Find your shelter: Love Shelter @ The Shelter

Hate the end of the weekend and wish it was longer? 

Looking for a distraction from the washing and chores that Sunday normally brings? Guess what, new event Love Shelter is just what you want!

This recent addition to the calendar has popped up from new events duo Aquarian Promotions and the bonus is that it's fortnightly (every 1st and 3rd Sunday).

The event starts at 6pm and doesn’t stop until you get kicked out at midnight. Between then you’ll be dancing away with uplifting vocal deep house and tribal beats from resident DJs Smokin Jo & Miguel Pellitero.

The venue is obviously fairly new; but is definitely catering towards women. There are 3 toilets – 2 female and 1 male (all very spacious but with a clear sign indicating that the toilets are only designed for one person at a time!). 
The Shelter was heaving and I had to drag myself out to get the last train home as I am one of the boring people who had to get up in the morning for the mundane 9-5pm office job – but this event did it’s job in that I didn’t even have time to think about the end of the weekend, it was home, shoes off and into bed having burned off all the calories from my earlier Caribbean lunch and then some!

Important to note, the bar is cash only; however there is a free cash machine 5 minutes down the road in Tescos or a LINK cash machine with a £1.65 charge just 3 doors down (both left out of the bar).

Love Shelter takes place at The Shelter at 267 Kingsland Road (nearest train station is Haggerston on the East London Line).

By Naomi Bennett-Hall

Mind, Body and Soul Food Sunday

A recent addition to the fairly quiet Sunday scene is a little known but fast growing secret that goes by the name of ‘Blake’s Soul Food Sunday’. 

Organiser Nat Blake has taken inspiration from her own family gatherings and created a delectable masterpiece. A perfect combination of music, food and conversation in a friendly environment. Just right for a chilled out Sunday afternoon. Heck, the jerk will even clear your hangover! 

DJ Dukey BigBiz provides sweet Sunday vibes, playing the best in Rare Groove, Reggae, Soulful House, Soca plus so much more but at a level where you can enjoy the food and conversation. 

Bar Titania hosts this food-centric; family event which runs from 4pm-11.30pm; with the food being served at 5pm. 

Just £2 entry if you just want to enjoy the atmosphere; play a few games and chill out, or £7 if you want an amazing plate of delicious food. We spotted at least 3 people go back to the door and upgrade once the smell of the freshly homemade jerk chicken wafted through the bar! 

The idea is genius; take your family homemade food and relaxed atmosphere and invite the family – the LBQ family that is! 

I tried the jerk chicken drumstick; the curried mutton; the macaroni cheese; the fried chicken wings; the coleslaw and the salt fish fritters. Ok, so I tried it all! It was amazing and reminded me of the food my ex-girlfriend’s mother used to make on a Sunday. A very typical Caribbean feast and well worth every penny. 

Nat had also worked with the bar staff to come up with a somewhat lethal yet tasty cocktail. Made with 2 types of rum; pineapple juice and strawberry syrup – it had a good kick but a smooth taste – I highly recommend them! (Don’t forget to use your My Pocket Planet app loyalty card when buying your cocktails to earn free drinks!) 

This month was no ordinary month; it was Nat’s birthday so in addition to the usual food there was also a delightful song from close friend and a gorgeous red velvet cake! Despite it being Nat’s birthday, she was the perfect host and introduced us to the many people who help put together this feast – many of which are her own family! 

What I found particularly nice was the personal touches. Nat admitted the inspiration was her Nan’s Sunday family gatherings and whilst she isn’t here any longer; her photo was on display in a nice frame by the front door as a homage to the idea.

It is no wonder that Blake’s Soul Food Sunday has been nominated and shortlisted for a #PlanetAward for ‘New club night/event of the year’. We have no doubt that this event will go from strength to strength.

Blake’s Soul Food Sunday takes place 4pm-11.30pm every 3rd Sunday at Bar Titania.

