cash jackpot 7.30pm
FRIDAY 30
l AMSTERDAM Jason Thorpe’s Karaoke or Sally Vate’s Fun Friday Frolics 9pm
l BAR 7@CRAWLEY 7 Upstairs 9pm
l BAR BROADWAY Jukebox 5pm
) ONE FOR THE DIARY Sat is CABARET from 10pm: Topsie R edfern (3), Sally Vate (10 & 24) and Kara Van Park (17) Disco diva and glamour puss Kara Van Park (17) performs show-tunes and camp songs and is a lover of all things theatrical! She says: “I have been very lucky and my act has grown and developed along with my fan base and audience I have a blast seeing everyone having a good time and belting out the tunes Anyone who comes to see my show can expect a camp night of show-tunes, big ballads and standards; it’s a great night for all ”
) REGUL ARS Fri is live enter tainment from 10pm: Stone & Street (2), Tabitha Wild (9), Davina Sparkle (16), Spice (23) and Miss Jason (30)
l BAR REVENGE Pop-Tar tz warm-up 9pm
l BASEMENT CLUB@LEGENDS
Glitter: DJ David Noakes 11pm
l BOUTIQUE DJ Franco & shot drops 10pm
l CAMELFORD ARMS Friday Club 6pm
l CHARLES ST Fabulous Fridays: DJ Morgan Fabulous 9pm
l DR BRIGHTONS Vinyl Friday: DJs playing vinyl only 9 30pm
l GROSVENOR BAR Charity Fundraiser for Sussex Beacon: Krissie DuCann 8pm
l LEGENDS BAR Pre-Glitter: Stephanie Von Clitz 9 30pm
l MARINE TAVERN cabaret: Carmelle Toe 9pm
l PARIS HOUSE DJ Havoxx 9pm
l PRISCILL A’S All-Day Karaoke: Betty Swollocks & Linda Bacardi 2pm
l QUEEN’S ARMS Drag With No Name’s Par ty Time 9 30pm
l REVENGE Pop Tar tz DJs on level 1;
Fat Lip: DJ Fifi on level 2 10.30pm
l SUBLINE Steam 9pm
l THREE JOLLY BUTCHERS DJ Havoxx 7pm
l ZONE cabaret: Miss Jason 10pm
PORTSMOUTH
l HAMPSHIRE BOULEVARD
1 Hampshire Terrace, Southsea
TEL: 02392 297509
OPEN: Sun & Mon 9pm-2 30am, Wed & Thurs 7pm-2 30am, Fri & Sat 7pm-3am
HAPPY HOURS: Sun all night, Wed & Thur 7pm-12am, Fri & Sat 7-10pm
SOUTHAMPTON
l BOX BAR Compton Walk, SO14 0BH
TEL: 023 8036 6163
www theedgesouthampton com
OPEN: daily at 4pm
HAPPY HOURS: 4–6pm & 6-10pm daily
THURSDAY 1
PORTSMOUTH
l HAMPSHIRE BLVD Aura-J’s karaoke & mid-week par ty 7pm SOUTHAMPTON
l BOX BAR opens 4pm; Quiz On Your Face: win £100 bar tab 8pm
l EDGE Pop! Video DJ Neil Sackley 11pm
l LONDON HOTEL Mellow Mar tha’s Music Box: karaoke 9pm
FRIDAY 2
PORTSMOUTH
l HAMPSHIRE BLVD That Friday Feeling: host Cherry Liquor & DJs till 3am SOUTHAMPTON
l BOX BAR open 4pm; Get Some: DJs 10pm
l EDGE Get Some: DJs Darcy Buckland, Audio K9 & Lady Bex 11pm
l LONDON HOTEL Fairylea Friday: DJ Ruper t Ellick 9pm; cabaret: Dr Beverley Ballcrusher 10pm
SATURDAY 3
PORTSMOUTH
l HAMPSHIRE BLVD Saturday Sessions: host Danii Dior & DJ Rupert Ellick till 3am SOUTHAMPTON
l BOX BAR open 4pm; The Big One: DJs 10pm
l EDGE The Big One: DJs Audio K9 & Neil Sackley 11pm
l LONDON HOTEL Guilty Pleasures: DJ Dazza 9pm
SUNDAY 4
PORTSMOUTH
l HAMPSHIRE BLVD Sunday Funday: DJ Luke Ennor till 2.30am
SOUTHAMPTON
l BOX BAR opens 4pm; Sunday Social: DJ Darcy Buckland 10pm
l LONDON HOTEL Drag With No Name’s Silly Willy Sunday 8pm; roasts 12-3 30pm
OPEN: Mon-Wed 12-11pm, Thu 1212 30am, Fri & Sat 12-1 30am, Sun 1211 30pm
FOOD: Mon-Sat 12-3pm; Sunday roasts 12-3 30pm
TUESDAY 6
SOUTHAMPTON
l BOX BAR opens 4pm; Open Mic 8pm
l EDGE S M U T: DJ Audio K9 11pm
WEDNESDAY 7
PORTSMOUTH
l HAMPSHIRE BLVD Alfie Ordinary’s karaoke & mid-week par ty 7pm
SOUTHAMPTON
l BOX BAR opens 4pm; Miss Jason’s Bingo 8pm; Bar 150: DJs & karaoke 10pm
l EDGE Bar 150: DJs Lee Harris & Liam Searle + Cheeky Pete’s Karaoke 11pm
THURSDAY 8
PORTSMOUTH
l HAMPSHIRE BLVD Aura-J’s karaoke, games & show 7pm
SOUTHAMPTON
l BOX BAR opens 4pm; Quiz On Your Face: £100 bar tab to be won 8pm
l EDGE Pop!: video DJ Neil Sackley 11pm
l LONDON HOTEL Mellow Mar tha’s Music Box: karaoke 9pm
FRIDAY 9
PORTSMOUTH
l HAMPSHIRE BLVD That Friday Feeling: host Cherry Liquor & DJs on rotation till 3am
SOUTHAMPTON
l BOX BAR open 4pm; Get Some: DJs 10pm
l EDGE Get Some: DJs Darcy Buckland, Audio K9 & Lady Bex 11pm
l LONDON HOTEL Fairylea Friday: DJ Ruper t Ellick 9pm; cabaret: Fanny Burns 10pm
SATURDAY 10
PORTSMOUTH
l HAMPSHIRE BLVD Saturday Sessions: host Danii Dior & DJ Ruper t Ellick till 3am
SOUTHAMPTON
l BOX BAR open 4pm; The Big One: DJs 10pm
l EDGE The Big One: DJ Phil Marriott 11pm
l LONDON HOTEL Guilty Pleasures: DJ Neil Sackley & vocalist Jacquii Cann 9pm
LONDON HOTEL SOUTHAMPTON
) 2 Terminus Terr, SO14 3DT, Tel: 02380 710652, www the-london co uk ) OPEN daily from 12pm ) FOOD Mon–Sat 12–3pm; Sunday lunch 12–3 30pm ) ONE FOR THE DIARY Thursday is Mellow Mar tha’s MUSIC BOX KARAOKE with Mar tha D’Ar thur from 9pm
) REGUL ARS Friday is FAIRYLEA with DJ R uper t at 9pm; CABARET at 10pm: Dr Beverly Ball Crusher (2), Fanny Burns (9), Sally Vate (16), Ms Tiara Thunderpussy (23) and Kevin Cruise (30) ) Sat is GUILTY PLEASURES with DJs at 9pm: Dazza (3), Neil Sackley & guest vocalist Jacquii Cann (10), Tiny (17) and Lucinda & guest vocalist Eva Iglesias (24) ) SUNDAY NIGHT ON THE LONDON PODIUM features many of the UK’s top live performers tearing up the London stage from 8pm: Drag With No Name’s Silly Willy (4), Tanya Hyde & Mar tha D’Ar thur (11), Lucinda Lashes & Vileda Moppe (18) and Miss Penny & Kara Van Park (25)
SUNDAY 11
PORTSMOUTH
l HAMPSHIRE BLVD Sunday Funday: DJ Luke Ennor till 2 30am
SOUTHAMPTON
l BOX BAR opens 4pm; Sunday Social: DJ Darcy Buckland 10pm
l LONDON HOTEL London Podium: Tanya Hyde & Mar tha D’Ar thur 8pm; roasts 12-3.30pm
MONDAY 12
PORTSMOUTH
l HAMPSHIRE BLVD 20something: DJs Lee Harris & Luke Ennor till 2 30am
SOUTHAMPTON
l BOX BAR opens 4pm
TUESDAY 13
SOUTHAMPTON
l BOX BAR opens 4pm; Open Mic 8pm
l EDGE S M U T: DJ Audio K9 11pm
WEDNESDAY 14
PORTSMOUTH
l HAMPSHIRE BLVD Alfie Ordinary’s karaoke & mid-week par ty 7pm
SOUTHAMPTON
l BOX BAR opens 4pm; Miss Jason’s Bingo 8pm; Bar 150: DJs & karaoke 10pm
l EDGE Bar 150: DJs Lee Harris & Liam
Searle + Cheeky Pete’s Karaoke 11pm
THURSDAY 15
PORTSMOUTH
l HAMPSHIRE BLVD Aura-J’s karaoke & mid-week par ty 7pm
SOUTHAMPTON
l BOX BAR opens 4pm; Quiz On Your Face: £100 bar tab to be won 8pm
l EDGE Pop! Video DJ Neil Sackley 11pm
l LONDON HOTEL Mellow Mar tha’s Music Box: karaoke 9pm
FRIDAY 16
PORTSMOUTH
l HAMPSHIRE BLVD That Friday
Feeling: host Cherry Liquor & DJs till 3am
SOUTHAMPTON
l BOX BAR open 4pm; Get Some: DJs 10pm
l EDGE Get Some: DJs Darcy Buckland, Audio K9 & Lady Bex 11pm
l LONDON HOTEL Fairylea Friday: DJ Rupert Ellick 9pm; cabaret: Sally Vate 10pm
SATURDAY 17
PORTSMOUTH
l HAMPSHIRE BLVD Saturday Sessions: host Danii Dior & DJ Ruper t Ellick till 3am SOUTHAMPTON
l BOX BAR open 4pm; The Big One: DJs 10pm
l EDGE The Big One: DJs Lee Harris & Darcy Buckland 11pm
) ONE FOR THE DIARY Wednesday is BINGO with the legendary Miss Jason in The Box Bar at 8pm From 10pm it’s BAR 150 with DJs Lee Harris & Liam Searle plus Cheeky Pete’s KARAOKE and £1 50 drinks, entry free b4 10pm
) REGUL ARS Thursday is QUIZ ON YOUR FACE in the Box Bar with £100 bar tab to be won from 8pm From 11pm, it’s POP in The Edge with video DJ Neil Sackley, £2 entry ) Fri is GET SOME with DJs Darcy Buckland, Audio K9 & Lady Bex at 10pm, free b4 11pm, £3–£6 after ) Sat is THE BIG ONE: 4 bars and 2 dancefloors with DJs at 10pm:
Audio K9 & Neil Sackley (3), Phil Marriott (10), Lee Harris & Darcy Buckland (17) and Zach Burns & Pete Kendall (24); free b4 10pm, £1–£6 after ) SUNDAY
SOCIAL in the Box Bar with DJ Darcy Buckland from 11pm, free b4 11pm, £1 b4 12am, £2 after ) Tues is OPEN MIC SESSIONS in the Box Bar at 8pm From 11pm, it’s S M U T in the Edge with DJ Audio K9 mash-ups; £1 b4 12am, £2 after
SUNDAY 18
PORTSMOUTH
l HAMPSHIRE BLVD Sunday Funday: DJ Luke Ennor till 2.30am
SOUTHAMPTON
l BOX BAR opens 4pm; Sunday Social: DJ Darcy Buckland 10pm
l LONDON HOTEL London Podium: Lucinda Lashes & Vileda Moppe 8pm; roasts 12-3 30pm
