Simon Adams, Ray A-J, Jaq Bayles, Jo Bourne, Nick Boston, Dave Bradley, Brian Butler, Richard Jeneway, Craig
Hanlon-Smith, Samuel Hall, Adam Mallaby, Enzo Marra, Eric Page, Dean Pender, Simon Robinson-Stynes, Gay Socrates, Brian Stacey, Michael Steinhage, Glen Stevens, Duncan Stewart, Craig Storrie, Sugar Swan, Violet Valentin, Netty Wendt, Roger Wheeler, Kate Wildblood, Ray Barron Woolford
PHOTOGRAPHERS
Creag Aaro, Graeme Atack, Jack Lynn, Simon Pepper
work appearing in Gscene Ltd is copyright It is to be assumed that the copyright for material rests with the magazine unless otherwise stated on the page concerned. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in an electronic or other retrieval system, transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise without the prior knowledge and consent of the publishers The appearance of any person or any organisation in Gscene is not to be construed as an implication of the sexual orientation or political persuasion of such persons or organisations
TRANSGENDER DAY OF REMEMBRANCE
TDoR is the annual observance on November 20 that honours the memory of the transgender people whose lives were lost in acts of anti-transgender violence
) Trans Day of R emembrance (TDoR) was marked in the city this year by a series of community led events on Sunday, November 17, at Dorset Gardens Methodist Church, the Black & Minority Ethnic Community Par tnership (BMECP) community centre and a singing workshop and performance held by the LGBT Community Safety Forum at the R ainbow Hub and Dorset Gardens on November 20 The TDoR events were organised by a committee including representatives from the Clare Project, Trans Pride Brighton, QTIPoC Narratives, English Collective of Prostitutes and Navigate
At the TDoR service at Dorset Gardens, key community activists spoke about their experiences, hopes and reasons why observing TDoR is impor tant Dr Sam Hall, chair of the Clare Project, welcomed everyone, then the R ainbow Chorus sang with the R ainbow Chorus Workshop Choir, which is made up of members of RC+, the fully inclusive LGBTQ+ singing workshops Speakers included: R euben Davidson from Allsor ts Youth Project; Emma Rylands and Sam Briffett Stephanie Scott, who helped set up and plan the city’s first TDoR events, invited everyone to share experiences and insights, and spoke about the number of people who lost their lives to suicides and others
who were never recorded or repor ted as being murdered Trans and gender-diverse people are victims of horrif ying hate violence, including extor tion, physical and sexual assaults, and murder In most countries, data on murdered trans and gender-diverse people are not systematically produced and it is impossible to estimate the actual number of cases
Names of the victims of anti-trans violence were placed on coloured pieces of paper on a large trans rights banner It was an emotional event There was a total of 331 repor ted murders of trans and gender-diverse people in the last year Migrants make up a high
number of the repor ted murders in Europe Of repor ted killings of trans and gender-diverse people whose profession was known, worldwide, 61% were sex workers
The BMECP Community Centre also hosted a TDoR event providing a safe oppor tunity to remember and celebrate the lives of those lost Lunch Positive provided the buffet and there were stalls, workshops, activities and counselling suppor t QTIPoC Narratives, Mindout, Switchboard, Trans Pride, Navigate and English Collective of Prostitutes all attended
Brighton & Hove City Council flew the Trans Flag from Hove Town Hall and issued a statement of suppor t and incision to the city’s trans and non binary communities from the city’s main statutory par tnerships Brighton & Hove Police tweeted a message of suppor t and a picture of the Trans Flag on the Sussex Police HQ flagpole in Lewes
Sarah Savage, Chair of Trans Pride Brighton, said; “Trans Pride Brighton is delighted to support Trans Day of Remembrance 2019 in our city The last few years have seen an increase in discrimination and violence against our communities so we’re proud to work in partnership with other local trans, non binary and intersex organisations to offer peer-led support during a difficult time TDoR is an important day, not just to remember the siblings we have lost to hate crime but also those who have been affected by the transphobic society we live in We will remember our friends and loved ones we have lost through suicide and commit to working together to support the most vulnerable among our communities ”
REMEMBRANCE SUNDAY
2019
) Brighton & Hove came to a solemn standstill on Sunday, November 10 for the city’s R emembrance Sunday event at The Cenotaph, Old Steine. The ser vice included a procession from Madeira Drive, hymns, prayers and a two minutes silence, followed by the laying of wreaths to remember the dead, and a reading from Laurence Binyon’s poem, For the Fallen
Billie Lewis, Chair of the Brighton & Hove LGBT Community Safety Forum, joined the Mayor, the R oyal British Legion and other civic leaders in laying red poppy wreaths to honour the dead and remember the sacrifice of ser vice of people who died during the war, and those who died due to persecution from fascist regimes during WW2 A second wreath was laid by the LGBT Community Safety For um to honour and remember disabled people, including children who were tor tured and murdered by the Nazis and other fascist regimes during WW2
Billie Lewis, said “It’s impor tant to remember the sacrifices of all ser v ice people, ov er the last 100 y ears of w ar as w ell as those w ho w ere persecuted, tor tured and murdered by intolerant and genocidal regimes We bear w itness today to their loss, to the loss of brothers, sisters, parents and children w ho fought for liber ty and justice during tw o w orld w ars, and died fighting for their beliefs and w ay of life We also bear w itness to liv es and w hole communities lost in the atrocities of w ar ‘Lest w e forget’ isn’t just a meme, it means w e remember not just to honour the dead, but to remember w hy they died, in the pursuit of defending a w ay of life that w as fair, inclusiv e and respectful of all ty pes of people We stood today, w ith the rest of the city, in silence in respect, in remembrance ”
WORLD AIDS DAY
The Brighton & Hove World AIDS Day (WAD) Par tnership are organising events to mark WAD on Sunday, December 1. The par tnership includes: Aver t, B&HCC, Frontline AIDS, Gscene, Lunch Positive, Mar tin Fisher Foundation, Sussex Beacon, Brighton & Sussex University Hospitals NHS Trust, Sussex Ecumenical HIV Chaplaincy & THT South, the Rainbow Hub, LGBT Community Safety Team & HIV & SHAC teams
COMMUNITY EVENTS
) NATIONAL HIV Testing Week: Nov 16–22, THT, 61 Ship St, Brighton, open: Mon–Fri, 10am–8pm
) LUNCH POSITIVE LUNCH CLUB @ Dorset Gardens Methodist Church Main Hall (1st floor), Dorset Gdns, Fri, Nov 29, 11am–3pm Special Lunch Club gathering, lighting a remembrance candle for those we’ve lost, and reflection on the community and peer-suppor t that we’ve all shared For info on all Lunch Positive WAD events contact Gary Pargeter: 07846 464384 / info@lunchpositive.org
) WAD COMMUNITY LUNCH @ Dorset Gardens Methodist Church Main Hall (1st floor), Dorset Gdns, Sun, Dec 1, doors 12.30pm, buffet Sunday lunch 1–3pm hosted by Lunch Positive volunteers Drop in anytime from 12.30pm Fully accessible Open invite welcoming the community, friends and suppor ters to share social and reflective time on WAD No charge, though donations are welcome
) WAD SERVICE OF REMEMBRANCE & HOPE @ Dorset Gardens Methodist Church, Dorset Gdns, Sun, Dec 1, 4pm Sussex HIV Chaplaincy and The Village MCC invite all to join them in a service of remembrance for those who’ve died and solidarity for those living with HIV/AIDS An oppor tunity for prayer and reflection in a welcoming and suppor tive atmosphere, for those with some faith or none Info: Rev Heather Leake Date: 07867 773360 or email susshivchap@gmail.com or Rev Michael Hydes: 07476 667 353 or michaelhydes@hotmail.com
) MEMORIAL SPACE @ New Steine Gdns, Brighton Lunch Positive R efreshment Stall, Sun, Dec 1 from 4pm Hot drinks provided by Lunch
Positive and volunteers will be available to answer queries about the evening’s events and take additional names to be read at the vigil
) BRIGHTON AIDS MEMORIAL CANDLELIGHT
VIGIL @ New Steine Gdns, Sun, Dec 1, 6–7pm All welcome to attend the remembrance event of those lost to HIV/AIDS in Brighton & Hove for the R eading of Names and Candlelight Vigil Space available for quiet moments of reflection New names to be read (in addition to those in previous years) can be emailed to susshivchap@gmail com by Nov 27, or can be added to the list at the Memorial Space in New Steine Gdns 4–5pm on the day More info: Travis Cox or Marc Tweed on 01273 764200 or travis.cox@tht.org.uk / marc.tweed@tht.org.uk
CHOIRS CONCERT
) WAD CHARITY CONCERT @ St Mar y’s Church, St James’ St, Sun, Dec 1, doors 7pm concer t at 7.30pm Performances by: Actually Gay Men’s Chorus, Brighton Gay Men’s Chorus, R ainbow Chorus, R esound Male Voices, Sweet Chilli Singers and Qukelele Tickets £12: www.brightonwadconcer t.info or Prowler, St James’ St Capacity limited; book early All profits donated to Lunch Positive
EXHIBITIONS
) BRIGHTON & HOVE LIBRARIES Mark WAD @ Jubilee Librar y, Jubilee St, Sun, Nov 24–Mon, Dec 2, open daily 10am–5pm, Sun 11am-5pm, free, fully accessible, all welcome
• ROMANY MARK BRUCE’S AIDS MEMORIAL EXHIBITION, Sun, Nov 24–Sun, Dec 1 includes a mini replica of ‘Tay’ AIDS memorial and video montage Video also available at all branch libraries
• HIV-themed FILM SCREENINGS at 1.30pm: Sun, Nov 24 and Sun, Dec 1, free
• BRIGHTON & HOVE HANKIE QUILT, main exhibition space Mon, Nov 25–Mon, Dec 2, Brighton & Hove-based community project which
created a Quilt in suppor t of those living with HIV/AIDS and in memory of those we have lost
• HIV/AIDS BOOK DISPLAY with info about HIV organisations
• LIVING POSITIVELY ‘LIVING LIBRARY’: people living with HIV tell their stories, Sun, Dec 1, 12–4pm
• PAUL BOYCE ar t-based exploration of people living with HIV in five cities around the world, 11am–5pm More info about library WAD events, contact Glenn at Jubilee Librar y on 01273 290800
) FRONTLINE AIDS, New Rd, Brighton, Wed, Nov 26: free interactive vir tual reality experience Learn more about HIV stigma around the world and create your own digital canvas of colour and sound Info: Lola Abayomi on 01273 718 900 ext 2069 or labayomi@frontlineaids.org
RADIO
) HIV HOUR @ R adio R everb 97.2FM, Thur, Nov 28, 7pm, hosted by Josh Sharples
WAD FUNDRAISERS
) MR SUBLINE 2019 @ Subline, Sat, Nov 23, 9pm, raising money for THT South
) Camelford Arms, Sun, Dec 1 from 12pm, are offering free hot drinks to attendees of WAD Memorial Service and collecting for THT
) Le Village, Sun, Dec 1 from 8pm: WAD Charity Evening with Spice
) A DISNEY KARAOKE @ Bar Broadway, Sun, Dec 1, 4pm: raising money for Sussex Beacon
) WAD CABARET @ Charles Street Tap for THT South, Sun Dec 1, 7 30pm, £3 suggested donation
) SUBLINE QUIZ & AUCTION, Mon, Dec 2, 7pm £2 entry pp, raising money for THT
LUNCH POSITIVE FESTIVE OPENING
) Lunch Positive, the HIV Lunch Club and Community Group, is open throughout December including for Christmas and New Year lunches with a range of additional suppor t available over the festive season In addition to the usual weekly sessions, Lunch Positive will be providing information on local suppor t services, including signposting and making referrals, which will be available over the winter period They will also be issuing food parcels to people in crisis, with additional food provision available for people receiving community care Lunch Positive will also be working with Terrence Higgins Trust South to provide an ongoing advice drop-in at the lunch club on the first Friday of every month, including December 1 and Januar y 3
Gar y Pargeter, Lunch Positive Service Manager, said: “ We have a busy December planned, and as always are overwhelmed by the generosity of our volunteers and helping members to ensure the service continues to be provided consistently throughout the winter holidays During December our helping members, volunteers and trustees will work together and give over 600 hours of their time to deliver the lunch club and additional services
“A t a time of year when social isolation, loneliness, essential spending and financial pressures can be especially challenging, we are determined to do everything we can to support our community If you are HIV+ and have not yet been along then we’re always ready to meet new people with HIV that would like to join the Lunch Club, and to welcome back people we haven’t seen in a while! So if you or anyone you know is interested then please get in touch and spread the word
“ We are a service for people with HIV, provided by people with lived experience of HIV We have a very friendly group of volunteers who are always available at lunches t help new members settle in We’ve seen a large number of new eople join us this year and it’s been an absolute pleasure getting to know each other There is always room for more, and we’re always open for new volunteers joining us!”
For more info, email info@lunchpositive.org or sit www.lunchpositive.org
GSCENE HOST LGBTQ+ POLITICAL HUSTINGS IN RUN UP TO THE ELECTION
) Gscene hosted an LGBTQ+ political hustings at Dorset Gardens Methodist Church on November 27 All candidates standing in the three Brighton & Hove constituencies were invited to take par t in the hustings facilitated by Chris Gull of the R ainbow Fund, and prior to the event the Gscene News Team wrote to all candidates, in all three Brighton & Hove constituencies, asking them all the same question “What do you see as the challenges faced by our L GBTQ+ communities in Brighton & Hove, and how would you address them in Parliament if we elect you to represent us?”
At the time of publication, responses had been received from candidates in the Labour, Liberal Democrats and Green par ties and centred on LGBTQ+ hate crime, mental health services, gender recognition and trans equality rights These shor t manifestos were posted on www gscene com daily in the run up to the event
WORK POSITIVE PROGRAMME
) Are you living with HIV and looking to gain skills and build your confidence? Work Positive Sussex at Terrence Higgins Trust (THT) Brighton will be hosting a series of personal development taster workshops for people living with HIV in December, which are a taster of THT’s wider Work Positive Programme and are designed to suppor t and build skills and confidence, and are a good oppor tunity to meet new people
• Monday, December 2: Building Self -Confidence
• Wednesday, December 4: Writing a Successful CV for Volunteering, Study or Work
• Tuesday, December 10: Writing a Successful Application for Volunteering, Study or Work
• Thursday, December 12: How to Succeed at Interviews for Volunteering, Study or Work
To find out more, or to book your place at one of more of THT’s personal development taster sessions, please email: workpositivesussex@tht org uk, or call Laura on: 01273 764 226
All workshops are from 10 30am–1pm with light refreshments provided.
) The inter national theme of this year's World AIDS Day, as sponsored by the United Nations, is Communities Make the Difference With direct reference to this, the UK gover nment theme for the 2019 obser vance is Ending the HIV/AIDS Epidemic: Community by Community
World AIDS Day first took place in 1988 Since then world-wide and national organisations have paid attention to the HIV epidemic calling for an increased response to move toward ending the HIV epidemic across the world This year is an impor tant oppor tunity to recognise the essential role that communities have played and continue to play in the AIDS response at inter national, national and local levels
World AIDS Day offers a platfor m to highlight the role of communities at a time when reduced funding and a changing political climate directly impacts the sustainability of ser vices and puts long-ter m effor ts to fight stigma in jeopardy This year ’s events hope to encourage the mobilisation of communities to address the bar riers that hinder communities delivering or suppor ting existing ser vices
UNAids state, ahead of this year ’s programme, that community is needed more than ever to ensure that AIDS remains on the political agenda, that human rights are respected and that decision-makers and implementers are held accountable
More information is available from www.unaids.org and www.hiv.gov
CHARLES STREET TAP’S
WORLD AIDS DAY ANNUAL FUNDRAISER
) Join the cream of the cabaret crop at Charles Street Tap’s World AIDS Day Annual Fundraiser for THT South on Sunday, December 1 straight after the Candle Light Vigil at the AIDS Memorial from 7 30pm, £3 entry (suggested donation) to THT South Expect an incredible star-studded evening of cabaret stars hosted by the inimitable Drag With No Name: a full show from Hear t & Soul, Lola Lasagne, Kara Van Park, Sally Vate, Mrs Moore, Vicky Vivacious, R ose Garden, Jason Thorpe and Pat Clutcher
Drag With No Name says: “I pride myself on how much money we are able to raise in such a short time each evening - and that's always down to the generosity of the acts that come to entertain and the kind donations people make each year for our auction Please come join us all on December 1 at Charles Street Tap for what promises to be a fabulous night once more!”
World AIDS Day Annual Fundraiser for THT South on Sunday, December 1 from 7.30pm at Charles Street Tap, 8 Marine Parade, Brighton BN2 1TA
DECENT FUNDRAISER
) DJs Wildblood and Queenie return to Brighton’s Tempest Inn, 159-161 Kings Road Arches, Brighton with Decent, a fundraiser for Trussell Trust’s Whitehawk Foodbank on Saturday, December 21 from 9pm With nothing but disco, disco re-edits, disco house and more disco on the menu, Decent will deliver more joy than Santa on a homerun So elf yourself to a seasonal Saturday night out, grab your stockings and prepare to get stuffed – with the finest feelgood festive grooves! Free entry but donations welcome!
One in 50 UK households used a food bank in 2018–19 with Christmas and New Year one of the toughest times of the year for many to put food on their tables and ensure loved ones have a happy Christmas The Trussell Trust’s network of foodbanks offers practical help without judgement to those needing suppor t Donations welcome: http://www.givey.com/decent https://thewhitehawk.foodbank.org.uk/
BAR BROADWAY SING DISNEY FOR WAD
) Bar Broadway are holding a Disney Karaoke fundraiser for the Sussex Beacon on World AIDS Day with hosts Miss Disney & Alfie Ordinar y on Sunday, December 1 from 4pm If you fancy belting out a Disney classic for charity then head down to Bar Broadway and Let It Go!
SUBLINE NEW QUIZ NIGHT & AUCTION
) Subline Brighton are launching a new monthly quiz night on Monday, December 2 from 7pm As this month’s falls just after World AIDS Day, Subline will be auctioning off some awesome experience prizes between rounds with proceeds going to Terrence Higgins Trust
Quiz host Mr Ian Sinclair will endeavour to break your brains with his array of trivia, as well as the old faithful music and picture rounds Open to all
QA’S GOT TALENT
) Think you have what it takes to shine on the stage? The QA’s Got Talent competition continues at the Queens Arms in Brighton every Tuesday with heats on December 3, 10 and 17 with host Poppycock and guest judges from 9.30pm Enjoy some fabulous new talent and the odd car crash at what promises to be a camp old night!
Prizes include £500 in cash, a gig at the QA and a gig on the QA stage at Pride The semi finals take place on Jan 14 and 21 with the grand final on Jan 28
genders, round winners get spot prizes, while overall winners get a bottle of fizz and send their star player up for a chance to win the cash pot If they fail, the cash pot rolls-over to next month
The winning team also elect the charity for the following month
Entry is £2 per person, which goes straight in the prize fund! Monthly Quiz Night at Subline, 129 St James's St, Brighton BN2 1TH on Monday, December 2 from 7pm
If you’d like to share your talent, pop into the bar or visit www.theqabrighton.com to apply
The QA say: “It’s a weekly talent competition and a chance to showcase your abilities - comedian, magician, poodle on a unicycle!”
SIX NIGHTS OF SCREAMS
) A Scream was had at Sam Pink’s Bir thday Weekender at All New Bulldog Brighton, which coincided with the bar’s Six Nights of Screams series of fun-filled Halloween par ties and kicked off at #Transvolve featuring outrageous camp enter tainment, 'horny' realness and spooky decor!
PORTSMOUTH PRIDE
) The organisers of Por tsmouth Pride announced at the Official Launch Par ty at Hampshire Boulevard last month that next year’s Pride event will take place on Saturday, June 20, 2020 in Castle Field, Southsea
Also at the launch, host Cherr y Liquor announced a Drag Brunch Pride fundraiser, which will take place at Por tsmouth Guildhall on Saturday, Februar y 22, 2020 from 12pm The event, a collaboration between Hampshire Boulevard and the Guildhall, will see Cherry host star of Ru Paul’s Drag Race UK Sum Ting Wong, Cr ystal Lubrikunt and Mar y Golds Tickets: £29 including brunch
Por tsmouth Pride 2019 was the biggest Pride event to date in Por tsmouth with amazing performances from local musicians, drag ar tists and the Por tsmouth Pride Youth Society
For more information: www por tsmouthpride co uk/
A NIGHTMARE ON ST JAMES’ STREET
) Affinity Bar Brighton cranked up the scares at their A Nightmare on St James' Street series of Halloween par ties with spooky songs, karaoke, ghoulish cocktails and shots! The audience were hexed by drag royalty Dave Lynn, shook by energetic and witty new Queen on the scene Aida H Dee and put through their paces by Pat Clutcher, who flew in on her broomstick to host karaoke!
To find out more or to get in touch please visit
LGBTQ+ MENTAL HEALTH SERVICE CELEBRATES 20 YEARS
) Over 100 people came together at the Brighthelm Centre in Brighton on Thursday, November 14 to celebrate 20 years of the LGBTQ+ mental health project MindOut We heard from our CEO Helen Jones, Deputy CEO Kate Webb, Chair of the board of trustees Dominic Arnall, staff, volunteers and service users Awards were given to those who have gone the extra mile for LGBTQ+ mental health including the Body Shop, Trans Pride, Kate Nambiar, specialist doctor in gender identity medicine Madeleine Scott and Ella DeR oeck, LGBTQ+ officers at RISE, and Lunch Positive
Speakers included: Paul R ober ts (LGBT consor tium), Kate Nambiar, John R eading, third sector manager at Brighton & Hove City Council, and former Mayor, Councillor Dee Simpson
Wonderful food was provided by R eal Patisserie and Happy Maki, and there were rainbow cakes from Cloud 9 Live enter tainment was from Miss Hope Springs, winner of the 2019 Award for Best Cabaret at Edinburgh Fringe
Mindout say: “Twenty years is a fabulous landmark in the awareness and promotion of positive mental health and wellbeing for LGBTQ+ communities In 20 years we have grown so much and helped thousands of LGBTQ+ people experiencing suicidal distress, depression, anxiety and a huge range of other mental health issues ”
MindOut is a mental health service run by and for lesbians, gay, bisexual, trans, and queer people For more information, visit: www mindout org uk
BRIGHTON & HOVE CITY COUNCIL WIN NATIONAL GOLD AWARD FOR CITY ’S LGBTQ+ YOUTH WORK
) National LGBTQ+ charity Stonewall has awarded Brighton & Hove City Council its highest award for the work going on in the city to suppor t LGBTQ+ children and young people The council scored 126 marks out of a possible 130 to receive gold in Stonewall's Children and Young People Ser vices Champion award, which looked at all areas of children’s services including the training it offers and the suppor t the council offers schools and other settings
John Allcock, Chair of the Council’s Children, Young People and Skills Committee, said: “ We and our schools are working hard to promote equality and prevent and respond to all forms of bullying and discrimination We are lucky in Brighton & Hove to have our fantastic LGBTQ+ youth charity
Allsorts working with us on the equality agenda
“ We could not have had this exceptional success without the commitment of Allsorts, our schools and our council staff, and I’d like to thank everyone involved for their hard work There is still a lot to do in terms of making our schools and services as safe and accepting as possible But awards like this do show that we’re making progress ”
ALLSORTS CALENDAR 2020
) Allsor ts Youth Project, a charity which suppor ts and empowers LGBTQ+ young people, has compiled a 2020 Wall Calendar with LGBTQ+ specific dates celebrating the work, ar t and achievements of LGBTQ+ children and young people, and those who are unsure of their gender identity and/or sexual orientation
The calendar, priced at £8, is out now so grab a copy while stocks last from www.allsor tsyouthproject.bigcar te l.com/
THE RAINBOW HUB CELEBRATE THEIR FIRST BIRTHDAY
) The R ainbow Hub, a local point of contact on St James' Street, Brighton for LGBTQ+ people seeking up to date help, information or guidance in a safe and nonjudgemental environment, celebrated their first bir thday last month
The Rainbow Hub and its volunteers provide a welcoming drop-in space to help individuals and where necessary refer them on to one or more of their par tner organisations for fur ther suppor t
The Rainbow Hub say: “ We’ve been in existence for a whole 365 days! Thank
you so much to everyone who has made this possible, in particular our wonderful volunteers, the Brighton Rainbow Fund and our incredible, vibrant, friendly local community who have supported us every step of the way ”
Also last month, the Rainbow Hub launched a brand new swap box where you can donate what you can and take what you need They mostly have a supply of ponchos, toiletries and other non-perishable items, which anybody is free to use Feel free to stop by and check it out for yourself!
For more information, visit the R ainbow Hub, 93 St James' Street, Brighton BN2 1TP or www therainbowhubbrighton com
TRANSFORMING FUTURES: YOUR VIEWS MATTER
) Trans equality organisations are working together on a project to create lasting change for trans communities in improving access to healthcare and criminal justice services
To make sure that the project truly meets the needs and priorities of trans communities, trans people, and with non-binary identities, are asked to take par t in a consultation The project needs to hear from trans people from all walks of life, to create a broad picture of what needs to change to make a real difference in the lives of trans people
PRIDE IMPACT FUND
) Applications for this year’s Pride Social Impact Fund, which ensures the positive contribution of the UK’s most popular LGBTQ+ celebration, are now open Due to the generosity of Pride attendees and local businesses, which comes from contributions made by businesses within the Pride Village Par ty in the Kemptown/St James’ Street area, more than £30,000 is available to distribute to grassroots groups across Brighton & Hove who need a helping hand to suppor t their work
Bids will be considered by a panel made up of representatives from The A rgus, BBC Sussex, Brighton & Hove News, Brighton & Hove Independent, Sussex L ife, L atest magazine and Latest TV with notification of awards by the end of December
Submissions, which should be a maximum of 400 words, should map out how the money will be spent and why it’s a deserving cause The maximum award will be £1,000 and there is no lower limit The panel also has the potential of awarding one or two larger grants of up to £10,000 These bids need to comprehensively meet the criteria, namely suppor ting good causes in areas directly impacted by Pride Any money distributed needs to have had a visible outcome by the star t of Pride 2020
There is no restriction on the number of entries by individual groups However, the emphasis is on suppor ting community and grassroots groups, rather than individuals To submit an entry, email Bhsocialimpactfund@gmail.com by noon on December 9
Ten consultations will be held in Januar y and Februar y 2020 to find out more about trans adults’ experiences of accessing healthcare and criminal justice services
To take par t in these consultations, you need to:
• Be aged 18 or over (if you’re under 18, keep an eye out as Gendered Intelligence and Mermaids will host specific youth events in the near future!)
• Be based in England (consultation events will take place across the country)
• Identif y as trans and/or a person of trans history
If you’re interested, contact trans@stonewall org uk
To access the survey directly: www.stonewall.org/uk/transformi ng-futures-tell-us-your-views
BEARS ON THE MOVE
) The boys from Brighton Bear Weekend (BBW) 2020 will now celebrate their 10th Bir thday from Thursday, June 18th – Sunday, June 21 due to the announcement that London Pride 2020 will be held a week earlier than normal Graham Munday, Chair of BBW, said: “The belated announcement that London Pride was moving from its traditional weekend did rather throw us, and af ter much discussion, we felt we had little choice but to move our dates We apologise if it had caused any confusion or disruption to people’s plans We hope by doing this with plenty of time that we have minimised any inconvenience to people We are looking forward to seeing you all here in Brighton next year for our landmark 10th Birthday ” BBW is giving themselves a bit of a make-over with a new logo, which can be seen on their Facebook page, and a brand new website which will be up and running at the end of November For more info on BBW, and to check out the new website, visit www brightonbear weekend com
) BBW will be teaming up with Bear-Patrol, the LGBTQ+ community social / leisure networking group in December, for a weekend of big-beary festive frolics Kick-off on Saturday 7 with Bear-a-oke hosted by the stunning Candi R ell at Bar Broadway, 10 Steine St, from 7pm Proceeds to Brighton R ainbow Fund
CUBBED TO DEATH AT SUBLINE
) A great night was had by all at BBW’s Halloween bash, Cubbed to Death, at Subline Brighton, where £470 was raised for the Brighton R ainbow Fund There were some incredible outfits and choosing the three winners was difficult, but in the end first place went to Mike Quinn as the possessed nun with demonic child, second place was Jay Murphy as Satan, and third place went to R obin Jones who impressed the judges with his own take on a very Naughty Bear!