By Naomi Bennett-Hall

You've Been a very Naughty, Naughty Girl

A new night has popped up at Bar Titania; and if you missed it, well you missed out. 

The night is called Naughty Girl, and I’m not sure it is quite what they meant but by the end of the night there were women snogging each other and boobs being flashed. Shots were downed and everyone was in good "spirits". 

The night certainly brought out the naughty side of several lesbians in London! Were you one of them?
 
Naughty Girl gave us a new DJ to dance the night away to; DJ SpineDoc is new to the scene and filled the bar with prime RnB, classic hits and a few chart songs thrown in for good measure – all from the noughties and nineties. All this was done expertly on an iPad mini – yep; we’ve really gone digital folks!

Entry to Naughty Girl is FREE which means you have even more money in your pocket to spend on fantastic cocktails and cheeky flavoured shots.

The next one is on Friday 7 November, and promises the addition of dancers this month. We’re hoping this will become a regular 1st Saturday event. Check it out and let your naughty side out.

By Naomi Bennett-Hall

Gig Review: Hussy Hicks

"...sublime tunes from one of the greatest bands you’ve probably never heard of"

(Leesa Gentz [left] and Julz Parker from Hussy Hicks)



Hussy Hicks @ Surya
(c) Tim Russell 2014

It was a chilly autumn night in London yesterday and the rain was teeming down. I had tickets to see Australian folk/blues duo Hussy Hicks, but as I peered out the door of my favourite lesbian bar in Soho, the idea of schlepping up to Pentonville Rd seemed less and less appealing. 


After much dramatic sighing and wishing in vain for a break in the rain, I steeled myself against the wet and headed out to look for The Surya Centre.  

And girl was I glad I did, for I was treated to an hour and a half of sublime tunes from one of the greatest bands you’ve probably never heard of. It’s no wonder the duo of Julz Parker and Leesa Gentz have found themselves attracting quite a following amongst LBQ listeners since forming in 2006. 




Hussy Hicks @ Surya
(c) Tim Russell 2014

 Their music defies neat labelling, but its emphasis on soulful lyrics and powerful vocal arrangements sits well alongside that of The Indigo Girls - one of their key influences, according to Julz. In fact Hussy Hicks supported The Indigo Girls in Florida in 2013, at the Pensacola Unleashed festival (think Glastonbury meets Dinah Shore), a career highlight for the duo.

The gig commenced with a nod to their loyal fan base in London; the first two songs were from their first ever album – Life Plays Out. It was an inspired decision, judging by the reaction from the room. 

Audience members were offered a treat with the third song, Inside This Room. The song has not yet been recorded and whilst it will feature in their next album, currently the only way to hear it is to attend one of their performances in the UK or Australia over the coming weeks and months. 

The fourth song would have blown the roof off the venue, had it not been situated in the basement. Placating, from their 2012 Album “Postcards and Previews” was anything but conciliatory. Piercingly honest lyrics were the hallmark of this track which, combined with a haunting acoustic melody, left this reviewer wondering why they weren’t supporting Ed Sheeran over in the O2 arena at that very moment.  



(Gentz and Parker performing at Surya Centre on 15 Oct 2014)

 In the next song they moved firmly into a blues number with Armageddon, from their 2013 Album, “The London Sessions”. The number of supporting musicians swelled to four, and each of them was given an opportunity to shine. From a snappy solo by Phoebe Cook on the violin to a lengthy jam by all the guitarists, everyone pitched in to what ended up being a song mashup, mixing Armageddon with Prince’s Sexy Motherfucker. And the numbers kept growing. By the end of the song there were eight cramped on the small stage, each of them a talented musician in their own right.

After this the structure of the gig relaxed even more, as audience members and players mingled, and tequila shots were passed around.

(Gentz and Parker jamming with some of the contributors to their most recent album,
“The London Sessions”, Surya Centre, 15 Oct 2014)

In the next track Leesa took over the vocals, with My Fault, a classic lesbian angst song. The two girls of Hussy Hicks were undeniably the centre of the performance, however they are so ably supported by the instrumentalists that, in the end, the audience were treated to a seamless ensemble performance.