MONDAY 19
PORTSMOUTH
l HAMPSHIRE BLVD 20something: DJs Lee Harris & Luke Ennor till 2.30am
SOUTHAMPTON
l BOX BAR opens 4pm
TUESDAY 20
SOUTHAMPTON
l BOX BAR opens 4pm; Open Mic 8pm
l EDGE S M U T: DJ Audio K9 11pm
WEDNESDAY 21
PORTSMOUTH
l HAMPSHIRE BLVD Alfie Ordinary’s karaoke & mid-week par ty 7pm
SOUTHAMPTON
l BOX BAR opens 4pm; Miss Jason’s Bingo 8pm; Bar 150: DJs & karaoke 10pm
l EDGE Bar 150: DJs Lee Harris & Liam Searle + Cheeky Pete’s Karaoke 11pm
THURSDAY 22
PORTSMOUTH
l HAMPSHIRE BLVD Aura-J’s karaoke & mid-week par ty 7pm
SOUTHAMPTON
l BOX BAR opens 4pm; Quiz On Your Face: win £100 bar tab 8pm
l EDGE Pop! Video DJ Neil Sackley 11pm
l LONDON HOTEL Mellow Mar tha’s Music Box: karaoke 9pm
FRIDAY 23
PORTSMOUTH
l HAMPSHIRE BLVD That Friday
Feeling: host Cherry Liquor & DJs till 3am
SOUTHAMPTON
l BOX BAR open 4pm; Get Some: DJs 10pm
l EDGE Get Some: DJs Darcy Buckland, Audio K9 & Lady Bex 11pm
l LONDON HOTEL Fairylea Friday: DJ Ruper t Ellick 9pm; cabaret: Ms Tiara Thunderpussy 10pm
SATURDAY 24
PORTSMOUTH
l HAMPSHIRE BLVD Saturday Sessions: host Danii Dior & DJ Ruper t Ellick till 3am
) OPEN Sun & Mon 9pm–2.30am, Wed & Thurs 7pm–2.30am, Fri & Sat 7pm–3am
) HAPPY HOURS Sun drink deals all night, Mon selected drinks £1 50, Wed & Thu 7pm–12am, Fri & Sat 7–10pm
) HB GAY CARD Sign up for an HB Gay Card for £10, valid for one year Perks include: points to spend at the bar, free VIP booth on your bir thday, priority entrance, queue jump and you can use it as ID to enter the club! Ask staff for more details
) ONE FOR THE DIARY The SATURDAY SESSIONS are with host Danii Dior & DJ R uper t Ellick playing char t/par ty anthems, free entry till 11pm/£3 till midnight/£5 after
) REGUL ARS THAT FRIDAY FEELING is with Cherr y Liquor on hosting duties, DJs on rotation, Co2, confetti & pyrotechnics, free till 11pm/£3 till midnight/£5 after
) SUNDAY FUNDAY is with DJ Luke Ennor, free entry
) Mon is 20SOMETHING with DJ Lee Harris & Luke Ennor bringing the tunes, free till 10pm/£3 till midnight/£5 after ) Wed is Alfie Ordinar y’s KARAOKE & Midweek Par ty ) Thur is Aura- J’s KARAOKE with games and show
SOUTHAMPTON
l BOX BAR open 4pm; The Big One: DJs 10pm
l EDGE The Big One: DJs Zach Burns & Pete Kendall 11pm
l LONDON HOTEL Guilty Pleasures: DJ Lucinda Lashes & vocalist Eva Iglesias 9pm
SUNDAY 25
PORTSMOUTH
l HAMPSHIRE BLVD Sunday Funday: DJ Luke Ennor till 2.30am
SOUTHAMPTON
l BOX BAR opens 4pm; Sunday Social: DJ Darcy Buckland 10pm
l LONDON HOTEL London Podium: Miss Penny & Kara Van Park 8pm; roasts 123 30pm
MONDAY 26
PORTSMOUTH
l HAMPSHIRE BLVD 20something: DJs
Lee Harris & Luke Ennor till 2.30am
SOUTHAMPTON
l BOX BAR opens 4pm
TUESDAY 27
SOUTHAMPTON
l BOX BAR opens 4pm; Open Mic 8pm
l EDGE S M U T: DJ Audio K9 11pm
WEDNESDAY 28
PORTSMOUTH
l HAMPSHIRE BLVD Alfie Ordinary’s karaoke & mid-week par ty 7pm
SOUTHAMPTON
l BOX BAR opens 4pm; Miss Jason’s Bingo 8pm; Bar 150: DJs & karaoke 10pm
l EDGE Bar 150: DJs Lee Harris & Liam Searle + Cheeky Pete’s Karaoke 11pm
THURSDAY 29
PORTSMOUTH
l HAMPSHIRE BLVD Aura-J’s karaoke & mid-week par ty 7pm
SOUTHAMPTON
l BOX BAR opens 4pm; Quiz On Your Face: win £100 bar tab 8pm
l EDGE Pop!: video DJ Neil Sackley 11pm
l LONDON HOTEL Mellow Mar tha’s Music Box: karaoke 9pm
FRIDAY 30
PORTSMOUTH
l HAMPSHIRE BLVD That Friday Feeling: host Cherry Liquor & DJs till 3am
SOUTHAMPTON
l BOX BAR open 4pm; Get Some: DJs 10pm
l EDGE Get Some: DJs Darcy Buckland, Audio K9 & Lady Bex 11pm
l LONDON HOTEL Fairylea Friday: DJ Ruper t Ellick 9pm; cabaret: Kevin Cruise 10pm
DANCE MUSIC
BY QUEEN JOSEPHINE & KATE WILDBLOOD
ALBUMS
) We’re feeling the love this June as we soundtrack our month of fun in the sun Yep there’s a load to wiggle to as we delve deep into the delights of the latest house, disco and electronica
seminal 15 Years of Get Physical Olivia Newton John would be proud
Keeping the grooves on the downlow this month are the dizzyingly beautiful Russian groove of Lubish’ s Clouds on Erizados, the melodies of DC Salas’ s The Unspoken on Biologic Records and the warm, low slung but bassheavy class of fabric 94: Steffi on Fabric Records
Compilations ensuring this is a month of cork popping include the delights of Kittball Konspiracy Vol.14 on Kittball Records and Get Physical’ s two June jumpers, Get Physical presents Ibiza 2017, compiled & mixed by Ben Hoo, and the
As for our must wiggle wonders? Grab yourself a slice of heaven courtesy of this bunch and life will be forever bright. Yep with the iconic 10cotexas
Discotexas 10 Year Anniversary
Compilation on, you guessed it, Discotexas, MacStanton’ s spacy disco adventure
LOdyssee on So French Records, Roosevelt’ s Roosevelt Remixed 1&2 on Greco-Roman/ City Slang, or Billy Palmier’ s charming disco wonder Escape From Freedom on Citywurl Records and your boogie can only get better. Enjoy.
) Catch Wildblood & Queenie on RadioReverb’ s Home Service
1st & 3rd Saturday of the month 7pm and at The Western’s Big Love Terrace Party on Sunday 28 May, 3pm-late perfectdistractions com
WILDBLOOD & QUEENIE’S JUNE JOLLIES
) JOE GODDARD Home (Morgan Geist remix) Domino
Already up there as contender for tune of the year Masterful
) COEO Cabrio Mango Toy Tonics Made for sunshine terraces, a tune to bring on the summer.
) PROK & FITCH Nodding Dog Kaluki Music
You’ll all be nodding to this monster of a floorfiller all night long.
) JOHN DAVIS Up Jumped The Devil (Louie Vega remix) Nurvous Orchestral manoeuvres of the perfect disco kind.
) MARQUIS HAWKES The Basement Is Burning AUS
Feel good house that will fill you soul with a great big grooving grin
) DJ NATURE BORN Lifted Futureboogie
A Home Service favourite with royal approval from Queenie
) LEIGH D OLIVER Pussyfoot (original mix) Sordid
Feel the feline love with this fierce house track
) CITY JAMS Redlight Hot Haus
NYC-infused house cut worthy of your undivided dancing attention
) CATZ 'N DOGZ ft Shaun J Wright Afterglow (Bright mix) Watergate Enchanting adventures of the Berlin kind. Just how we like it.
) MIX & FAIRBANKS Wish I Didn't Miss You Made & Played
The Angie Stone classic gets the perfect disco re-edit treatment.
DJ PROFILE: LADY LOLA
It’s June dear reader, that sparkling month of sunshine (I hope) and the desire to dance and prance! This month, Queenie catches up again with the irrepressible and gorgeous Lady Lola to hear about her current deck action
Hello, how are you? I'm doing great, thanks Managing to juggle being a mummy and a DJ quite well! Ha ha!
You’re a busy lady – where can we hear you DJing? I've had so many amazing opportunities already this year and it's only June! I've landed myself a residency at one of Brighton's best underground nightsBerlin at Green Door Store I host a radio show on www codesouth fm every Saturday, 8-10pm I've got lots of gigs coming up in Brighton and London and even some festivals! I just did Nightshift all-day party at The Tempest and I’m playing Noisily Festival, Leicestershire on July 7-10 and Electric Battlefields Festival at Newhaven Fort on July 22
What’s rocking Lola’s world these days? Techno! I went to Berlin recently and went to a night hosted by Stil Vor Talent It was incredible! I saw lots of DJs and producers that I admire and, for me, the night was very musically enlightening
What’s so good about DJing in Brighton? Brighton has turned a corner in terms of music and clubbing There are lots of independent promoters putting on great underground nights, and using alternative venues as well as the usual go to clubs With the combination of promoters being passionate about music, great local talent and everyone supporting each other, this ultimately means the music scene in Brighton has been thriving over the last year.