Thad Evans, BBW event manager, said: “ We were incredibly impressed with the amount of effort people had put into some truly fantastic costumes It was a full- on fun night – huge thanks to everyone who dressed up We would sincerely like to thank Subline for hosting us, their generosity, and the hard work of Chris, Ian, Maurice, Polly and Steve ”
Later that evening, head over to Subline, 129 St James' St, from 10pm for a festive first for Brighton Bears, the gorgeous Dave the Bear will be removing items of his clothing in exchange for donations to the Brighton R ainbow Fund! Stripping for money –what could possibly go thong?! Entry is £5 for members or £7 This will be busy, so don’t be late!
On Sunday 8, it’s the Bear-Patrol Christmas Lunch at the Camelford
Arms, 30-31 Camelford Street This annual staple for hungry bears is almost sold out, but there might be space on the day Contact Danny Dwyer on Facebook for details Proceeds at this event will be split: 50% to the Brighton R ainbow Fund and 50% to the Sussex Beacon
£300 CASH QUIZ FOR CHRISTMAS AND NEW BOBO T-SHIRT LAUNCH
) BBW return for their annual Christmas Quiz at the Camelford Arms, 30-31 Camelford St, Brighton BN2 1TQ on Thursday, December 19 from 9pm with Ben asking fun and seasonal questions Always busy, so book a table and make a night of it There will be a £300 cash jackpot and the BBW team will be running a raffle on the night As always, BBW will be proudly suppor ting the Brighton R ainbow Fund If that is not enough,
the new BBW 2020 T-shir t will be launched, which has an exclusive design by internationally known and loved designer Bobo Bear celebrating the 10th year of BBW
Graham Munday, Chair of BBW, said: “This is always a great night and feels like that start of the Christmas holidays! So if you are by yourself, or you put a team together, come down to the Camelford for some mulled wine and Christmas cheer!”
FITTER, CONFIDENT, YOU, YOU AND YOU
Getting out of that exercise slump with Matt Boyles.
) My name is Matt Boyles and I created Fitter Confident You with the gay, bi and trans community in mind, as I felt the fitness industry had always palmed us off with a 'onesize-fits-all' solution Of course the workouts and nutrition coaching are the same for everyone ultimately, and I never pretend we're different in that regard, but I felt online training programmes could offer a bit more than that. So Fitter Confident You comes with individual and personalised elements to boost confidence and strengthen mental health, plus the (gay, bi, trans) empathy that other trainers might not be able to offer.
To explain that a bit more, lots of my clients don't feel comfortable in traditional gym environments, which having been in their shoes before I get, but not everyone would. I wanted to plant a flag in the sand and say 'this is for us'. I know first-hand the benefits of exercise and self-care and just wanted to pass that on, encouraging people that it's ok for them to put themselves first
I work with a number of clients who feel comfortable enough to tell me their HIV status and over the last two years of Fitter Confident You working with guys in the G, B & T community, have learnt a great deal about living with the condition Of primary importance, although this stands for anyone, is taking steps to put yourself first and prioritise your health in whatever way feels right to you. Some newly diagnosed may feel
shame and want to avoid thinking about their health and fitness, but even small steps can contribute to feeling stronger and fitter Plus there are many benefits that lots of people aren't aware of - for example the negative side effects of some HIV drugs include reduction in bone density, but a regular weight-lifting routine can absolutely help combat this, greatly reducing the risk of osteoporosis and bone deterioration in general
HOW TO PULL YOURSELF OUT OF A FITNESS SLUMP
You can be going along with your workouts, feeling great and going places and then bang! Seemingly from nowhere, you have no motivation, no energy and the last thing you want to do is pick up a dumbbell I hear you It may surprise you (but hopefully not) that I go through slumps too but thankfully with the awareness I have now and various tools in place, I can fairly quickly overcome them –and I want to share them here to help you too.
1. Have a think about why the slump happened in the first place. Were you particularly stressed at work? Did you simply miss a gym workout and then lost the motivation to go regularly? Are you getting the results you want or think you deserve? Be honest with yourself and review why things aren’t happening like they used to If there’s something bigger at play, then of course please get help, if you ’ re suffering from depression or anxiety for example, but if you ’ re just out of your routine and struggling to get back into it again, review the last 30 days and see if you can pick out what happened and how you can overcome it now and hopefully stop it happening again
2. Acknowledge the slump. Acknowledge that there are ups and down and that it’s fine to not fancy exercising or think very closely about food. No one likes or cares about health and fitness all the time, not even me. In fact, especially not me. If you just want to veg out and binge Netflix, do it…
3. But also acknowledge that as adults, when we can, we have a responsibility to look after ourselves so we can support ourselves and who we are, and for those we love too. If you ’ re struggling to get moving again, make a list of the people who rely on you in some way and consider how you enrich their lives when you ’ re fitter, stronger and more confident.
4. Start small. This goes for when you ’ re just starting out as well, but so often when we ’ re in a slump, we focus on the enormity of the task ahead, which understandably can be off-
putting Instead of thinking about exercising four times a week and tracking all your food in order to lose 10kg, focus on doing something, anything, to break your slump (a lunchtime walk, talking the stairs not the lift, some morning press-ups and sit-ups) because otherwise, it stands a chance of becoming a new habit, and gets harder to break.
5. Some people are motivated by the thought of priorities, so this may help you: in the same way you can’t have an apartment in London with a sea view, you can’t move forward to your goals and have your excuses, they’re just not compatible. And yes, that does sometimes mean stepping out of your comfort zone, but nothing fun or beneficial actually happens there anyway Good stuff comes when we grow, and humans crave growth and development, even if you don’t think you do right now
6. Do visual cues and incentives inspire you? Make a simple monthly planner with boxes to tick based on how many times you exercise/eat better/meditate etc Have a row for each week of the month and at the end of each week have a reward box – something small for the end of each week, should you hit your targets You can add in a larger reward for the end of the month should you hit all four smaller rewards.
7. Are you more motivated through accountability? I can’t condone this, but that’s more because it doesn’t resonate with me but I’ve heard of people committing to donate some money to a cause that they don’t support, if they DON’T hit their targets. To make this even more real, they transfer the money to a friend who holds the cash and, for the reverse incentive to work, has to really intend to donate the money to the cause if their friend doesn’t stick to what they said they would. It’s a bit icky, but I can imagine it working in some scenarios
8. A change is as good as a rest – it’s a cliché, but humans do need new stimulus and if your current gym/gym buddy/workout clothes/meal prep isn’t filling you with joy, then it’s okay to change them! I changed gyms recently and just being in a new venue with different people and a different energy has completely reinvigorated me and how I feel and approach my fitness
MORE INFO
) Matt created and runs Fitter Confident You – online personal training tailored for gay, bi and trans guys (he’s now working on the L too! – watch this space ) www.fitterconfidentyou.net/onlinetraining
TRANS CAN SPORT
Getting trans people moving, by Ror y Finn.
TIGGER he/him
) I’ve always been active, no wonder I was given the name Tigger At school I wore my PE kit every lunchtime to escape my skirt. I never identified as a girl. I threw myself into gymnastics, swimming, football, athletics, volleyball. Sport was my saviour and my natural inclination. I expressed myself whilst hiding in plain sight in my ‘boys’ sports clothes.
My interest in theatre grew and participation in sport ended. My mental health and weight fluctuated for a decade. I got a physical theatre job; masks, contemporary dance and I lost weight and felt great. I started running, and cycled everywhere
People began talking about gender, developing vocabulary, sharing ideologies.
I’m a better version of myself with good exercise and nutrition. Running and cycling were already in my exercise routine, when I discovered the wonderful Trans Can Sport (TCS) after moving to Brighton. My work is unpredictable and so are my finances, which means that I’m not really able to commit to gym memberships, or join in with expensive activities What TCS gives me is a chance to vary my exercise, try different stuff, enrich my life and to connect with my community TCS are a vital resource, a life line To give something back, I do some facilitating, buddying and
consultancy I’ve taken part in circuits, fight, pilates, yoga, lift, foam roller, circus, skateboard, bouldering, stand-uppaddleboarding (SUP), kayak, climbing, badminton, street dance, running, softball and karate. I also do some ski instructing in the winter, a couple of runs and cycles each week (cycles nearly always involve cake stops…). I need to be active.
SAM she/her
) At school I quickly discovered that I had no natural aptitude for sport, but by the end I discovered that years of cycling into school every day had made me quite good at it.
In 2007 I was at a low point, I hated my job and myself. I sold my motorbike to force myself to cycle into work, this proved an excellent decision. Cycling 17 miles a day meant I got my weight under control, improved my mental and physical health and it was easily the best part of my day
A friend suggested that we try a triathlon. I started sea swimming once a week, and was in the pool before work twice a week, running 5k two or three times a week, and of course my cycle training was already covered I never won anything but for me it was all about challenging myself
Redundancy meant an inevitable decline in my fitness as there was no motivation to continue cycling the miles that I’d been doing After this I tried a local gym and kept fit through
sporadic bursts of running and cycling but by early 2018, a year into my transition, I had no clue where to go or what to do next I’d stopped going to the gym as it was difficult feeling that others were looking at me. Then I found TCS. Before I knew it I was trying everything from yoga to volley ball, I’d made friends for the first time in years and had the confidence to live as myself full time. Through TCS I have been motivated to sign up for several running events including the Brighton 10K, the Trans Pride 5K, and we have a triathlon team entered into the Seaford Tri in August 2020 of which I’m doing the running section
We’re so lucky having TCS in Brighton, it’s been life changing for me and lots of my friends in the trans/non-binary community
GEORGIE they/them
) It’s hard trying to navigate the world of sport as a non-binary person since so many activities are rigidly segregated by sex, and when you fall between the binary parameters it can often be hard to see where you fit in (especially when it comes to toilets/changing facilities).
When TCS came to my attention, I was keen to get involved. It’s been an amazing opportunity to try out different activities that I wouldn’t ever have thought to try! Attending a new sports club can be daunting, but doing it with TCS completely changed that, and gave me the opportunity to step outside my comfort zone in the knowledge that my gender-identity didn’t have to be a barrier I’ve taken part in kickboxing, yoga, softball, running, swimming, kayaking, wake-boarding, weight-lifting, sailing and SUP Every session I’ve taken part in with TCS has been fun and engaging There’s no pressure to return if something’s not for you I liked SUP straight away after a TCS introductory session at Hove Lagoon last summer After that first lesson I hired boards locally and headed out to other locations I bought my own inflatable paddleboard and it’s made me appreciate living by the sea on a whole new level. As well as providing a full-body workout and building core strength, SUP allows me to find calm and relaxation out on the sea, a river or lake.
I’m now taking my passion a step further by becoming a qualified SUP instructor. So if you fancy giving it a go and want to learn the basics, give me a shout!
JOSETTA they/them
) I love teaching LGBTQ+ classes to help our physical and mental health, which is why I got asked to teach yoga for TCS. That and because I’m non-binary and they were looking for a trans/non-binary yoga teacher.
I’ve always struggled/survived with my mental health, sometimes I’m quite sociable and other times a loner because of anxiety and depression. In the past, I used food, drink and drugs to numb the pain but nothing worked for long. Even though I was one of those annoyingly good sporty people at school, by my 20s I was quite unfit, I didn’t like my weight and always had a cold It didn’t help that I’d moved to Cornwall and was the only black queer in the village It was isolating and difficult living there as a queer person of colour When a friend took me along to a yoga class, I found a physical activity that also sorted my head out I felt so calm afterwards, and that was a rare thing for me in those anxiety fuelled times. There was something about the moving and stretching that worked my body in new and interesting ways, but also consciously using and concentrating on breathing was a revelation. I was hooked and it changed my body, my thinking, and literally my life, all for the better
I love teaching trans people, we really need it and we get to spend time in a trans positive setting. It is completely non-competitive, and everyone can do something, regardless of fitness, mobility, health or experience
Josetta’s next Trans Can Yoga is scheduled for February 2020.
) www.transcansport.co.uk
) Follow us on I Instagram, TTwitter and FFacebook @transcansport
) Our last activities for 2019 are in early December; karate and circuits.
SAIL BOAT PROJECT
) I’ve always wanted to sail. Having lived by the sea my entire life, it’s called to me from a young age. I spent my childhood looking out at the horizon, dreaming about the exotic places I could reach, if only I had a boat to take me. Coming from Devon, the enlisted men of my family were sailors, but despite this I never had the opportunity to take to the sea
When I moved to Brighton, I told myself I’d get in with a sailing crowd and catch a lift home down the coast one day However, growing up in a poor family, sailing has always appeared to be a rich man ’ s sport It’s taken me long enough but I have finally found a sailing crowd! The Sail Boat Project is a workers’ co-operative whose mission it is to make the sea accessible for all They run community sails for people who wouldn’t ordinarily have access to a boat and take them out on half and whole day trips.
My first trip with them was a few years ago on a beautiful summer evening as a taster sail in collaboration with Trans Can Sport (TCS) We spent four hours onboard the Jalapeno, a 43' yacht Unfortunately there was no wind, so we had to motor out from Brighton Marina and float around near Kemptown beach. However it didn’t detract from the experience and to make up for the lack of sailing, the skipper let us jump off the boat for a swim. Even though there was little point unfurling the sail that evening, I loved every moment and couldn’t wait to get onboard again when there was more of a breeze.
The opportunity came again this summer on another Trans Can Sail and since then I’ve racked up a further seven days at sea, including a five day trip, sleeping and eating on board with four men who were complete strangers On this trip I completed my RYA Competent Crew course, which equips me with good practical skills for being at sea
Our trip didn’t go to plan The itinerary was a sail across the channel to France but the weather had other ideas and presented us with gale force wind and rain Instead we stayed in British waters and made the most of having the boat despite the weather The first day we couldn’t even make it out of Chichester Harbour, which isn’t as bad as it
sounds, given that it’s actually rather large so can still provide a good day sailing. The next day we headed out into the Solent at high tide, which was exhilarating. I was quickly soaked by the regular buckets of sea water that the waves threw in my face We hoisted a storm jib to power us westwards towards Portsmouth
I find a real sense of calm when I’m onboard and out at sea Even when the wind is tilting the boat at 45 degrees and you think you ’ re going to fall overboard, or when the swell is big and you realise how small you are and how great the sea is Or when the skipper matter of factly moots a mayday Even when I'm feeling a bit sick and desperately trying to remember how to do the correct knot to ensure we don’t lose another buoy as the waves attempt to throw me off balance. I love it.
There’s something about the here and now of being at sea that is so centring for me. It’s almost like it’s in my blood. I don’t have time to ruminate on the things that make me anxious. I’m out in nature and my very existence is dependent on me and my crew mates working together to keep the boat moving and afloat.
We had to spend a day ashore in Portsmouth, but the following day we left harbour before sunrise. Despite the storm and high winds that had blighted the previous three days, we were now sailing out on a still, flat, calm sea. There was no wind! I was nervous about a night sail but as it was I had nothing to worry about and enjoyed the gradual dawn and sunrise over a glassy sea We headed east to Newhaven It wasn’t until midday, about halfway along Rampion Wind farm, that the wind picked up and we finally enjoyed a few hours sailing for the remainder of the journey
I’m so grateful to have finally had the opportunity to access the sea When I set up TCS with PT Marquita Smith, all I wanted to do was help trans people get fit I didn’t expect it to help me achieve a lifelong ambition
MORE INFO ) www.sailboatproject.org/
LGBTQ+ Spor ts
Get involved in Brighton & Hove
Brighton & Hove hosts a range of sport and fitness options for our LGBTQ+ communities This is just a taste of what’s available so, as the New Year approaches, why not make a resolution to make a change, get involved and meet new friends from all over the city and its surrounding areas
OUT TO SWIM SOUTH
) Out To Swim South (OTSS) are a group of sociable LGBTQ+ swimmers who swim for fun, fitness or competition and provide a friendly environment for those who prefer the social aspect Swims are three times a week and now include learn to swim sessions for those who want to gain in confidence so no experience necessary! In summer, OTSS have informal meet ups to go sea swimming in groups. It’s a beautiful way to enjoy Brighton & Hove from the sea! They also participate in the annual pier to pier swim competition but no need to wait until then, there’s a New Year’s Day swim. ) www.outtoswim.org/brighton/
GAY MEN’S DANCE COMPANY
) The Gay Men’s Dance Company (GMDC) has been in Brighton since 2017 All classes are led by industry professionals and are of high quality as well as being fun, friendly, and affordable. You do not need any previous experience and GMDC pride themselves on being more than just classes, they’re a community and a family. ) https://thegmdc.com
HONEYBEES HOCKEY CLUB
) The Honeybees Hockey Club are always looking for more experienced players and those looking to get back into hockey The team are already playing in Sussex Division 1 so you should have a fair idea of how to hold a hockey
stick! The team ranges in age from around 25 to 50 – and although they often play teams half their age much of the time experience wins out over youth If you want to join this fun, sociable team then contact them through F Facebook
OUTDOOR L ADS
) OutDoor Lads, one of the UK’s most social group for gay and bisexual men who love the great outdoors, organise hiking, camping, climbing, hostelling, biking, canoeing, sailing and skiing events – as well as one-off international trips and more ‘challenge’ events It doesn’t matter whether you are a beginner or hardened outdoor enthusiast – there’s something for everyone, every week, all over the UK ) www.outdoorlads.com
) As well as watching the Rugby World Cup, hosted this year by Japan, three members of the Brighton & Hove Sea Serpents travelled to Japan to play in three Barbarians matches. The World Barbarians and International Gay Rugby (IGR) joined forces to participate in a series of exhibition matches in Tokyo during the Rugby World Cup For the first time, for both the World Barbarians and IGR, three sides were fielded made up of members from the entire IGR organisation As well as Brighton, players from London, Sydney, Brisbane, Amsterdam and New York came together for one event to show the talent and spirit of the IGR players.
The Barbarians fielded full sides to take on the Tokyo Crusaders, Beijing Devils and Japan IGR Samurai Warriors. Chris Hibbert, a Brightonbased Serpents player captained the side against the Samurai Warriors Society in Japan remains conservative and it can be difficult for LGBTQ+ people to come out This event was the culmination of five years of work for the two inclusive Japanese teams
As well as the matches, IGR were particularly pleased to sign a memorandum of
BRIGHTON FRONTRUNNERS
) Brighton & Hove FrontRunners are a friendly group of LGBTQ+ runners who meet at 7pm every Wednesday by the beach shelter outside the King Alfred Leisure Centre (car park/beach side). The weekly club run varies from week to week and does regularly interval training and time trials for people who want
understanding with the Japanese Rugby Football Union. Given the difficult situation for the players in the two gay and inclusive clubs in Japan we are extremely pleased to have the support of the national Union and to be opening up the conversation about LGBTQ+ athletes in Japan IGR and gay/inclusive clubs have similar agreements in place in Australia, USA, Belgium and the Netherlands. There is work underway to sign such an agreement in England.
IGR also celebrated the start of its 20th year with a #PrideinRugby weekend involving Clubs all over the world. Here in Brighton, celebrations culminated in a match against Horsham 3 with post-game entertainment at the Hove RFC Clubhouse and with Serpents sponsors, Bar Broadway.
MORE INFO
) Brighton & Hove Sea Serpents RFC, Sussex's first gay and inclusive rugby club, formed in 2015. They promote participation, health, wellbeing, support and fun for all Players at all levels welcomed To train/play or support, send a message or email info@bhssrfc.com
) Visit www.bhssrfc.com or search F & T
to improve or monitor how well they are doing FrontRunners take part in local races, tour local park runs and hold regular social events They also run once a month on a Monday to provide more opportunities to run FrontRunners are a mixed ability group and sessions are planned to keep people together and nobody is left behind. As long as you can jog 3k in under 30 minutes without keeling over you will be fine.
MORE INFO
) Completely new to running? Sign up for the beginners course at www.bhfrontrunners.org.uk
) Any questions? Email brightonandhovefrontrunners@gmail.com
BL AGSS
) Brighton Lesbian & Gay Sports Society (BLAGSS) is a sports and social group with around 450 LGBTQ+ members from Brighton & Hove, Sussex and beyond Managed and developed by volunteers, there’s something for everyone. BLAGSS aim to encourage LGBTQ+ people to play sport because health and fitness is such a vital part of our lives. Members come in all shapes, sizes, ages and abilities, and participate in sports such as badminton, tennis, squash, golf, table tennis, running, tenpin bowling, football, cycling and many more
There's also a fantastic social side with over 700 sporting and social meetings every year. Have fun playing sport and then chat about it
GAY GAMES
) The Gay Games was conceived by Dr Tom Waddell, an Olympic decathlete, to follow the guiding principles of Participation, Inclusion and Personal Best. The Gay Games, and its international Federation, exist to serve the needs of athletes, artists and activists. Their mission is to promote equality for all LGBTQ+ people throughout the world. The first games was held in San Francisco in 1982 with subsequent games held in San Francisco (1986), Vancouver (1990), New York (1994), Amsterdam (1998), Sydney (2002), Chicago (2006), Cleveland+Akron (2014) and Paris (2018)
The LGBTQ+ Olympics, the largest LGBTQ+ sports and culture event in the world, is owned and organised by the Federation of Gay Games (FGG), which is the only event of its kind where people brand new to a sport can be in the same environment as world record breaking athletes The upcoming Gay Games 11 will take place in Asia for the first time, hosted by Hong Kong in November 2022, with 12,000 participants, 36 sports and 20+ cultural events over nine days.
Brighton’s Viv Woodcock-Downey, who served on the board of the FGG as Officer of Membership, was elected as the first female Vice President of Operations at the FGG AGM in Guadalajara, Mexico last month. Viv says; “I’m very proud and honoured to be elected, I’ve supported the Gay Games movement since
in the pub afterwards BLAGSS is a great way to meet people, make new friends, keep fit, and have fun
Try your sport of choice with a FREE one-day membership (court fees may apply) Just go to the relevant sport page on the website and message the organiser After this you must join BLAGSS in order to continue, membership is just £15 per year and entitles you to:
• Continue playing your chosen sport/s
• Try any of BLAGSS’ 15 sports and one off events
• Attend BLAGSS’ social events throughout the year
• Benefit from grants awarded by BLAGSS for equipment, coaching and development
• Get discounts at local retail partners
• Be insured for your chosen sport against any public liability claim
attending my first Gay Games
Viv grew up in London and has lived in Brighton since 2002 with her wife, Helen They have been together for 30 years. “I couldn’t do what I do without Helen’s support. I’m very lucky to have such a supportive wife.”
Viv has always worked hard to make change for the LGBTQ+ communities. She is the current chair of Working to Connect (LGBT Small Groups Network) and former chair of BLAGSS Her new role as FGG VP Operations will involve ensuring a streamlined approach to processes and procedures in the volunteer non-profit organisation “This role allows me to bring my strengths and experience in organisational design to light I’m really looking forward to bringing the Gay Games to Hong Kong in 2022 ”
First on her to do list is organising the next Annual General Assembly in London in
All sports are organised by a ‘sports organiser’ so if you ’ re new and want more information there’s always someone to ask Regular sporting activities include coaching to improve skill levels, ‘taster sessions’ to try out new activities, weekly training sessions and internal competitions. The men ’ s and women ’ s football teams competed against other local and LGBTQ+ teams in new Football Association Festivals.
Members enjoy a pub quiz twice a year at the Camelford Arms with around 70 members competing for the BLAGSS team trophy, and had two amazing social events at the Queens Hotela stunning Dusty Springfield tribute act in the summer, and a Halloween Party.
BLAGSS also organises the annual Bowling Extravaganza at the Bowlplex at the Marina every February. BLAGSS takes over the whole venue and there are 26 teams representing the wonderful Brighton LGBTQ+ family
MORE INFO
) Visit www.blagss.org or search for BLAGSS on F Facebook and T Twitter.
October 2020 for members and delegates globally. Recent troubles in Hong Kong have cast a shadow over the Games but at the recent Annual Assembly in Guadalajara, the Hong Kong organising team, which is working closely with FGG and are developing extensive safety and security plans with the Hong Kong authorities to support the planned activities for 2022, allayed those fears. Viv states; “It’s important to have a presence in new territories to support LGBTQ+ communities there, and to promote acceptance and connection by introducing our people and culture there It’s an opportunity to do something fun and non-threatening which can change people’s perspectives of what it means to be LGBTQ+ Gay Games change the world!”
Viv aims to bring a connection between the FGG and Brighton by promoting the Hong Kong Gay Games and is happy to come to any LGBTQ+ voluntary groups in Brighton and the surrounding areas to talk about the games and its history. “It’s an exciting time to be part of this. For many people around the world, attending a Gay Games is a life changing event – and it was for me. I want to bring that to more people whether they attend the games and participate, get involved in the various committees, or spread awareness through their own networks to help change people’s lives ”
MORE INFO
) FGG and Gay Games: www.gaygames.org I @gaygames T @GayGames F /federationofgaygames
in Vancouver 1990.”
