Oh Boi, Oh Boi... BoiBox turns 1 at SHE

Boi oh Boi was that a night!

Venue: SHE Soho

Date: 3 September 2014
Entry: £2 on the door

Name one other place where you will find birthday cake, spin the bottle, strip poker, 7 minutes of heaven, a constant stream of live acts, and innuendo... no, well thankfully Boi Box had just that.

Starting a year ago at the now historical Candy Bar (gasp, yes I said it out loud), and then graduating to middle school at SHE Soho, Boi Box is definitely excelling in all classes and is heading for Head Boi of Senior School with honours.

What I loved was that they still have their acts that have been with them since the beginning. |Juan Kerr is literally the drag love child of Apple and Adam, but is a child no more, having refined their act into something unique.

Stunning Wheat Free cake from MICA

The same was for Sam Dee and Alice who are also a reincarnation from a former 'turn up and have a go' drag duo who returned as a very credible, unique and mesmerising duo complete with harmonica.

Add to that dancing from a well rehearsed Romeo de la Cruz and what more could a girl want? The night didn't stop until the bar closed; showing that although only 1 year old, this night has grown into something quite spectacular.

At only £2 entry, this night is a total bargain, and well worth the night out. I recommend arriving early to get a good seat and starting your night of with a £19.50 bottle of prosecco after a fabulous dinner with friends at Labels.

By Naomi

Kate's Party @ Chick Habit

Kate's Party are a four-piece from Dublin who played their first acoustic gig in the deep, dark She cave at wine o'clock on a rainy evening last week.

We met half the team: Sarah - eyeliner and Sinead O'Connor yelps; and Niamh - guitar riffs and sideways glances. The remaining two will join the fun in future gigs (plugged in).

Kate's Party played a handful of songs from their album 'Hollow' at She. Starting loud and mellowing later, it was a pleasant backdrop to the boisterous banter in the bar. The auditory experience was far superior to the visual and a touch more mood from the band would have improved the connection to the audience. 

That said, it was a welcome addition to the varied delights that SHE currently offers and all in all an enjoyable gig.

By Rhi

Theatre review: Othello at CLF Cafe

Rating:

Othello is arguably one of Shakepeare's most poetic plays, with some beautiful lines and the themes of light/dark, war/peace, honesty/lies running through.

At the heart of the play is the underlying human frailty that suffers in the hands of discrimination and personal insecurity.

So what if Othello, a most tragic hero, was in a modern world. Where discrimination was not just about race and power, but about gender and sexuality as well?

This is explored very poignantly in SJ Brady's adaptation.

Holding tight to the original text, but adjusting for a modern sensitivity, setting and re-arrangement of some gender roles, this Othello takes the play in an unexpected, yet familiar, direction.

At its strongest when drawing directly from the original, the poetry of the dialogue is as pertinent today as 500 years ago, a tour de force ensemble performance brings this play right up to the 21st century and shows how relevant Shakespeare continues to be.

Particularly excellent performances from Kate Hunter as Desdemona, and Richard de Lisle as Iago complemented the well portrayed breakdown of Othello's psyche by Rachel Hawkes, culminating in a climatic death scene (sorry if that's a plot spoiler) which cleverly marks the fine line between love, life and death.

Othello is running until 21st August at the CLF Café, Peckham. Performances are at 7.30pm and tickets are £9/11 available from CLF café.

By Katie

Party in the Park at Brighton Pride

With the sunniest and warmest weather I've seen at a pride so far this year, we packed our bags and headed down to Brighton to enjoy one of the largest pride events in the UK.

Following a lovely brunch with new friends, we headed over to London Road to find a good viewing spot. The parade, disco-ing from the Marine Parade to Preston Park, was a massive improvement from last year. With plenty of community groups marching and the big corporates going very day to create a pride effort. 


We wandered up to Preston Park, and managed to avoid an long queue to get in - with a much improved gating service this year, including on the day ticket sales via a mobile app for those last minute purchases. 