Stand out memories from Pride last year? For me, every year it's playing the closing set in the Girls’ Tent in the Park. DJing in front of a home crowd of 5,000+ is an amazing feeling!
Your little boy is now a year old – is he developing a love for all things ‘house’? He absolutely LOVES music! There is always music playing at home. Whether it's house, techno or lots of old skool tuneslike funk, Prince and even Frank Sinatra!
Guilty pleasure? I’ve got too many to list! Hahaha!
Describe yourself in three words! Compassionate Vivacious Whirlwind
L ADY LOL A’S CURRENT TOP FIVE
) PROK & FITCH Double Vision Suara
) OXIA Domino (Matador remix) Sapians
) D-DECK Dabiah KD Raw
) GREEN VELVET & PROK & FITCH Sheeple Relief
) OLIVER KOLETZKI Planetarium Stil Vor Talent www.facebook.com/ladylolamusic
BRIGHTON CENTRE
Kings Road, Brighton, Box office: 0844 847 1515
) KRAFTWERK 3-D (Wed 7) Bringing together music and performance art, Kraftwerk 3-D concerts are a true "Gesamtkunstwerk – a total work of art ” The multi-media project Kraftwerk was started in 1970 by Ralf Hütter and Florian Schneider They set up their electronic Kling Klang Studio in Düsseldorf, Germany, where they conceived and produced all Kraftwerk albums. By the mid 1970s Kraftwerk achieved international recognition for their revolutionary electronic soundscapes’ and their musical experimentation with robotics and other technical innovations With their visions of the future, Kraftwerk created the soundtrack for the digital age of the 21st century
BROADWAY LOUNGE
Upstairs @ Bar Broadway, 10 Steine St, Brighton ) LAUGHTER IN THE LOUNGE (8pm, Sat 24) Monthly stand-up comedy night with six comedians taking to the stage, entry £3
EYES WIDE OPEN eyeswideopencinema.co.uk Duke’s at the Komedia ) PARAGRAPH 175 (Thu 1) This Sundance award-winning documentary directed by Rob Epstein and Jeffrey Friedman, uncovers the often hidden story of the persecution of people deemed homosexual in Nazi Germany. Over 100,000 people were arrested under Paragraph 175, an antisodomy provision of the German penal code, many of whom where
send to concentration camps, with only 4,000 surviving. Five of these individuals tell their stories in a gripping reminder of a dark moment in history. All profits from this screening will go to LGBT+ groups in Chechnya, where queer people are currently being murdered, tortured and detained in concentration camps
KOMEDIA
Gardner Street, Brighton ) BENT DOUBLE (Sun 4). A gayfriendly, irreverent night of fun and frolics hosted by Zoe Lyons (Mock The Week and Michael McIntyre’s Comedy Roadshow) Featuring headliner Angela Barnes with Laura
Lexx and Abigoliah Schamaun
) TRAUMFRAU DISCO & DIY (Fri 16) presents a night of sweaty dancing and inky DIY Print your own shirt to be refashioned with Stencil Moose Screen Printing; plus there’s zine, art and badge making. Expect queer pop party tracks and
deep cuts from American DJ, producer, musician, JD Samson (Le Tigre/ MEN) and DJ Jumeau (Gals Pals, Purple Sane) Warning: evening includes art making, fun having, paint, sweat, dirt and ‘ queer ecstatic rupture’. Tickets: www.brownpapertickets.com/eve nt/2955262
L A VOIX
Spiegeltent, Old Steine
) LA VOIX RED HOT GLOBE TROT (7.15pm, Thu 1). La Voix delivers precise sound alike performances, hilarious comedy and glamorous costumes with music from the biggest divas Judy Garland, Liza Minnelli, Shirley Bassey, Cher and many more! “To describe La Voix purely as a singer would be like calling Picasso a decorator” Broadway Baby Tickets £10 from www.brightonfringe.org
MARLBOROUGH THEATRE
4 Princes St, Brighton www.brownpapertickets.com
) THE GIRL FROM OZ (Thu 1) Courtney Act (RuPaul’s Drag Race Season 6), takes you over the
rainbow and down under with hits and high notes “Coy, funny, sexy, classy and thoroughly up-beat” Manhattan Digest ) WHO DO YOU THINK YOU ARE?
BARBARA BROWNSKIRT (Thu 1 & Fri 2). Darkly funny show by Karen McLeod. Shrouded in iconic anorak, knees bulging from pop socks, Barbara is the unsuccessful lesbian Poet-in-Residence at the 197 bus stop, Penge Unlucky in love, she tries to find out who she is and why through absurd poetry and film
) ABSURDLY FABULOUS (Sun 18). Feature length show inspired by the hit 1990s sitcom. All your favourite characters reimagined for the episode they never made A night of debauchery, fashion and celebrity created by you, the audience Grab your Harvey Nics avocado caviar wrap, pour the Bolly, throw off your La Croix heels and prepare for raucous fun, sweetie darling
PIERS & QUEERS
Meet: Regency Sq War Memorial ) PIERS & QUEERS (Sat 3 & Sun 4) Over 200 years of history from a LGBTQ perspective with Regency Dandies, 1950s lesbian and gay life and political activism. Meet prominent historical figures and extraordinary unsung heroes: a pioneering doctor who passed as man decades before women were allowed to practice medicine, a 19th century lesbian diarist, an
Edwardian 'drag king' and an early 'same-sex' marriage
ST MARY ’S CHURCH
St James’s Street, Brighton ) ALAN TURING – GUILTY OF LOVE presented by Oxford Music Theatre (Thu 1–Fri 2) Musical about the WW2 hero who broke the Enigma codes at Bletchley Park but was prosecuted for homosexuality in 1952. Lyrics and music by Jane Bramwell and Michael Brand and features Resound Male Voices.
THEATRE ROYAL
New Road, Brighton, Box office: 08448 717650 ) PAM ANN - TOUCH TROLLEY RUN TO GALLEY (Sun 11). The AList queen of the skies has developed cult-status with her masterful portrayal of a brash hot mess of an Australian airhostess As the airports got bigger, so did her ego and her mouth filthier Pam’s barbed wit has seen her fly many a risky route and negotiate even the most politically incorrect flight path, with her blisteringly funny take on the world of airlines and aircrew. Nothing is out of reach of her pristine white gloves, strutting up the aisle with a trolley full of beautifully unpredictable, sharp airline satire. There’s not much Pam hasn’t seen or done –from crewing Elton John’s private jet at his express request to sharing a stadium stage on a tour of the UK with Cher
NEW STEINE HOTEL, BAR & BISTRO
10 -11 New Steine, Brighton, www.newsteinehotel.com ) HEROES EXHIBITION (until Sun 4). Using photography, drawing and sculpture, Charly N'doumbe produces pieces that combine all three mediums to magnify the feminine and masculine body's natural beauty in figurative and abstract forms Free, non-ticketed ) TRICYCLIC TRANSFORM (Fri 2–Sun 4) Solo musical cabaret exploring gender queer identity with songs and drag Miss Liliane, 'biologically-challenged drag-queen', has penis envy and that makes her slightly unhinged! Join them round the gender wheel as they try on alternate personas by performing iconic torch songs. From heart-wrenching jazz diva standards to the p***ed-off ladies of gritty Blues and Brecht, to empowering queer anthems of Marc Almond and Boy George, with sprinkles of Victor Victoria and La Cage aux Folles
ALL THAT JAZZ
) OSCAR PETERSON The Complete Duke Ellington Song Books Essential Jazz Classics. During the 1950s a number of jazz musicians began to make good use of the new, extended LP format by releasing thematic albums of material all written by the same composer. Ella Fitzgerald famously produced eight songbooks by the likes of Cole Porter and the Gershwins while Canadian pianist Oscar Peterson also racked up a few Now you either love or loathe Mr Peterson Me? I can’t stand his florid performances, the way he has to play every note at every opportunity with such felicitous ease Others, however, consider him to be one of the greatest pianists all time So, leaving my prejudices to one side, let me recommend this set. Or actually, two different sets, for in 1952 Peterson and his then trio recorded 12 Duke Ellington numbers, only for Peterson to return to the studio in 1959 with a different trio to utilize the new stereophonic technology to record a stereo remake of the same 12 songs in exactly the same order. The two versions are very different, which makes a good compare and contrast exercise, but the clear winner is Ellington, whose magnificent compositions such as Cottontail, Take the ‘A’ Train, and Sophisticated Lady all survive even Peterson’s two-handed assault
) CHICAGO/LONDON UNDERGROUND A Night Walking Through Mirrors Cuneiform. In complete contrast is this set from Chicago’s man of the moment, cornet-player Rob Mazurek The prolific Mazurek has his hand in numerous groups and configurations in Chicago as well as in Sao Paolo, Brazil where he lived for some years On a brief visit to London in April 2016, he recorded this live set with a local pick-up band, including the ebullient pianist Alexander Hawkins. This is modern jazz at its best, and certainly not for the faint-hearted. Mazurek’s cornet blears and smears over a motoring percussive accompaniment, with electronics and samplers adding to the mix. In places he sounds like an electric Miles Davis from the early 1970s, echoing emptily across the void, elsewhere he is at full throttle Hawkins predictably steals the show in places, his insistent and tumultuous piano lines a constant kaleidoscope of change Unlike with Peterson, I can’t get enough of this sort of jazz
) JULIA HULSMANN TRIO Sooner And Later ECM To end with another piano trio, this set is Julia Hülsmann’s sixth outing for ECM She is a pianist with a touch of Keith Jarrett about her in her seemingly effortless simplicity and love of melody, while bass and drums are more than just basic rhythm makers, bassist Marc Muellbauer in particular outstanding in places. The material is mixed, with a central Asian folksong, a tribute to the late German jazz pianist Jutta Hipp, and a Radiohead song all jogging along beside each other. Overall, this is a set of quiet contemplation, which nevertheless delivers some powerful moments
ART MATTERS
For June I’ve diligently searched and found a wide variety of creative opportunities to enjoy and challenge you, all helpfully walkable too!
