Shaken, & Stirred - Appreciating female masculinity Bond style #FMAS007

Venue: RVT
Frequency: quarterly
Tickets: from £5

When: 8pm to late

For those of you who are yet to hear of Female Masculinity Appreciation Society (FMAS), this was the 7th instalment, shared under the hashtag #FMAS007, and with a Bond theme to mark the occasion.

FMAS has a clear identity as an evening -  all in aid of Female Masculinity, for all of us who are, all of us who want, all of us who live, breathe and play with it...

The night is run by Ingo from Wotever and is a hugely popular night of music, themes entertainment and dressing up.

My 10% inner butch came out to play, so I donned my best shirt and tie for this event, happily fitting in with many of the better dressed, suited up crowed. 

The night started off with an arm wrestling content; the perfect for contestants to show off your masculine side!

Throughout the evening the DJ (Wotever regular DJ Jo Bunny) on the decks was spinning a tempting mix of mixed chart and indie floorfillers to keep a steady buzz for the duration of floor-filled party.

At 10 the performances started and scene king Adam All alongside his very own bond girl Apple Derrieres showed us what is meant by "nobody does it better" with a gloriously camp Bond-esque musical treat alongside Duncan D'onut.

Ably compered by 3-in-1 Bond outfit girl Stephanie Goldberg, looking gorgeous from No to Moneypenny.

Wotever is becoming renowned for its live entertainment on Tuesday nights and FMAS is following in the same style. The main difference is this is more of a club night, held on a Friday (quarterly) and late into the morning.

Wotever, and FMAS both attract a diverse audience and wide cross section of the LGBT community. A great night if you don't want any attitude, and want to be yourself, and be accepted for that, wotever it may be.

If you are a more femme woman, don't fear, as long as you share the Wotever ethos, this night is for you too, all are welcome...and there are no shortages of women and gender queer people to meet and mingle.

By Naomi 

Whatever you want with a World of Wotever events

When: Saturday 24 April
Time: 7-11.30pm
Entry: £3

Club Wotever returns after a 4 year break! Music, and great people, the event is open for all LGBT’s & Queers with no attitude!

I know, you're thinking that you must have been to a Club Wotever recently and it can't be 4 years, but I can assure you it has been!

I turned up just after 9pm, so missed the Happy Hour, but Bar Titania has some great drinks prices - just £6.95 for a cocktail; £2 for a bottle of Carlsberg Export and I am using the My Pocket Planet app to collect loyalty stamps every time I buy a drink; so I don't really care about Happy Hour! I get free drinks! Bar Titania offers split level space to mingle, mix, chat, dance and even play a game of pool.

DJ Jo Bunny was about to take to the decks; but there was time for a catch up and quick chat; I love the friendly environment where everyone is nice to everyone; says hello - there really is no judgement. After Jo Bunny was Hug the DJ; both regulars to the Wotever scene. The music is great; cheesy, fun and got me dancing at the bar! The pool table upstairs brought back memories of Bar Wotever when it was back at Central Station - wow that was a long time ago (showing my age now!).

Wotever, for those new to this brand, is a gender queer gathering where no one judges anyone, where you can be yourself. Dress up, dress down. Wear a moustache or a beard - or both. Don a fancy dress and heels. Whatever you are into, you're welcome at Wotever.

Wotever is described as
Acceptance | Equality | Respect | Imagination | Humour

You will find a much longer and more detailed explanation on their website here.

With Wotever you can always expect a warm welcome from host, Ingo. Coming from Stockholm where Ingo ran Stockholm Pride, a lot of knowledge and experience means you are in good hands.

Wotever isn't just the bar and club nights of Bar Wotever; WoteverWorld and Female Masculinity Appreciation Society. Wotever is also behind Queer Fayre, and ad hoc Fayre in Vauxhall (inside RVT in winter, in the Pleasure Gardens in Summer); Queer Experiments; Kink and there is also now an annual film festival, which particularly supports experimental, homemade and low budget films, shorts, etc.

Find out more and see what is next for Wotever on their website: http://www.woteverworld.com/ and of course all the events can be found on the Planet London events calendar.

Review by Naomi

Wotever Mini Queer Film Festival

Venue: The Royal Vauxhall Tavern, 372 Kennington Lane, London SE11 5HY
Date: 26^th February (LGBT History Month Event)
Tickets: Free
 

A packed house of queer women and the occasional man sat down to this exciting and diverse film programme for an evening of celebrating grass roots, queer visibility on screen.

In a relaxed, busy (but not over crowded) bar, fed with vegan food and cupcakes, the audience was treated to some real gems in a programme that was as eclectic as the audience watching it.

The emphasis was on short, community inspired films, and the commanility that they all explored what it means to be on the queer spectrum. This did not stop the content being diverse in theme, emotion and subject matter (from self harm to  poptastic). The programme was lovingly put together by Theresa following the open call for submissions.

Particularly enjoyable were ‘I, Lesbian’ by Julia Beloborodova who was around for a Q&A session, and who’s delightfully funny take on perspectives of lesbianism and the lenses through we which see ourselves had depth and humour and 'The Devotion Project' series whose true stories of couples that have come together under different circumstances and stood the test of time made us all aspire to healthy life long loves.

After the film festival 'Hug the DJ' provided the tunes allowing fun through til close.

This was the 2nd mini queer film festival Wotever has held, and they announced another in July. With an open call for submissions it’s a real opportunity for budding queer filmmakers to get their work viewed by a receptive audience. You are encouraged to put your comments, thoughts, ideas on film and enter. Keep an eye on woteverworld.com for more information.

If you have a film you would like to submit for the next festival in July, please send it to woteverfilm@gmail.com.

Review by Katie

In the breaks and to round off the evening, Hug the DJ span some mellow tunes.