All too soon it was time for the final song, People of Passion. This song saw the girls return to the lyric based folk style so strongly evident in Placating. The melody was again carried by Julz, however she and Leesa also combined for some wonderful harmonies.

The rain increased in intensity as we all left the venue, but no-one seemed to notice. Hussy Hicks had successfully taken us out of our mundane world, even if only for a while.

Hussy Hicks continue their UK tour tonight in Stevenage, with further dates over the weekend.

For all details visit their tour site:http://hussyhicks.com/en/tours

Their latest album, “The London Sessions” is available on iTunes, Bandcamp and via their website:http://hussyhicks.com/en/discography/the-london-sessions

If you want a taster...


You can also find links to their older albums on their website.

By Kat Holmes


 

Album Review: Ani DiFranco 'Allergic to Water'

Ani Difranco is currently touring the UK and Europe with upcoming dates in London. Her latest album Allergic to Water will be released on October 13th, to much anticipation within the LBQ community.

Released on Righteous Babe Records 
Release Date October 13th 2014 

The Ani DiFranco Canon pt I and II are some of the most played tracks on my iPod and I have been a fan of DiFranco since being introduced to her by my second girlfriend in 1998, who wouldn't be with such masterpiece albums as Living in Clip in the back catalogue?  

Allergic to Water is moody and low key, intriguingly producing a Vinyl-sound via digital recording. DiFranco has never been afraid to take chances nor speak (sing) her mind. DiFranco’s new studio album, Allergic To Water, is another bold accomplishment and its music is her most subtle. 

Opening track Dithering brings an eletro-industrial feel to the fore, establishing a slow rhythm that permeates throughout the production. See See See See takes us back to the trademark acoustic roots, and the steely strings are strutted with the aplomb we would expect, accompanied by the (un)surprisingly delicate vocals. Careless Words is the embodiment of Ani, encompassing lyrics, vocals, percussion and strings that make this song sound like it's been part of the canon for many years, yet at the same time refreshingly current. 

The title track strips everything back to the poet; dark, intense, soul-interrogating. The playful, melodic Yeah Yr Right lifts the tone right back up with its Joie de vivre. Closing with the optimistic, up-beat (but not quite up-tempo) Rainy Parade, there's a residual sense of empowerment, and that despite everything, life's not that bad after all. 

‘Allergic To Water’ was recorded at her Victorian home in New Orleans and at a nearby studio in an old church with an intimate group of musiciians and prominent guest artists, keeping a very personal feel - so personal that DiFranco produced and mixed the record herself. 


DiFranco is touring accompanied by guest artists and band, bassist Todd Sickafoose and drummer Terence Higgins on several stops. Violinist Jenny Scheinman will open and sit in at some points, as will keyboardist Ivan Neville.  
 
She reflects on her collaborations, "I think that my one grain of wisdom in my life, which serves me well, is that when I meet a great teacher, I follow them...I invent excuses to be near them. Whether it’s Pete (Seeger), Utah Phillips, or Sekou Sundiata, it’s made my life pretty great along the way."

 





DiFranco's UK Dates:

• 22 Sept Union Chapel, London
• 23 Sept Union Chapel, London

• 17 Sept Glee Club, Birmingham 
• 19 Sept Queens Hall, Edinburgh 
• 20 Sept Manchester Cathedral, Manchester

By Katie Bennett-Hall

Pout again: At The Exhibit

Pout’s new location took place at the funky 3 storey bar in Balham, known as the Exhibit. Great transport links, from buses, trains and tubes to access venue. 

First impressions: a great size room equipped with private bar and resident cocktail mixologist.

Elaine is a fab hostess, meets and greets everyone with a huge smile and welcoming hug that feels warm and lovely. Her personality shines at these events, bringing a community together from all walks of life.