LEGENDS 26TH BIRTHDAY & WAD FUNDRAISER
) On Sunday, November 17, Legends celebrated their 26th bir thday with another successful fundraising cabaret extravaganza with an afternoon packed full of enter tainment International cabaret legend and RuPaul’s Drag Race alumni Charlie Hides kicked off the afternoon followed by Brighton’s newest and selfdescribed misleading lady, Pat Clutcher Davina Sparkle brought the SunGay sparkle before a welcome finale from Dave Lynn and Maisie Trollette
Legends celebrates another year fundraising and focusing in par ticular on local charities Dan, Legends manager told Gscene; “Me and the Legends team are very proud to increase our donations year on year in the Brighton & Hove area to charitable organisations who focus on the LGBTQ+ widening range of communities We’re also excited to have THT shaking their buckets here on World AIDS Day, December 1st ”
The total amount raised for the Brighton R ainbow Fund from the bucket collection at Legends Bir thday Celebration will be announced in the January issue of Gscene Legends will kick off their fundraising events in January 2020 with a special event in honour of former Gscene editor and community champion James Ledward, in aid of the Brighton R ainbow Fund
D E C E M B E R
L I S T I N G S
AFFINITY BAR
l 129 St James’s St, BN2 1TH, Tel 01273 567935 www.affinitygaybar.com
F Affinity Bar Brighton Text Aler ts: text ‘Affinity’ to 88802
l OPEN daily from 12pm–12am, Xmas Day from 2pm–1am; Boxing Day from 12pm–1am; NYE from 12pm–3am; New Year ’s Day from 12pm–1am
l DRINK PROMOS Thirsty Thursday specials all day: £3 50 drinks including Fosters, double house gin/vodka/rum and house wine
l XMAS Tue (24): Xmas Eve @ Affinity Bar from 12pm, see Facebook for more info l Wed (25): Xmas Day @ Affinity Bar with Lovinia Belle shaking her baubles from 6pm l Thur (26): Boxing Day @ Affinity Bar from 12pm, see Facebook for enter tainment
l NYE Tue (31) NYE PARTY with Vicki Vivacious and Lovinia Belle performing from 8pm, par ty on till 3am Wed (1) Jan: New Year ’s Day KARAOKE with Tommy Tanker aka Pat Clutcher from 8pm
l REGUL ARS Mon: ALL DAY KARAOKE from 12pm; karaoke with Tommy Tanker (aka Pat Clutcher) at 7pm l Tue: FREE JUKEBOX all day l Wed: KARAOKE with Tommy Tanker aka Pat Clutcher from 8pm l Thur: DRAG BINGO with Lovinia Belle at 8pm l Fri: WIGS AND BEADS KARAOKE with one of Affinity Bar’s fabulous drag hostesses leading the fun from 8pm Select a song, pick a wig, choose your accessories and the stage is yours! l Sat: CAMP CABARET with Pat Clutcher at 6 30pm; KARAOKE from 8pm till close Affinity Bar say: “We love the Angel of the North, Sunderland's greatest export and the new Brighton sweetheart A great voice belts out all your favourite numbers from show tunes, to divas and of course the odd sing along as well There will be banter, fun and singing!” l Sun: CAMP CABARET at 5pm: see Facebook for details (8), Davina Sparkle (15), Stephanie Von Clitz (22) and Davina Sparkle (29)
Information is correct at the time of going to press Gscene cannot be held responsible for any changes or alterations to the listings
l BASEMENT CLUB@LEGENDS
Glitter Curious: sing-along par ty with Patrick Cawley & Maria Gardner 11pm
AMSTERDAM BAR & KITCHEN
l 11-12 Marine Parade, BN2 1TL, Tel: 01273 670976, www amsterdambrighton com
l OPEN daily from 11am–late Xmas/New Year: open as usual excluding Xmas Day when open for pre-booked Xmas lunches only
l FOOD Mon–Fri from 11am–8pm; Sat from 10.30am–8pm; Sunday roasts (incl veggie/vegan options) from 12.30pm till they run out, booking recommended: 01273 670 976; Xmas Day: call now or pop in to book your Xmas lunch! Full tea and coffee menu available
l NYE Tue (31) is the NYE PARTY with a DJ at 9pm
l REGUL ARS CABARET FRIDAYS with top enter tainers at 9.30pm: Mrs Moore (6), Kara Van Park (13), Davina Sparkle (20) and Kathy Diamond (27)
l Sat KARAOKE with guest hosts at 9.30pm l Sun ENTERTAINMENT with Brighton’s best singers serenading you after lunch from 5pm: Jennie Castell (1), Jason Lee (8), Gabriella Parrish (15), Jamie Watson (22) and guest singer (29)
l PARIS HOUSE live music: Lo Polodoro 6pm
l QUEEN’S ARMS Sunday Funday triple cabaret: Betty Swollocks 3pm; Terry Tour
6.30pm & 10pm
l REGENCY TAVERN roasts 12-6pm
l SUBLINE Guilt-Free tunes 9pm
l THREE JOLLY BUTCHERS live football: Norwich v Arsenal 2pm; Leicester v Ever ton 5 30pm
l LE VILL AGE WAD: charity evening with Spice 8pm; roasts 12-6pm
MONDAY 2
SUNDAY 1
l AFFINITY BAR cabaret: Spice 5pm
l ALL NEW BULLDOG Sunday Funday WAD Special for Brighton Rainbow Fund 12pm; karaoke with Mandy 5pm
l AMSTERDAM cabaret: Jennie Castell 5pm; roasts 12pm-till gone
l BAR 7@CRAWLEY Bar 7’s 7th
Bir thday Par ty & WAD Karaoke for Brighton Rainbow Fund 5pm
l BAR BROADWAY WAD: A Disney Karaoke for Sussex Beacon with Miss Disney & Alfie Ordinary 4pm
l CAMELFORD ARMS free hot drinks for those attending the WAD Memorial Service + collection for THT 12pm; roasts/select menu 12pm– till gone
l CHARLES ST TAP WAD Annual Fundraiser for THT South with host Drag WIth No Name + Hear t & Soul, Lola Lasagne, Kara Van Park, Sally Vate, Mrs Moore, Vicky Vivacious, Rose Garden, Jason Thorpe & Pat Clutcher 7.30pm; roasts 12pm
l LEGENDS BAR cabaret: Topsie Redfern 3 30pm; roasts 12 30–4pm
l MARINE TAVERN roasts 12-5pm; Drag Open Mic: Stephanie Von Clitz 8 30pm
l AFFINITY BAR all day karaoke 12pm; karaoke with Tommy Tanker (aka Pat Clutcher) 7pm
l ALL NEW BULLDOG Monday Glitter Ball: 70s-00s tunes 4pm
l BAR BROADWAY Voice of Broadway Semi-Final 8.30pm
l CHARLES ST TAP Gaymers Night: consoles/board games 8.30pm
l LEGENDS BAR Penny Clutcher: Pat Clutcher or Miss Penny & guest 9 30pm
l MARINE TAVERN Broad Street Big Xmas Lights Switch On: live choir & carol service 6pm
l PARIS HOUSE live jazz: Nils SolbergMick Hamer Trio 2pm; Chris Coull & band 8pm
l QUEEN’S ARMS Kara Van Park’s Musical Mondays 9pm
l SUBLINE Subline Quiz Night with host Mr Ian Sinclair + THT Auction 7pm
TUESDAY 3
l AFFINITY BAR Free Jukebox 12pm
l ALL NEW BULLDOG #Transvolve Tuesday: Macarena & Sam Pink bring camp, karaoke & queens 8pm
l AFFINITY BAR Karaoke with Tommy Tanker (aka Pat Clutcher) 7pm
l ALL NEW BULLDOG Green Light Cruise Night 8pm
l BAR 7@CRAWLEY Midweek Chill 7pm
BAR BROADWAY
l 10 Steine Street, BN2 1TE, Tel: 01273 609777, www barbroadway co uk
l OPEN Mon–Thur from 6pm–1am, Fri from 5pm–3am, Sat from 4pm–3am, Sun from 4pm–1am
l TWO FOR THE DIARY Mon (2) is the VOICE OF BROADWAY SEMI FINAL at 8 30pm with the 5 remaining contestants, plus one wildcard, battling it out to get to the FINAL on Sun (8), where you’ll crown the Voice of Broadway at 8.30pm
l WAD Sun (1) it’s A DISNEY KARAOKE for Sussex Beacon with Miss Disney & Alfie Ordinar y at 4pm
l BBW Sat (7) is BEAR -A- OKE with the boys from BBW at 8pm
l XMAS Sat (14): XMAS CAROLS with the Sea Serpents at 8pm; then A FESTIVE BROADWAY REMIXED with DJ Cameron at 9 30pm Bar Broadway say: “An early Xmas present with Ross playing those musical dance tracks, where you just can’t stop the beat!” l Sun (22) the FIREPLACE SESSIONS presents Miss Treated’s Xmas Pagaent at 8 30pm l Tue (24) Bar Broadway’s XMAS SING-ALONG at 7pm l Wed (25) a special XMAS DAY FIREPLACE SESSIONS with Jennie Castell at 9pm l Thur (26) is the BOXING DAY QUIZ where the prizes are the presents you didn’t really want at 8pm l Sun (29): the FIREPLACE SESSIONS pres Sam’s Festive ExChara- Ganza at 8.30pm
l NYE Tue (31): Bar Broadway’s TRADITIONAL SCOT TISH HOGMANAY with Tabitha Wild guiding you from the teens to the roaring 20s from 9pm l REGUL ARS Sun (15): FIREPLACE SESSIONS present Frank Sanazi from 8.30pm l Mon: GLEEFULLY SMASHED by a Crazy Ex Girlfriend with songs from TV musicals at 7pm l Tue: Bar Broadway’s PIANO SINGALONG from 9pm l Wed: JAZZ SESSIONS at 8.30pm l Thur is the BIG QUIZ with R oss Cameron, cash/boozy prizes at 8pm l Fri & Sat: ONLINE JUKEBOX with a mix of musical anthems, all chosen by you at www.broadwayjukebox.com
l BAR BROADWAY Jazz Sessions 8.30pm
l BASEMENT CLUB@LEGENDS Now That’s What I Call Legends: DJ Claire Fuller 11pm
l CHARLES ST TAP Mrs Moore’s Bona Bingo Bonanza for THT South with guest host Lola Lasagne 8.30pm
l MARINE TAVERN Pink Pound 7pm
l PARIS HOUSE live jazz: 4 & more 8pm
l QUEEN’S ARMS Sally Vate’s Hump Show 10pm
l SUBLINE Joystick Jockeys gaming night 8pm
l LE VILL AGE local cabaret 10pm
THURSDAY 5
l AFFINITY BAR Drag Bingo with Lovinia Belle & prizes 8pm
l ALL NEW BULLDOG #Transvolve Thursday: camp karaoke & queens with Macarena & Sam Pink 8pm
l OPEN daily from 6pm, extended opening on Sat (21), Sun (22) & NYE, closed Xmas Day & New Year ’s Day
l DRINK PROMOS Tue, Wed, Fri, Sat & Sun all night
l WAD Sun (1) BAR 7’S 7TH BIRTHDAY and WAD
KARAOKE hosted by Tyler with collection for the Brighton R ainbow Fund from 5pm “It's mad to think we’re nearly 7 years old When Chris & Angie first opened Bar 7, little did they know that 7 Pegler Way would grow into such a focus point for the LGBTQ community!”
l XMAS Sat (21) Xmas Par ty l Sun (22) XMAS KARAOKE festive faves
l NYE TUE (31) BLACK & WHITE NYE PARTY till midnight and after
l REGUL ARS Fri & Sat par ty time DJs & karaoke at 9pm: Kirsty Anderson, Michael Adams, Jazzy Jane, Charlie Eaton and Patrick Cawley l SUNDAY SOCIAL KARAOKE with hosts 6pm l Tue is CREWSDAY at 7pm
l BAR BROADWAY Ross Cameron’s Big Quiz: cash/boozy prizes 8pm
l CAMELFORD ARMS £300 Big Cash Quiz 9pm
l CHARLES ST TAP Throwback
Thursday 9pm
l GROSVENOR BAR Abel Mabel’s Bingo 8 30pm
l MARINE TAVERN Throwback
Thursday 80s Night 8pm
l PARIS HOUSE World Music: Tres Amigos 8pm
l QUEEN’S ARMS Leading Ladies cabaret: Dave Lynn 10pm
l REGENCY TAVERN Open mic with Chris Hide 8.30pm
l SUBLINE Brace Yourself 9pm
l LE VILL AGE karaoke/open mic with George Mar tin Marino 8 30pm
FRIDAY 6
l AFFINITY BAR Wigs & Beads Karaoke with drag hostess 8pm
l ALL NEW BULLDOG Fri Night Live: camp karaoke DJ Glyn-Sing 9pm; Show Time: Domina Tryx 11pm; karaoke till 3am
l AMSTERDAM cabaret: Mrs Moore 9 30pm
ALL NEW BULLDOG
l 31 St James’s Street, Brighton, BN2 1RF, tel 01273 696996, #BulldogBTN
l OPEN Mon from 4pm-midnight, Tue–Thur from 3pm–midnight, Fri & Sat from midday–3am, Sun from midday–midnight Xmas Day from 7pm–midnight, NYE from 3pm–3am
l DRINK PROMOS Mon–Fri from 4–7pm, Sun from 12–4pm Wed: Green Light Cruise Night drink promos
l WAD SUNDAY FUNDAY (1) WAD Special for Brighton R ainbow Fund from 12pm, KARAOKE with Mandy at 5pm
l XMAS FRIDAY NIGHT LIVE Xmas Special (20), camp karaoke & DJ Glyn-Sing at 9pm; SHOWTIME with Domina Tr yx at 11pm; karaoke till 3am l SUNDAY FUNDAY Xmas Special (22) from 12pm; camp karaoke with Mandy at 5pm l #TRANSVOLVE TUE Xmas Special (24) karaoke & queens at 8pm l Wed (25) is A CAMP XMAS with the Pinks at 7pm l #TRANSVOLVE THUR Boxing Day Special (26) festive camp, karaoke and queens with The Macarena and Sam Pink at 8pm
l NYE Tue (31) all new BULLDOG NYE EXTRAVAGANZA with karaoke 9pm till 3am l Wed (1) Jan GREEN LIGHT CRUISE NIGHT New Year ’s Day Special from 8pm
l REGUL ARS Camp karaoke 5 nights a week! l #TRANSVOLVE TUES with The Macarena and Sam Pink camp, karaoke and queens 8pm l Wed: GREEN LIGHT CRUISE NIGHT at 8pm When the lights go green and specified ar tist plays selected drinks drop! l #TRANSVOLVE THURS: The Macarena and Sam Pink camp, karaoke, queens 8pm l FRIDAY NIGHT LIVE camp karaoke, par ty faves, DJ Glynn-Sing at 9pm; then SHOWTIME with Domina Tr yx at 11pm and karaoke till 3am l Sat: Wonda Starr ’s QUEEN OF THE NIGHT outrageous karaoke, prizes par ty tunes/floor fillers 9pm l Sun is ALL NEW SUNDAY FUNDAY from 12pm with camp karaoke from Mandy at 5pm l Monday GLIT TER BALL: classic camp vids from 70s–00s at 4pm
l BAR 7@CRAWLEY TGIF Madness: resident/guest DJs 7pm
l BAR BROADWAY Jukebox 5pm
l BASEMENT CLUB@LEGENDS Night Shift: DJ David Noakes & Trick 11pm
l CAMELFORD ARMS Friday Club 6pm
l CHARLES ST TAP Fabulous Friday: DJ Morgan Fabulous 9pm
l GROSVENOR BAR cabaret: Pat Clutcher 9.30pm
l LEGENDS BAR Brighton Belles: local cabaret stars & guests 9pm
l MARINE TAVERN Jukebox Disco 9pm
l PARIS HOUSE DJ Havexx 9pm
l QUEEN’S ARMS Big Friday Cabaret: Cherry Liquor 10pm
l REGENCY TAVERN Caba Regency with George Mar tin Marino 8pm
l SUBLINE Festive Full Fetish Friday: strictly fetish dresscode/men only 10pm
l THE VILL AGE cabaret: Rose Garden 10pm
l ZONE cabaret: Sally Vate 10pm
SATURDAY 7
l AFFINITY BAR camp cabaret: Pat Clutcher 6.30pm; karaoke 8pm
l ALL NEW BULLDOG Wonda Starr’s Qween of the Night: camp karaoke with prizes 9pm
l AMSTERDAM Karaoke 9 30pm
CAMELFORD ARMS
l 30-31 Camelford St, BN2 1TQ, Tel: 01273 622386, www.camelfordarms.com
l OPEN daily from 12pm Xmas Day 12–3pm, Boxing Day from 12pm, NYE till late, New Year ’s Day from 12pm The Camelford is dog friendly
l FOOD Mon–Sat from 12–9pm; seniors’ lunch Wed 2–3.30pm, two courses £9.50; Sunday roasts & select menu 12pm–till gone Xmas Eve from 12–6pm, no food Xmas Day, Boxing Day from 12–9pm; NYE from 12–6pm, New Year ’s Day from 12–9pm
l WAD Sun (1) warm up with a free hot drink if you’re attending the Memorial Service in the New Steine
l XMAS Wed (25) Xmas Day with festive cheer from 12pm l Thur (26): take the weight off at the XMAS AF TER PARTY all day from 12pm
l NYE Tue (31) is NYE LATE NIGHT PARTY from 8pm, free entry l Wed (1) Jan is the NEW YEAR HANGOVER PARTY - Bloody Mary anyone?
l REGUL ARS Thur is the BIG CASH QUIZ with a £300 cash prize, free sarnies and great atmosphere from 9pm l Kick the weekend off at FRIDAY CLUB from 6pm l Sun is the BEAR BASH with free food and raffle at 5pm
l BAR 7@CRAWLEY Par ty Night: alternate DJs: Kirsty Anderson, Jazzy Jane, Charlie Eaton, Patrick Cawley & Michael Adams 7pm
l BAR BROADWAY BBW Bear-a-oke 8pm; Jukebox 4pm
l BASEMENT CLUB@LEGENDS Fusion: DJ Peter Castle 11pm
l CHARLES ST TAP Fierce DJ 9pm
l GROSVENOR BAR cabaret: Maisie Trollette 9.30pm
l LEGENDS BAR Pre-club DJ 7pm
l MARINE TAVERN Candi Rell’s Karaoke & Cabaret Par ty 9pm
l PARIS HOUSE All That Jazz: Monday Boys 4pm; Andy the Dandy DJ 9pm
l 8 Marine Parade, BN2 1TA, Tel: 01273 624091, www.charles-street.com
l OPEN daily from 10am, Boxing Day & NY Day 11am, Xmas Day closed
l FOOD daily from 10am–10pm, inc: breakfasts from 10am; 4 chicken wings or vegan cauliflower wings £1 on Tue; homemade Sunday roasts for £9 from 12pm: hand carved roast beef, turkey, roast pork with crackling, nut roast, roast lamb shank £11
l DRINK PROMOS all cocktails £4 95 Mon–Thur 5–8pm, £4 a pint of craft draught beer or cask ale from 5pm on Mon, 50ml Gin of the Month & fever tonic £5 all day on Thur, bottles of Prosecco £15 all night & half price drinks 5–9pm on Fri, Sunday Craft Club: any two craft cans or bottles £6 from 5pm
l WAD Sun (1): right after the WAD Candlelit Vigil at the New Steine is the WAD Annual Fundraiser for THT South with host Drag With No Name and top acts at 7 30pm, including: a full show from Hear t & Soul plus Lola Lasagne, Kara Van Park, Sally Vate, Mrs Moore, Vicky Vivacious, R ose Garden, Jason Thorpe and Pat Clutcher Entry £3 (suggested donation), all to THT South
l ONE FOR THE DIARY Sun (15) is Charles Street Tap’s 2nd (or 19th) BIRTHDAY PARTY with Sandra from 7 30pm
l XMAS Tue (24) is XMAS EVE CABARET with Kara Van Park pitching up for festive ditties from 10pm l Thur (26): Boxing Day THROWBACK THURSDAY with 00s guilty pleasures and 90s retro anthems at 9pm
l NYE Tue (31) BLACK TIE & TIARAS NYE PARTY, a fabulous night of glitter and glam decadence with the regal Joan Bond on hosting duties, the best char t & dance anthems, and generous giveaways galore from 8pm, free entry but limited pre-bookings available for £5 inc a complementry glass of bubbly Charles Street Tap say:
“Let’s celebrate the end of 2019 and start of a brand new decade as only Charles Street Tap knows how! Dress to impress and strut your stuff right into 2020!”
l Wed (1) Jan: New Year’s Day BREAKFASTS from 11am
l REGUL ARS Wed: Mrs Moore’s BONA BINGO BONANZA, Lola Lasagne hosts (4), raising money for THT South from 8 30pm l Sat: FIERCE with top DJs from 9pm l SUNDAY CABARET with host Sally Vate, Mrs Moore (29), from 7 30pm: Gabriella Parrish (8), Lucinda Lashes (22) and Jennie Castell (29) Stick around the Sally Vate’s ROCK & ROLL BINGO straight after!
l REGENCY TAVERN roasts 12-6pm
l SUBLINE Guilt-Free tunes 9pm
l THREE JOLLY BUTCHERS Pre home
match warm-up: pie & pint deal: Brighton v Wolves 1pm; live football: Aston Villa v Leicester 2.30pm, Brighton v Wolves 4.30pm
l LE VILL AGE cabaret: Candi Rell 10pm; roasts 12-6pm
MONDAY 9
l AFFINITY BAR all day karaoke 12pm; karaoke with Tommy Tanker (aka Pat Clutcher) 7pm
l ALL NEW BULLDOG Monday Glitter Ball: 70s-00s tunes 4pm
l OPEN Tue–Thur from 4pm, Fri & Sat from 3pm, Sun from 2pm Xmas Day 12–4pm, closed Boxing Day and New Year ’s Day Welcoming to everybody, Fallen Angel is a quirky little pub in the hear t of Kemptown Expect a chilled, relaxed and cosy atmosphere, friendly staff and chic, classy décor Fallen Angel is a dog friendly pub
l FOOD Get food delivered to the pub from Curr y Leaf Kemptown with 10% discount on all orders, or Alforno Pizza Kemptown
l DRINK PROMOS daily specials, pop in for more info
l BAR BROADWAY Gleefully Smashed
by a Crazy Ex Girlfriend: TV musicals 6pm
l CHARLES ST TAP Gaymers Night: consoles/board games 8 30pm
l LEGENDS BAR Penny Clutcher: Pat Clutcher or Miss Penny & guest 9.30pm
l PARIS HOUSE live jazz: Nils SolbergMick Hamer Trio 2pm; Will Gardner & band 8pm
l QUEEN’S ARMS Kara Van Park’s Musical Monday 9pm
l THREE JOLLY BUTCHERS live football: West Ham v Arsenal 8pm
TUESDAY 10
l AFFINITY BAR Free Jukebox 12pm
l ALL NEW BULLDOG #Transvolve Tuesday: Macarena & Sam Pink bring camp, karaoke & queens 8pm
l THREE JOLLY BUTCHERS live football: Saltzburg v Liverpool 5 55pm, Chelsea v Lille 8pm
l LE VILL AGE Switch with Kryan Shayne 9pm
WEDNESDAY 11
l AFFINITY BAR Karaoke with Tommy Tanker (aka Pat Clutcher) 7pm
l ALL NEW BULLDOG Green Light Cruise Night 8pm
l BAR 7@CRAWLEY Midweek Chill 7pm
l BAR BROADWAY Jazz Sessions 8 30pm
l BASEMENT CLUB@LEGENDS Now That’s What I Call Legends: DJ Claire Fuller 11pm
l CHARLES ST TAP Mrs Moore’s Bona Bingo Bonanza for THT South 8 30pm
l MARINE TAVERN Pink Pound 7pm
l PARIS HOUSE live jazz: Sara Oschlag Trio 8pm
l QUEEN’S ARMS Sally Vate’s Hump Show 10pm
l SUBLINE Hump Day 9pm
l THREE JOLLY BUTCHERS live football: Zagreb v Man City 12 30pm, Bayern Munich v Spurs 8pm
l LE VILL AGE local cabaret 10pm
THURSDAY 12
l AFFINITY BAR Drag Bingo with Lovinia Belle & prizes 8pm
l ALL NEW BULLDOG #Transvolve Thursday: camp karaoke & queens with Macarena & Sam Pink 8pm
l BAR BROADWAY Ross Cameron’s Big Quiz: cash/boozy prizes 8pm
l CAMELFORD ARMS £300 Big Cash Quiz 9pm
l CHARLES ST TAP Throwback
Thursday 9pm
l GROSVENOR BAR Abel Mabel’s Bingo 8 30pm
l LEGENDS BAR Pre-club DJ 7pm
l MARINE TAVERN Throwback
Thursday 80s Night 8pm
l PARIS HOUSE World Music: Abraham De Vega and Babou 8pm
G R O S V E N O R B A R
l 16 Western Street, Hove, BN1 2PG, www thegrosvenorbar com
l OPEN daily from 1pm–late
l DRINK PROMOS Mon–Fri 1–5pm, all pints £3 40
l NYE Tue (31) it’s the Grosvenor NYE PARTY with Davina Sparkle at 9pm
l REGUL ARS Thur: ABEL MABEL’S BINGO with cash prize at 8 30pm l Fri: CABARET with drag superstars at 9 30pm: Pat Clutcher (6), Marsha Mallow (13), Jennie Castell (20) and Kara Van Park (27)
l Saturday is top cabaret at 9 30pm: Maisie Trollette (7), Pooh La May (14), Stephanie Von Clitz (21) and Davina Sparkle (28) Shine bright like a diamond The outrageous Davina Sparkle is a gag-spitting, joke telling drag queen with fabulous sequinned gowns and great songs to boot! Expect adult humour, patter and song from one of the UK's top stand-up drag acts! Davina says: “Tonight you gorgeous lot, I will plopping my chubby behind on the Grosvenor Bar stage, be good to see you x!”
l QUEEN’S ARMS Leading Ladies cabaret: Kara Van Park 10pm
l REGENCY TAVERN Open mic with Chris Hide 8.30pm
l SUBLINE Brace Yourself 9pm
l THREE JOLLY BUTCHERS live football: Standard Liege v Arsenal 5 55pm, Man Utd v Alkmaar 8pm
l LE VILL AGE karaoke & open mic with George Mar tin Marino 8.30pm
FRIDAY 13
l AFFINITY BAR Wigs & Beads Karaoke with drag hostess 8pm
l ALL NEW BULLDOG Friday Night Live: camp karaoke & DJ Glyn-Sing 9pm; ShowTime with Domina Tryx 11pm; karaoke till 3am
l AMSTERDAM cabaret: Kara Van Park 9.30pm
l BAR 7@CRAWLEY TGIF Madness: resident/guest DJs 7pm
l BAR BROADWAY Jukebox 5pm
l BASEMENT CLUB@LEGENDS Night
Shift: DJ David Noakes 11pm
l CAMELFORD ARMS Friday Club 6pm
l CHARLES ST TAP Fabulous Friday:
DJ Morgan Fabulous 9pm
l GROSVENOR BAR cabaret: Marsha Mallow 9 30pm
l LEGENDS BAR Brighton Belles: local cabaret stars & guests 9pm
l MARINE TAVERN Jukebox Disco 9pm
l PARIS HOUSE DJ Havexx 9pm
l QUEEN’S ARMS Big Friday Cabaret: Mrs Moore 10pm
l REGENCY TAVERN CABA Regency with George Mar tin Marino 9pm
l SUBLINE Club Silencio Office Xmas Par ty, all welcome 8pm
l LE VILL AGE cabaret: Peggy Wessex 10pm
l ZONE cabaret: Chris Hide 10pm
SATURDAY 14
l AFFINITY BAR camp cabaret: Pat Clutcher 6 30pm; karaoke 8pm
l ALL NEW BULLDOG Wonda Starr’s Qween of the Night: camp karaoke with prizes 9pm
l AMSTERDAM Karaoke 9 30pm
l BAR 7@CRAWLEY Par ty Night:
alternate DJs: Kirsty Anderson, Jazzy Jane, Charlie Eaton, Patrick Cawley & Michael Adams 7pm
l BAR BROADWAY Xmas Carols with the Sea Serpents 8pm; A Festive
Broadway Remixed: DJ Cameron 9.30pm
l BASEMENT CLUB@LEGENDS Fusion: DJ Peter Castle 11pm
L I S T I N G S
L E G E N D S B A R
l 31-34 Marine Parade, BN2 1TR, T: 01273 624462, www.legendsbrighton.com
l OPEN daily from 11–5am, including Xmas & New Year period
l FOOD breakfasts & lunch served Mon–Sat 11am–5pm; breakfasts from 11am on Sunday, then lunch 12.30–4pm: choose beef, belly pork, chicken supreme or nut roast with roast potatoes, seasonal vegetables, homemade Yorkshire pudding and stock gravy Leave room for one of their moreish desser ts
l DRINK PROMOS Mon–Fri from 12–11pm buy one bottle of wine get the 2nd half price
l XMAS Sun (22) is the CHARLIE HIDES CHRISTMAS SHOW with festive frolics from the star of RuPaul’s Drag Race at 3 30pm l Tue (24) is the XMAS EVE PARTY from 7pm l Wed (25) is the double festive CABARET SPECTACULAR with scene legends: doyenne of drag Dave Lynn at 7pm, then Miss Jason grabs you by the baubles for a camp old Xmas shindig from 9pm l Thur (26) is Boxing Day CABARET with Davina Sparkle ladelling out the lametta from 3 30pm
l NYE Tue (31) is the NYE PARTY over two floors with iconic scene DJs Claire Fuller & Peter Castle dragging you into a new decade with the best tracks of 2019, entry £5 l Wed (1) Jan is NEW YEAR’S DAY CABARET from 3.30pm
l REGUL ARS Fri is THE BRIGHTON BELLES with legends and guests live at 9 30pm l Sat: Pre- Club DJs from 7pm l Sun CABARET at 3 30pm: Topsie R edfern (1), Drag With No Name (8), Mar tha D’Ar thur (15) and Lola Lasagne (29) Legends say: “Cabaret Sunday has become an institution in Brighton and Legends is one of the places to visit on the cabaret circuit It's always a fantastic line-up so don't miss it!” l Mon is now Penny Clutcher with Miss Penny or Pat Clutcher & guest at 9.30pm and 11.30pm
l CHARLES ST TAP Fierce DJs 9pm
l GROSVENOR BAR cabaret: Pooh Lay
May 9.30pm
l LEGENDS BAR Pre-club DJ 7pm
l MARINE TAVERN Candi Rell’s Karaoke & Cabaret Par ty 9pm
l 31-34 Marine Parade, BN2 1TR, T: 01273 624462, www.legendsbrighton.com
l OPEN Free entr y all night: Mon (30), Wed–Sun at 11pm; from 11pm
Xmas Eve, (closed Xmas Day), NYE from 9pm, New Year ’s Day from 11pm
l DRINK PROMOS drinks from £2 on Mon & Fri, various deals on Wed & Sun Drink deals may differ over Xmas/New Year
DJ David Noakes & guest Trick pop/dance tracks l Sat (28) is XMAS FUSION with DJ Peter Castle l Sun (29) is an even camper (if that’s possible!) Xmas edition of GLIT TER CURIOUS with Patrick Crawley & Gardener l Mon (30) is A Special Xmas Monday POP!CANDY with DJ Claire sweetening up your festive spirit
l NYE Tue (31) NYE PARTY with DJs Claire Fuller & Peter Castle on two floors 9pm, £5 entry l Wed (1) Jan is New Year ’s Day NOW! THAT’S WHAT I CALL LEGENDS with DJ Claire pulling you out of the post-NYE blues Basement Club say: “Recover from NYE with DJ Claire takes you on a journey through the decades!”