APT GALLERY
Deptford, London, www.aptstudios.org
) Before I start on those I have news on an exhibition I have been selected for by Alison Wilding for the CREEKSIDE OPEN 2017 (June 8–Jul 2). Alison Wilding studied in London at the Royal College of Art (1971–1973). Her first major solo exhibition was held at the Serpentine Gallery in 1985, and her first international solo show was held at the Museum of Modern Art, New York in 1987. A retrospective exhibition entitled Alison Wilding: Immersion – Sculpture from Ten Years was held at the Tate Gallery, Liverpool in 1991 Having been nominated for the Turner Prize in 1992, Alison Wilding was elected RA in 1999 There is prize giving and a private view on June 10 from 3pm
UNIVERSITY OF BRIGHTON GALLERY
58-67 Grand Parade, Brighton BN2 0JY, arts.brighton.ac.uk
) Returning to more local realms, the ANNUAL BRIGHTON GRADUATE SHOW (Jun 3–11) at the University Grand Parade and Edwards Street galleries. The University of Brighton’s annual Graduate Show is when their talented graduating students stage their final-year shows. Their courses cover a range of disciplines and on show will be work from a variety of subject areas, architecture and interior architecture, fashion and textiles, film, fine art, photography, graphics and illustration, design, craft, media, history of art and design
114 CHURCH STREET www.114churchstreet.com
) There are two shows in this pop-up space up this month.
DAVID HENTY ART is on show (Jun 9–18). Forger David Henty is banned from selling his work on some online auction sites, despite that his copies of famous paintings fetch thousands of pounds His history as a copyist artist started with a conviction for forgery in the mid-1990s It was while serving the resulting prison sentence that David was inspired to start painting He will be exhibiting his versions of Van Gogh, Caravaggio and Modigliani masterpieces in Brighton
) In the same space, JAMES TALON: SEX, LIES AND CASSETTE TAPE is on show in the Great Art Swindle Gallery Presenting the latest pop art works by the infamous artist, musician and cultural thief James Talon whose art is a document of his journey through the punk revolution, new wave hope and rave hedonism Each piece of art represents a moment on that ride, a pop song, a woman, an argument, a drunken night, a book, a friend, a fight. James uses large scale, three-dimensional sculpture and graphic symbolism to move mundane objects towards the beautiful so old Rizla packets and forgotten cassettes become large graphic sculptures
CL ASSICAL NOTES
REVIEWS
) Last year, I had the great fortune to perform Elgar’ s Dream of Gerontius in the Brighton Festival with Brighton Festival Chorus. It was evident then that conductor Edward Gardner has expert command of Edward Elgar’s (18571934) music, so I was very much looking forward to his new recording of the Symphony No. 1
An added bonus is Elgar’s Introduction and Allegro for string quartet and string orchestra, a piece I remember fondly from youth orchestra days (a very long time ago!), and on this disc, the BBC Symphony Orchestra are joined by the Doric String Quartet. The opening noble theme of Elgar’s Symphony No. 1 sets us off perhaps expecting Elgar in Pomp And Circumstance mode, but the restless Allegro shocks the listener out of any nostalgic pomp very quickly. Gardner takes a balanced approach, not allowing the noble opening to get bogged down, and giving the Allegro the right degree of turbulent energy, eliciting some particularly bright brass playing from the BBCSO players The second movement is also turbulent and again Gardner injects drive and energy. The beautiful Adagio that follows masterfully transforms the theme from the previous movement, and given a particularly touching reading here. In the final movement, Gardner keeps his powder dry and holds the tension, so that when we finally arrive at the return of the noble theme and the triumphant conclusion it has the powerful impact that Elgar surely intended In the Introduction and Allegro, Elgar plays with the contrast between the intimate forces of the string quartet and the larger, richer sounds of the full strings. Gardner points out the detail in Elgar’s
writing, with incisive playing from the Doric String Quartet, and precise ensemble from the full strings, particularly in the Allegro’s angular fugal writing. This is a taut reading, emphasising detail over emotional impact, perhaps, but highly engaging nonetheless, leaving me wanting more Elgar from Gardner very soon Chandos CHSA5181
) Last year I reviewed a couple of discs of Alex McCartney playing lute music Now he has released a recording performing on the lute’s very big brother, the wonderful theorbo Often used as part of an accompanying ‘basso continuo’ section, it’s great to hear it placed centre-stage as a solo instrument. Giovanni Girolamo Kapsberger (c.1580-1651) was a virtuoso lute and theorbo performer, as well as composer, and McCartney has recorded here a selection of pieces from his 3rd and 4th books of works for the latter instrument They consist of predominantly
Toccatas and Preludes, and the Toccatas contain some fascinating and downright quirky harmonies and unexpected clashes, and with the rich, deep tones of the theorbo, and some rippling and cascading runs, deftly articulated here by McCartney, this is a delightful programme. There are one or two more substantial movements, such as a Gagliarda, with wonderful falling chains of clashing suspensions, and a pleasing Passacaglia, but two of the shorter movements stuck out for me – the bell-like Capona, and the Spanish inflections of Canarios, for which McCartney managed a tastefully subtle dying repeat at the end Another enjoyable disc, and a great chance to hear the theorbo up close Veretum Musica VM015 www veretummusica com
) On their latest disc, violinist Tasmin Little and pianist Piers Lane combine several works by Polish composer Karol Szymanowski (1882-1937) with César Franck’s (1822-1890) highly dramatic and romantic Sonata, and Gabriel Fauré’s (1845-1924) Romance. Franck’s Sonata has a deceptively delicate opening, and Lane and Little are particularly sensitive to this intimate start. The turbulent Allegro that comes next is given great passion, followed by the emotionally operatic third movement, with touchingly sweet tones from Little especially In the spring-like canon that opens the finale, Little matches Lane’s delicate touch, and they follow this movement’s trajectory into the light, with a bright, summery flourish to finish. We move into late summer/autumn with Fauré’s nostalgic Romance, which allows Little the freedom to demonstrate her singing tone in its delicate lyricism. Szymanowski’s Sonata has comparable passion to Franck’s, and it is full of youthful exuberance Yet he can do intimate simplicity too, as demonstrated in the gentle, almost prayerful piano opening to the second movement, contrasted with a playful central section with jaunty pizzicato from the violin, and the finale has an infectious driving energy. Szymanowski’s
CINEMA
Romance is also passionate, although the temperature drops for an intimate central section with wandering harmonies, before the passion returns for its conclusion. The Notturno e Tarantella that ends the disc comes from just 11 years after the Sonata, yet we ’ re into
new territory here, with the mysterious, glassy rumblings and dramatic outbursts of the Notturno followed by a highly virtuosic, wild and swirling Tarantella to finish, with Little adopting a suitably harsher sound to add bite to their expert reading Another strong set of performances to add to Little & Lane’s already substantial portfolio of recordings together Chandos CHAN10940
Reviews, comments and events: v nicks-classical-notes.blogspot.co.uk t @nickb86uk ) nbclassical@hotmail.co.uk
) The Royal Ballet perform live from the Royal Opera House in a tribute to their founder choreographer, Frederick Ashton, including The Dream, Symphonic Variations (with music by Fauré), and Marguerite & Armand, a retelling of the story from Verdi’s La Traviata (Wed 7) Tenor Jonas Kaufmann is joined by soprano Maria Agresta and baritone Ludovic Tézier in Verdi’s Otello, also live (Wed 28).
) You can also see Verdi’ s La Traviata from Glyndebourne, with Venera Gimadieva (soprano) and Michael Fabiano (tenor) (Thur 8). In local cinemas, including: Duke’s @ Komedia Brighton, Cineworld Eastbourne and Connaught Cinema, Worthing.
CONCERTS
BRIGHTON DOME
www.brightondome.org, 01273 709709
) In An Audience with Lesley Garrett (8pm, Fri 9), the soprano sings and tells stories from her opera and West End stage career.
WORTHING A SSEMBLY HALL
www.worthingtheatres.co.uk 01903 206206
The Worthing Philharmonic Orchestra (7 30pm, Sun 11) perform Kodály’ s Háry János Suite, and Berlioz’ Symphonie Fantastique
ST LUKE'S CHURCH
Queens Park Road, Brighton
www.stlukesconcerts.webeden.co.uk
Ivana Peranic (cello) and Rachel Fryer (piano) play Chopin and Prokofiev (7.30pm, Fri 30).
) TIME OF OBSESSIONS (Wilkinson House) by John Roman Baker is a new episode in the delightful adventures of 18-year-olds Greg and Nick in 1960s Britain. Roman Baker’s own experience of Sussex and London in the 1960s give these books a geographic precision and authentic sea salt and peeling paint feel; but it’s the delightful, honest and near the knuckle exploration of these young men ’ s feelings, in the hostile context of Britain of that era, which is the real charm of this series How they develop their relationships, loves and sexual delights in spite of and with a devilish charm in the face of such disapproving society The book explores the homo subcultures of London, based in Chelsea and although embracing the freedoms of opportunity, Greg still needs to keep his eye on the long pretty arm of the disapproving law.
) PAGES FOR HER (Picador) by Sylvia Brownrigg. What happens to the love of your life if you ’ ve lived most of your life without her? This is the story of Flannery and Anne and the circumstances that lead to their reunion 20 years after their passionate affair (chronicled in Pages for You) Anne had opened young Flannery up to the possibility of love then left her heartbroken Having long ago put their love behind them, they live now on opposite coasts When the two women meet at a conference, they find that the passion has endured. This beautiful book is a soft, pure and very gentle exercise on the nature of love and how time can erode the reasons we give for not allowing it to blossom. It’s an exhilarating, passionate work that explores marriage, sexuality, the transformative power of love and the way two women face the slow burning truth of their lives, their relationships and delight of honest ownership of powerful experiences
THREE MEN IN TEARS (Autopsy) by PP Hartnett Ah PP, agent (and a Gent) of quality who knows when to spare and also when to thrust the knife. His sharp words and scalpel-like phrasing both severs and cauterises, he writes as weapon and healer. Wielding his pen, it ruthlessly cuts past the thick, greasy fat of experience leaving us quivering red raw muscle, all taught with tension and potential or slack, spent, necrotic and leaching out life Hartnett is never dull and understands the delicate balance between more and less Three Men in Tears continues his production of beautifully wrought quality books with exquisite attention to detail, which contain poems of wrathful abandon and exuberance as discreet and unpretentious as the covers.
driven, kind and ultimately considerate could have wanted
) TRANSGENDER CHILDREN & YOUTH: CULTIVATING PRIDE & JOY WITH FAMILIES IN TRANSITION (W W Norton & Company) by Elijah C Nealy Most of us have grown up with the Western cultural notions about gender identity and expression that tell us there are only two types of acceptable humans: heterosexual females with ‘feminine’ characteristics and heterosexual males with ‘masculine’ characteristics. It’s practically impossible not to hear about some aspect of transgender life now and people are coming out as trans at a
and truth. This left me touched and aching to read its predecessor.