Accompanied by a great spread of food: canopies, chips, hummus and pita, bread - for free - fantastic!

The lights were dimmed, and the disco lights turned on, spinning, with music pumping, it was set to be great night.

By Suzie

Calling all lesbians with a song in their heart!

Another weeknight in London, so of course another night out, this time in Soho. Thankfully I was actually home last night, and so was Katie so I actually remember what she looks like right now! She is off being all cultural at a book reading with Stella Duffy at Gay's the Word. I however went for more of a drink-focussed night and headed down to Bar Titania for their Thursday night Open Mic Night hosted by ex-drag kings (yes, you heard me right) - Sam, Dee and Alice.

The first thing that might be confusing about this open mic night, is that Sam, Dee and Alice are 2 people... so who is missing, well actually they are all present! Confused, well let me enlighten you... Alice is in fact the guitar! Sam leads on the vocals with a somewhat sultry voice (even though she said she was sporting a sore throat tonight!) and Dee provides the guitar and additional vocals.

The night starts of with a few songs from Sam, Dee and Alice; by Sam's own admission they like the old ones. Tonight we were treated to some Amy Winehouse and Elvis before moving on to a Sam, Dee and Alice original. Later we get some Dixie Chicks, Pink and Bob Dylan. We got to enjoy a small set from a guest band and then more of Sam, Dee and Alice.



The main influences of Sam, Dee and Alice are soul, motown and country and every song is just beautifully put together. They bring with them a variety of instruments (a bongo, star shaped tambourine, and red maracas and Sam has a Harmonica too) for those who fancy joining in; and also encourage the audience to sing along. This night is promoted as a night without limitations and boundaries; and any performer is welcomed to participate as they wish.

What I liked was the diversity of the music, and that every cover is done in their own way. This event has a really friendly and inviting atmosphere, and is a nice space for a new budding artist to try out their music without the worry of hecklers.

Between Pink and Bob Dylan there was an opportunity to get a free hug from Sam. Dee tried to offer kisses too but Sam declined due to her cold. Where else would you get that?!?

If you are a fairly new musician and fancy joining in on this eclectic musical night, then get in touch with Sam, Dee and Alice via their Facebook page.

I will definitely be back to this night (when my hectic calendar allows), but I recommend you take a trip down to Bar Titania and enjoy this evening for yourself. It is every Thursday and the live music kicks off around 8pm. There is a great happy hour until 8pm and don't forget if you use the My Pocket App Loyalty Card you can earn free drinks as well!

If you are in town straight from work and looking for a bite to eat, I recommend dinner at Labels. They have a great petit plats menu that is absolutely amazing value and also have the best cosmos in Soho! Right now if you sign up as a member at Labels and quote 'Planet London' they will waive the membership fee.

See you out and about soon!

Naomi x

Spreading the Love all over...

A Tuesday night in London and WOTs a girl to do, well as you might have guessed, for a change (insert sarcasm here) we were out. Tuesday night is Bar Wotever. This Tuesday the night was taken over by The Short and Girlie Show who are on their global tour (ok, so just in the UK!) which they have called their 'Spreading The Love' tour.

 

I have seen the Short and Girlie Show before, but to be honest, this is the one kind of entertainment where that doesn't matter, in fact, you could watch them every night as it is always different. Some shows are also being supported by various local acts. The tour launched in Bristol with a sold out date on Friday 5 September. Then they were off to Reading, where they were supported by Greymatter. This gig was so popular that they had to move from the small theatre to the larger one, and still sold out. Tuesday's gig was the third, and was also a busy affair.

So what can you expect from The Short and Girlie Show (or SAGs!)?

They are an improv troop and use games and audience participation to create the show. Conscious of their audience, it isn't all about shouting out as you can also write down on paper and therefore participate on a more anonymous basis if you are more shy. 