l THREE JOLLY BUTCHERS live football: Liverpool v Watford 12.30pm, Southampton v West Ham 5.30pm
l LE VILL AGE Scandalous: LGBT+ night: DJ/host Stephanie Starlet 10pm
l ZONE cabaret: Topsie Redfern 10pm
SUNDAY 15
l AFFINITY BAR cabaret: Davina Sparkle 5pm
l ALL NEW BULLDOG Sunday Funday 12pm; Mandy’s karaoke 5pm
l AMSTERDAM cabaret: Gabriella Parrish 5pm; roasts 12pm-till gone
l BAR 7@CRAWLEY karaoke with
l XMAS Tue (24) is the XMAS EVE PARTY with DJ Peter Castle dusting off the Xmas par ty classics l Thur (26) is BOXING DAY ULTRA – UV Par ty with DJ Claire Fuller keeping the Xmas glow going Basement Club say: “Come dressed in all your glow in the dark clothes and get your face painted with UV paint for a night of ULTRA fun!” l Fri (27) is A XMAS NIGHT SHIF T with
l REGUL ARS Sat: FUSION with DJ Peter Castle char t /club remixes
l Sun: GLIT TER CURIOUS queer sing-along par ty curated by Patrick Cawley & Maria Gardner with promos, surprises, performances, giveaways & more from 11pm, free entry l Wed: NOW THAT’S WHAT I CALL LEGENDS with DJ Claire Fuller taking you through the decades l Fri: NIGHT SHIF T with superstar DJ David Noakes & guest DJ Trick spinning pop & dance tracks D
host Tyler or Ben 6pm
l BAR BROADWAY Fireplace Sessions
pres Wunderbar Weihnachtzeit mit Frank Sanazi 8 30pm
l BASEMENT CLUB@LEGENDS Glitter
Curious: sing-along par ty with Patrick Cawley & Maria Gardner 11pm
l CAMELFORD ARMS Bear Bash: free food/raffle 5pm; roasts/select menu 12pm– till gone
l CHARLES ST TAP cabaret: host Sally Vate & Sandra 7 30pm; Sally’s Rock & Roll Bingo 8 30pm; roasts 12pm
l LEGENDS BAR cabaret: Mar tha D’Ar thur 3.30pm; roasts 12.30–4pm
l MARINE TAVERN roasts 12-5pm; Drag
Open Mic: Stephanie Von Clitz 8 30pm
l PARIS HOUSE Xmas Extravaganza:
live music from Sam Chara (Shirley Bassey & Dolly Par ton tribute) 6pm
l RAILWAY CLUB Quiz in aid of One Sight with prizes 7pm
l REGENCY TAVERN roasts 12-6pm
l SUBLINE Guilt-Free tunes 9pm
l THREE JOLLY BUTCHERS live football: Man Utd v Ever ton 2pm, Arsenal v Man City 4.30pm
l LE VILL AGE cabaret: Wilma Fingerdoo 10pm; roasts 12-6pm
M A R I N E T A V E R N
l 13 Broad St, BN2 1TJ, Tel: 01273 905578, www.marinetavern.co.uk
l OPEN daily from 12pm, Xmas Day from 7pm
l FOOD daily from 12–9pm: Curr y & Quiz with Nat £1 on Tue from 7 30pm (quiz star ts 9pm), roasts £8 each Sunday 12–5pm, booking advised
l DRINK PROMOS Wed from 7pm: Pink Pound Night with drinks from £1 and free raffle
l XMAS Mon (2) it’s BROAD STREET’S BIG XMAS LIGHTS SWITCH ON with carol ser vice and live choir from 6pm l Fri (20) is the BIG OFFICE XMAS PARTY from 8pm l Thur (26) is BOXING DAY CABARET with Aida H Dee from 8pm
l NYE Tue (31) NYE PARTY with Candi R ell at 9pm
l REGUL ARS Sat is CABARET & KARAOKE with Candi R ell giving all she can and more from 9pm l Sun is DRAG OPEN MIC hosted by Stephanie Von Clitz from 8 30pm l THROWBACK THURSDAY with 80s tunes from 8pm l Fri is JUKEBOX DISCO from 9pm
MONDAY 16
l AFFINITY BAR all day karaoke 12pm; karaoke with Tommy Tanker (aka Pat Clutcher) 7pm
l ALL NEW BULLDOG Monday Glitter Ball: 70s-00s tunes 4pm
l BAR BROADWAY Gleefully Smashed by a Crazy Ex Girlfriend: TV musicals 6pm
l CHARLES ST TAP Gaymers Night: consoles/board games 8.30pm
l LEGENDS BAR Penny Clutcher: Pat Clutcher or Miss Penny & guest 9 30pm
l PARIS HOUSE live jazz: Nils Solberg-Mick Hamer Trio 2pm; Jack Kendon & band 8pm
l QUEEN’S ARMS Kara Van Park’s Musical Monday 9pm
l THREE JOLLY BUTCHERS live football: Crystal Palace v Brighton 8pm
TUESDAY 17
l AFFINITY BAR Free Jukebox 12pm
l ALL NEW BULLDOG #Transvolve Tuesday: Macarena & Sam Pink bring camp, karaoke & queens 8pm
l AFFINITY BAR Karaoke with Tommy Tanker (aka Pat Clutcher) 7pm
l ALL NEW BULLDOG Green Light Cruise Night 8pm
l BAR 7@CRAWLEY Midweek Chill 7pm
l BAR BROADWAY Jazz Sessions
8 30pm
l BASEMENT CLUB@LEGENDS Now That’s What I Call Legends: DJ Claire Fuller 11pm
l CHARLES ST TAP Mrs Moore’s Bona Bingo Bonanza for THT South 8 30pm
l MARINE TAVERN Pink Pound 7pm
l PARIS HOUSE live jazz: Jam Session 8pm
l QUEEN’S ARMS Sally Vate’s Hump Show 10pm
l SUBLINE Hump Day 9pm
PARIS HOUSE
l 21 Western Rd, BN3 1AF, T: 01273 724195, www.parishousebrighton.com
l OPEN daily from 12pm; closed Xmas Day & Boxing Day
l FOOD daily from 12pm–close
l XMAS Sun (15) is the XMAS TRIBUTE EXTRAVAGANZA from Sam Chara (Shirley Bassey & Dolly Par ton tribute) from 6pm
Q U E E N S A R M S
l 7 George St, BN2 1RH, T: 01273 696873, www.theqabrighton.com
l OPEN Mon–Fri from 5pm, Sat & Sun from 2pm; Xmas Day from 7pm, NYE from 5pm
l NYE Tue (31) is the NYE ROARING 20S SPECIAL with live music from Sam Chara and Marilyn du Sax at 8pm; Andy the Dandy DJ takes you into 2020 with top tunes from midnight till late
l REGUL ARS FREE LIVE MUSIC every night: l Sun at 6pm: Lo Polodoro (1), Louis Checkley & band (8), Dave Williams (22) and Pollito Boogaloo (29) l Mon: Nils Solberg-Mick Hamer Trio at 2pm; then at 8pm: Chris Coull & band (2), Will Gardner & band (9), Jack Kendon (16), Sam Carlese Trio (23) and Sarah Harris Trio (30) l Tue at 8pm: the Mucky Ducklings (3), Scott Booth (10) and Yellow Funk Machine (17) l Wed at 8pm: 4 and More (4), Sarah Oschlag Trio (11) and Jam Session (18) l Thur world music at 8pm: Tres Amigos (5), Babou with Abraham de Vega (12) and Son Guaranchando (19) l Fri is PARTY TIME with DJ Havexx at 9pm l Sat is AND ALL THAT JAZZ at 4pm: the Monday Boys (7), Gabriel Garrick Trio (14), Lawrence Jones & band (21) and Jorges Hot Club (28); Andy the Dandy DJ at 9pm, free entry
l THREE JOLLY BUTCHERS live football: Oxford v Man City 8pm
l LE VILL AGE local cabaret 10pm
THURSDAY 19
l AFFINITY BAR Drag Bingo with Lovinia Belle & prizes 8pm
l ALL NEW BULLDOG #Transvolve
Thursday: camp karaoke & queens with Macarena & Sam Pink 8pm
l BAR BROADWAY Ross Cameron’s Big Quiz: cash/boozy prizes 8pm
l CAMELFORD ARMS £300 Big Cash Quiz 9pm
l CHARLES ST TAP Throwback
Thursday 9pm
l GROSVENOR BAR Abel Mabel’s Bingo 8 30pm
l MARINE TAVERN Throwback
Thursday 80s Night 8pm
l PARIS HOUSE World Music: Son Guaranchando 7.30pm
l QUEEN’S ARMS Leading Ladies cabaret: Stephanie Von Clitz 10pm
l REGENCY TAVERN Open mic Xmas
Special with Chris Hide 8 30pm
l SUBLINE Brace Yourself 9pm
l LE VILL AGE karaoke & open mic with George Mar tin Marino 8 30pm
FRIDAY 20
l AFFINITY BAR Wigs & Beads Karaoke with drag hostess 8pm
l ALL NEW BULLDOG Friday Night Live
Xmas Special: camp karaoke with DJ Glyn-Sing 9pm; ShowTime with Domina Tryx 11pm; karaoke till 3am
l AMSTERDAM cabaret: Davina Sparkle 9 30pm
l BAR 7@CRAWLEY TGIF Madness: resident/guest DJs 7pm
l BAR BROADWAY Jukebox 5pm
l BASEMENT CLUB@LEGENDS Night Shift: DJ David Noakes 11pm
l CAMELFORD ARMS Friday Club 6pm
l CHARLES ST TAP Fabulous Friday: DJ Morgan Fabulous 9pm
l GROSVENOR BAR cabaret: Jennie Castell 9.30pm
l LEGENDS BAR Brighton Belles: local cabaret stars & guests 9pm
l MARINE TAVERN Big Office Xmas Par ty 9pm
l DRINK PROMOS Mon–Fri from 5–9pm, Sat & Sun from 2–6pm
l XMAS Tue (24) XMAS EVE SPECIAL with Davina Sparkle at 10pm l Wed (25) is XMAS DAY CABARET with Kara Van Park from 10pm l Thur (26) is Pat Clutcher’s BOXING DAY SPECIAL from 7pm
l NYE Tue (31) is the NYE PARTY from 5pm with Kara Van Park on stage at 10pm & 11.45pm, free entry all night
l REGUL ARS Kara Van Park’s MUSICAL MONDAYS has show tunes and high camp at 9pm l Tue: QA’S GOT TALENT with host Poppycock and guest judges from 9.30pm, pop into the bar or visit www.theqabrighton.com to apply l Wed: Sally Vate’s HUMP SHOW at 10pm l Thur: LEADING LADIES CABARET at 10pm: Dave Lynn (5), Kara Van Park (12) and Stephanie Von Clitz (19) l QA BIG FRIDAY cabaret at 10pm: Cherr y Liqour (6), Mrs Moore (13), Mar tha D’Ar thur (20) and Marsha Mallow (27) “ Voice of a thousand fags” Mrs Moore (13) has been chain-smoking and downing skittlebombs for years and has a sharp tongue and a hear t of gold! The QA say: “There’s a Moose loose about this hoose! Mrs Moore 'write it down' graces our erection of joyousness live on stage singing songs and telling tales for your pleasure Skittle bomb, anyone?” l
Sat: QA TRIPLE CABARET with a triptych of top acts: Poppycock at 6pm, Betty Swollocks at 8pm, then 10pm: Gabriella Parrish (7), Sandra (14), Lola Lasagne (21) and Vicki Vivacious (28) l SUNDAY FUNDAY Triple cabaret with: Betty Swollocks at 3pm, then shows at 6.30pm & 10pm: Terr y Tour (1), Jade Justine (8), Topsie R edfern (15), Davina Sparkle (22) and Lucinda Lashes (29)
l PARIS HOUSE DJ Havexx 9pm
l QUEEN’S ARMS Big Friday Cabaret: Mar tha D’Ar thur 10pm
l REGENCY TAVERN CABA Regency with George Mar tin Marino 9pm
l SUBLINE Filth Xmas Special: all genders welcome 10pm
l LE VILL AGE cabaret: Candy Slag in Drag 10pm
l ZONE cabaret: Stephanie Von Clitz 10pm
SATURDAY 21
l AFFINITY BAR camp cabaret: Pat Clutcher 6 30pm; karaoke 8pm
l ALL NEW BULLDOG Wonda Starr’s
Qween of the Night: camp karaoke with prizes 9pm
l AMSTERDAM Karaoke 9 30pm
l BAR 7@CRAWLEY Xmas Par ty 7pm
l BAR BROADWAY Jukebox 4pm
l BASEMENT CLUB@LEGENDS Fusion: DJ Peter Castle 11pm
l CHARLES ST TAP Fierce DJs 9pm
l GROSVENOR BAR cabaret: Stephanie
Von Clitz 9 30pm
l LEGENDS BAR Pre-club DJ 7pm
l MARINE TAVERN Candi Rell’s Karaoke & Cabaret Par ty 9pm
l PARIS HOUSE All That Jazz: Lawrence Jones & band 4pm; Andy the Dandy DJ 9pm
SATURDAY
SUNDAY FUN DAY
D E C E
M B E R
L I S T I N G S
T H E R A I L W A Y C L U B
l 4 Belmont, Dyke Road, BN1 3TF, Tel: 01273 328682
l OPEN Mon–Wed from 5–11pm, Thur from 11am–11pm, Fri from 3–11pm, Sat 12–11pm (till midnight at special events), closed Sun (exc 15)
l MEMBERS The Railway Club is a welcoming members’ club with snooker, billiards, dar ts and table tennis all available to members Perfect for groups, par ties or meetings, the Railway Club is friendly and spacious so pop in and join up! Bookings now being taken for 2020 par ties, contact the club for more info
l DRINK PROMOS every Fri & Sat
l ONE FOR THE DIARY Sun (15): QUIZ in aid of One Sight from 7pm, max of 4 per team, top prizes to be won
l XMAS Sat (21) is Tabitha Wild’s XMAS SHOW at 8.30pm, all welcome and free entry
l NYE Tue (31)is the Railway Club NYE PARTY with a DJ from 8pm, tickets are on sale from Dec 1
l REGUL ARS Tue: Swing into the Railway Club for Lindy hop from 7pm
l SUBLINE Yule in Your Pants underwear par ty: Xmas special 9pm
l THREE JOLLY BUTCHERS live football: Watford v Man Utd 2pm, Spurs v Chelsea 4 30pm
l LE VILL AGE cabaret: Linda Bacardi & Rosie Glow 10pm; roasts 12-6pm
l ZONE cabaret: Stone & Street 6pm
MONDAY 23
l AFFINITY BAR all day karaoke 12pm;
R E G E N C Y T A V E R N
l 32-34 Russell Sq, BN1 2EF T: 01273 325 652, www regencytavern co uk
l OPEN Sun–Wed from 12–11pm, Thur from 12pm–12am, Fri & Sat from 12pm–1am Xmas Day, Boxing Day & New Year ’s Day from 12–6pm
l FOOD Mon–Fri from 12–3pm & 5–9pm, Sat & Sun from 12–9pm; get two PieMinister pies for £10 all day on Wed; two roasts for £19.95 on Sun 12–6pm, booking recommended l DRINK PROMOS 20% off selected drinks Tue from 6–9pm
l XMAS Mon (16) is the XMAS QUIZ with Chris Hide and festive frolics at 8pm l Thur (19): belt out a festive classic or two at the OPEN MIC XMAS SPECIAL with Chris Hide from 8.30pm
l NYE Tue (31) is the NYE MASQUERADE PARTY with host Stephanie Von Clitz from 8.30pm
l REGUL ARS Thursday is OPEN MIC with Chris Hide at 8 30pm
l Friday (13 & 20) is CABA-REGENCY with George Mar tin Marino from 9pm l Saturday CABARET with top acts on stage at 9pm: Topsie R edfern (7), Davina Sparkle (14) and Kara Van Park (21)
karaoke with Tommy Tanker (aka Pat Clutcher) 7pm
l ALL NEW BULLDOG Monday Glitter Ball: 70s-00s tunes 4pm
l BAR BROADWAY Gleefully Smashed by a Crazy Ex Girlfriend: TV musicals 6pm
l CHARLES ST TAP Gaymers Night: consoles/board games 8.30pm
l LEGENDS BAR Penny Clutcher: Pat Clutcher or Miss Penny & guest 9 30pm
l PARIS HOUSE live jazz: Nils SolbergMick Hamer Trio 2pm; Sam Carlese Trio 8pm
l QUEEN’S ARMS Kara Van Park’s Musical Mondays 9pm
TUESDAY 24
l AFFINITY BAR Xmas Eve - see Facebook for info 12pm
l ALL NEW BULLDOG #Transvolve
Tuesday Xmas Eve Special: Macarena & Sam Pink bring Xmas camp, karaoke & queens 8pm
l BAR 7@CRAWLEY Crewsday 7pm
l BAR BROADWAY Xmas Sing-Along 7pm
l BASEMENT CLUB@LEGENDS Xmas Eve Par ty with DJ Peter Castle 11pm
l CHARLES ST TAP Xmas Eve cabaret with Kara Van Park 10pm
l LEGENDS BAR Xmas Eve Par ty 11am
l MARINE TAVERN Xmas Eve Curry & Quiz with Nat 7.30pm
l QUEEN’S ARMS Xmas Eve Special with Davina Sparkle 10pm
l RAILWAY CLUB Lindy hop 7pm
l SUBLINE Midnight Mass 10pm
WEDNESDAY 25
l AFFINITY BAR Xmas Day 2pm; Xmas cabaret with Lovinia Belle 6pm
l ALL NEW BULLDOG A Camp Xmas with the Pinks 7pm
l AMSTERDAM Xmas lunch & cabaret: bookings only 11am
l BAR 7@CRAWLEY Midweek Chill 7pm
l BAR BROADWAY Xmas Day Fireplace
Sessions with Jennie Castell 9pm
l BASEMENT CLUB@LEGENDS closed for Xmas
l CAMELFORD ARMS Xmas Day 12pm
l CHARLES ST TAP closed for Xmas
l FALLEN ANGEL Xmas Day 12pm
l LEGENDS BAR Xmas Day cabaret: Dave Lynn 7pm, Miss Jason 9pm
BOXING DAY THUR 26TH 9PM XMAS CAROLS WITH AIDA H DEE NYE PARTY TUE 31ST PAT CLUTCHER 8PM
L I S T I N G S
S U B L I N E
l 129 St James' St, BN2 1TH, T: 01273 624100, www.sublinebrighton.co.uk
l OPEN Sun, Wed & Thur from 9pm, 10pm Fri & Sat, closed: Xmas Day, Boxing Day, Fri (27), Wed 1 Jan & Thur (2) Jan
l DRINK PROMOS Wed: all draught beers £1 off, 2 cocktails for £12
l ONE FOR THE DIARY Mon (2) is the launch of the new SUBLINE QUIZ
NIGHT with host Mr Ian Sinclair, plus an Auction for THT from 7pm, £2 per person, all welcome! Subline say: “There’ll be cash and booze up for grabs, and we’ll hopefully raise some quids for charity into the bargain!”
l XMAS Fri (6) is FESTIVE FULL FETISH FRIDAY all-male night with a strict fetish dresscode from 10pm, entry £8 includes locker (if available) or cloakroom
l Sat (7) is BBW SANTA’S COMING with Dave the Bear, Saucy Santa & more, £5 mems or £7, all to the Brighton R ainbow Fund l Fri (13) CLUB SILENCIO
OFFICE XMAS PARTY from 8pm, all genders welcome, £7 entry, l Fri (20): FILTH!, the monthly kink night gets all Christmassy, advance tickets from £15 or limited tickets £25 on the door, all genders welcome l Sun (22) is YULE COME IN YOUR PANTS underwear par ty from 9pm, £3 entry for mems/£5 otherwise l Tue (24) is MIDNIGHT MASS, entry £3/£5 Subline say: “Join us to see in the holy day, if you can tear yourself away from prepping the veg ”
l NYE Tue (31) NEW YEAR SHINDIG, advance tickets £6 or £8 on the door
l REGUL ARS Wed is HUMP DAY, all welcome & free entry for members!
l Wed (4) is JOYSTICK JOCKEYS gaming night from 8pm, all welcome
l Thur is BRACE YOURSELF men’s night, free entry l Fri: kick-star t the weekend at STEAM from 10pm, £3/£5 l Sat: turn up the heat at MEN’S ROOM, £3/£5 l Sun is GUILT FREE PLEASURES, members free or £5
l MARINE TAVERN Xmas Day 7pm
l PARIS HOUSE closed for Xmas
l QUEEN’S ARMS Xmas Day 7pm; Xmas Day cabaret: Kara Van Park 10pm
l REGENCY TAVERN Xmas Day 12pm
l SUBLINE closed for Xmas
l VELVET JACKS Xmas Day 11am
l LE VILL AGE Xmas Day 12pm
THURSDAY 26
l AFFINITY BAR Boxing Day - see Facebook for info 12pm
l ALL NEW BULLDOG #Transvolve
Thursday Boxing Day Special: camp Xmas karaoke & queens with Macarena & Sam Pink 8pm
l AMSTERDAM Boxing Day 11am
l BAR BROADWAY Boxing Day Quiz 8pm
l BASEMENT CLUB@LEGENDS Boxing Day Ultra UV Par ty: DJ Claire Fuller 11pm
l CAMELFORD ARMS Xmas After Par ty 12pm
l CHARLES ST TAP Boxing Day 11am; Throwback Thursday 9pm
l GROSVENOR BAR Abel Mabel’s Bingo 8.30pm
l LEGENDS BAR Boxing Day cabaret: Davina Sparkle 3 30pm
l MARINE TAVERN Boxing Day Cabaret with Aida H Dee 8pm
T H R E E J O L L Y B U T C H E R S
l 59 Nor th Rd, BN1 1YD, Tel: 01273 608571, www 3jollybutchers com
l OPEN daily from 12pm Xmas Evevtill 6pm; closed Xmas Day & Boxing Day; NYE open till 7 30pm; New Year ’s Day from 12pm
l FOOD Pre Home Match Warm-up Pie & Pint Match Deal from 1pm on Sun (8), 12pm on Sat (21) and 10am on Sat (28) & Wed (1) Jan
l LIVE SPORT Live football on the big screens - see listings for fixtures
l PARIS HOUSE closed for Boxing Day
l QUEEN’S ARMS Pat Clutcher’s Boxing Day Special 7pm
l REGENCY TAVERN Boxing Day 12pm
l SUBLINE closed for Boxing Day
l LE VILL AGE Boxing Day Xmas Carols with Aida H Dee 12pm
FRIDAY 27
l AFFINITY BAR Wigs & Beads Karaoke with drag hostess 8pm
l ALL NEW BULLDOG Friday Night Live: camp karaoke with DJ Glyn-Sing 9pm; ShowTime with Domina Tryx 11pm; karaoke till 3am
l AMSTERDAM cabaret: Kathy Diamond 9 30pm
l BAR 7@CRAWLEY TGIF Madness: resident/guest DJs 7pm
l BAR BROADWAY Jukebox 5pm
l BASEMENT CLUB@LEGENDS A Xmas Night Shift: DJ David Noakes 11pm
l CAMELFORD ARMS Friday Club 6pm
l CHARLES ST TAP Fabulous Friday: DJ Morgan Fabulous 9pm
l GROSVENOR BAR cabaret: Kara Van Park 9 30pm
l LEGENDS BAR Brighton Belles: local cabaret stars & guests 9pm
l MARINE TAVERN Jukebox Disco 9pm
l PARIS HOUSE DJ Havexx 9pm
l QUEEN’S ARMS Big Friday Cabaret: Marsha Mallow 10pm
l SUBLINE closed
l LE VILL AGE cabaret: Drag With No Name 10pm
SATURDAY 28
l AFFINITY BAR camp cabaret: Pat Clutcher 6.30pm; karaoke 8pm
l ALL NEW BULLDOG Wonda Starr’s Qween of the Night: camp karaoke with prizes 9pm
l AMSTERDAM Karaoke 9 30pm
l BAR 7@CRAWLEY Par ty Night: alternate DJs: Kirsty Anderson, Jazzy Jane, Charlie Eaton, Patrick Cawley & Michael Adams 7pm
l BAR BROADWAY Jukebox 4pm
l BASEMENT CLUB@LEGENDS Xmas Fusion: DJ Peter Castle 11pm
l CHARLES ST TAP Fierce DJs 9pm
l GROSVENOR BAR cabaret: Davina Sparkle 9.30pm
l LEGENDS BAR Pre-club DJ 7pm
l MARINE TAVERN Candi Rell’s Karaoke & Cabaret Par ty 9pm
l PARIS HOUSE All That Jazz: Jorges Hot Club 4pm; Andy the Dandy DJ 9pm
l THREE JOLLY BUTCHERS Pre home match warm-up: pie & pint deal: Brighton v Bournemouth 10am; live football: Brighton v Bournemouth 12 30pm, Norwich v Spurs 5 30pm, Burnley v Man Utd 7 45pm
l LE VILL AGE Scandalous: LGBT+ night: DJ/host Stephanie Starlet 10pm
l ZONE cabaret: Davina Sparkle 10pm
SUNDAY 29
l AFFINITY BAR cabaret: Davina Sparkle 5pm
l ALL NEW BULLDOG Sunday Funday 12pm; camp karaoke with Mandy 5pm
l AMSTERDAM guest singer 5pm; roasts 12pm-till gone
l BAR 7@CRAWLEY karaoke with host Tyler or Ben 6pm
V E L V E T J A C K S
l 50 Norfolk Sq, BN1 2PA, Tel: 07720 661290 F velvetjacksbrighton/
l OPEN Tue–Thur from 4–11 30pm, Fri & Sat from 12–11 30pm, Sun from 1–11pm Open Xmas Day, 11am–3pm
l DRINK PROMOS Tue–Fri 4–7pm: Orangeboom £4 a pint, 2 cocktails for £12
l NYE Tuesday (31) is the NYE FANCY DRESS PARTY with lots of shots, prizes and nibbles!