) MY MOURNING YEAR: A MEMOIR OF BEREAVEMENT, DISCOVERY & HOPE (RedDoor Publishing) by Andrew Marshall. In 1997, Andrew's partner, Thom, the only person to whom he’d ever opened his heart, died after a gruelling and debilitating illness. Unmoored from his old life, and feeling let down by his family, he struggled to make sense of his loss or imagine a future He writes in his diary about the setbacks, weird and wonderful encounters with psychics and gurus and how, as a journalist, he talked about death with a range of people; a forensic anthologist and a holocaust survivor. With the help of friends, a dog and a renewed relationship with his parents, he pieces his life back together. Although his diary wasn’t meant for publication, he shared it with friends and colleagues dealing with bereavement and to mark the 20th anniversary of Thom's death, he’s decided to publish it It’s a frank, unflinching account of life a year after Thom’s death and in turn is heart-breaking, frustrating and sadly, sweetly funny It’s no step-by-step guide to bereavement but a shoulder to lean on when facing the unknowns of death and a resource for those left behind. He’s published many self-help books but this is a tender, honest window into his painful experience and how he learned to take grief as it came, one day at a time
) MY HEART IS BLEEDING: THE LIFE OF DOROTHY SQUIRES (The History Press) by Johnny Tudor. Written by a friend of Dorothy’s, this fascinating biography of a Welsh singing star is a splendidly detailed insight into the glamour of ‘40s and '50s Hollywood As a young girl toiling in a South Wales tin works, Dorothy Squires dreamt of being a singing star but was ridiculed by all around her Aged 16 she escaped to London where she met and fell in love with songwriter and band leader Billy Reid, the older man who made her a star. They were an international success, but the relationship foundered and she fell in love with the much younger actor Roger Moore, who she spent all her time establishing as a star. Tudor takes us along for the ride with this first biography filled with anecdote, stories, photos and conversations he had with Ms Squires and it’s a wonderful life to behold, the ending of her days as tenderly told as a person who comes across as
younger age, which is a good thing Whether it’s the ‘toilet issue’, the military, or television, trans life is now front and centre after years of marginalisation which historically resulted in the silencing of voices and the invisibility of stories and lives. The binary gender assumption renders trans persons as ‘other’ and ‘ queer ’ . It defines them as gender transgressors and subjects them to shame, ostracism, objectification and hatred This is a welcome addition to the resources available to parents, teachers and health professionals who need to support these children Nealy, a therapist who worked at NYC's LGBT Community Center, has written the first comprehensive guide to understanding, supporting and welcoming trans kids. From family life to school and mental health issues, as well as the physical, social and emotional aspects of transition, this careful, considerate book is full of best practices to support trans kids and to ensure they get a supportive, healthy environment to enter adult life with the confidence, education and knowledge that all young people deserve
GEEK SCENE
COMICS
) She has been a warrior and a princess, a superhuman and a demigod, a feminist and an LGBTQ icon I am of course talking about the truly inspirational Wonder Woman and, finally, this month sees the release of her highly anticipated very first feature film. Whilst this isn’t her first appearance in a feature film, this will be the very first superhero film with a female lead and it’s about freaking time! Taking place during WW1, Wonder Woman aka Diana Prince (Gal Gadot) decides to leave her home of Themyscira after learning of the conflict from pilot Steve Trevor after he crash lands on the island Being from an island of only women, Diana embraces the strange outside world and aims to put an early end to the war In honour of Diana Prince finally having her name up in lights, here’s some Wonder Woman stories that you should read Don’t worry though, you won’t need to read these beforehand to understand Wonder Woman as the film will do a good enough job presenting her origin and motives.
Wonder Woman: Gods and Mortals (1987)
After the DC universe became too complex and difficult to understand for new readers, the company created the universe-wide event Crisis on Infinite Earths in 1985. The crossover both addressed and resolved the issue by being the first of DC’s many reboots to it universe. Thanks to the event wiping the slate clean, it meant DC could do a complete relaunch of its characters without being tied down with years upon years of continuity Ironically this is something DC will be criticised for in the future compared to Marvel who operate under a sliding timescale to make sense of their universe Starting with this seven-issue story, the character and her background would be much more firmly rooted in Greek Mythology as well as having the drama of the book revolving around Diana’s explorations of modern society which is something that is now consistently in her origin story. The book also had more realism, showing an innocent young woman entering our world and what issues she would have to face.
Paradise Island Lost (2001).
As the feud between Diana and her mother, Queen Hippolyta, continues about the latter’s role as a Wonder Woman during WW2, another feud breaks out between two tribes of Amazons: the Themyscirans and the Bana-Mighdall’s. This is because of Diana’s role as Wonder Woman and her not taking her rightful place as the Queen of Themyscira The feud is resolved when both Diana and her mother promise to make changes to their government starting with the abolition of the Themysciran Royal Family thus resolving the differences between the two tribes of Amazons. This story is notable for bringing back George Perez to the fold who was the co-creator of the above Gods And Mortals and would go on to reach critical and fan acclaim with his five-year stint on the book.
GAMES
) As I said last month, I love my fighting games. Be they 2D or 3D, if there’s a fighting game out there that I haven’t experienced, I must try it out! Whilst 2D or 2 5D fighting games are my preference I do still love the 3D fighters out there Like Mortal Kombat and Street Fighter are my favourite 2D fighters, when it comes to 3D it’s all about Namco Bandai baby or more specifically: Tekken and Soul Calibur!
This month sees the home release of the latest instalment of the Tekken franchise, Tekken 7 Even though the base game was released in Japanese arcades way back in March 2015 this home version comes from the updated version that was released in July 2016 entitled Fated Retribution. Tekken 7 is apparently going to be the final
chapter in the Mishima clan storyline that has been the main driving plot of the series since its first instalment way back in 1994. It will finally provide answers to the ongoing feud between family patriarch Heihachi Mishima, his son, Kazuya Mishima, and his grandson, Jin Kazama, as well as detailing the unknown origins of the Devil Gene among other mysteries of the series. This game will also serve as the introduction to the matriarch of the Mishima clan and Heihachi’s wife, Kazumi Mishima, who was killed by her husband prior to the events of the first game The rumours are that she is the link to the Devil Gene and also somehow serves as the final boss to the arcade mode, along with her massive fecking tiger! A special guest character will also play a vital role in the story after being hired by Kazumi to kill Heihachi if she cannot This character is none other than bloody Akuma from the Street Fighter series, who joins the battle with his fighting style and all his special moves ripped straight out of Street Fighter IV
Fighting is like all the other games in the series but introduces three new mechanisms exclusive to this instalment The first is Rage Art, which allows the player to execute critical attacks that deal around 30% damage to the opponent once their health is critical The second is Rage Drive, which allows you to sacrifice your rage mode to empower attacks. Finally, the third is the Power Crush, which allows the player to continue attacking even while being hit by their opponent but they will still receive damage from these attacks.
The game features 38 characters (including palette swaps), some graphical updates and new stages not found in the arcade as well as a story mode exclusive to the home version. Overall the game is beautiful with some stunning special effects depending on how moves connect with the opponent. Stages are lush and plentiful and the game features a fantastic soundtrack. Anyone who loves fighting games needs to get this for their collection as it’s deep, rewarding and overall fun to play
) Backpack, made from recycled truck tarpaulins, from £75 (M-24, 15 Gardner Street, Brighton, 07525192098)
) Cloud Umbrella, £43; Chihuahua messenger bag, £23.99; Designer Barbie Ring, £70; Iguana cushion, £28.50 (Barbary Lane, 95 St George’s Road, Brighton, www barbarylane co uk and Facebook)
Print Mug, £5.95; Brighton Bear Weekend Tee, ear Flag, £6.90 (Prowler, 112-113 St James's Brighton, 01273 683680)
CRAIG’S THOUGHTS
Vive la Différence! Or tous les miserable – you decide. By Craig Hanlon-Smith
) And so here we are, hurtling towards a General Election the pundits and opposition politicians will tell you we neither expected nor should be holding. If the past 15 months or so have taught me anything, it is to expect the unexpected and that whether you appreciate the result or not, anything is possible, even the seemingly impossible.
I’m not going to spend the opportunity I have here instructing readers to not vote for the Conservative Party and list the reasons herein, or to ignore the difficulties faced by the Labour movement in its current form and try to elect them anyway, but I am going to ask that if you are reading this on or before June 8th to please think
The election of Emmanuel Macron as the new President of France does give us pause for thought Yes, that hope can win over hate but that right on the edge of our borders, traditional politics is changing and that that same change is present here too, if we listen Macron has served as a minister in a socialist Government, but he left the socialist party proper to set up his own movement En Marche! Or Forward in Queen’s English
A centrist movement that borrows from the right and left, but does not rummage around in the deeper pockets of either What is illuminating is that to declare his centrist hand, he had to leave previous political affiliations behind and start again, unlike Tony Blair and David Cameron who both tried to steer their existing ships engaging full reverse throttle towards a similar destination. One might argue, that in different decades and for different reasons, both failed spectacularly. They were not brave enough.
The EU referendum has divided this country but along lines that are unclear and do not follow previously understood or established political borders. There are staunch Conservatives who are saddened by the decision to leave the
European Union, and distraught at the sudden hard-line Brexit approach adopted by their leader and former soft remain supporter, Theresa May.
There are life-long Labour supporters who voted leave and felt confused if not betrayed by their party’s ignorance of their feelings during the run up to the referendum, and the political u-turn on the issue has done nothing for their credibility since. Only those parties on the periphery, whether hard left, right or spiralling all over the place, have remained true to their pre-referendum position, possibly because they haven’t a cat in hell’s chance of forming a Government
The problem with the UK political system is that we will never have a Macron moment A politician screaming change or ‘ yes we can ’ on these shores must affiliate him or herself to the branded left or right and so any potential revolution or Macron style stomach upset is decades away That is unless, we, the electorate, the ones who wield the true power but do not appear to know it, give our political system the true kicking it deserves from all sides.
To declare my own political hand in case you are yet to work it out, I will not vote Conservative I’m too battered and bruised from the beatings of the past, and too suspicious of therapy to ever recover. I also in truth, cannot elect a local Conservative politician who now represents a party whose leader is adopting the policies of UKIP faster than I can sink an espresso martini, and trust me that’s fast. Theresa May might as well strip
on the steps of 10 Downing Street and paint her butt-naked self in purple and yellow stripes holding aloft a sign that reads “ can you guess?”
But in equal measure, although a supporter of the Labour Party until 2010, I cannot vote for that ramshackle bunch of innumerate half-wits either If my friends were deserting me at the same rate as Jeremy Corbyn is having to reshuffle his front bench, I would be mainlining Prozac by Tuesday. What an absolute and at times horrific fiasco. This is our political reality. It’s a mess.