We are sponsoring the Short and Girlie Tour as part of their fundraising campaign. As a thank you for this support, we were asked a few questions about Planet London and then got to enjoy the SAGs stepping forward one at a time and installing sheer horror in what the worst kind of people to work at Planet London might look like! It was most entertaining and in no way reflected Katie and Naomi!

Other games included acting out Snow White & the 7 Dwarfs in various film styles; 2 cleaners in a graveyard who had to change the last sentence when the bell rang and my personal favourite - acting out a scene where 2 of the audience first met. We have had the pleasure of having the SAGS act out our meeting at a previous gig a couple of years ago; and I must admit, although highly factually inaccurate, it was very funny and a little romantic. Tonight's gig was supported by Hannah Brackenbury and Lara A King.

 

 

You can catch the SAGs at one of their future gigs, or at all of their gigs if you feel so inclined.

FUTURE DATES:

Brighton | Friday 12 September
London  | Friday 19 September
Birmingham | Friday 26 September
Coventry | Saturday 27 September
Leicester | Sunday 28 September
Portsmouth | Friday 3 October
Brighton | Saturday 11 October
London | Sunday 12 October @ SHE Soho
Nottingham | Friday 17 October
Manchester | Saturday 18 October
Newcastle | Sunday 19 October

More details on these dates on the Short and Girlie website here.

Just what the doctor ordered, a night of laughing out loud! Don't delay, book your tickets today, before they all sell out!

Review by Naomi

The Backseat at SHE Soho

Venue: SHE Soho
When: 2nd and 4th Wednesday

Wednesday 27th August at She Bar Soho The Backseat DJ's jumped on the decks to bring something different to SHE. 


Maxie and Bridget span the decks to bring dark disco, old school soul, Motown, rhythm and blues to a mid week evening.

After a delay due to a technical error, the night started of with Aretha Franklin's R.E.S.P.E.C.T setting the scene for what was to come.  
The music that followed allowed for a relaxing environment where you can just chill to the sounds of artists like The Velvelettes, The Jackson 5, The Supremes, Cher and Marvin Gaye. 

It was nice to have a night away from the regular DJs and the mainstream music that is normally played and have a chilled out relaxing evening especially after a hard day at work listening to songs like 'I'll Be There' (The Jackson 5) and 'Dancing In The Streets' (Martha Reeves and the Vandellas) to wash away those mid-week blues. 

You can't help but bop to the rhyme, the sounds gets you in the mood. The infectious vibe fills the room with a blend of romance and a sense of guarded curiosity. Everyone will soon feel the potential to be themselves with the flow of the music and just naturally jam with the old school vibes. As the night goes on the chitter chatter is dwindling as the room suddenly feels a kick to the classic beat of bump and grind.  
When one is inspired to dance at the drop of a hat, it's clear this music is something you don't hear everyday.  

As the night swings on and the DJ switch's from song to song the atmosphere grows and people are tapping their feet and bopping their shoulders as they sip their drinks when the music is mixed up added another dimension to the night by switching between old school such as Diana Ross's 'Aint No Mountain High Enough' and T-Rex's 'I Love To Boogie' to Missy Elliott's 'Work It' and Beyoncé's 'Diva'.

As the Bar starts to feel the atmosphere, it becomes electric and the vibes get everyone up and dancing. Even when the evening came to an end no one wanted to leave as they were laughing and joking all together. 

By Michelle

My First Manchester Pride – Sunshine and Fun Times

After 8 years of revelling at prides around the country, I somehow have never made it to Manchester Pride until this year.

Having paid £28.25 for a weekend ticket, my expectations were high. Arriving on Friday night after 6 hours in a cramped car full of lesbians, and having already missed Anastacia’s performance, I was grumpy to say the least. We skipped the lestivities for the evening and went straight to our hotel. Arriving at the Travelodge, I noticed many women sporting quiffs taking their carefully ironed checked shirts out of their cars. I decided to befriend them and the stories they told me about the day were full of adventure and I was very jealous.