l BAR BROADWAY Fireplace Sessions pres Sam’s Festive Ex-Chara-Ganza 8.30pm
l BASEMENT CLUB@LEGENDS Glitter
Curious Xmas Special: sing-along party with Patrick Cawley & Maria Gardner 11pm
l CAMELFORD ARMS Bear Bash: free food/raffle 5pm; roasts/select menu 12pm– till gone
l CHARLES ST TAP cabaret: host Sally Vate & Jennie Castell 7.30pm; Sally’s Rock & Roll Bingo 8 30pm; roasts 12pm
l LEGENDS BAR cabaret: Lola Lasagne
3 30pm; roasts 12 30–4pm
l MARINE TAVERN roasts 12-5pm; Drag Open Mic: Stephanie Von Clitz 8 30pm
l THREE JOLLY BUTCHERS live football: Arsenal v Chelsea 2pm, Liverpool v Wolves 4.30pm
l LE VILL AGE cabaret: Topsie Redfern 10pm; roasts 12-6pm
MONDAY 30
l AFFINITY BAR all day karaoke 12pm; karaoke with Tommy Tanker (aka Pat Clutcher) 7pm
l ALL NEW BULLDOG Monday Glitter Ball: 70s-00s tunes 4pm
l BAR BROADWAY Gleefully Smashed by a Crazy Ex Girlfriend: TV musicals 6pm
l BASEMENT CLUB@LEGENDS A Special Xmas Pop!Candy with DJ Claire Fuller 11pm
l CHARLES ST TAP Gaymers Night: consoles/board games 8 30pm
l LEGENDS BAR Penny Clutcher: Pat
Clutcher or Miss Penny & guest 9.30pm
l PARIS HOUSE live jazz: Nils SolbergMick Hamer Trio 2pm; Sarah Harris Trio 8pm
l QUEEN’S ARMS Kara Van Park’s Musical Mondays 9pm
TUESDAY 31
l AFFINITY BAR NYE Par ty: cabaret with Vicki Vivacious & Lovinia Belle 8pm
l ALL NEW BULLDOG NYE
Extravaganza with karaoke 9pm
l AMSTERDAM NYE Par ty with DJ 9pm
l BAR 7@CRAWLEY NYE Black & White Par ty 9pm
L E V I L L A G E
l 2-3 High Street, Brighton, BN2 1RP , Tel: 01273 681634
l OPEN including Xmas: Mon–Thur noon–1 30am, Fri–Sun 11am–2 30am
l FOOD served all week inc Sunday roasts 12–6pm, £10: chicken, beef, pork and nut roast with all the trimmings Ask at the bar for desser t of the day! l DRINK PROMOS MONDAY MADNESS with selected drinks 99p all day
l WAD Sun (1) is the WAD CHARITY EVENING with Spice at 8pm
l XMAS Thur (26) BOXING DAY PARTY with Aida H Dee and Xmas carols at 9pm
l NYE Tue (31) NYE PARTY with Pat Clutcher at 8pm
l REGUL ARS Tue is SWITCH with Kr yan Shayne & guest hosts at 9pm
l Wed: LOCAL CABARET at 10pm l Thur: KARAOKE & OPEN MIC with George Mar tin Marino at 8.30pm l FABULOUS FRIDAYS with top cabaret at 10pm: R ose Garden (6), Peggy Wessex (13), Candy Slag in Drag (20) and Drag With No Name (27) l Sat is SCANDALOUS with DJ Stephanie Starlet at 10pm l SUNDAY SABBATH with top cabaret at 10pm: Candi R ell (8), Wilma Fingerdoo (15), Linda Bacardi & R osie Glow (22) and Topsie R edfern (29)
l BAR BROADWAY NYE: Traditional Hogmanay with Tabitha Wild 9pm
l BASEMENT CLUB@LEGENDS NYE
Countdown to 2020: DJs Claire Fuller & Peter Castle 9pm
l CAMELFORD ARMS NYE Par ty 8pm
l CHARLES ST TAP Black Ties & Tiaras NYE Par ty: host Joan Bond, giveaways & tunes 9pm
l FALLEN ANGEL NYE 4pm
l GROSVENOR BAR NYE Par ty with Davina Sparkle 9pm
l LEGENDS BAR NYE Countdown to 2020: DJs Claire Fuller & Peter Castle 9pm
l MARINE TAVERN NYE Par ty with Candi Rell 8pm
l PARIS HOUSE NYE Roaring 20s Par ty with live music from Sam Chara & Marilyn du Sax 8pm; Andy the Dandy DJ 12am
l QUEEN’S ARMS NYE 5pm; NYE Par ty
T H E Z O N E
l 33 St James’ St, BN2 1RF, Tel: 01273 682249, www.zonebrighton.co.uk
l OPEN Sun–Thur from 11am, Fri & Sat from 10am, Xmas Day from 12–4pm, NYE till 2.30am
l DRINK PROMOS daily excluding 9pm–close on Fri & Sat
l ONE FOR THE DIARY Sat CABARET at 10pm: Billie Gold (7), Topsie R edfern (14), Gabriella Parrish (21) and Davina Sparkle (28)
l XMAS Sun (22) is live music with Stone & Street bringing Xmas cheer from 6pm
l NYE Tue (31) is Sally Vate’s NYE PARTY from 9pm till 2 30am, free entry Sally Vate the Nor thern bird with the liver of a house brick, says: “Tis the season to be jolly, and where better to be jolly and full of festive merriment than with me to see the year out and welcome 2020 in? Expect the usual uplif ting humour and songs to get you into the party mood!”
l REGUL ARS Friday with top-flight CABARET at 10pm: Sally Vate (6), Chris Hide (13) and Stephanie Von Clitz (20)
with Kara Van Park 10pm & 11 45pm
l RAILWAY CLUB NYE Par ty: DJ 8pm
l REGENCY TAVERN NYE Masquerade with Stephanie Von Clitz 8 30pm
l SUBLINE New Year Shindig 9pm
l VELVET JACKS NYE Fancy Dress
Par ty: shots, prizes & nibbles 9pm
l LE VILL AGE NYE Par ty with Pat Clutcher 8pm
l ZONE Sally Vate’s NYE Bonanza 9pm
WEDNESDAY 1 JAN
l AFFINITY BAR New Year’s Day 12pm; karaoke with Tommy Tanker (aka Pat Clutcher) 8pm
l ALL NEW BULLDOG Green Light
Cruise Night New Year’s Day Special 8pm
l BASEMENT CLUB@LEGENDS New Year’s Day Now That’s What I Call Legends:
DJ Claire Fuller 11pm
l CAMELFORD ARMS New Year
Hangover Par ty 12pm
l CHARLES ST TAP New Year’s Day breakfasts 11am
l LEGENDS BAR New Year’s Day cabaret
3 30pm
l MARINE TAVERN Pink Pound 7pm
l SUBLINE closed
l REGENCY TAVERN New Year’s Day 12pm
l THREE JOLLY BUTCHERS Pre home
match warm-up: pie & pint deal: Brighton v Chelsea 10am; live football: Brighton v Chelsea 12.30pm, Man City v Ever ton
5 30pm, Arsenal v Man Utd 8pm
l LE VILL AGE New Year’s Day 12pm
THURSDAY 2 JAN
l AFFINITY BAR Drag Bingo with Lovinia Belle & prizes 8pm
l ALL NEW BULLDOG #Transvolve Thursday: camp karaoke & queens with Macarena & Sam Pink 8pm
l BAR BROADWAY Ross Cameron’s Big Quiz: cash/boozy prizes 8pm
l CAMELFORD ARMS £300 Big Cash Quiz 9pm
l CHARLES ST TAP Throwback Thursday 9pm
l GROSVENOR BAR Abel Mabel’s Bingo 8 30pm
l MARINE TAVERN Throwback Thursday 80s Night 8pm
l PARIS HOUSE World Music: 7 30pm
l QUEEN’S ARMS Leading Ladies cabaret 10pm
l REGENCY TAVERN Open mic with Chris Hide 8.30pm
l LE VILL AGE karaoke & open mic with George Mar tin Marino 8 30pm
THE EDGE & BOX BAR
SOUTHAMPTON
l Compton Walk, SO14 0BH, Tel: 023 8036 6163, www theedgesouthampton com
l OPEN The Edge daily 10pm closed Xmas Day & New Year’s Day l Box Bar: 7pm Tue–Sat closed Xmas Day & New Year’s Day
l DRINK DEALS Box Bar: 2-4-1 cocktails daily 7pm–midnight (till 8pm Wed); The Edge: Mon £1 50 shots & £2 house doubles, Tue 2 candyfloss cocktails £6; Wed £1 50 drinks; Thur half price drinks till m’night; Fri cocktails from £5; Sun £1 50 singles/£3 doubles
l WAD Sun (1) Fundraiser with Aura Jay’s Karaoke
l XMAS Fri (20) SANTA’S HAUS OF EDGE, DJs Craig Law, KT, Darcy Buckland, £50 bar tab giveaway b4 midnight
l Sat (21) THE BIG XMAS ONE with DJs Phil Marriott & KT
l Sun (22) Xmas CAROL KARAOKE with drag host Aura Jay
l Mon (23) Xmas ELVES RATES with DJ Darcy Buckland
l Tue (24) CANDY CANE XMAS EVE with DJ Audio K9 Xmas/pop classics
l Thur (26) Xmas QUIZ QUEENS in Box Bar with Aura Jay & Bella Black, win a big bag of cash at 8pm; Boxing Day GET SLAYED with DJ Liam Searle
l NYE Tue (31) NYE 2020 Celebrations with DJs Missy B, KT & Darcy Buckland till 6am, ticketed event and free bubbly
l REGULARS Sun: KARAOKE with drag host Aura Jay l Mon: MATES RATES in Box Bar with DJ Darcy Buckland, free l Tue: CANDY FLOSS with DJ Audio K9 pop classics l Wed: BEAUTY & THE BALLS BINGO with Miss Disney, prizes every round in Box Bar, 8pm; BAR 150 with DJs Missy B, & Lee Harris at 10pm; karaoke with Bella Black at 10.30pm l Thur: QUIZ QUEENS with drag host duo Aura Jay & Bella Black at 8pm, then GET DIRTY with DJ Liam Searle in the club l Fri: HAUS OF EDGE with regular theme night, DJs Craig Law & KT, £50 bar tab giveaway l Sat: THE BIG ONE from 10pm with 3 bars, 2 dancefloors & DJs: Morgan Fabulous & Neil Sackley (7), Claire Fuller & Trick (14) and Rob Davies & KT (28)
SUNDAY 1
PORTSMOUTH
l HAMPSHIRE BLVD 90s-Now 9pm SOUTHAMPTON
l EDGE WAD Fundraiser for THT: Aura Jay’s Karaoke 10pm
MONDAY 2
PORTSMOUTH
l HAMPSHIRE BLVD Student Mondays with Bella Black, DJs & giveaways 9pm
SOUTHAMPTON
l EDGE Mates Rates: DJ Darcy Buckland 10pm
TUESDAY 3
PORTSMOUTH
l HAMPSHIRE BLVD Cherry’s Bingo & cabaret 7pm
SOUTHAMPTON
l BOX BAR Candy Floss DJs 11pm
l EDGE Candy Floss: DJ Audio K9 11pm
WEDNESDAY 4
PORTSMOUTH
l HAMPSHIRE BLVD Big Navy Night Out with Aura Jay’s karaoke 9pm
SOUTHAMPTON
l BOX BAR Beauty and the Balls Bingo: host Miss Disney & prizes 8pm; Bella Black’s karaoke 10 30pm
l EDGE Bar 150: DJs Missy B & Lee Harris 10pm
THURSDAY 5
PORTSMOUTH
l HAMPSHIRE BLVD Night on the Lashes: Lucinda Lashes + karaoke & tunes 9pm
SOUTHAMPTON
l BOX BAR Quiz Queens: drag hosts Aura Jay & Bella Black 8pm
l EDGE Get Dirty: DJ Liam Searle 10pm
FRIDAY 6
PORTSMOUTH
l HAMPSHIRE BLVD We Love Fridays: DJ Toby Lawrence 9pm
SOUTHAMPTON
l BOX BAR Haus of Edge DJs 7pm
l EDGE Haus of Edge: DJs Craig Law & KT + win £50 bar tab 10pm
SATURDAY 7
PORTSMOUTH
l HAMPSHIRE BLVD Blank: DJs Missy B & Rob Davis 9pm
HAMPSHIRE BOULEVARD
PORTSMOUTH
l Hampshire Terrace, Southsea, PO1 2QN, Tel: 02392 297509
l OPEN Sun & Mon 9pm, Tue–Sat 7pm, Xmas Eve 8pm
l DRINK DEALS Sun various deals; Mon £1 50 drinks & £2 Jagerbombs; Xmas Eve from £2 50; Boxing Day from £2; Mon (30) NYE Warm Up Par ty from £1 50
l XMAS Tue (24): XMAS EVE PARTY, festive décor and cheer from 8pm, £3 from 10pm l Thur (26) BOXING DAY PARTY with DJ Missy B, £5 b4 12am, £7 after l NYE Mon (30) NYE WARM UP PARTY, £5 l Tue (31) HB’S NYE PARTY with DJ Luke Ennor and drag hosts, £10 in advance or £12 on the door HB say: “Let’s end the year like we start it Partying!”
l REGUL ARS WE LOVE FRIDAYS with DJ Toby Lawrence spinning tunes to get you moving, £3 b4 10pm/£5 after l Sat: BLANK with DJs R ob Davis & Missy B cranking up the par ty vibes with the latest char t remixes from 9pm l Sun: 90S–NOW, free l STUDENT MONDAYS with drag host Bella Black, giveaways and DJs, £5 l Win up to £500 every Tue at CHERRY’S BINGO with top drag acts at 7pm l Wed: BIG NAVY NIGHT OUT with host Aura- Jay’s Karaoke from 9pm, free entry l Thur: A NIGHT ON THE LASHES with the legendary Lucinda Lashes hosting karaoke and dishing out the ditties from 9pm, free entry HB say: “The fabulous foul-mouthed Lucinda Lashes is back for karaoke with lashes fit to blow you, and blow you away!”
SOUTHAMPTON
l BOX BAR The Big One 7pm
l EDGE The Big One: DJs Morgan Fabulous & Neil Sackley 10pm
SUNDAY 8
PORTSMOUTH
l HAMPSHIRE BLVD 90s-Now 9pm SOUTHAMPTON
l EDGE Aura Jay’s Karaoke 10pm
MONDAY 9
PORTSMOUTH
l HAMPSHIRE BLVD Student Mondays with Bella Black, DJs & giveaways 9pm
SOUTHAMPTON
l EDGE Mates Rates: DJ Darcy Buckland 10pm
TUESDAY 10
PORTSMOUTH
l HAMPSHIRE BLVD Cherry’s Bingo & cabaret 7pm
SOUTHAMPTON
l BOX BAR Candy Floss DJs 11pm
l EDGE Candy Floss: DJ Audio K9 11pm
WEDNESDAY 11
PORTSMOUTH
l HAMPSHIRE BLVD Big Navy Night Out with Aura Jay’s karaoke 9pm
SOUTHAMPTON
l BOX BAR Beauty & the Balls Bingo: host Miss Disney & prizes 8pm; Bella Black’s karaoke 10 30pm
l EDGE Bar 150: DJs Missy B & Lee Harris 10pm
THURSDAY 12
PORTSMOUTH
l HAMPSHIRE BLVD Night on the Lashes: Lucinda Lashes karaoke & tunes 9pm
SOUTHAMPTON
l BOX BAR Quiz Queens: drag hosts Aura Jay & Bella Black 8pm
l EDGE Get Dirty: DJ Liam Searle 10pm
FRIDAY 13
PORTSMOUTH
l HAMPSHIRE BLVD We Love Fridays: DJ Toby Lawrence 9pm
SOUTHAMPTON
l BOX BAR Haus of Edge DJs 7pm
l EDGE Haus of Edge: DJs Craig Law & KT
+ win £50 bar tab 10pm
SATURDAY 14
PORTSMOUTH
l HAMPSHIRE BLVD Blank: DJs Missy B & Rob Davis 9pm
SOUTHAMPTON
l BOX BAR The Big One 7pm
l EDGE The Big One: DJs Claire Fuller & Trick 10pm
SUNDAY 15
PORTSMOUTH
l HAMPSHIRE BLVD 90s-Now 9pm
SOUTHAMPTON
l EDGE Aura Jay’s Karaoke 10pm
MONDAY 16
PORTSMOUTH
l HAMPSHIRE BLVD Student Mondays with Bella Black, DJs & giveaways 9pm
SOUTHAMPTON
l EDGE Mates Rates: DJ Darcy Buckland 10pm
TUESDAY 17
PORTSMOUTH
l HAMPSHIRE BLVD Cherry’s Bingo & cabaret 7pm
SOUTHAMPTON
l BOX BAR Candy Floss DJs 11pm
l EDGE Candy Floss: DJ Audio K9 11pm
WEDNESDAY 18
PORTSMOUTH
l HAMPSHIRE BLVD Big Navy Night Out with Aura Jay’s karaoke 9pm
SOUTHAMPTON
l BOX BAR Beauty and the Balls Bingo: host Miss Disney & prizes 8pm; Bella Black’s karaoke 10 30pm
l EDGE Bar 150: DJs Missy B & Lee Harris 10pm
THURSDAY 19
PORTSMOUTH
l HAMPSHIRE BLVD Night on the Lashes: Lucinda Lashes karaoke & tunes 9pm
SOUTHAMPTON
l BOX BAR Quiz Queens: drag hosts Aura Jay & Bella Black 8pm
l EDGE Get Dirty: DJ Liam Searle 10pm
FRIDAY 20
PORTSMOUTH
l HAMPSHIRE BLVD We Love Fridays: DJ Toby Lawrence 9pm
SOUTHAMPTON
l BOX BAR Grotto of Edge DJs 7pm
l EDGE Santa’s Haus of Edge: DJs Craig Law, KT & Darcy Buckland, win £50 bar tab 10pm
SATURDAY 21
PORTSMOUTH
l HAMPSHIRE BLVD Blank: DJs Missy B & Rob Davis 9pm
SOUTHAMPTON
l BOX BAR The Big Xmas One 7pm
l EDGE The Big Xmas One: DJs Phil Marriott & KT 10pm
SUNDAY 22
PORTSMOUTH
l HAMPSHIRE BLVD 90s-Now 9pm
SOUTHAMPTON
l EDGE Xmas Carol Karaoke with Aura Jay 10pm
MONDAY 23
PORTSMOUTH
l HAMPSHIRE BLVD Student Mondays with Bella Black, DJs & giveaways 9pm
SOUTHAMPTON
l EDGE Elves Rates: DJ Darcy Buckland 10pm
TUESDAY 24
PORTSMOUTH
l HAMPSHIRE BLVD Cherry’s Bingo &
cabaret 7pm
SOUTHAMPTON
l BOX BAR Candy Cane Xmas Eve DJs 11pm
l EDGE Candy Cane Xmas Eve: DJ Audio K9 11pm
WEDNESDAY 25
PORTSMOUTH
l HAMPSHIRE BLVD closed for Xmas SOUTHAMPTON
l BOX BAR closed for Xmas
l EDGE closed for Xmas
THURSDAY 26
PORTSMOUTH
l HAMPSHIRE BLVD Boxing Day Party with DJ Missy B 9pm SOUTHAMPTON
l BOX BAR Xmas Quiz Queens: drag hosts Aura Jay & Bella Black + cash prize 8pm
l EDGE Boxing Day Get Slayed: DJ Liam Searle 10pm
FRIDAY 27
PORTSMOUTH
l HAMPSHIRE BLVD We Love Fridays: DJ Toby Lawrence 9pm
SOUTHAMPTON
l BOX BAR Haus of Edge DJs 7pm
l EDGE Haus of Edge: DJs Craig Law & KT + win £50 bar tab 10pm
SATURDAY 28
PORTSMOUTH
l HAMPSHIRE BLVD Blank: DJs Missy B & Rob Davis 9pm
SOUTHAMPTON
l BOX BAR The Big One 7pm
l EDGE The Big One: DJs Rob Davies & KT 10pm
SUNDAY 29
PORTSMOUTH
l HAMPSHIRE BLVD 90s-Now 9pm
SOUTHAMPTON
l EDGE Aura Jay’s Karaoke 10pm
MONDAY 30
PORTSMOUTH
l HAMPSHIRE BLVD Student Mondays with Bella Black, DJs & giveaways 9pm
SOUTHAMPTON
l EDGE Mates Rates: DJ Darcy Buckland 10pm
TUESDAY 31
PORTSMOUTH
l HAMPSHIRE BLVD NYE Party with DJ Luke Ennor & drag hosts 9pm
SOUTHAMPTON
l BOX BAR NYE Party: DJs Miss B, KT & Darcy Buckland 7pm
l EDGE NYE Party: DJs Miss B, KT & Darcy Buckland 7pm
WEDNESDAY 1 JAN
PORTSMOUTH
l HAMPSHIRE BLVD closed
SOUTHAMPTON
l BOX BAR closed
l EDGE closed
DANCE MUSIC
BY QUEEN JOSEPHINE & KATE WILDBLOOD
WILDBLOOD & QUEENIE’S DEC DELIGHTS
Wow What a year! With a soundtrack so good the dance just had to be had at 1BTN or in Brighton’s clubs, Wildblood’s 50th, and the glorious Brighton Pride 2019. A year of perfect BPMs that always sound better with you, dear dancers. Here’s to doing it all again next year and growing old disgracefully. Have a magical and sound Xmas and New Year.
) ROISIN MURPHY Incapable Skint Records
Our disco queen delivers the dancefloor moment of 2019.
) C. J. & CO. Devils Gun (Tech Support Edit) White
Nothing made our Brighton Pride bounce better – thanks Ned
) CRAZY P The Witness Walk Don’t Walk Limited
Our album of year produces a track you’ll always fall for ) JAMES CURD Searching Refuge Recordings
Everything you need for a dancefloor frenzy in 7 minutes 33 seconds
) JUAN MACLEAN The Lone Dancer Lovedancing
Oh how we can’t get enough of those strings Juan you are spoiling us
) BLACK SAUSAGE Space Kitten (original) Good For You Records
Disco wonder provided the soundtrack for this summer ’ s saucy bits.
) HORSE MEAT DISCO ft Kathy Sledge Falling Deep In Love Glitterbox Dons of disco deliver a Patterns anthem for their global HMD family.
) ABBA The Visitors (Mighty Mouse’s edit For Jim) Space Native
Re-edit of the year delivers goosebumps on goosebumps every play
) PEGGY GOU Starry Night Gudu Records
Stylish pop meets South Korean techno and melts our hearts
) CHRISTINE & THE QUEENS Comme Si (H Dijon remix) Because Music
Honey was the sweet icing on our 2019 disco cake with this remix.
) TERR Tale of Devotion (Diskomiks remix) Phantasy Sound Hands in the air inducing soundtrack for way too many after parties.
) BUSTIN' LOOSE Midnight In The Big Smoke Toy Tonics
Chunky disco edit that made our nights at The Tempest and Block.
) SOPHIE LLOYD ft Dames Brown Raise Me Up Classic Music Co Majestic as ever, our Soph returned to the fold with gospel gold.
) REBECCA HOODLESS ft PXCH Defenceless White Label
A beauty we always knew was there, astonishing in its glory
) COEO Japanese Woman Toy Tonics
Wildblood-can’t-stop-grinning shocker brings happiness every play.
) DETROIT SWINDLE ft Lorenz Rhode Music for clubs Heist
Right proper house that kept us nodding and dancing and loving.
) ELI ESCOBAR Seven Eleven Razor-N-Tape
1BTN classic to disco Jackie (and Jayne) for the radio station family.
) IZO FITZROY I Want Magic (Dimitri v Cotonete) Jalapeno Records
Vocal that charms and groove that insists on a dance. Magic indeed.
) MARTHA WASH Carry On (Folamour G O A T Edit) White Label
Perfect re-edit of house classic that started our Shameless life
) KDA ft Angie Stone The Human Stone (extended mix) RCA
End of night, end of year tune filled our summer with love
) Catch Wildblood & Queenie on 1BTN 1st & 3rd Fri every month, 14pm, 101.4FM 1btn.fm and at Queer Prom Camp Christmas at the Old Market (Dec 6); Decent at Tempest Inn (Dec 21); and Patterns
NYE: Joy Orbison and Fifi Éclair (Dec 31) wildbloodandqueenie.com
DJ PROFILE: HARD FEMME
) The festive season is officially upon us once again just in case you hadn’t realised, so obviously there is set to be much merrymaking and seasonal joy incoming Rather marvellously, Queer Prom will be returning to Brighton this December, making yuletide gay with a fabulous Camp Christmas Special. This month, Queenie caught up with the glorious Hard Femme who will be providing part of this wonderful event’s soundtrack
Hello, what’s your DJ name? I’m Scarlett and I DJ as Hard Femme.
Looking forward to your set at the Queer Prom - what can we expect? It’s a Gal Pals set so I’ll be playing music exclusively by women artists or women fronted bands. Expect a mix of pop, rock, hip hop, R&B, PC music and queer bangers.
Where else do you DJ? I’m the co-founder of Gal Pals, a queer club night centring on women, trans and non-binary people. We run monthly nights alternating between Brighton and London and I DJ there with my partner Xandice (DJ Jumeau).
What music rocks your world? I went to see Charli XCX last week so I’ve been listening to her discography all over again, my favourite record by her is Pop 2. I really like Caroline Polachek’s (of Chairlift) debut album Pang, produced by one of my favourite producers, Danny L Harle, and it’s incredibly beautiful and ethereal, the way she uses her voice is phenomenal I’m also really excited for FKA twigs’ new album to drop!
Fave Xmas tune of all time? It has to be Mariah Carey’s All I Want For Christmas Is You. It’s an obvious choice but it’s just the best. You know she’s made over $60 million in royalties from that song alone?!
HARD FEMME’S CURRENT TOP FIVE
) Well I mentioned Charli XCX earlier and I have to mention her again because I’ve had her new album Charli on repeat since its release. I’m obsessed with Shake It - Charli is frequently heralded as being the future of pop and I think this song really exemplifies that, it doesn’t sound like anything else It runs through so many different sounds, starting off really quiet and stripped back and gradually building then exploding into an abrasive cacophony of noise. Also Big Freedia and CupcakKe are on the track (along with Brooke Candy and Pabllo Vittar) and their verses in particular are incredible
) Kim Petras Turn Off The Light was on repeatedly in October (best Halloween record!).
) Grimes Violence
) Angel Olsen All Mirrors
) King Princess’ debut LP Cheap Queen is imbued with queer longing.
) Queer Prom Camp Christmas Special: 7pm–2am on Fri, Dec 6 at the Old Market, 11A Upper Market Street, Hove, BN3 1AS Tickets: theoldmarket ticketsolve com
SOUL + MUSIC
Darr yl W Bullock, author of David Bowie Made Me Gay: 100 Years of LGBT Music, catches up with Brighton-based singer Oli Spleen, who is marking 20 years of living with HIV with a new single, comprising tracks The Bedroom and Af ter The Flood, issued in time for World AIDS Day and raising funds for Terrence Higgins Trust.