And so my message is this. Do not let any of them win outright. The behaviour of the most recent Government demonstrates just how moderate the Conservatives were in coalition, and for my money coalition in our current broken and almost defunct political system is the only hope of real political change in the coming years I believe Theresa May’s Conservative Party will clinch it, but please do not let her win big
Of all the political hands I have been most impressed with recently, it is the Green’s Party’s decision to stand down candidates and ask their supporters to vote tactically in marginal seats, to force our big parties to talk to one another and soften their borderline extreme approaches Both Hove and Brighton Kemptown are marginal, we have an opportunity to send all of our politicians a clear message in the coming days, that it is we who are in charge, and it is we who will decide the political future of our nation. If like I do, you have some friends who post less than cryptic messages on social media, bemoaning the loss of funny kitten videos and railing against the political posts or rantings of the likes of me, ignore them and post your political headaches even more, and then more again. DO discuss politics at the dinner table and DO NOT take no for an answer nor mind your Ps and Qs. In fact ‘Q’ and ‘P’ all over the table until your guests leave in disgust and if it is not your dinner party? Then ‘P’ up the wall too. Do become and table thumping fist clenching drinks party horror, because if you don’t, who will?
DO NOT think this is somebody else’s job. DO NOT think ‘it will all be alright in the end’. And as much as it irritates the British, DO follow the example of the French In order to keep out the extremists, play your political hand in a way that is strategic and intelligent Elect a Government in the United Kingdom, whilst it is still united, that sits up and remembers who they are here to serve: You
Your life, your world, your election Get up off your disco arse, and do something for once Shout, scream, wail and then vote And if your party doesn’t ‘win’, well at least you tried
“Both Hove and Brighton Kemptown are marginal, we have an opportunity to send all of our politicians a clear message... that it is WE who are in charge, and it is WE who will decide the political future of our nation”
CHARLIE SAYS
Ladies and others, here is today ’s Fake News, by Charlie Bauer Phd http://charliebauerphd.blogspot.co.uk
) Firstly, the NHS has opened a new facility at Brighton & Hove hospital at the cost of £350 million per week As you can guess it’s rather plush and caters for the city as a whole It will begin with the Boris Ward being opened by her majesty Theresa Slay, while a new mental health facility will be uncovered by an unspecified Royal who has had first-hand experience of depression and isolation.
Secondly, Theresa Maynot pushed the envelope on the usual Tory brand of electioneering. A recent quote on her whistle-stop bus tour to the provinces states that: This election is not about who people might have voted beforehand, it is about who they want to see leading this country over the next five years… Hang on, who is she talking about? Of course, the democratically elected coalition of Camoron and Smeg all those decades ago
Of course, the Tories could have won that race fair and square but no, in an act of fraternal bum-hugging, Dave offered Nicky the olive branch of treason He was privately devastated that they were never elected as a coalition the following term But then the people had spoken Nicky was devastated - they all worked so well together Oh well, on with the Tory show, after all, the people had voted
Perhaps Saint Theresa is talking about herself here, reminding us that, together with the fact that The People had voted for Brexit, they also voted her in as Prime Minister, which of course they did in a landslide. So, to re-quote, the people we might have voted for beforehand are of course Theresa May and Boris Johnson, but they didn’t (see first article).
Then there is the difficult Trident question. It’s imperative that Trident is fore fronted. What defence will miniBritain have against the Islamwaffe when they fly over our shores dropping heaps of nuclear bombs? Of course, the US President will make sure that he supplies lots of loaded nuclear aircraft for the war effort This, of course, being down to that
special relationship ever since WW2 The one now sealed by President 45 as he escorted the Prone Minister around the White House garden, holding her arm as if she’d nicked something from the Oval Office fridge.
Minister of War Doris Johannsson fears a Corbin Government will back away from using Trident in the event of a nuclear air raid, instead choosing to get people to man up and take to the trenches like their ancestors.
Another point is that 28 million jobs have been created for the white working class along the rusty belt of Pennsylvania. In these uncertain times Herr President has kept to his, well not his really, campaign pledges. Initially he had doubts around turning people back onto fossil fuel when the world no longer needs it Ever since global warming was disproved on January 24, there has been a race to get those furnaces burning again The prospect of a nuclear winter (see above) lasting well into the next millennium should create such a global demand As any honest businessman will tell you: if there is no demand for something, create it, pocket the change and hot-foot it away sharpish.
Now about that Corbijn ‘make-over’ The fact that Jeremiah now has a six-pack, a feather cut and wears Avathromie and Bitch sweatshirts, has nothing to do with the election campaign or stylists rebranding him as Nouvelle La-bour. It has everything to do with doing some prime arse-kissing now that the French have seen sense and, being as contrary
as they always are, have voted in a communist Pah, if you ask the French for an egg they’d give you an oeuf Of course, Monseigneur Macrame can’t wait to re-establish that special relationship the French have always had with the English. He and Missus Merkin have stated that they’ll do anything in their power to help the people of Britain cast aside that whole Brexit thing. They’re so dependent on Britain as an entrée to the US, they’re desperate to win back the white nationalist Brexiteers and get back to the good old days where the French were just arrogant garlic-loving existentialists and the Germans Reich, sore losers
Because all Brezziteers know the Holocaust didn’t really happen and that Zyklon B was just aromatherapy, we can see the emerging freedoms of the underclass to be represented in modern England under those European laws on health and wages The English, well the bottom half, will be sad to see Scotland and Northern Ireland leave the union and will never penalise them for their decisions These decisions are their decisions and those special relationships the Anglo Saxons have always peacefully held with the Celts will continue as they once began.
Another point of Fake News that needs clarifying: Hadrian’s Wall WILL NOT be replaced by an electric fence as promoted by some dissidents. Although, unlike at the end of the holy Roman Empire, a wall will never be built by the south. It will be the Scots who insist on the Wall to obscure the direct view of Whitehall.
Finally, to all the scaremongers out there, the Home Office will not be replaced by the Ministry of Truth. This is Fake News. There’s no reason to think of a boot stomping on a human face, forever - that’s all just jumbo-mumbo. There is no big society, big brother, big sister, big answer, big pay cheque or big future We live in a democracy, don’t forget
We will be able to vote online and all those votes will be counted somewhere by hand. It’s more efficient this way AND you don’t have to leave your desktop computer - all in the privacy of your lovely home On your terms If you ever feel you need to protest to make your feelings heard, you can organise and iSchedule each online in complete privacy™
Just purely for safety purposes, you understand We can’t believe here that anyone would be against any of this You mean you want to be nuked? Or not have a cash injection into the NHS? What is wrong with you all? This election result will be what you all voted for.
The people within some democracy have again voted
“Another point of Fake News that needs clarifying: Hadrian’s Wall WILL NOT be replaced by an electric fence... a wall will never be built by the south. It will be the Scots who insist on the Wall to obscure the direct view of Whitehall”
WALL’S WORDS
BY M I K E WA
FANTASTIC BEARS AND WHERE TO FIND THEM
) So what is the general habitat of bears? Well bears can be found just about everywhere in the world, in North America, South America, Europe, Asia and even in the Arctic. But, more importantly, for one weekend every June, gay bears (homosexualitatis suapte Ursus) can be seen roaming in the general vicinity of central Brighton. This phenomenon has now been observed for several years and it would appear that the numbers seem to be increasing year on year Last year we sent a team along to study this annual occurrence and to report back on their findings to help us to try and fully understand why these bears travel hundreds and even thousands of miles each year to the streets of Brighton Below is a brief abridgment of that report
“Well here they are at last the bears have finally arrived Whilst experts had notified me that the bears would probably start arriving in mid June, I have to admit I was a bit sceptical After several weeks of setting up our observation station in a central Brighton location, unfortunately we cannot disclose the exact site as doing so may put the bears at risk in future years, the bears did indeed turn up in great numbers. It was on 15 June that we first started to notice that more and more bears were joining the native bears and by the evening of 17 June it could almost be said that the St. James’s Street area of Brighton was overrun.
It's almost incredible to think that these fantastic creatures have travelled from across the world, through some inhospitable terrain to stop here, for just three or perhaps four nights, before moving on again. We observed them, in this their preferred environment, for a few days and we found that, typically, bears are friendly, easy-going and appear to interact in a very tactile way towards each other. We also noticed that these bears, unlike other bears in the wild, travel in packs and if you take on one bear, the entire cave can feel threatened, As such, like all animals, when provoked they will protect themselves and their pack We did detect that there can be some demonstrations of territorial marking, but this is generally short-lived and tends to end quite peacefully
Whilst we identified that there were a lot of stereotypical traits, we also noted that some bears and their followers did not fit into the general conventions we expected We noticed that despite the fact that most bears enjoy food and drink and that beer is the alcohol of choice, you may also observe others partaking in other types of beverages One final word of warning: please also note that during this study we also identified that another species has emerged which may appear to demonstrate some bear-like characteristics, please be aware that these may only be hipsters and are definitely NOT here for the Brighton Bear Weekend.”
Have a great bear spotting weekend.
GAY WISDOM
BEARS AND MY REFLECTIONS ON MY REFLECTIONS ON MY REFLECTION
) I have a fear of bears because they have, in one way or another, got me into the realm of body judging! When I was a twink in the ‘body fascist’ phase of my life, I used to think that bears were just a bunch of guys with hairy backs who had lost the Battle of the Bulge and had found a way to reassure each other that the fight hadn’t been worth fighting in the first place
Now in my twilight years, having hung around with The Faeries for the past eight years, and having conscientiously and consciously challenged my socially programmed preference for the Body Beautiful, I am just about able to summon up some compassionate forgiveness for the opinionated brat that I was!
However, when someone I meet says they are a bear, I kind of fear that my Faerie identity will be judged as too girly, not-manly-enough, nothairy-enough, not fat enough (with the wrong sort of fat), not socially-locally-connected enough, not interested enough in raising money for charity.
Since I don’t actually know any bears, I know these are simply my own personal projections onto a group of people who don’t deserve to be feared in this way
Take the American Black Bear for instance It seems like its reputation for being a dangerous killer is a whole lot of nonsense cooked up in the paranoia of the US collective sub-conscious In reality they are beautiful, sweet and gentle creatures who are simply trying to get by, just like anyone else.
Anyway, the bear theme for this month got me thinking about my body and how I judge it (and how I fear it is judged by others) It reminded me that a few years ago, in a fit of self-improvement, I did an exercise aimed at flushing out my subconscious negative body self-talk. I stood in front of a mirror, naked, and wrote down all the words that sprang to mind to describe what I saw. Then by the side of each word I wrote down its opposite. This is what emerged:
My Reflections on My Reflections on My Reflection Here is a Body, Vulnerable and Exposed Shameless Sacred Holy, Totally Acceptable and Divine, Spiritually Balanced Slim and Trim, Surprisingly Youthful, Young and Vital Cuddly and Curvaceous, Smooth and Furry, Muscled Beautifully Androgynous, Masculine Enough, Dinky Genitals, Perfectly Formed
Attractive, Sexually Magnetic, Tasty In Surprisingly Good Nick, A Great Oak, A Well-Looked-After Vintage Car Hello!