Bright and early on Saturday, we headed in to town for the parade. It was my third this year after London and Brighton, so I expected it to be much the same. Aside from the obvious similarities, the parade actually seemed to have even more of a party vibe, if that’s possible! It also felt a lot more commercial, with presence from many companies advertising their wares. I put my judgements on hold while I enjoyed the many freebies, including this fetching fire helmet and a large inflatable banana.

Next on the agenda was to finally head into the gay village for which I had paid my ticket money. I was delighted with the signposts for this area, as well as the fact that I was given a new wristband to add to the collection I have been amassing this summer. Inside, the party was already in full swing with acts on stage and drunk people tripping over their rainbow flags.

 

The area around the main stage was full of people enjoying the live music. Somebody dressed as easyjet cabin crew came over and sold me a pink shot with dry ice in it. How wonderfully camp! The atmosphere was friendly and although it was busy, it was easy enough to wander around and explore.
 




I quickly discovered that you are allowed to bring your drinks from anywhere in the village into the main stage area. At £2 per beer, I decided that this meant my ticket was a sound financial investment. My vendor of choice for the day was “beers for queers” as the business name made me feel that they were catering to all of my needs.

Ian McKellen appeared on the big screen and gave a beautiful speech as always, and I felt happy and sad and proud at the same time. Soon it was time for the headline and final act of the day, Pixie Lott. I wormed my way to the front and when she came on I was “that person” who gets on somebody’s shoulders and obscures the view. I loved it, she looked super-hot and gave a great performance.

The main stage area started winding down and we ventured into some of the bars on Canal Street. Amazingly, everywhere we went seemed to have lots of women and we felt very comfortable. Finally, we ventured into the lesbian bar, Vanilla.

 

We had to queue for what seemed like forever and when we finally got inside it was so crowded that we hardly had room to dance. Despite that, it was very social and lots of women came over and chatted with us. Nearly everyone was drinking vodka and Vimto, which I thought was a strange choice for anyone over the age of thirteen, and not something you should consume while wearing a white shirt.

The next day as we made our way back in to town, my hangover made me regret trying the weird local beverage. We returned to the main stage where the Sunday performances were beginning in the early afternoon. The atmosphere was completely different and there were far fewer people, all of whom looked hungover. Everyone was sitting on their freebie ponchos in front of the stage and it was much more of an Lfest-esque vibe. The acts seemed to have been picked to suit this and were much mellower than the day before, starting with acoustic performances. It worked really well.

We were all disappointed to leave, but none of us had booked Monday off work, so we left by 6pm for the long journey home. By this time, the party atmosphere was starting to pick up again, and I imagine the night would have gone on to be just as epic as the one before. I really wanted to stay to the end and see All Saints and relive my childhood, but I had to be a grown up and accept the responsibility of the work week ahead.

We all really enjoyed the weekend and it’s definitely worth the trek up North. I thought it was going to be cold because it always looks cold in Corrie, but the sun shined on us all weekend. The “Big Weekend” actually goes on into Monday, with performances right into the evening. There is so much going on that you would really need to take from Friday to Tuesday off work to be able to take advantage of it all and make your way there and back from London. With this in mind, the ticket price is actually very good value, and if you have foresight, unlike me, you can get the cheaper early bird tickets. It was fun beyond my expectations and I highly recommend adding it to your pride repertoire.

Review by Sarah L.

Theatre review: Breeders @ St James Theatre

Venue: St James Theatre
Starring: Tamsin Outhwaite, Angela Griffin, Jemima Rooper, Nicholas Burns
By: Written by Ben Ockrent, Directed by Tamara Harvey
Run: to 4th October, daily 7.30pm matinees, Thursday & Saturday
Tickets: From £15. From the Box Office

Rating

"Express Yourself" says Jimmy, the lone male in this female tour-de-force comedy, as the story explores contemporary expressions of family and love in the 21st Century that celebrates the lengths family will go to, to "do for family".