) “I was diagnosed as HIV positive in 1999,” Oli admits, “And I was hospitalised with lifethreatening illnesses within the space of a year. At the time I thought I was going to die, so I decided on relocating to Brighton, to be closer to my family
“When I first moved here I used to go to Open Door, a drop-in centre in Kemptown where people could come and have a meal, use the computer and so on That gave me the framework to establish myself and get back on my feet, literally, because at one point I had lost the use of my legs ”
Open Door closed in 2008, and since then Oli, like many living with HIV, has come to rely on the services offered by Terrence Higgins Trust (THT) “They gave me the go-ahead to raise funds before I sent them the songs I was slightly worried that some of the lyrics to The Bedroom might be a bit too much for them,” he laughs.
Identifying as non-binary, Oli’s sexuality is central to his work, but it has caused problems as he discovered when he met with a PR specialist to help promote his first group, hardcore punk band The Flesh Happening. “The first thing she said to me was ‘the most important thing is to be yourself,’ and then, when I mentioned I was gay, she said, ‘Oh, I don’t think you should be gay’!”
His next group, Pink Narcissus, drew on influences including David Bowie, Jane’s Addiction, and Iggy & The Stooges. Alongside his current band, Spleen, Oli has continued with solo projects including Gaslight Illuminations, an album made earlier this year with Mishkin Fitzgerald of Birdeatsbaby
“Through Bowie I discovered Jacques Brel and the French ‘chanson’ song writing tradition, with its deeply poetic lyricism,” he says “Leonard Cohen also appealed to me for his lyrical ability as did Nina Simone for her raw intensity ” All of these influences are evident on the deeply personal Gaslight Illuminations, as are Marc Almond and Scott Walker
His new single is another powerful, personal statement After The Flood showcases Oli’s tender and contemplative side; in contrast, The Bedroom tips a wink to iconic LGBTQ+ artists of the past, including Soft Cell and Brighton’s own Jimmy Somerville, and should go down a storm at LGBTQ+ club nights around the country.
“The Bedroom is about how the room changes its role, from a place of sexual experimentation to a place of care when your body is deteriorating,” he explains. “After the Flood is about how we piece ourselves together after a great trauma. It’s a reflection of how things were, not how things are now.
“Nick Hudson, composer and leader of The Academy of Sun, and I had outlined a bunch of songs for the next album, Night Sweats and Fever Dreams, which were loosely based around the AIDS epidemic, framing them as the hallucinations of someone who was dying, back in the day when HIV was terminal. It was Nick that suggested that The Bedroom should have a kind of disco-house feel. After The Flood was very simple, with a sort of Leonard Cohen-esque guitar It’s about natural disasters, but as soon as
we applied it to the HIV/AIDS narrative the hair was standing up on the backs of our necks. It was coming together so well that I thought we needed to get it out for World AIDS Day, so I got on the phone to THT ”
Advances in medication mean that being diagnosed as HIV positive no longer needs to be a death sentence and, as Oli explains, “I think attitudes have changed Years ago, if I mentioned my HIV status many people would lose interest in me I had envisaged that I wouldn’t live beyond 30, but I didn’t really know how effective the medication was then
“I realised that I hadn’t prepared myself for the thought that I might live; but I’ve had an undetectable viral load for 15 years now There’s no way I can pass it on My doctors have confirmed that and that’s very reassuring Now I’m over 40 and I can see myself growing older –it doesn’t hold the fear like it once did.”
MORE INFO
) The Bedroom/After the Flood by Oli Spleen featuring Nick Hudson is available from iTunes and all good download sites. All profits will go to THT, 61 Ship Street, Brighton BN1 1AE.
) Darryl W Bullock is the author of David Bowie Made Me Gay: 100 Years of LGBT Music, available online and in all good bookshops.
WAD CONCERT 2019
St Mary’s Church, 61 St James' St, Brighton BN2 1PR Tickets: brightonwadconcert.info
) BRIGHTON & HOVE WORLD AIDS DAY CONCERT 2019 (Sun 1 Dec).
This year's concert features Actually Gay Men's Chorus, Brighton Gay Men's Chorus and the Rainbow Chorus, who will be joined by Qukulele, Rebelles, Resound Male Voices and the Sweet Chilli Singers Gary Pargeter, Lunch Positive Service Manager, said: “The funds raised for Lunch Positive, a grassroots charity, are so beneficial to our local HIV community They will contribute towards the regular delivery of our ever busier lunch club, and towards the development of our emergency food provision to people experiencing financial disadvantage and crisis ” Lunch Positive will be serving mince pies and mulled wine during the interval, so concert attendees are reminded to bring loose change.
ACTUALLY GAY
MEN’S
CHORUS
St Andrew’s Church, Waterloo St, Hove, Tickets: actuallygmc.org ) ACTUALLY GAY MEN’S CHORUS LET IT SNOW (Sat 21). AGMC toast the coming season with festive favourites and audience singalongs Conducted by musical director Samuel Cousins, accompanied by pianist Simon Gray and supported by a brass ensemble with special guests Kara Van Park and soprano Karen Reynolds Pre-sale tickets already sold out so look out for returns on the door.
BRIGHTON
GAY MEN’S CHORUS
All Saints Church, The Drive, Hove ) IT'S C*******S WITH BRIGHTON GAY MEN’S CHORUS (Fri 6). Led by chorus director Joe
) QUKULELE XMAS/ SOLSTICE/ HANNUKAH WONDERLAND (Sun 15). Sunday tea and cakes cabaret with mash-ups and mayhem: Mistress of Ceremonies, Sadie Latke, nice girl from Golders Green who took a wrong turn - hecklers beware; Sassy Cats, joyful swing dancing and tongue in cheek lip syncing; Behind the Lines: Ali Child and Rosie Wakley share secrets and songs from Ali's fascinating biography of forgotten stars, Gwen Farrar and Norah Blaney.
CAROLINE OF BRUNSWICK
, and accompanied by music director Tim Nail, the BGMC sing festive faves Winter Wonderland, Underneath the Tree and Christmas (Baby Please Come Home) and, taking advantage of the majestic acoustic and atmospheric setting for traditional classics, Coventry Carol, Patapan and the Hallelujah Chorus There will of course be a chance for you to sing-along with some seasonal favourites!
THE BRUNSWICK
Holland Rd, Hove, Box office: www.thebrunswick.net/buytickets ) EL GEEBEE TEA QUEUE (Thu 5). LGBTQ+ comedy/cabaret hosted by Alan Bonner and featuring music from Tamara D’Souza and Chuck SJ, spoken word from Sebastian Causton and comedy from Sam Williams and Katie Price ) AL START: GO KID MUSIC CLUB NEW ALBUM LAUNCH! (2pm, show 2.30-4pm, Sun 8). Join Al and the band for the official launch of her brand new family/children’s album, playing the new songs live and celebrating. Tickets: £7 Compass card, £5 carers, under 2s go free.
to unpack a glittering array of all original self-penned festive songs from her acclaimed repertoire You’ll hear toe-tapping showstopping show tunes, witty comedy numbers and haunting ballads, interspersed with scandalous stories from her ‘Ritz to the pits life’ in LA, Paris and erm… Dungeness. Hope sprinkles a fine frosting of vintage Vegas glitz as she takes you on this trip down her, by now, somewhat potholed ‘ mammary lane’ You’ll hear numbers such as Santa Is A Woman, the heartbreaking Paper Snow, hysterical Christmas Calypso, riotous Bagels and many more
Ditchling Rd, Brighton, Box office: www.wegottickets.com ) NOT ANOTHER DRAG PUB QUIZ (Thu 5). Shenanigans with Max Legroom, guaranteed naff prizes! ) FUNNY GIRLS (Fri 13). Julie Jepson hosts fabulous female funnies with stand-up, musical comedy, characters and improv.
KOMEDIA
Komedia, Gardner St, Brighton, Box office: 0845 293 8480 ) BENT DOUBLE (Sun 1). A gayfriendly, irreverent night of fun hosted by Laura Lexx, headliner Rob Deering, with Abigoliah Schamaun and Andrew White ) BECOMING ELECTRA: A QUEER MITZVAH (Thu 12) Heart-warming original one-woman drag show about a queer Jewish girl trying to find her voice. Electra struggles to reconcile conflicting elements of her identity: can she tell her queer friends she’s Jewish and her Jewish friends that she’s queer? 'Listen to Electra sing and your soul will be healed’ The Guardian
) MISS HOPE SPRINGS
CHRISTMAS AGOGO! (Sun 15) Once the toast of Las Vegas (now down on her luck and highly medicated) live at the piano ‘recovering showgirl’ Miss Hope Springs rummages under her Christmas tree
) ALFIE ORDINARY’S CHRISTMAS SPECIAL (Sun 22) Join Alfie and friends to celebrate the most wonderful time of the year Indulge in the very best festive camp singalongs, step into Christmas TV and fill up on enough Xmas spirit to power the lights on Western Road.
QUEER PROM
The Old Market, Upper Market St, Hove, Tickets: theoldmarket.com ) QUEER PROM (Fri 6). Fabulously festive line up including Denise Navidad (Rococo Chanel), Psychofag, Tayris Mongardi, Daphne, Georgeous Michael and hosted by the one and only Alfie Ordinary. Followed by DJ sets from
Hard Femme (Gal Pals) and Wildblood and Queenie (1BTN and B.Please). Don't forget to visit Santa's Grotto to find out whether you've been naughty or nice…
RUPAUL’S DRAG RACE UK Theatre Royal, New Rd, Brighton, Box office: 08448 717650
) RUPAUL’S DRAG RACE UK (Tue 3). Live show giving us the chance to see our favourite UK Season One queens ‘sissy that walk’, hosted by US drag queen extraordinaire, known as the dancing diva of the south, Alyssa Edwards
Paxton
ST
GEORGE’S CHURCH
St George’s Rd, Brighton ) RAINBOW CHORUS PHANTOM FESTIVITIES (Sat 14). Rainbow Chorus' 2019 winter concert is the musical equivalent of a box of Quality Street with something for everyone. Classics from Vivaldi’s Gloria to Sondheim’s Tonight and Somewhere; good old festive chestnuts: White Christmas, Winter Wonderland, Twelve Days of Christmas and other sing-along favourites plus a medley from West End classic Phantom of the Opera with Think of Me, Angel of Music and Wishing You Were Somehow Here
Again. Tickets: bpt.me.
) RESOUND & REBELLES: BRIGHTON & HOVE FOR THE HOLIDAYS: SUGAR & SPICE (Fri 6–Sat 7) Celebrate the season with a little sugar and spice as choirs Resound and Rebelles bring you one of our city’s quirkiest and bestloved Christmas traditions - this year with an exotic twist! After five years of cosy Christmases in Hove, the choirs are yearning for an adventure - so this year ’ s annual
musical get-together is heading for Kemptown! Infusing sweet, familiar harmonies with spicy accents of Indian, African and Swedish folk music, this truly unique concert will take you on a festive journey around the world Tickets: resoundmalevoices.org
AGMC
) 2019 has been an incredibly difficult time for Actually Gay Men’s Chorus (AGMC) who are grieving the loss of three members, Roy Perkins, Richard Tredgett and Mark Slater-Hyndman, which has left an indelible mark on the Chorus AGMC would like to thank its supporters, patrons and friends, with a special acknowledgement to their Chorus brothers at Brighton Gay Men’s Chorus (BGMC) for their love and solidarity BGMC invited members of AGMC to join them in performances of remembrance at both the Hand in Hand Festival in Cardiff and their recent concert, In Time For Pride. Samuel Cousins, AGMC ‘ s Musical Director, said: “Thank you to BGMC, and specifically to Joe Paxton, for inviting us to sing in their absolutely brilliant show. The last few months have really pulled our musical community together and I cannot wait for our future together.”
Alan Baser, AGMC Chairman, has left the board after three years of service. Under his leadership, AGMC has continued to raise thousands of pounds for the Rainbow Fund and the Sussex Beacon through its regular concerts, whilst developing stronger relationships within the LGBTQ+ music
HAND IN HAND LGBTQ+ CHORAL FESTIVAL
) Cardiff, the capital city of the Land of Song, rang out with LGBTQ+ voices in August at Hand in Hand, which saw over 35 choirs from across the UK and Ireland joining voices for a weekend of astonishing choral festival concerts. With a strong contingent from Brighton attending this was one of the biggest LGBTQ+ Choral festivals this year
More than 900 singers attended the festival with performances throughout the weekend at a range of some impressive venues in the heart of the city From the premier city centre venue of St David’s Hall, to the magnificent Millennium Centre, queer voices rang out singing all sorts of choral music from early polyphonic choral music to beautifully arranged and reimagined LGBTQ+ classics
Hand in Hand ended with an awards ceremony held in the impressive Welsh Parliament, Senedd, for long serving choir members, a hand over to 2021 host city, Newcastle, and a final concert The host city choirs, supported by Cardiff City Council and
community AGMC performed with the Festival Chorus at St David’s Hall in Cardiff with 200 voices and 60 instruments in a triumphant finale to the Hand in Hand biennial LGBT+ Music Festival
Filling Alan boots since September has been newly elected chairperson and Chorus tenor, Nick Paget, who is looking forward to carrying on Alan’s great work in the future Also elected to the new board of Actually CIC are Patrick Bullock, Alan Kite and Andrew Whitlaw who, alongside Ian Groves and Chris Tippett, will be driving the organisation into the Chorus’ 15th anniversary year.
AGMC will be joining BGMC, Rainbow Chorus, Resound Male Voices, the Sweet Chilli Singers and Qukulele for this year ’ s World AIDS Day fundraising concert at St Mary’s Church in Kemptown on Sunday, December 1.
the Welsh Assembly, were fully in support of the visiting choirs and promoted the festival fully. With welcoming statements from the First Minister of Wales, who was the first in his role to lead the Pride parade, and a welcome from the leader of Cardiff City Council.
It was a busy weekend with the Rugby International match between England and Wales seeing a 13-6 win over England which ensured the city was rocking all weekend. Brighton Gay Men’s Chorus (BGMC) Rainbow Chorus, Resound, Actually Gay Men's Chorus (AGMC) and the Sweet Chilli Singers received standing ovations for their separate performances and the BGMC and AGMC joined voices with an emotional rendition of Snow Patrol’s Run, sung in memory of AGMC member Richard Tredgett and the fiancé of BGMC Director, Joe Paxton, which moved the huge audience of St David’s Hall to tears
A gala concert at St David's Hall, featuring the South Wales Gay Men's Chorus, the Songbirds Choir, the Cardiff Trans Singers and the Festival Orchestra, ended with a show-stopping Welsh Rhapsody with a massed festival choir of over 400 voices, drawn from all the choirs attending, performing a fully orchestrated melody of Welsh folk song, Sosban Fach, concluding with a stunning choral version of local Valleys chanteuse Bonnie Tyler’s Total Eclipse of the Heart. Stunning.
Highlights of the concert: www.facebook.com/handinhandlgbt/
CL ASSICAL NOTES
REVIEWS
) FIERI CONSORT,
BREMF LIVE!
Virtuosa of Venice (Fieri Records FIER003VOV) The vocal ensemble Fieri Consort, BREMF Live! alumni, have released their third album, focussing on the music of Barbara Strozzi (1619-1677), Virtuosa Of Venice This gives them the chance to show off their considerable
talents in more soloistic repertoire, with works for one, two or at most three voices They are joined by Toby Carr (theorbo/baroque guitar), Aileen Henry (baroque harp) and Harry Buckoke (viola da gamba), and Carr and Henry also present delightful solo pieces by Giovanni Kapsberger and Ascanio Maione respectively, as well as a beautifully delicate duet from Buckoke and Carr by Bartolomeo Selma y Salaverde Strozzi was one of the most prolific composers of her time, and the selection of pieces here demonstrates her remarkable expressive range Sopranos Lucinda Cox and Hannah Ely have beautifully clear and blended voices in the sweetly flirtatious I Baci (Kisses), whilst Ely’s pairing with bass baritone Ben McKee in the more racy Morso e Bacio (Bite And Kiss) has suitably more bite. Meanwhile Cox joins mezzo Nancy Cole for the gently throbbing Sospira, Respira (Sigh, Breathe) The entwined virtuosic lines of Il Ritorno (The Return) are delivered with great sensitively and skill by Cox and tenor Tom Kelly Tenors Kelly and Josh Cooter have great fun with the comically melodramatic Al Battitor Di Bronzo (To A Brass Door-Knocker), whilst Ely enjoys the occasional unexpected sensuous chromaticisms amid the dancing lines of Benedetto Ferrari’ s Amanti (Lovers), with its swinging baroque guitar accompaniment. Monteverdi’ s sweet Si Dolce E’l Tormento (So Sweet Is The
Torment), as well as Nicolò Fontei’s gentle duet Dio Ti Salvi Pastor (God Save You Shepherd) receive expressive readings The disc ends with the passionately moving Lagrime Me (My Tears) from Strozzi, sung with moving expression by Ely, followed appropriately by Cole, Kelly and McKee singing Strozzi’s Conclusione Dell’Opera with great warmth and tenderness. A wonderfully constructed programme, demonstrating the variety of expression in Strozzi’s music, as well as the outstanding talents of these singers and players – highly recommended!
) VARIOUS Vivaldi: Concerto for 4 Harpsichords/ Concerto for 4 Harpsichords/ Bach Concerto for 3 Harpsichords (First Hand Records FHR60) First Hand Records are remastering early EMI stereo recordings from the 1950s, and their third volume focusses on music for harpsichords – not just one, but four As contemporary harpsichordist Mahan Esfahani informs us in his disc notes, the ‘revival harpsichords’ of that time, were hefty beasts, with iron frames and pedals more akin to pianos, rather than the more historically faithful reproductions that we now might expect. Surprisingly, these weighty instruments produced much less in terms of volume, so in recording with the Pro Arte Orchestra here, the harpsichordists
took advantage of techniques such as shifting register to bring out melodies, and lots of sudden dampening effects And the four harpsichordists? George Malcolm (whose own Variations On A Theme of Mozart appears here) was a conductor and composer as well as a harpsichordist, and Thurston Dart was a musicologist, and key figure in the British early music revival. They are joined by two Australians – pianist Eileen Joyce and conductor/performer Denis
Vaughan The four gave annual concerts together until the early 1960s Here they play Vivaldi’ s D minor Concerto For Four Harpsichords (arranged by Dart), as well as Bach’ s arrangement of another Vivaldi Concerto, and Bach’ s Concerto For Three Harpsichords. The orchestral sound is definitely dated, with plenty of vibrato, although there is still a surprisingly light energy for most of the time, and the jangling the harpsichords, particularly in the faster movements creates a lively soundworld that takes the listener along on an enjoyable journey Following this are four short solo pieces performed by another harpsichordist, the American, Ralph Kirkpatrick. His playing is definitely less showy, and he achieves more of the expressive potential of the instrument in the
CINEMA
) The Royal Ballet (Tue 10) performs Delibes’ Coppélia live from the Royal Opera House. You can also catch performances of
Tchaikovsky’ s Nutcracker (various dates) In a range of local cinemas, inc: Duke of York’s/ Duke’s at Komedia, Brighton, Odeon, Brighton, Connaught Theatre, Worthing, Cineworld, Eastbourne, Picture House, Uckfield. Check for details.
CONCERTS
ACCA
University of Sussex, www.attenboroughcentre.com
) The Maxwell Quartet (11am, Sun 8) play Haydn, Roukens and Schubert’ s Death And The Maiden Quartet
BREMF WINTER EVENTS
www.bremf.org.uk
) BREMF Consort of Voices, conducted by Deborah Roberts (6pm, Sat 7, St Paul’s Church, Brighton), performs Mystery, Transformation and Celebration for Christmas, with music by Lassus, Victoria, Handl, Willaert, both Gabrielis, Banchieri and Bassano Then PIVA: The Renaissance Collective present Yuletide! A Tudor Christmas (6pm, Sun 8, St Martin’s Church, Brighton).
Sweelinck and Pachelbel in particular The disc ends with a Bach Cantata, Bide With Us, sung in English by the Bach Choir and unnamed soloists, with the Jacques Orchestra conducted by Reginald Jacques. The singing, both choral and solo, is overly warbly and without the clarity of focus we would now expect. However, there is some delightfully delicate playing from the solo oboist and cellist in the second and third movements Overall, a fascinating insight here into a different period in musicmaking, and well worth it for the Kirkpatrick and some of the livelier four-harpsichord movements
Reviews, comments and events: v nicks-classical-notes.blogspot.co.uk t @nickb86uk ) nbclassical@hotmail.co.uk
BRIGHTON DOME
www.brightondome.org
) The Brighton Philharmonic Orchestra, conducted by Natalie Murray-Beale (2 45pm, Sun 1), performs Haydn, Mozart and Vaughan Williams’ The Lark Asecending, with Thomas Gould (violin).
) Brighton Festival Chorus and Youth Choir, conducted by James Morgan (4pm, Sun 8), are joined by the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra and Juliette Pochin (mezzosoprano) for their annual Christmas concert
TRINITY CHURCH
St John sub Castro, Lewes, www.eastsussexbachchoir.org
) The East Sussex Bach Choir, conducted by John Hancorn (7.30pm, Sat 7), are joined by His Majesty’s Sackbutts & Cornetts, and Rebecca Leggett (mezzosoprano) for Music for a Venetian Christmas, including Monteverdi, G & A Gabrieli, Bassano and Willaert
ST MICHAEL’S CHURCH
158 High Street, Lewes www.thebaroquecollective.org.uk
) The Baroque Collective Singers & Players, conducted by John Hancorn (7.30pm, Sun 22), perform Handel’ s Messiah, with soloists Sally Matthews, Rebecca Leggett, Xavier Hetherington and Brindley Sherratt
) ALISON CHILD TELL ME I'M FORGIVEN: THE STORY OF FORGOTTEN STARS GWEN FARRAR & NORAH BLANEY (£11 99, www.tollingtonpress.co.uk). I loved this book, such a thrilling piece of unknown queer British history, and a fascinating addition to the fields of lesbian biography and theatre history. Gwen Farrar and Norah Blaney were drawn together by mutual desire and astonishing talent and versatility. They became England's first great female musical comedy double act, singing the popular love songs of the 1920s to each other onstage and making dozens of recordings They barely disguised the secret of their enduring 30 year long lesbian partnership Local author Alison Child’s vivid biography documents their tender, beautiful and bold life and examines, from a lesbian perspective, how they managed their love, lives and being clearly lesbian in the full public gaze. Every page made me smile, the stories and adventures captured are heart-warming and connect the reader to a world of huge change, one our grandparents would have known and loved. Gwen and Norah’s life together is explored from an LGBTQ+ perspective giving an authentic experience of how it was for them For many years they were fearless in their refusal to conform to social expectations, from the clothes they wore, to their careers, to how they chose to live The book is full of illustrations and pictures where they look back at us, a twinkle in their eyes The anecdotes bring them to life and it’s clear from Child’s familiarly with the material that these were electric women Their act was original, quirky and musically accomplished With as much attention to their domestic lives as to their long stage presence we get to see this charming couple as uncompromising and authentically themselves, in love, in partnership and in control. A superb read and the perfect festive gift for that special woman in your life.
) MICHAEL JAMES THE TRIPLE GODDESS (£8.99, www.fantasticbooksstore.com)
Local author Michael James’ first book is a fantasy extravaganza that mixes magic, legend, love and humour into a utopian/dystopian
popular culture reminded me of Ursula Le Guin, and there’s a Dune like feel to some of the more transformative parts of the book The plot explores sexual abuse, suffering, greed, religious extremists of all creeds and cruelty, but serving up retribution to protagonists and offering up salve and safety to the harmed. It’s a page turner and tears through an ever nearing global apocalypse which plays compulsive background to the domestic developments of the chosen few, the original couple and a group of friends, children and animals that are protected by the Goddesses as they gather to prepare for what comes after the end.
) TAI LE GRICE SMOKE & WATER
(£8 99, www cranthorpemillner com)
meets boy American college love story The book shows us the struggles of a gay couple against their own social conditioning and familial rejection but also gives us a strong narrative of people not being victims, but learning, focusing and fighting back; reclaiming their dignity and power, and grabbing love by the balls and decking anyone who dares get in the way A fierce imagining of merciless Queer revenge
) PAUL PRY FOR YOUR CONVENIENCE
(£7.99, www muswell-press co uk)
future world. We’re introduced to a seemingly ordinary world of cosy domestic bliss of boy meets boy and holidays in Italy when some strange coincidences make profound changes to the lives of the main protagonist, and almost everyone else in the book. There’s some serious narrative tempo going on, we slowly learn about the plans of an omnipotent trio of ancient goddessess displeased with the Eon of Men and the disasters unfolding all over their most cherished of planets, Earth The Triple Goddesses and their many curious manifestations decide, after a delightful tea party floating over the Himalayas, to take action and made some serious changes to the earth, to its societies, power structures and geophysical fabric. The short chapters and introductions of familiar characters from mythology, religion and
This is gem of exploration into the world of love across class barriers, of a working class lad who kisses above his station and the unflinchingly violent reactions of his lover’s family to these sexual, social and class transgressions. Le Grice takes us on a real adventure into the tender development of this sensual love between the two main characters and then the personal changes induced in one of them, following the appalling aggressive violent assaults, instigated by a homophobic wealthy gangster father that splits them apart. Le Grice writes well, his sex scenes are sensual but with little anatomical detail, a curious but engaging way of writing. The development of his main protagonist from beaten, almost broken, battered hospitalised wreck to defined, champion of martial arts and mentally disciplined is a tour de force of reclaiming The refusal to let violence define your life, and the power of hope and hard work All these themes are folded into a boy
Published in 1937, the author Paul Pry was actually Thomas Burke of Limehouse Nights fame This small vintage book takes the form of a conversation between a slightly snobby older man, Mr Mumble, and the younger working class hottie at a gentlemen's club over a magazine they are both apparently interested in, The Sanitary World and Drainage Observer. They have an in-depth
conversation about all the various public toilets in central London where you can get ‘full relief ’ supposedly after excessive consumption of tea or lager It’s tongue in cheek, suggestive, pofaced, geographically accurate and its seemingly ‘wink wink’ knowingly insightful dialogue gives the clear impression that this is a guide to where men can meet men for ‘relief ’ . It reads like a Jane Austen guide to cottaging at a time when homosexuality was illegal but that’s part of its charm. Subversive whilst pretending to be upright and informative, this is a smart reprint of perhaps the first queer city guide This is a proper lavatory book; and on the last page, the two men go off to the lavatory together (‘I’m coming that way too Lead on, my boy ’)
ALL THAT JAZZ
) MARK KAVUMA: The Banger Factory (Ubuntu Music). Mark Kavuma is one of the key trumpet players on the young British jazz scene at the moment, his Banger Factory band making a highly applauded appearance at this year ’ s Love Supreme Festival at Glynde
On this, his second set for Ubuntu Music, he turns in a classy set of soulful and reflective slowwalkers, more upbeat numbers, and some sprightly finger-tappers Perhaps best of all is Lullaby to a Fading Star, an old-fashioned sumptuous ballad that is a showpiece for the leader’s eloquent trumpet and Reuben James’s sultry Hammond organ.