You are Smouldering, Sensual and Sensuous
Feeling, Touching, Tasting, Smelling The Silent Witness and Guide Where Ethereal and Material Clash
The Vessel, The Instrument, The Tool Transient, Transitory and Transitional Indispensable Now- Yet Ultimately Disposable Body! Talk To Me! Show Me How You Feel!
It’s an interesting exercise - try it and see what happens!
SHARP WORDS
Foxy lady Del Sharp on her visitors of the night, taking a walk on the wild side and harbouring a guilty secret.
) Sharp Words’ ears prick up at the sounds of yelps and snarls in the night Not inside, thankfully, but I’m not too alarmed - it’s like the crying seagulls or the rumble of skateboards so just part of a normal night sound tapestry of Brighton
The city fox sounds, that are actually quite disturbing until you get used to them, barely wake me now I love to look out of the window to see them and try to catch their eye Once I saw eight of all sizes, cubs protected in the middle, capering down the road and was thrilled.
I have read that tipping your head and blinking makes them realise you ’ re trying to make friends. Though perhaps, in hindsight, my attempts to make friends from my front window in more scanty attire than in the daytime may have made the neighbours rather more cautious of me than usual. It’s just that having a pet fox visiting the garden gives me an extra interest in these wild urban creatures.
My fox, well I say my fox because it comes regularly to the garden and of course I want to feed it like everything else that visits. People that I have shared my guilty secret with are horrified; “A fox killed my rabbit!” has been shrieked in my ear with as much anger as if I’d bitten the bunny myself All I
could reply feebly with was that they might not attack anything if they were fed
I don’t know if that’s true but I have witnessed foxes and cats sitting together on a lawn and actually I would rather have a full fox than a hungry one Mine now has its own bowl in a far corner and we don’t cross paths, I just glimpse one in the garden on occasion dozing in the sun that locks eyes with me and I’m pretty sure it’s the one I put the food out for.
I started to buy knock down priced supermarket sandwiches that I thought it might like and I was amused at the way the lettuce and tomato got rejected. So now I stick to the pretty safe option of dog food rather than have a garden that looks like the outside of a kebab shop. Also, any kind of human leftovers seem to go down well, though mine tend to be lacking in any meat!
Why do people have such a romanticised view of foxes in the countryside,, yet despise their
city cousin who usually, I admit, isn’t very pretty? (But then who is with such a hard life?)
I blame the ‘Devil Fox Attacks Prams And Pensioners’ headlines that vilify our foxy friend From what I can see they spend most of their lives trying to avoid humans and just go after the food that we either carelessly or thoughtfully provide. Those of you who don’t actually wash the plastic recycling can hardly blame them for trying to chew at those scraps of organic hummous.
Actually, foxes help to keep the rat population down, and I certainly know who I’d prefer to glimpse staring back at me in the twilight hours.
East Devon District Council has recently implemented a fines system for people habitually feeding seagulls, which I guess is alright. Except that if you feed birds in general, you can’t always know if the gulls will get there first, which would be my plea in court; “But I specifically put it there for the robins, honest I did”
I’m not sure if it’s right to legislate against feeding wild animals, so I hope no one will become foxist as well. I could well be leaving food out for hedgehogs after all, though having looked into this it’s rather more complex than I thought
Apparently, hedgehogs can travel miles throughout the night and a local network garden scheme for encouraging visits between gardens requires holes to be cut into the fences However, with dogs on both sides of the house, this spike-friendly mobility scheme is sadly not going to work for me, though I’d love to see them in the garden They say that cat food is the best thing to feed them, though I think it might well attract the furrier night visitor.
While I’m glad the fox eats everything up, I’m not too keen on the neat little poo being left in the bowl business. It’s not hygienic for either of us, especially not for me as I’m the one who has to clean it up.
I only momentarily thought it was to show gratitude - like belching in some cultures is considered an honour after being fed, but of course I know very well that it’s to do with scent marking or something. However, as it already does that on the lawn (another cleaning job I look forward to), maybe it really is showing appreciation for the lamb and rosemary terrine in its own foxy way? But if it ever starts bringing me gifts of rat, then a salad bowl is all that will be on the menu
“I would rather have a full fox than a hungr y one. Mine now has its own bowl in a far corner ”
PLOTS AND PANS
) My dear grandmother Ivy had once trekked across the jungle of Cambodia in search of a lost saucepan. She’d lent it to a Gwen who lived next door but one to her in Hafodyrynys and absconded with a Kampuchean chef called Butan, his spicy after dinner treats had caught more than Mrs Llewellyn’s imagination and she’d run off with him, packing her kitchen up, as any decent Welsh woman worth her Bara brith would do and headed east for a new life. In them days, Cardiff Docks was the gateway to the world and once you’d ploughed through the Tiger Bay Warblers a feared gang of dual heritage girls who would overpower you with huge vocal numbers and then while you lay stunned on the floor would strip you of any valuables and be off into the night Their leader, Ma Treble, and her live in ‘lady friend’, Mrs Bassey, ruled Cardiff with a tuning fork of iron but my grandmother had once helped Treble and Bassey out with some ‘clearing up ’ as she called it, so swiftly got on the next boat east
My grandfather Jack, who, other than marry Ivy, had done nothing remarkable or remotely brave in his life, shrugged when I asked him why she had gone and explained that during the war, with bombs raining down and whole back-to-back terraces being swallowed by tonnes of incendiary ordinance falling from the sky, Ivy had engraved her premium bond numbers on the bottom of her copper saucepans to protect them in case, as was indeed the case, of the house taking a direct hit and burning to the ground. My grandfather insisted she had used her tongue. Her pans, some boxes with heavy metal sheets nailed to them and the contents of her asbestos hat box were the only survivors of fire. My great aunt Mable having met her fate valiantly rescuing the budgies from the bottom of the garden. They escaped into the night, along with her soul and established a breeding colony in Cefn-y-crib that still pulls twitching avian peepers from all around the valleys for their colourful displays
When Ivy caught up with Mrs Llewellyn there was some sharp exchanges and hair pulling before order was restored by a platoon sent to subdue the Welsh harpies from the King of Siam and my grandmother was carted off, clinging to her saucepans and a thick wedge of Mrs Llewellyn’s perfectly dyed black hair After a few months teaching Bhumbi (as she called the King), she managed to jump a freighter bound for Newport Docks and arrived back with a hamper full of pepper, her saucepans and a rather cheeky long tailed macaque called Jack. He’d been chained up in the garden and my grandmother, who couldn’t bear cruelty to animals (just humans), packed him up and brought him home. When he died, well before I was born, she had him stuffed and mounted in the hallway dressed in a gorgeous bespoke ball gown, he was posed looking in a gilded mirror and as you walked past seemed to say ‘be exquisite and never explain.’
HOT GOSSIP
BY
ARE YOU BEAR WITHOUT THE HAIR?
) “Lacroix, Sweety! Labels!” as they used to say on Ab Fab Yeah, back in those days it was all about labels, and labels were fabulous. Are they still?
It's the Brighton Bear Weekend, which is what got me reminiscing about them in the first place Labels can of course be either, the clothes we wear or the images we choose to define ourselves. Now, a bear in Lacroix... no, forget that image!
'Bear' is a subdivision of the label 'Gay' Sure, gays like things neat so there was bound to be a category system But what is a bear? A simple question with a much trickier answer. Is it a man who rejects the femininity so often associated with homosexuality? One who doesn't conform to the body stereotype portrayed by the gay media? Just a regular guy? And most importantly, can you be a bear without the hair?
One theory goes that a bear arises when all the grooming and blooming just gets too much Let it go, and become a bear is the advice I almost want to agree, but I'll admit right now that I'm hardly the authority on the subject, as I don't like 'em hairy, it's just not my thing. I get annoyed at having to pick bits out my teeth when I'm making out. Others however swear by it. My friend Brian won't touch you if you're not covered in soft layer of curlies, front and back. Yet we both agree that we like big shoulders and thighs, features of many a bear. So do we both like bears? Or are we now talking muscle bears? Or is it wolves? What about otters and foxes and cubs?
“I get annoyed at having to pick bits out my teeth when I'm making out”
Oh this is getting confusing, this family tree is going to topple over any minute now! Anyone know a good (butch and beary) tree surgeon? This is the opinion of many, who are calling for the catalogueing to be abolished Stop boxing yourself in, they say Why label ourselves? They rightly point out that these factions can cause division in a community that has always needed, and still needs, unity to face the challenges that affect us all.
Which brings us to the label that matters the most The big one, bigger than a bear! I sang 10 Hail Muscle Marys, when at long last I could put aside all the confusion and guilt and uncertainty of presumed heterosexuality, and stick my 'GAY' label on my chest.
That I often covered it up with a cardie those first few years is besides the point, at least I knew who I was and I was glad for my label, it gave me identity It gives all of us identity, whether bear, twink, twunk or hunk. We might have wildly varying opinions on eyebrow tweezers or leather kilts, but we're in this together, and stronger together. Be yourself, whatever box you climb in or out of this weekend, and if you're a bear, let me hear you growl!
TRANSITIONING WITH SUGAR
Looking for ward, by Ms Sugar Swan
) Today sees me one week post-op of my fourth, and hopefully last, hair transplant surgery Back in late February, I headed to Latvia after a long search for a surgeon who would take on my hair restoration case. A tricky one due to the very advanced state of my balding. In the April issue of Gscene I covered my search for a surgeon and my experience of Latvia as a solo trans woman (you can read this online in back issues).
I returned from Latvia having endured two days of surgery averaging 14 hours per day. Fifty per-cent of my restoration was complete and I had surgery dates booked in for early May for two more days in theatre to complete the work. As torturous as the process was, and as hard as I found it to be alone and trans in an ex-Soviet State, it’s not those experiences that have stayed with me over the last two months and have lead to a spiral in my mental ill health, causing me to isolate myself from those I love and avoid social situations It was
the actual thing that I am proactively trying to correct, my lack of hair.
Following surgery my head is swollen, painful, very delicate, takes a lot of care, and wigs are completely out of the question Whilst presurgery I could choose to wear a wig or not, post-op I’m unable to wear one and that’s completely different. Should I wish to wet shave my head and present as a bald woman, all power to me. When I’m post-op and have patches of hair growth, areas yet to be worked on and areas with baby hair growing, I don’t feel like a powerful bald woman but I’m more conscious than ever of my head and troublesome hair In the two weeks before my
second trip I was able to wear a wig despite pain and itching for a few hours, but a few hours afforded me some welcome dysphoria relief
Now I feel like I’m back to step one Once again I’m miserable about the summer ahead of me, having to stay out of the sun, covered up, without a wig, and I hate it I hate that I wasn't allowed to transition as a young girl before I lost my hair. I hate that nobody would help me when I was a teenager. I hate that I grew a beard that I’m now slowly getting rid of. I hate that I am 6ft 2. I hate that I have size 10/44 feet. Basically I feel as though I hate being trans. Who would choose this life for themselves?