Bringing together wit, farce, musical comedy, a nostalgia for Swedish covers of 80s pop classics (and an Ikea showroom style set), Ockrent's Breeders excels as an exemplar of new writing in all elements - theme, characterisation and dialogue that exposes the true awkwardness that can find itself in moments of intimate or familial relationships.


With well-rounded characters reflecting a multiplicity of modern identities, from the DINK lesbian high flyers, recently married, perfect on the surface, missing just one final piece of their puzzle, to the younger long term girlfriend-boyfriend combo struggling to exist financially in the economic climate, to the off-stage characters of the cancer-suffering mother and the much-reminisced spectre of a perfect father, an urban drama unfolds.

Family, expressed in all its glory and raw detail, and the process to parenthood are deconstructed through a scientific, anthropological and comedic lens. The reality of reproduction when "naturally" is not an option is examined, through authentic situations, tensions and reactions. 

While Andi (Tamsin Outhwaite), the academic delves into all the research and talks gleely of all the leaky mess that might somehow makes a baby. Caro (Angela Griffin) the lawyer wants to put a legal contract in place to preserve the agreed family arrangement. Sharon (Jemima Rooper) brings a strong representation of the "other" - the antagonist to parenthood but certainly not the villain and what can be often excluded in a supposed "joint decision" as moments of doubt affect each character at different, inappropriate points of the journey.

A surprisingly effective interlude strategy cleverly cuts through the tension and brings the dramatic peaks back to comedy, with the highlight of Rooper's Total Eclipse of the Heart incorporating full blown mood lighting, wind machine effect.

Ultimately the conceit boils down to whether the drivers for decision making - our emotional baggage, our nurturing, our situations - have more of an influence than "Que Sera Sera".

Breeders is playing at St James Theatre as part of the their One Stage season, until 4th October. With outstanding performances and excellent writing, it is a MUST SEE.

Read our interview with Jemima Rooper here.

By Katie Bennett-Hall

Down and Dirty @ Downgirls WC2 #MingeTwinge

Venue: Bar Titania
Date:  Last Friday of the month
Tickets: £2 on the door (special launch event price)


Hot on the heels of its North London success, the monthly DownGirls event has found a new home in bar far a more Central locations and continues right where it left off... bringing a huge dose of its trademark #mingetwinge to Bar Titania on the last Friday of the month.

As our previous review recounts, with Missy DownGirl at the helm you can expect a fun night full of entertainment and mayhem at this event.

With the change of venue came a lower door fee, just £2 as a special launch night entry fee, made this night an absolute bargain. The event has changed the earlier time of 7pm for the social hour which included balloon modelling and candy bras, and then the party gets started 8pm to midnight.

Given the low door fee you would be forgiven for thinking this would be a pretty standard LBQ club night with just the usual DJ and perhaps an act early on. You would be mistaken!

Instead you got a whole host of entertainment including a live performance by Miri accompanied by Izzy Trixx on the guitar; housewife magic and burlesque from Loretta Von Dini, an extra special vampire burlesque performance from Ruby Fortune who gave a one-off performance, dedicated to Saffron from Republica, to Drop Dead Gorgeous; MOBO award winning Jai Amore (@jaiamoresinger) and Larissa Eddie (@eddiemusicuk) singing a duet with D-Rhymez (@DRhymez). The music was themed with styles such as Iggy Azalea hour and was expertly provided by DJ Chillz.
 
What was also interesting was the demographic of this night. It was clear that the choice of location, DJ and acts meant that you got quite a diverse range of women packing out the venue. This was no ordinary Bar Titania night and was quite refreshing if you were hoping to meet someone new outside of your standard social circle.

And good news, Missy has promised that the next night on September 26th will be even better, including another exciting performance from Loretta Von Dini, a full set from Larissa Eddie, and DJ Chillz on the decks, sure to be one of the hottest nights for women in Soho.

Downgirls would like to thank @aboutapp who helped to sponsor Missy's #mingetwinge for #DowngirlsWC2.

By Naomi