All the compositions are by Kavuma, distinguished by their fine musicianship, the subtle addition of vibes, organ and guitar to the mix a shimmering contrast to the brassier trumpet and saxophone frontline At a time when too many young bands strive too hard for effect, Kavuma’s Banger Factory stands out for its consummate control and mature restraint This band deserves all the praise that is currently coming its way
) AVISHAI COHEN/YONATHAN AVISHAI Playing The Room (ECM)
Try as I might, I can’t think of another trumpet–piano duo set in jazz The format is just too exposed, as both instruments try to lead but neither is mere support However, trumpeter Avishai Cohen and pianist Yonathan Avishai, both of whom I have raved about in this column before, manage the impossible, largely thanks to their willingness to defer to each other. Avishai’s piano is romantic but restrained, Cohen’s poised and steely trumpet a deft contrast. Both appear to have all the time in the world. On a set that includes their own compositions and pieces by John Coltrane, Duke Ellington, and Stevie Wonder, among others, they deliver a stylish masterclass
) DINAH SHORE: Five Classic Albums (Avid). And now for something from way back when. Singer Dinah Shore became the first vocalist of the Big Band era to achieve solo success, having previously failed auditions for Benny Goodman and both Dorsey brothers’ bands She had 80 chart hits from 1940 to 1957 and a successful film and television career Stylistically, her voice was smooth and sometimes languid, her delivery natural, never forcing a note or pushing a beat too hard. Give her a good song and a sympathetic background, and off she sailed with ease. She recorded her first album for RCA in 1941 and moved to Capitol in 1959: her first five albums for that fine label from 1959–62 are collected here. Three are big band numbers, the first, Dinah, Yes Indeed!, superbly orchestrated by the incomparable Nelson Riddle The final two are small group sets: Shore supported by a superb André Previn on piano and then by vibist Red Norvo’ s quintet The Previn set is superb, as is Somebody Loves Me, a Previn-arranged full orchestral set from 1959 At over 160 minutes long, and with 53 tracks, this compilation is a fine indulgence
ART MATTERS
This month I’ve found four separate exhibitions concurrently on display in the same venue Only a short distance away in Chichester, the Pallant House Gallery has a widely differing selection of visual experiences waiting for your attention
PALL ANT HOUSE GALLERY
8-9 North Pallant, Chichester, PO19 1TJ, pallant.org.uk
) HENRY MOORE: THE ARTIST AND HIS PATRON (until Mar 8, 2020) is a free display revealing the important relationship between Henry Moore and his patron Walter Hussey. From his first glimpse of Henry Moore’s sketches of fearful Londoners sheltering from the Blitz, Walter Hussey sensed a dignity and force in Moore’s art. Captivated, the then rector of St Matthew’s, Northampton commissioned Moore’s Madonna & Child (1944) for his church and later on, as Dean of Chichester Cathedral, continued to support and collect the artist’s work. On view will be maquettes and sketches showing the evolution of the work alongside the men ’ s correspondence about the commission, press cuttings and archive photographs
) PRUNELLA CLOUGH: A CENTENARY (until Feb 9, 2020). A retrospective exhibition on one of Britain’s leading female painters This centenary exhibition traces Clough’s work from her early figurative depictions of dockworkers, fishermen, a lorry driver, as it evolves towards abstraction The figures slowly disappear but Clough’s close observation of colour, texture and form remain constant throughout, as does her fascination with the human impact on landscape. It was this distinct visual language that marked her out as one of the 20th century’s most exceptional female artists. Shortly before her death in 1999, Clough was awarded the Jerwood Painting Prize in recognition of her extraordinary contribution to the medium.
) RADICAL WOMEN: JESSICA DISMORR & HER CONTEMPORARIES (until Feb 23, 2020), is a fascinating history of alliances and connections among the women artists of the early 20th century, centred on the pioneering work of Jessica Dismorr (1885–1939). The exhibition explores how Dismorr and her female contemporaries engaged with modernist literature and radical politics through their art, including their contributions to campaigns for women ’ s suffrage and the anti-fascist organisations of the 1930s Some 80 works, including paintings, sculptures, graphic art and archival materials, have never been exhibited before. She pursued her work despite periods of debilitating mental illness, and died in London by her own hand in August 1939.
) JANN HAWORTH: CLOSE UP (until Feb 23, 2020) is an exploration of the role of art in community, identity and protest. The first chance in the UK to see American Pop artist Jann Haworth (b.1942) and Liberty Blake’ s (b.1968) mural, Work in Progress. The 28ft mural is the result of a collaborative community project and celebrates women who were catalysts for change in the arts, sciences and social activism Featuring over 100 women spanning over 3,000 years, it raises the question of how many of these different lives and endeavours have become unjustly marginalised or forgotten throughout history Alongside the mural are Haworth’s sculptural and wall-based works dating from the 1960s to the present day
DRAWN THAT WAY
The progressive pencil etchings of Nikita Ryan Craig Hanlon-Smith caught up with her to discuss why this art form and why this subject.
) Nikita (Nicky) Ryan is an artist and writer causing quite the stir on Instagram with her gay male erotica pencil drawings, an interesting and welcome change on the seemingly selfie obsessed medium A committed life-long artist, Nicky trained in graphic design and multimedia but in her words, it’s drawing and painting that remain her number one passion
Having run into Nicky at Pride in Brighton & Hove this summer, I caught up with her to discuss why this art form and why this subject “I’ve always drawn the male body but I started this project properly a couple of years ago ”
Your Instagram is focused upon gay male erotica. Why this particular genre?
“Mainly because of my writing, which is a more recent venture I’ve discovered a love of writing erotic gay romance and fantasy and have several books in various stages of completion which I hope to get finished and published. The
drawings started alongside my writing, with the idea of providing a visual record of my characters but have since evolved into their own entity And I love doing them ”
How does your sexuality inform this work?
“I’m a straight woman, which surprises a lot of people who look at my art, as they assume I must be a gay man But I find the male body exciting, and male bodies together extremely sensual and beautiful So far, I haven’t found any other woman drawing gay male erotic art, which is surprising considering that there are many male artists who draw female erotic art.”
How would you describe your own relationship with the LGBTQ+ communities?
“I’m an ally and fully support LGBTQ+ rights It doesn’t sit right with me that certain people have an issue with others just because of who they love and want to be with, and it’s something I feel very strongly about. I have
several gay friends and through socialising with them regularly on the gay scene in London and attending Prides with them, I’ve met many more people and am really interested in their stories I‘ll never know how it feels to be in the position that our society has made a lot of the LGBTQ+ community feel, but I feel privileged to be accepted into their world. I hope that my art in some small way can help with the acceptance of same-sex relationships.”
How do you approach your models?
“The main platform to showcase my art is Instagram and Twitter. Most of my models are guys who have approached me through Instagram and offered me their services! Then they send me photos to work from I’ve also approached people through social media and some in real life, and asked if I could draw them No-one has turned me down yet! I also use images from the internet that I find sensual and interesting One goal is to have a space where I can invite models to and work with them in real time
“I’m surprised at how well it’s been received, as the subject matter is obviously evocative I like to think that, rather than full-on explicit images (although some are) I try to show the softer side of relationships, the passion and desire, and maybe people appreciate that. As an artist, you put yourself out there and leave yourself open to criticism, especially with a subject like this. I think that’s what art is for - to push boundaries and open people’s eyes. I do get sent a lot of interesting pictures from men and it never fails to surprise me how free people are to send nudes to, let’s face it, a complete stranger. I’m sure some confuse it [Instagram] with Grindr!”
This style feels like a step into an older form of 20th century art and illustration...
“That’s really interesting because I’ve never really thought about it, but I can see what you mean It wasn’t my intention, as I just started drawing and my style has evolved in this way ”
What are your hopes for your work and do you plan to exhibit in the more traditional sense? “I hope people will continue to like and appreciate my drawings I’m extremely interested in mythology and folklore and want to explore the gay theme within them, which I’m doing now I had five of my drawings accepted to the Erotic Art London exhibition at the Oxo Tower in October this year which was exciting. Ultimately I’d love to exhibit a larger collection somewhere. I’d also love to meet other artists who produce gay male erotica and collaborate with them.
“I think there are such hang-ups with sex and sexuality in general, and even more so with same-sex relationships, and I’d love for my art to help end the stigma surrounding this. In my opinion it should be seen as a natural and beautiful thing. And I am always looking to hear from potential models!”
MORE INFO
You can see the full range of
ROMANTIC REALIST
In the first of a series of features about the musical directors of Brighton’s LGBTQ+ choirs, Brian Butler talks to Aneesa Chaudhr y, the charismatic MD of the Rainbow Chorus, about being an Asian lesbian ‘out ’ role-model, her love of classical jazz divas, and fond memories of our late editor, James Ledward.
) As a British Asian, Aneesa and her twin sister had the wisest of parents “They decided the safest way to keep us out of danger was to enrol us in the Berkshire county music service with its orchestras and choirs plus sports and drama I am extremely grateful for their foresight,” she says “They gave us gifts for life If you give a child all those things, it gives you confidence as a young person I felt I belonged and tried to be the best I could.”
Having moved away from home to study law, there was wider family pressure to move back home when her mother developed renal failure. “But my mother was adamant we should stand on our own two feet. We even had laughs over her dialysis when it went wrong. ”
While a student Aneesa set up the Kingston University Kidney Choir to raise funds and awareness for the need of organ donation and transplants, particularly within the Asian community and it quickly became clear that the music world was her future.
Aneesa explored her vocal range and began singing jazz songs in her tenor range, moving away from her classical training where she sang soprano. She undertook jazz master classes with established educators, including Mary King at the Royal Academy of Music and Barb Jungr, as well as respected BBC Jazz Award winners Anita Wardell, Claire Martin, Ian Shaw and Lianne Carol She became deeply connected to the jazz singing of the greats such as Ella Fitzgerald, Nina Simone and Sarah Vaughan She fell under the influence of jazz musicians she highly respected such as John Crawford, one of the UK’s best Latin jazz
pianists, and Andres Ticino, the world famous Uruguayan percussionist
“John pushed me harder and harder to get better - it was very exciting I learnt about improvisation, vocal percussion and creating something magical with the timbre of voice and song lyrics.” Her talents took her to international jazz festivals including Isle of Wight, Birmingham, London and the Rhythm of the Earth World Music Festival, Bangkok.
Not having taken the formal route to becoming a musician and vocal coach was sometimes frowned on by the establishment, but as you get to know Aneesa you see this was a challenge and an opportunity, not an obstacle. Her style with choirs, bands and students, as well as her many different audiences is the same - it’s to ensure that ‘ we ’ , be it singer, student or listener, are all sharing in having a good time together
Moving to Brighton with her girlfriend in 2011 was a conscious decision after a wonderful year out travelling the world She saw an advert for the position of MD with the Rainbow Chorus: “I was excited by the idea of running an LGBTQ+ choir, but also developing my community engagement work with the wider communities of Brighton ”
Aneesa is deeply sensitive to the difficulty of Asian people coming out in their communities and feels a responsibility to be visible as a role model for what can be achieved by someone who is a minority inside several other minorities. “Since 9/11 it’s even tougher to be Asian in today’s society. I’ve literally seen people cross the street to avoid me. Coupled with that is the cultural lack of support within the wider Asian community for Asian women doing the sort of work I do, let alone Asian LGBTQ+ women!”
Aneesa is a firm believer that little positive changes in society matter. She loves helping people find their voices in more ways than one. But she also understands the need to be respectful to wider Asian expectations and traditions and family members who still struggle with understanding that love is the most important thing ”I don’t keep my sexuality a secret - if anyone wants to know they can ask me about it or Google me! They don’t have to agree with me but at least they will maybe understand my viewpoint Hatred and anger are built on ignorance.”
In the lead up to World AIDS Day (WAD) and this year ’ s Brighton & Hove WAD Concert, she
says; “Clients I work with, members of the choirs and audience members I know, are living with HIV - often privately It makes me all the more determined that we should be open about the issue. Often I have the privilege of leading all the choirs at the December 1 joint choirs’ WAD concert and I make a point that we should be celebrating lives of those who are still here as well as remembering those who are gone. ”
“Things have improved. I expected some of my friends to be dead by now. Because they aren’t there’s a tendency to forget about it. There’s a need for information and communication still. We need to spread useful facts. Shared facts can change attitudes ”
What advice would you give a young Aneesa? “Do Physical Education (PE!) every day and preferably outdoors, like you did at school, it’s the best stress relief going! Make wiser food choices Try and retain a better sense of selfdiscipline and don’t give up on your dreams I’m a romantic realist I love to create a connection with choirs and audiences When they laugh or cry, that’s when I get excited It has to be raw and real for everyone ”
The sudden death of Gscene editor, James Ledward, in October, was certainly raw and real for Aneesa “He was one of the most important people in my life since moving to Brighton His gentle but forthright nature was very much appreciated He was always talking about how people’s lives could be improved by working together and I always want to make a difference with the work I do so loved working with him. We talked about the impact I could have in the LGBTQ+ and straight communities and I loved hatching plans with him.
“He did something no-one else was doing. All our lives were touched by him, even if people didn’t have contact with him directly. I loved that he was a scrutineer and Champion for our community.”
What are your future plans? “I want to get some of my choral arrangements published and carve out some time to tour again.”
Knowing her formidable energy and drive, it’s all sure to happen.
MORE INFO
) www.reverbnation.com/aneesachaudhry f aneesa.chaudhry t aneesachaudhry
“If a joke is clever but rude they’ll still laugh. They may pretend to be embarrassed but they get over it”
impersonation. But I never thought it would lead where it did, to TV, films and cruise ships ”
“I auditioned for Britain’s Got Talent three years in total and in the end I made it, singing with the 22-piece London Gay Big Band. I knew Britain’s Got Talent would be a great springboard and it was “
Being a semi-finalist opened up other avenues like singing jobs in the USA. “I was already upmarket in my looks - dress for the job you want not the job you have is what I say I knew I wouldn’t win the final but it was an opportunity, no-one had got that far with a light entertainment act It gave me an international springboard, a great hook to hang bookings on ”
Inspiration has always came from the older acts: Danny La Rue, Liza Minnelli, Judy Garland “They had a level of commitment you don’t often see, it’s a lost style I wanted to create that experience and escape for the audience There’s a mystique and vulnerability about those stars When I was booked for the USA I learned that those audiences have a different language, you have to be using their language. I regret that TV and theatre will no longer invest in those big show numbers.”
MANY VOICES - ONE L A VOIX
Brian Butler meets international singing sensation La Voix and talks about growing up on Teesside, learning the per forming craft in gay bars and clubs and the dreaded R-word
) La Voix is a phenomenon Steeped in the tradition of performers like Danny La Rue, Lily Savage and Dame Edna, the creation of a persona with a story to tell is an unusual twist on the art of impersonation When we meet in the tiny dressing room of the Crazy Coqs cabaret venue off Piccadilly Circus, the immaculate make-up and scarily red hair are already in place. Looking at La Voix’s many showbiz credits, which include performing on Britain’s Got Talent, a cameo role in Absolutely Fabulous the movie, and appearing two years running at Princes William and Harry’s NYE party, it’s hard to believe it all started with lip syncing Karen Carpenter at a Teesside primary school But it did
“At home there was dad’s record collection to listen to and copy - Donna Summer and Barbra Streisand to name two early influences I copied how they sang, whether it was Cher or Judy Garland, but made it my own I always knew I wanted to do theatre studies “
A degree in theatre studies at Brunel University did indeed materialise, followed by
post-graduate work on choreography at the prestigious Laban Centre and later the equally famous Urdang Academy
“It’s how I learned I’m not a dancer I was older than the rest and I knew it wasn’t going to happen.”
After all the studying, a UK tour in the musical Boogie Nights followed with other big shows
But the real apprenticeship was singing in the gay bars and pubs, including Legends and Charles Street Tap in Brighton. An eight-year residence at Soho’s Madame Jo Jo’s was filled in with acting jobs and panto.
“I loved Jo Jo’s. I worked on my flair for
A recent departure for La Voix has been a 13week series on BBC Three Counties Radio on Friday nights doing “ a stupid game show where people phone in.“ But it now looks likely to lead to a TV version, so not stupid at all!
In between one-night shows all over the UK, La Voix has spells on cruise ships, currently with P&O with a 45-minute show, and the rest of the time is free onboard. With Royal Caribbean it’s more taxing with two full shows a night. “That kind of international audience is exceptional and you learn so much about what is acceptable humour But if comedy gets censored, where do you go? You have to be clever about it If a joke is clever but rude they’ll still laugh They may pretend to be embarrassed but they get over it, but I never ever swear ”
Asked about ambitions, La Voix is clear; “I want to do the Palladium, Carnegie Hall and Las Vegas TV isn’t the right platform any more ”
On the R-word (RuPaul’s Drag Race UK), La Voix is outspoken: “It’s a reality contest for drag queens and as such a great step up for them Let’s just say the talent is better than the show ”
What advice would you give a young La Voix?
“Take more risks; don’t worry about safety nets or what others think Think of yourself as unique I wish I’d pushed myself much earlier I turn 40 next year I wish I’d got on with it sooner. ”
La Voix
) Brighton audiences can get a first-hand experience of this unique performer when La Voix performs at the Theatre Royal, Brighton on March 14, 2020. It’ll be big, glitzy and typical La Voix!
) HAIR (BFI blu-ray). Milos Forman’ s film is basically a reboot of the musical which takes the show's characters and songs but has them involved in a different story Jon Savage plays Claude, an Oklahoma boy who goes to New York before his stint in the army to fight in Vietnam The execution isn’t exactly seamless: in order to squeeze in one of the songs Berger (Treat Williams) no apparent reason, that perha comes from Manchester Despit the credibility-stretching tragi Hair is one of the more successful musical-to-movie adapt Williams gatecrashing a toffs’ party and dancing on the ta whilst singing I Got Life has the requisite amount of oomph to work as the end of Act 1 showstopper. And the army interviewing board joining in with Black Boys/White Boys is funnier, and perhaps more subversive, than anything in the stage version
) LES DEMOISELLES DE ROCHEFORT (BFI blu-ray) The BFI’s celebration of the musica continues with a pristine relea for Jacques Demy’ s candycoloured confection Twins Delphine (Catherine Deneuve) and Solange (Françoise Dorléa teach ballet and the piano to k in a small French town where a fair is about to pitch up with carny George Chakiris. The plot’s machination with all its characters running around looking for love yet finding weird coincidences and the occasional intervention by Fate feels Shakespearean The songs, and especially the dancing, can make you feel a bi giddy as they combine chic, fabulousness and a pure joie vivre in equal measure
) Copper Garlic Grater, £35 (Workshop, 13a Prince Albert Street, Brighton, 01273 731340)
) Christmas Decorations from £3 (Prowler, 112-113 St James's Stre Brighton, 01273 603813)
‘Debora Cobra Can £11.50 (P Kensington Gardens, righton, 01273 604861)
CRAIG’S THOUGHTS
And What Have You Done? Or Mamma Mia!
By Craig Hanlon-Smith
All was not lost, there were still of course the wise men to count on in our story Ah, yes, about that There were no wise men There were some shouty men but they were not wise They were, however, ploughing on ahead with their shouting, proclaiming it to be wisdom, which is of course not the same thing.
) And Lo as the yet to be invented festive season loomed, Joseph and their Mary stood staring out across the land that would grace their epic adventure, not having the foggiest idea how the world would look in a few weeks’ time. A census had been called and, as was the way, Joseph would have to travel the hundreds of miles to vote in the original constituency as postal votes couldn’t be trusted at the best of times
This year would be further complicated by a planned strike for the postal services, which was sending distant relatives into a tailspin How would they get their hastily wrapped Christmas shit from Argos to relatives they had never much liked anyway; and all this in the name of Jesus?
Our heroine was once again a big Mary but loved a little attention and so didn’t much mind strapping herself to the back of a pitiful donkey travelling from town to town It was not unlike waving apathetically from the back of a Pride truck with smartphone in one hand and a can of monster energy drink in the other; and she did look a state.
Joseph was by now a non-gender conforming polysexual political campaigner with special interest in dismantling same-sex marriage for its heteronormative suffocating properties. He might not have been God’s first choice as foster parent for the future of mankind (other kinds are available – I’m on a tight word count) but these were changing times and God doesn’t even have a personal pronoun - the progressive nature of which had been staring us all in the face for millennia and yet no one had even noticed, not even the twitterati
As our Mary and Joseph arrived in their nominated resting place they could find no place to lay their heads There was plenty of choice but most of the populace had ditched their Mister B&B listings as the commission had more than doubled overnight in the name
of increasing LGBT campaigning donations, and the local hostelries had a minimum threenight stay during holiday weekends and Pride. They could have found someone to complain to but instead took to Twitter in the hope that their smartphone manifesto would be retweeted across the world As it happens, in amongst the gay-porn, when did Twitter become Grindr?
A local lesbian took pity on them and gave them the keys to her outhouse Joseph and Mary were a little wary at first as they had been led to believe that lesbians no longer existed; but in the spirit of community they gratefully accepted the hospitality whereupon they rested their weary heads and waited for their child to start a revolution, because they could not be arsed themselves.
Meanwhile, out in the fields the shepherds were all over the shop Both the flock and their watchful masters were now irreparably divided so were to be found in a widening range of fields not talking to one another. Although this came as no surprise to those on the ground, when the host of angels appeared to proclaim a new beginning for all people, they had their work cut out. Their audience was heavily reduced, sparsely spread and bringing them all together again would take nothing short of a miracle They sang for a bit, proclaimed the arrival of a new Messiah but soon gave up and the shepherds just went about their business as usual with a little less enthusiasm and an occasional scowl over the fence at their not to be trusted neighbours
To be fair on the current round of idiots, who just happen to find themselves in a position of inexplicable authority, the original wise men were no better. It was after all their revelation to the local tyrant, King Herod, that led to the slaughter of thousands of babies across Christendom. An interesting aspect to the Christmas story, which is oft left off the Christmas cards, advent calendars and Channel 5 TV Christmas movies, no one wants to see a musical about infanticide Ah Christmas, where we remember the Jewish baby genocide of yesteryear But not to worry All faiths are of course religions of both peace and mass murder, we just uniformly ignore the second part whilst basting the turkey or cutting its throat. And if only the parents of those murdered babies had the common sense to run away while they had the time. The stupid peasants.
And so our Mary and Joseph sat in their isolated pocket of a disaffected and disjointed society waiting and waiting and waiting, but nobody came. They were after all immigrants and this was not a popular time for those who weren’t born here. That they had travelled and been initially welcomed through legitimate and lawful means mattered not as the perceptions of the shepherds, angels and wise men alike was that it was all the fault of jolly foreigner Just what it was that was actually their fault was most difficult to ascertain but what was certain was the impending disappointment for all
As Christendom prepared for the drawbridge to be lifted, it began to appear that nothing much would change after all The promises of a saving of sovereignty leading to a new golden age would prove to be too much of a mountain to scale or just another empty pipe dream. The wise men would continue to brand themselves as such as they had for thousands of years, the shepherds would continue to tend their sheep in the cold and wet but without the company of friends to support them, the babies who had died in a desperation to cling on to inherited power would remain dead, and Jesus wouldn’t save anyone from any of it
I knew it. You just can’t trust immigrants, even the pretty ones.
“There were no wise men. There were some shouty men but they were not wise. They were, however, ploughing on ahead with their shouting, proclaiming it to be wisdom, which is of course not the same thing”
CHARLIE SAYS
) Okay, let’s have the talk about sports. About how we all loved sports growing up. Ending of all meaningful life on a wet Saturday afternoon to watch Dickie Davis in a stay-press suit rattle on about fixtures A time when it wasn’t just 12 millionaires in spandex shorts kicking a ball This was a time when mud meant mud When there were no girls on the terraces Where boot boys patrolled outside dressed like Clockwork Orange characters. When it was okay for footballers to be raging alcoholics off the pitch, pouring champagne cascades from a pyramid of glasses, then handing each one out to the surrounding dolly birds. And it was all okay.
All the footage of these men seemed to be dance stepping it at Stringfellows or laying across the bonnet of an E-type jag in the Surrey rain. Everyone at school had vinyl sports bags of their favourite team into which they crushed books, footy kit, sweets and football mags
The boys who were the first picked in the humiliating round of team picks. Leaving eventually, me. Queer and alone at the end of the line with the team captain who had no choice but to pick me and always placed me in goal The teachers retreated to the staff room, smoked and nursed their hangovers while they played in the rain
The only way to get revenge for these shenanigans and singling out came as I leant against the goal posts making mud pies and hurling them at the defenders My version of a contact sport But it was when I remained leaning against the post, and a ball hurled towards me and I’d watch it fly into the net to the collective groans of my team. I’d look at them and shrug ‘What do you expect?’ I’d then, of all things, be expected to get the ball from the net and kick up the field. Not me. I’d pass it to the nearest striker on the other
team and they’d score again And I’d shrug again Result
They’d give it to me good an proper later but I was always open for some real contact sport
I never fully fitted into the alpha seeking roles growing up and I’m not now. Yet now there are big changes The players are discreet and have 12 seater real surround sound cinemas in their basements They have 100k Range Rovers, their industry is just that and because they have managers and agents it means that they get a piece of the pie, rather than their predecessors who just did it for the ‘love of the game ’ while the managers took the booty. The global soccer process is a cash cow.
But now girls are even allowed in, players of colour are not greeted with monkey noises when they come out of the tunnel, apparently. The Nazi thugs are yet to resurface. Of course this, like everything, is about money. Getting girls and women interested is about getting revenue from half the population. As with welcoming BAME supporters and making it safe. That brown Egyptian Muslim player cost 40 Million after all Not that I’m trying to be trite but industry rolls along A bit like when people used to find religion and spirituality, now they find art and culture Replacing everything with a brand of cultural capitalism and then becoming evangelical about it
We’re still to have open queers in English soccer This should be a red card to everyone Any queer sports person is seen as being emotionally unstable Gareth Thomas is still regarded as someone who went so far to the dark side, that he ended up with HIV If there is any mental instability floating around here it is only because a gifted athlete had to keep himself hidden for all those years. Not just team mates, either. Think of the chants from the national and international stadia aimed at provoking the opposition (see monkey noises above). Remember, not that long ago, when David Beckham wore a sarong when on holiday. And the men chanted ‘Does she take it up the arse?’ aimed at the innocent poor Posh
I cite the milestone of Justin Fashanu, the first black footballer to command a £1 million transfer fee and who never concealed his sexuality and later came out publically to the Murdoch press October 22, 1990 ‘£1m Football Star: I AM GAY’ Unfortunately, like his team mates, he thought he would be a star in the bars and be visible and pick up totty along the way Like his straight team mates Some teams offered him more money to stay in the closet One week after his tabloid exposure his brother John, another professional footballer, spoke to The Voice calling his brother an outcast, effectively exclusively to the black community. After a weekly grilling from the Murdoch press, an American 17-year-old came forward from the State of Maryland (still an illegal state for gays) and accused him of sexual assault. He fled back home to England, rightfully terrified of the Maryland police and getting a fair trial. He was later found hanging in a Shoreditch garage that he’d broken in to. He denied the charges in his suicide note, stating that the sex was consensual
At a London inquest it was found that the US authorities had no intention for him to be found and arrested. That part is up to you to believe or not The BBC discovered that an arrest warrant had been issued and carried a 20-year jail term The US police would have arrested him had they known he would flee back to England Again, yours to believe or not
His brother John said he later regretted some of the comments he made when his brother came out Then claimed his brother was not gay and just an attention seeker I often wonder what chants Justin got when he came down the tunnel If anything his life sums up so much about hatred in a mainly male dominated sport. But, if they are cleansing the sport only for the sake of bums on seats, let’s all take a knee and remember the heroes and the martyrs whose blood is on that pitch.
“The only way to get revenge for these shenanigans and singling out came as I leant against the goal posts making mud pies and hurling them at the defenders. My version of a contact sport. ”
WALL’S WORDS
HO HO HO! IS IT CHRISTMA S?
) By now regular readers will know that this column was written for the past 10 years by Mike Wall, now it has to be scribbled by his husband Roger as Michael died suddenly on 9th August in his arms, he was just 44. Added to that, and just eight weeks later, our dear friend and editor of this fine magazine, James, died on October 3. I can’t hope to emulate Mike’s witty and shrewd comments, so I won’t try
Despite my overwhelming sadness life has to go on, and it’s December - time for happiness and over indulgence. Brighton is all lit up, the shops are full of gift ideas simply designed to relieve you of as much money as possible But also it’s time to plan next year ’ s holidays, weekend trips, city breaks, whatever you wish for, it’s time to start planning Interestingly the Americans don’t call it Christmas, it’s just ‘the holidays ’ So now we have the usual problem, where to go next year? Mass tourism has spoilt most of the popular places so somewhere different perhaps? So is it vacation or staycation?