Being trans is so tiring. I question my ability to continue with transition. I wonder whether I should have taken what seems like the easier path of suicide, opposed to the much harder path of transition. I wonder if I’ll ever be happy with my outward appearance I wonder if I have the strength to make it through these next turbulent years as my body goes through transition I wonder if I’ll still be a victim of suicide, but then, I remember
I remember that I’ve invested many thousands of pounds into my transition already I remember that I’ve just put myself through four 14 hour long operations to restore my hair, full results of which I won’t see for around two years I remember that I’m battling the side effects of HRT and that the results of feminisation will not peak for many years. I remember that I’m working towards further surgeries in 2018 and 2020. Going through these slow processes, planning them, and seeing them through makes me realise that I’m investing in my future. I actually have a future, I don't hate being trans, and I’m not going to be the victim of suicide.
I’m a proud trans woman and I love the fact that I’m finally able to transition. I do see a life for me in old age, I do have a plan, I plan to live. Being trans has allowed me to live, and, therefore, I love being trans I love myself, and I’m doing everything I can to make my future a long, productive and worthwhile one Being trans has saved my life and I try my very best to be a good advocate and activist for the cause
Being one week post-op, I am, of course, feeling sorry for myself I recognise all the signs of Post-Operative Depression I’m sleep deprived, in horrendous pain, I can't chew as it hurts my temples, and I’m struggling to self care and remember my pills and injection regimes Despite all this I must tell myself it’s only temporary, it’s another step to feeling as comfortable with my gender presentation as I do with my gender identity, and that it is all part of my bigger plan. A plan that does not include suicide.
“Going through these slow processes... and seeing them through makes me realise that I’m investing in my future. I actually have a future, I don't hate being trans, and I’m not going to be the victim of suicide”
SAM TRANS MAN
Dr Samuel Hall on transphobia in the medical profession and what equality really means.
) I’m going off-piste this month. Those of you who write will know that the simple act of writing, whether it be a personal diary, a blog, a column for public consumption or any other medium, is of itself cathartic. I have an issue that I need to process or try to come to terms with and you, my readers, are the audience I can say here what I really mean, talk about my feelings, opine on matters of importance to me, all without moving from my laptop I expect no response and have no sense of how you will receive my words It’s an extraordinary yet terrifying privilege
There is also a great responsibility I feel the burden of duty to make correct statements of fact Whilst writing for this column, I often spend hours fact-checking my content for fear of misinforming the reader. I don't know how many people read this as it’s rare to get feedback, although I do have one faithful fan who contacts me regularly, and a smattering of positive remarks have been made in person.
A couple of times I’ve touched someone enough for them to contact me on social media to thank me. I’ve never had negative remarks or personal attacks as a result of this column, and I’m extremely grateful for that. I expect it will happen at some point, and I must brace myself for it every time I put pen to paper - it’s a price that is always paid at some point for increasing visibility
Over the past four years I have amassed around 40,000 - 50,000 words, documenting my thoughts and feelings around trans issues, both mine and others’ I’ve taken the opportunity to educate myself and through my words, I hope, bring a deeper understanding of trans identities to the wider LGBT community Writing for you, my reader, has helped me clarify my own understanding, allowed me to mature and develop my own sense of self as a transgender man in this
rapidly changing world. You get a window into what is happening to me during my transition, which is ongoing, and I get a faceless audience You are watching me through a twoway mirror, I know you are there, but I cannot see you
People around me at home in Brighton are surprised to discover that I’m not ‘out’ at work I really struggle to be myself, to live my life in the open as a transgender man and a doctor I do want to be at the vanguard, a role-model for others who follow, but I find it very hard to actually do it
I have confided in a handful of trusted colleagues only, and I’m certainly not the shining example of change that I could be were I a braver person My profession is so transphobic - not everyone obviously - but a big enough contingent that my life could be made professionally very difficult if not impossible. I don't have any sense of being able to be truly me in the workplace.
Transphobia is so rife in the medical profession, that even the doctors who treat us, prescribe hormones, operate on us, are subject to it. I know a surgeon whose colleagues won’t shake his hand when he walks into a room. I know doctors who’ve been professionally persecuted because of their involvement in gender medicine. And I know that being trans and a doctor is a tough place to be
I also know that I, and others like me (there are very few of us), have a sense of obligation to change the culture in medicine We are hugely helped by young graduates who have grown up in a freer world, are themselves LGBT-identified or have friends and colleagues who are These baby and future doctors are open-minded, interested, non-judgemental They are our allies By harnessing their
support I believe that those of us who are older and fraternise in different circles, can reach out and change others’ thinking
But it’s hard work My medical contemporaries don’t think there’s anything new to learn Some argue that they ‘get’ that some people think they’re living in the wrong body and need to change it, so what else is there to learn?
Others have very strongly held beliefs about it - on religious grounds or otherwise - that it’s wrong to transition, that it goes against nature, that it must be a mental illness, and simply won’t engage at all.
Yet more have had good relationships with trans-identified patients and are sympathetic and helpful, but still do not really believe that this is something that affects people like them. They have muddled through the odd case and managed ok, but don’t really have a clue what is actually going on during transition. Their transphobia is simply fear of the powerful forces at work here.
You see the existence of trans people, the conversations we ’ re having about gender, and the fact that we ’ re identifying the social and cultural forces that are shaping this construct, are breaking down the biggest and most deepseated barrier to full equality amongst humankind
The gender divide is so entrenched across the planet, the subjugation of women because they are ‘different’ to men is reflected in all corners of the globe Sometimes it’s more heavily disguised than others, sometimes it’s very apparent, but misogyny is rife, subtle and insidious
If we truly understood equality, which does not mean ‘ sameness ’ , if we really got that one ’ s sense of self in terms of gender is a construct that is unrelated to biological body parts, transphobia would disappear into the annals of history There would be no fear of people changing their bodies to feel more at peace with themselves. And gender itself as a concept would melt away as we finally begin to appreciate that we are all one. Humanity.
Those within the trans community who define themselves as non-binary are leading the way here. It is transcendent thinking.
is based in central Brighton in 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 and speech therapy
CLARE PROJECT meets every TUES 2.30– 5.30PM at DORSET GARDENS
METHODIST CHURCH
Dorset Gardens (off St James Street) Brighton BN2 1RL
Except 1st Tues when there’s an optional meal out preceded by the drop-in 5–7 30PM
www.clareproject.org.uk f Clare Project clareprojectinfo@gmail.com
MINDOUT
Coming out of Hibernation
) Hari had never thought of themselves as bear-like before. Seasonal Affective Disorder is quite well known these days and Hari had suffered in the winter for many years They often felt low, lacking energy, pessimistic and some days just unable to get out of bed and out of the house Hari had friends who reacted similarly, starting when the clocks went back and usually perking up in spring
One day a friend joked that Hari was a bear –they certainly had the hair and the build for it – but it got Hari thinking about whether they had a mental health problem or whether retreating in the winter was more of a ‘natural’ state At least they felt that way when Spring came, the days got longer and they felt more energetic.
But this year it seemed harder, spring arrived but Hari just didn’t feel it They felt slow, everything was an effort of mammoth proportions. Staying in bed had never been so overwhelming. Work was just too hard, Hari stopped going out. Hari felt worse than ever.
Spring can be a really challenging time for mental health, when we are all supposed to feel better, when other people are enjoying better weather, being outside more, starting new projects. When bears come out of hibernation they are ready, primed for another year of life
Hari felt life hanging heavy on their shoulders, not at all sure what would help, where these feelings had come from How could they manage to shake off the hibernation blues? Would it just be better to stay under the duvet, stay indoors? Maybe their problems were not just seasonal after all Hari felt more and more alone It seemed noone else was experiencing the same feelings In the end, Hari confided in a friend and told her how scared he was and how difficult it felt to keep going, how frightened he was that he was letting everything slip: he wasn’t eating well, sleeping way too much and cutting himself off from friends and family.
They started talking about worst fears ever and to their surprise, Hari realised that their worst fear was long term depression. Hari had always suspected that their father had been depressed, he was a withdrawn, morose and very quiet man. But he had been very negative about any suggestion that anything could be done, he was very resigned to being unhappy Hari had no idea what had caused his father’s low mood, he had never talked about it
Hari felt a chill, he really didn’t want to end up miserable for years like his father had been Hari wondered how much about mental health could be inherited, or whether it was learnt from early childhood onwards Then
“There are no easy answers, no way out that suits everyone. For some people, depression may come and go, in rhythm with the seasons or not connected at all”
again Hari though it didn’t really matter, what you did next was the important bit
Hari resolved he wasn’t going to stay in semihibernation if they could help it There had to be something that would help, help get them up and about, even if it was just a bit
Eventually, Hari went to the GP and described the symptoms, without calling it ‘depression’, though that was what they now suspected The GP was good, she listened, even though she didn’t have lots of time, and she suggested a range of options of things which might help.
Hari agreed that being alone all the time was not helping and made a plan to go out more, to go out when he could manage it and to keep their expectations low. Hari knew this wouldn’t change overnight. Hari also looked for mental health support and found some useful advice online, like the ‘5 ways to wellbeing’ and other self-help reminders. Hari thought about talking treatments and decided to try a course of counselling – after all, talking to their friend had been such a revelation
Hari had to let their employers know, their sickness absence was so much and they felt they had to come clean, ‘ come out’ about mental health and stop pretending it was a bad run of coughs and colds Doing that on their own felt too much, so Hari contacted MindOut for some support about work MindOut was able to help Hari think through how to talk to their manager: what the response might be, what they wanted out of it, what Hari wanted to talk about and what they didn’t, when and how Hari wanted to return to work etc. When it came to it, Hari asked the advocate to come to the meeting for support, to help Hari keep the conversation safe and on-track and to de-brief afterwards.
It was hard. Many times Hari just felt too awful to be positive, too overwhelmed by it all to see any kind of end to it. Many people experience this when they are depressed, there are no easy answers, no way out that suits everyone For some people, depression may come and go, in rhythm with the seasons or not connected at all
MINDOUT INFO
If you have experienced anything similar, or would like to talk to someone about any aspect of mental health, please do contact MindOut All MindOut services are confidential, run by LGBTQ people with lived experience of mental health issues, free and non-judgemental.
You can contact us by ) Email info@mindout.org.uk ) Call 01273 234839 (or via our out of hours online service) ) See our website www.mindout.org.uk for opening times
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