Staying in Brighton? As usual the local entertainment scene isn’t exactly exciting The Theatre Royal has Priscilla: Queen of the Desert, a great show with a very interesting story, but they appear to have camped up it more than ever, did it need it? The Dome is presenting Super Sunday, where they invite you to enter an amusement park of pure amazement with human catapults, trampolines and a wheel of death. Fun if that’s your thing for Christmas. As usual Brighton’s alternative art scene has lots of unusual events from Sound Bathing, talks and poetry, even an evening of Dickens at the Old Courtroom.
Going away, you will be surprised by the last minute deals: Tokyo is now the cheapest and safest long haul destination One of the reasons to visit was to see the cherry blossom in April although a cheaper option is to visit the RHS Garden at Wisley.
The most expensive European destination is Stockholm, no surprises there, but if you don’t drink it can be quite reasonable There are Christmas markets everywhere from Churchill Square to Talin and Vienna and almost every town in Germany.
The traditional Christmas booze cruise has lost its appeal with the prices being very much the same wherever you go Paris is always a fantastic city to visit at any time of the year They don’t really ‘do’ Christmas; everything seems to be open apart from Dec 25, although most restaurants are open. Of course it is full of tourists.
I now find myself with the option of travelling on my own or simply staying home Most of the pleasure in life comes from sharing experiences with your loved one, if that’s no longer possible then you have a choice of staying at home and being sad or making yourself get out and reinvent your life. Easier said than done.
Whatever Christmas means to you, and whatever your circumstances, have fun and enjoy it but remember not everyone will be having a great time.
FULL SPECTRUM FAERIE SEX MAGICK
) The Faeries are a fairly diverse bunch of queers. However, in the early days, 40 years or so ago, at the very first gatherings of Faeries, the vast majority of attendees were gay men who were drawn to the idea of meeting together as faggots in nature to celebrate their sissy selves and explore their spiritual consciousness, asking the questions: Who are we? Where are going? And what are we for?
From the exploration of these questions, (and from a growing awareness that, although a lot of gay men seemed to be having a lot of sex, they were often craving an intimacy with each other which seemed forever-out-of-reach), there emerged an intensive workshop aimed at helping those who felt the call, to delve into the personal and interpersonal reasons for the many obstacles to intimacy encountered by gay men These healing workshops, facilitated by volunteer Faeries, for the benefit of Faeries, have been running for the past 30 years and are known as Faerie Sex Magick (FSM) Workshops
These days Faerie-space is now a much more diverse and inclusive network where those from across the full range of the LGBTQIA+ spectrum are invited to enrich the exploration in community of the questions: 'How does it feel when a) I dare to stand in the full power of my sexual orientation, b) the expression of my gender identity is not only unrestrained but is completely appreciated and celebrated?'
Until now the FSM workshops have been confined to faggot identified men The logic for this being that there is a real kind of hurt experienced by faggots growing up in a homophobic social environment, and that faggots are best able to develop an understanding of this. Fags are uniquely able to sooth and heal each other’s wounds around blocks to intimacy related to this kind of trauma.
However in recent years trans* men have been invited to attend the workshop and, also during this time, there has been a growing momentum of enthusiasm to have FSM workshop participants reflecting the full diversity of identities and sexualities present at modern Faerie Gatherings.
So, very soon, there will be the pilot of a workshop which will be open to the full spectrum of queer sexualities and genders. What will happen when a fully inclusive group sits in heart circle to explore the obstacles to emotional and physical intimacy that exist between them?
The intention of the heart circling within the traditional workshop is to reach a state of community trust to the extent that co-created rituals, involving permitted group erotic touch, are able to be devised and consensually enacted
How might this look between individuals not accustomed to considering erotic touch with genders and sexualities beyond their habitual erotic arousal patterns?
Nobody knows but it’s the beginning of a radical adventure into a better understanding of how Faerie-queers with a range of sexuality and gender expression might more freely express the erotic together in community
Watch this space!
SAM TRANS MAN
Dr Samuel Hall on the key elements of good mental health and making sense of the world.
) I can’t believe how quickly this year has flown It’s not an illusion that time goes faster as you get older It’s real When you ’ re 10 years old, a year is 10% of your life If you ’ re 50 years old, as I will be early next year, the fraction of your life that a year occupies is a mere 2%, so in fact a year is much shorter when you ’ re older. Not illusion, but reality.
I’m a bit obsessed with reality at the moment Since I got my diagnosis of autism I’ve become more and more aware that other people experience the world very differently to me, and that my narrative is just that: a story that I have in my head about how I got to be. About what happened last night, or why things are the way they are. My ‘making sense ’ of the world around me is very different from the next person ’ s. All of our brains are uniquely wired, formed through the influence of nurture or nature
In real time, each individual’s senses are taking in different things, making different memories, creating different impressions made up of sight, sound, smell, touch, and taste These are all stored in different parts of the brain and pieced back together when recall happens Memories of traumatic events get formed a different way, and are less accessible, but no less reliable when we allow ourselves to remember It’s important to both access and re-process our traumatic memories where possible, so that we can live our lives free of terror.
As a GP I see a lot of traumatised people Many of whom don’t even realise this is the root cause of their anxiety, pain, fear or tears. Most of us will not have gotten through our childhoods, let alone adult life, without significant trauma, some of which is more damaging and ‘life’ threatening than we
realise Our bodies ‘hold’ our trauma, sometimes in physical form Musculoskeletal aches and pains are one way of our body alerting us to what lies within When my shoulder hurts, it’s me hurting Back pain, that most common of complaints, is the archetypal example; often triggered by weight-bearing badly, a fall or unusual movement, low back pain affects around a third of the population at some point.
In our Western system of medicine we are obsessed with finding a physical cause, something that can be ‘fixed’. We fail to acknowledge that what lies beneath our physical symptoms or reality are deeper layers of truth. Our pain will have an emotional, psychological and spiritual truth to it. A multidimensional signal to a multidimensional body
This is why the key elements of good mental health lie in caring for our bodies. It’s been hard to prove that exercise lifts our mental health, even though it is clear both logically and epidemiologically It makes absolute sense that regular exercise is not only good for our bodies but good for our minds as well Why on earth would the two not work in harmony?
Perhaps the reason it is difficult to prove is that we ’ re approaching the search for an explanation from the wrong angle Rather than looking for hormones and endorphins to account for the prolonged benefits seen from exercise (we know they work but just can’t seem to prove it), we should look for more direct effects on the brain.
We know that bilateral stimulation of the brain works as a psychotherapeutic mechanism, EMDR is a therapy approved by the NHS for trauma victims. It works by holding the memory in mind whilst stimulating both sides of the brain
alternately Moving the eyes from side to side following an object or pendulum, or a pair of electrical buzzers held in the palms buzzing in turn are common techniques, and switch quite rapidly from one side of the brain to the other. It’s clear that the reprocessing of a traumatic memory is possible using this technique, leaving the individual free of triggers and other subsequent devastating effects of PTSD.
All of this has got me thinking about walking, running, swimming, cycling and any other form of exercise that necessitates side-to-side stimulation of the brain. It makes sense to me that this kind of exercise can be used to help people, to help ourselves, to heal I don’t know a single person who doesn’t need healing of some sort Who hasn’t been hurt or damaged in some way That’s what life does It’s both joy and pain, and we wouldn’t be the people we are if we hadn’t suffered
But all suffering needs healing, and we ’ re generally better off for seeking to do so
Starting with our physical symptoms, and allowing all the deeper stuff to rise to the surface, we can dig up and face our ‘pain from the past’, and literally remake our memories
So I have a plan; I’m going to do my own version of EMDR It’s too expensive to pay for but I know it works as I’ve forked out for a few sessions and the effects have been amazing. I reckon if I do the right kind of exercise and relive my trauma memories slowly and mindfully, if I exercise whilst holding my painful memories up for conscious and adult inspection, and I allow myself to understand that a part of me has always been ‘trapped’ there, and still reacts in the same way today that it did in 1975 or 1982 or last year, then I can reprocess that memory as a adult, and actually break that cycle of reactivity
Being ‘triggered’ is simply because our brains default to that old or early pattern of behaviour, which once might have been our only option, or happened out of sheer terror Our brains haven’t learned to do anything different because these are adrenaline fuelled and unconscious reactions
But we can retrain and restrain our brains
With exercise Now there’s a good motive for a lazy person like me I’m off to try it
YAYA KNOWS BEST
EMPATHY
)
“What the world need now is love, sweet love, it's the only thing that there's just too little of" Jackie DeShannon first sang back in 1965. Even though love is always welcomed and essential to have, I think that what the world needs now, is empathy. This little seven letter word, that comes from Ancient Greece, and means the ability to understand and share the feelings of another, has been playing on my mind a lot over the last few years
I was privileged enough to grow up in a culture that taught and encouraged empathy, and my family would always try and embed this feeling in our daily routine. But this doesn't mean that everyone else has had the same upbringing or indeed the privilege of experiencing empathy from those around us We now live in a world were self obsession is encouraged ‘Look after number one, ’ a lot of people say Yolo others will say, and forget about everything else around them
Even though the mentality of looking and caring after yourself, and living every day to its fullest, is very positive and beneficial, it doesn't mean that you have to ignore everyone else around you Yolo should be part of your life, as well as empathy We should always try our best to be well and happy, but make sure that people around us are equally well and happy
“ We should try our best to be well and happy, but make sure that people around us are equally well and happy”
I see lack of empathy in many forms and, unfortunately, I see it everywhere It can be something really small like the person sat on the bus playing with their phone and taking up two seats to stretch their legs while others are standing around them trying to squeeze on a busy bus and not fall down. Or, it can be something bigger, like people getting together and forming a LGB alliance whilst ‘forgetting’ everyone else in the community. And even though this example has to do more with discrimination, privilege and bigotry, I see it as pure lack of empathy. It screams ‘we've got our rights, we've got the privilege of not suffering as much as we did years ago, so let's just form our own little group and let others suffer from abuse and hate, and let them fight for their own rights and equality’
One would expect that people who have suffered in the past would now be advocates and fighting for those that are currently where they used to be. Unfortunately this isn’t always the case and history has taught us that someone who, for example, has been bullied, they will either grow into someone who protects and advocates against bullying, or they will in fact become bullies themselves and repeat a learned behaviour, just like in the case of this new LGB alliance
Hate and suffering is evident, so can we all please move forward together instead of backwards? Don’t let history repeat itself. Have some empathy for those around you Hate begets hate Empathy begets love
NO ‘I’ IN TEAM
) There's not many sports that I can't pass a happy afternoon watching. Not that fond of horse racing though. Darts is a no no. Formula One sends me to sleep. But apart from that, plop me down in a comfy chair with a big mug of tea and I can merrily keep myself interested. This can get some odd reactions when I tell my gay friends. From some, there's a complete mystification as to why I'd enjoy watching sport. They are utterly baffled. They immediately assume I’m watching the sport concerned for the athletic gentlemen who may be jumping and springing about in tight tops and short shorts This, of course, can help with the enjoyment Owen Farrell anyone?
I don't really get this reaction from straight people when I mention I've been watching some sport They barely acknowledge it But there's incredulity from some gay friends Don't know why, there just is It's a bit odd but there you go Who doesn't love watching all the Olympics can bring us? But the reason for watching all the sport is not the men, it's the action Football, athletics, swimming, rugby Particularly the rugby And no, not for the mucky reasons you're thinking! I grew up in a rugby household My Dad is from Wigan and the Wigan Warriors are the best rugby league team in the land I may be slightly biased in that view. I even have a Wigan Warriors mug. For those that know me that's the highest level of support and commitment I make.
I've seen so many games over the years that I consider myself an aficionado of the genre We've even travelled up to Wigan to watch a few games at the DW Stadium, the snappily named home of the Warriors It's thrilling to watch it live There's a sense of camaraderie between you and the rest of the fans All in the same boat, cheering on your heroes. Some fans of sport can take things a bit far. All that 'My team's better than your team', 'No, my team's better than yours' nonsense should remain in the playground I think.
“There's a sense of camaraderie between you and the rest of the fans”
I guess it's having the common ground thing, all with one goal, one dream, of becoming the best bloomin' team in whatever you're kicking/throwing/running round/jumping into/ etc.. It's good to have that routine. There are echoes of this in the Brighton Gay Men's Chorus that I belong to. All wanting to put on the best show, coming together with one purpose, showering together after a show We don't do that last one by the way That'd be weird It's also good that we're not in competition with the other choirs and choruses in Brighton We all do our own things, happily tootling along
I would advise anyone who's thinking of joining a team to do so, no matter what they’re involved in It's great to watch but even better to be involved And there may be some nice men to look at too
www.teapotscoffeeshops@weebly.com
MINDOUT
Five years ago I took the plunge and moved to Brighton from London. Relocating to be near the sea and the possibilities of a new life and friendships within the Brighton LGBTQ+ community was an exciting prospect and I was certain it would be the right decision...
) I have had really severe anxiety for years –I find it hard to stop worrying, I can feel anxious about big things and small things when I know it will be okay but I just don’t believe it One way I managed anxiety was with exercise In London I went to the gym and cycled everywhere I don’t drive so cycling kept me reasonably fit and being constantly active helped me manage my mental health I found if I did not exercise my anxiety would rocket and I would go back to some of my self-destructive habits
I also have Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, so having order in my life is extremely important and I would plan my day around exercise Physical activity boosted my sense of wellbeing and reassured me I was looking after myself. I love the feeling that ‘happy hormones’ (endorphins) give me and exercising daily helped me sleep well at night.
At first, moving to Brighton went well although I had less time for exercise, due to commuting Monday to Friday.
But suddenly my circumstances changed and within weeks of the move I was unexpectedly made redundant. My sudden unemployment completely cut me off from my colleagues, friends and the life in London I knew. To make matters worse it was the beginning of winter,
a season I have always found difficult due to suffering with Seasonal Affective Disorder
I became very low, very depressed. My anxieties rose massively and my social anxiety increased I lost all motivation to go out and meet new people As an older lesbian I knew Brighton was full of cool things to do regardless of age, but I felt intimidated by ‘the scene ’ in Brighton So many people had long-standing established friendships which felt a bit cliquey and made me feel more anxious
I stopped going to the gym, cycling or even going out for walks I started criticising myself all the time, my pessimistic voice telling me how useless I was, especially for getting overweight.
I knew that exercise would help increase my energy levels and libido, improve my memory and brain function as well help me manage physical pain. I was retreating from the world outside, I rarely even got out for a walk. The nagging voice told me a walk was pointless as I had no friends in Brighton who could join me.
In desperation I called an old friend and told him what was happening to me. He had lived in Brighton some years ago and remembered a
“Going with someone to start with really helped me boost my confidence. Someone to talk to about how it went made a huge difference to my motivation for carrying on by myself”
LGBTQ+ Mental Health Support Service called MindOut I went online and found the MindOut website I really wanted to reach out, I had to try something I talked to one of their workers, who was kind, very understanding and asked all the right questions.
I went to some groups and workshops about ‘food and mood’ and ‘social isolation’ I find both of those really hard to talk about as I feel so ashamed, but I found that I could open up more than I had expected. It was so good to hear other people talk about the same things, similar feelings and similar problems. I was surprised how well it went, how good it felt to realise that I was not alone!
I also asked for a Peer Mentor to help me get back into the gym. Peer Mentors are trained volunteers who help you to achieve a goal or help you plan to get towards it. I needed someone to help me to get through the door Going with someone to start with really helped me boost my confidence Someone to talk to about how it went made a huge difference to my motivation for carrying on by myself
Then someone at MindOut told me about an LGBTQ+ running group, the Brighton & Hove FrontRunners, which is for joggers and runners of all ages and abilities They also have regular social activities, which I have managed to go to and enjoyed One of the Brighton & Hove FrontRunners run leaders works for Trans Can Sport, which helps improve the wellbeing of trans people through sport.
So now I am really feeling the benefit of more regular exercise In the future I plan to train for a half marathon and I will be asking people to sponsor me to raise money for MindOut. It will be my way of saying thank you to the charity for helping me through a very difficult period of my life. I can now see light at the end of the tunnel!
MINDOUT INFO
If you would like to talk to someone in confidence about the issues raised or anything else connected to mental health, please do contact MindOut.
We offer a range of support including advice & information, advocacy, crisis support, a low cost counselling service, peer mentoring, peer support groups, suicide prevention, anti-stigma campaigns, training for mental health service providers and an out of hours online instant chat service
) See our website: www.mindout.org.uk
) Call: 01273 234839
) Email: info@mindout.org.uk
All our services are independent, impartial and non-judgemental.
Our online support service is open most evenings and weekends, see our website for opening times.
HYDES’ HOPES
WE NEED YOU!
) I want to use this space to talk about James Ledward. We weren't 'besties', but we supported many of the same groups, attended many of the same community events, and he was kind enough to invite me to write for Gscene. We had dinner together a few times, invariably to talk 'shop', and I always knew that if I needed sound advice that he was there for me, just as James wasn't afraid to pick up the phone if he needed me I can't tell you how much I miss that
People often think that being a pastor is about being religious. For me it's not. In fact I'm not a big fan of organised religion at all. Just as politics can be used to manipulate and divide, so can religion. But on the flip side, just as it has been used by some to exploit and hurt people, I've also seen it used by others to empower and heal people. It's what motivates me to pastor a church that openly affirms the LGBTQ+ community. So many churches are still arguing about whether or not to fully accept LGBTQ+ people into their ranks, whilst many LGBTQ+ folk have simply stopped listening to the bigoted rhetoric and decided to simply reject the Church Don't blame them I felt the same way before I stumbled across MCC
Over the years I’ve come to understand that real faith asks us to sacrifice ourselves for others. It never asks that we sacrifice someone else to some judgement of belief. Rather, it asks that we sacrifice ourself in acts of love It's not rocket science, it's what the cross is about James was a man who understood what it was to sacrifice self for others Oh, he could be annoying, and he wasn't without faults, but he knew that love isn't some abstract emotion, it's something you do
French novelist George Sand said “There is only one happiness in this life – to love and be loved”, whilst American author David Viscott wrote that “to love and be loved is to feel the sun from both sides ”
Real love doesn't pretend to know what's best for somebody else, it asks what do you need? Real love doesn't pretend to have a monopoly on truth, it's constantly asking questions Real love never pretends to understand what it's like to be in your shoes, it offers to journey with you
James was so supportive of The Village MCC and our work in the community Not because he had any interest in coming to church, (God forbid!), but because he believed that people are important and any group that wanted to support the community he loved so much was worth his support I was so grateful for that support and miss him dreadfully
And if you miss him too then please ask of yourself: what am I willing to sacrifice in order to support my community? Perhaps some time volunteering with one of the amazing LGBTQ+ support organisations in our city? Perhaps fundraising or gifts for the Brighton Rainbow Fund? Maybe offer your voice to a choir, or your expertise to those who wouldn't be able to otherwise afford it? There's a community that really needs you to be the love and sunlight that James was in our city. God knows, his light is sadly missed.
MASSAGE/ TREATMENTS
SERVICES DIRECTORY
LGBT SERVICES
● ALLSORTS YOUTH PROJECT
Drop-in for LGBT or unsure young people under 26 Tues 5 30–8 30pm 01273 721211 or email info@allsor tsyouth org uk, www allsor tsyouth org uk
● BRIGHTON & HOVE POLICE
Repor t all homophobic, biphobic or transphobic incidents to: 24/7 assistance call Police on 101 (emergencies 999) Repor t online at: www sussex police uk LGBT team (not 24/7) email: LGBT@sussex pnn police uk
• LGBT Officer PC James Breeds: Tel: 101 ext 558168 James.breeds@sussex.pnn.police.uk
● BRIGHTON & HOVE LGBT SAFETY FORUM
Independent LGBT forum working within the communities to address and improve safety and access issues in Brighton & Hove For more info: 01273 675445 or admin@lgbt-help com or www lgbt-help com
● BRIGHTON & HOVE LGBT SWITCHBOARD
• LGBT Older Peoples' Project
• LGBT Health Improvement and Engagement Project
• LGBTQ Disabilities Project
• Rainbow Café: suppor t for LGBT+ people with Dementia
Formerly The Gay Christian Movement Contact: Nigel Nash nigelnash@me.com www.onebodyonefaith.org.uk
● BRIGHTON WOMEN’S CENTRE
Info, counselling, drop-in space, suppor t groups 01273 698036 or visit www womenscentre org uk
● LESBIAN & GAY A A
12-step self-help programme for alcohol addictions: Sun, 7 30pm, Chapel Royal, Nor th St, Btn (side entrance) 01273 203 343 (general AA line)
● LGBT COCAINE ANONYMOUS
Meeting every Tues 6 30-8pm, 6 Tilbury Pl, Brighton, BN2 0GY, CA isn’t allied with any outside organisation, and neither endorses or opposes any causes Helpline 0800 6120225, www cocaineanonymous org uk www sussexcocaineanonymous co uk,
● LGBT NA GROUP
Brighton-based LGBT (welcomes others) Narcotics Anonymous group every Tue 6 30–8pm, Millwood Centre, Nelson Row, Kingswood St 0300 999 1212
● LGBT+ MEDITATION GROUP
Meditation & discussion, every 2nd & 4th Thur, 5 30–7pm, Anahata Clinic, 119 Edward St, Brighton 07789 861 367 or www.bodhitreebrighton.org.uk
● LUNCH POSITIVE
Lunch club for people with HIV Meet/make friends, find peer suppor t in safe space Every Fri, noon–2 30pm, Community Room, Dorset Gdns Methodist Church, Dorset Gdns, Brighton Lunch £1 50 07846 464 384 or www.lunchpositive.org
● MCC BRIGHTON
Inclusive, affirming space where all are invited to come as they are to explore their spirituality without judgement 01273 515572 or info@mccbrighton org uk www.mccbrighton.org.uk
● MINDOUT
Independent, impar tial services run by and for LGBTQ people with experience of mental health issues 24 hr confidential answerphone: 01273 234839 or email info@mindout.org.uk and out of hours online chat www mindout org uk
● NAVIGATE
Social/peer suppor t group for FTM, transmasculine & gender queer people, every 1st Wed 7-9pm & 3rd Sat of month 1-3pm at Space for Change, Windlesham Venue, BN1 3AH https://navigatebrighton.wordpress.com/
● PEER ACTION
Regular low cost yoga, therapies, swimming, meditation & social groups for people with HIV contact@peeraction.net or www.peeraction.net
● RAINBOW FAMILIES
Suppor t group for lesbian and/or gay parents 07951 082013 or info@rainbowfamilies org uk www rainbowfamilies org uk
● RAINBOW HUB
Information, contact, help and guidance to services for LGBT+ communities in Brighton, Hove and Sussex at Rainbow Hub drop in LGBT+ one-stop shop: 93 St James Street, BN2 1TP , 01273 675445 or visit www therainbowhubbrighton com
● SOME PEOPLE
Social/suppor t group for LGB or questioning aged 14-19, Tue 5 30-7 30pm, Hastings Call/text Cathrine Connelly 0797 3255076 or email somepeople@eastsussex gov uk
● TAGS – THE ARUN GAY SOCIETY
Social Group welcome all inEast & West Sussex Areas Call/Text 07539 513171 www.tagsonline.org.uk
● VICTIM SUPPORT
Practical, emotional suppor t for victims of crime 08453 899 528
● THE VILLAGE MCC
Christian church serving the LGBTQ community Sundays 6pm, Somerset Day Centre, Kemptown 07476 667353 www thevillagemcc org
HIV PREVENTION, CARE & TREATMENT SERVICES
● AVERT
Sussex HIV & AIDS info service 01403 210202 or email confidential@aver t org
● BRIGHTON & HOVE CAB HIV PROJECT
Money, benefits, employment, housing, info, advocacy Appointments: Tue-Thur 9am-4pm, Wed 9am-12 30pm Brighton & Hove Citizens Advice Bureau, Brighton Town Hall 01273 733390 ext 520 or www brightonhovecab org uk
● CLINIC M
Free confidential testing & treatment for STIs including HIV, plus Hep A & B vaccinations Claude Nicol Centre, Sussex County Hospital, on Weds from 5-8pm 01273 664 721 or www.brightonsexualhealth.com
● LAWSON UNIT
Medical advice, treatment for HIV+, specialist clinics, diet & welfare advice, drug trials 01273 664 722
● MARTIN FISHER FOUNDATION
HIV Self testing kits via digital vending machines available from: The Brighton Sauna, Subline, Prowler, Marlborough Pub and The Rainbow Hub mar tinfisher foundation org
advice only (no assessments), Fri 10am-12pm & 1pm-3pm
• Gary Smith (LGBT* Suppor t) 07884 476634 or email gsmith@pavilions org uk
For more info visit weblink: pavilions org uk/ser vices/treatment-recover y-options/
● SUSSEX BEACON
24 hour nursing & medical care, day care 01273 694222 or www sussexbeacon org uk
● TERRENCE HIGGINS TRUST SERVICES
For more info about these free services go to the THT office, 61 Ship St, Brighton, Mon–Fri, 10am–5pm 01273 764200 or info.brighton@tht.org.uk
• Venue Outreach: info on HIV, sexual health, personal safety, safer drug/alcohol use, free condoms/lubricant for men who have sex with men
• The Bushes Outreach Ser vice @ Dukes Mound: advice, suppor t, info on HIV & sexual health, and free condoms & lube
• Netreach (online/mobile app outreach in Brighton & Hove): info/advice on HIV/sexual health/local services THT Brighton Outreach workers online on Grindr, Scruff, & Squir t
• Condom Male: discreet, confidential service posts free condoms/lube/sexual health info to men who have sex with men without access to East Sussex commercial gay scene
• Positive Voices: volunteers who go to organisations to talk about personal experiences of living with HIV
• Fastest (HIV testing): walk-in, (no appointment) rapid HIV testing service open to MSM (Men who have sex with Men) Anyone from the African communities, male and female sex workers and anyone who identifies as Trans or non-binary We now offer rapid 15 minutes results for HIV/Syphilis: Mon 10am-8pm, Tues-Fri 10am-5pm, Thurs 10am-8pm (STI testing available)
• Sauna Fastest at The Brighton Sauna (HIV testing): walk-in, (no appointment) rapid HIV testing service for men who have sex with men, results in 20 minutes: Wed: 6–8pm (STI testing available)
• Face2Face: confidential info & advice on sexual health & HIV for men who have sex with men, up to 6 one hour appointments
• Specialist Training: wide range of courses for groups/ individuals, specific courses to suit needs
• Counselling: from qualified counsellors for up to 12 sessions for people living with/affected by HIV
• What Next? Thurs eve, 6 week peer suppor t group work programme for newly diagnosed HIV+ gay men
• HIV Suppor t Ser vices: info, suppor t & practical advice for people living with/affected by HIV
• HIV Welfare Rights Advice: Find out about benefits or benefit changes Advice line: Tue–Thur 1:302:30pm 1-2-1 appts for advice & workshops on key benefits
● TERRENCE HIGGINS EA STBOURNE
• Web suppor t & info on HIV, sexual health & local services via netreach and myhiv org uk
• Free condom postal ser vice contact Grace Coughlan on 07584086590 or grace coughlan@tht org uk
● SEXUAL HEALTH WORTHING
Free confidential tests & treatment for STIs inc HIV; Hep A & B vaccinations Wor thing based 0845 111345645
NATIONAL HELPLINES
● NATIONAL LGBT DOMESTIC ABUSE
HELPLINE at galop org uk and 0800 999 5428
● SWITCHBOARD 0300 330 0630
● POSITIVELINE (EDDIE SURMAN TRUST) Mon-Fri 11am-10pm, Sat & Sun 4-10pm 0800 1696806