We were guests at the first ever Alternative Stage for Brighton Pride, the Q Alternative, brought together and hosted by the fabulous Mel Sanson from local band Kenelis. Mel curated a fantastic line up bringing together the best of the non mainstream from hip hop to folk to heavy rock and including headline acts Lucy Spraggan and Republica.

CN Lester and the LC collective got the stage off to a fantastic start and a growing crowd. MC Angel & Serene from the LC collective said that the group were looking to performing, having previously played on the urban stage. Their favourite moment of the parade was all the "gay families, who looked fabulous, it was enlightening, and heart warming." CN Lester said that their performance felt "fantastic" with a "chilled out" audience. They were looking forward to visiting all the community stalls later in the day.

Adam All compered and intertwined with a few drag numbers to help continue the proceedings. Adam and on stage girlfriend Apple said that "the atmosphere was wonderful and the crowd were really warm, and they enjoyed introducing some very amazing bands".

We popped along to the main stage for a cheeky visit to watch Heather Peace, who was performing at Brighton Pride for the first time, her "adopted home town" after 14 years in residence. Not unexpectedly, she played to a huge crowd of fans.

Back over the Q Alternative stage, for some interviews, (check out Republica and Lucy Spraggan) and some more killer performances including Joan ov Arc and Battle of You.

A fantastic set from Lucy Spraggan followed, who said that "Brighton Pride crowd was her favourite of the summer so far" and even managed a little fancy footwork alongside the super strumming guitar. She certainly drew in a a large crowd to the stage. Very generously, Lucy did a signing with fans after performing.

Kenelis brought the hardcore to the stage with a popular set and some serious messages about why we were there. 

And then came the highly anticipated Republica, as dusk was falling, sending goosebumps all over our skin. A set filled with high energy, classic hits and new tunes, Republica had the audience bouncing and singing along with real charisma and presence. What a way to close the park.


Sunday was a bit more chilled. A few drinks and pool at The Marlborough, then into the pedestrianised street party of St James Street and surrounding roads. We popped into Pout and experienced some fantastic performances from Misty Vine and stealing the show, LoUis CYfer.

By Katie

Living la vida L Fest

What's a little rain to a thousand lesbians? Do you think it would really get in the way of one of the most smashing weekends on the annual calendar?

We merrily drove up to Uttoxeter in sweltering heat, put up our tent (adorned with a Planet London banner) to create a green house, unloaded the car and enjoyed a wicked first night sunset.

Then the heavens opened and the storms began! But, rain did not stop play.

 
Proceedings commenced on the Friday night with an active solo social meet and greet for all whowanted to make new friends and play Jenga and Twister. A competitive frenzy took place at people Bingo and one successful woman took home a Planet London goody bag from the prize draw. 

The competition took an enthusiastic turn in our now infamous Spinning Planets game that saw plenty of spot prizes, guessing numbers, and strange team poses.

Then onto speed dating, also popular with the single solos, and over the course of the weekend creating several matches that turned into dates!

Everyone comes together on Friday night for the fantastic entertainment from the Here Come The Girls cabaret show, including comedy from the likes of Madge Hooks and the Short and Girlie troupe, acoustic performances from Beth Prior and Charlie Rundell, sexy burlesque from a bewitching Lauren Karl and saxophony Alice Frick, and even some very clever magic from Faye Presto. Compered with panache by Nicky Mitchell and Lara A King.

Chick Habit then indie-rocked the night away into the storms, while the more laid back took to the fire pit to sing-a-long while the embers burned.

After a night on thunder and heavy rain, a drenched set of campers woke up to face a grey drizzly day and much of the L Fest activity moved inside.

With an excellent film programme schedule courtesy of My Lesbian Radio host Denise Warner-Gregory, including Australian-lez-feature Submerge and Q&A with filmmaker Kat Holmes, two Tello webseries gems and Q&A from Tello Founder Christin Mell and writer/actress Caitlin Bergh plus much much more, no one needed to complain. Peccadillo also supplied prizes for our Planet Central media quiz that gave the added twist of mingling while quizzing.

A wider range of workshops than previous years, from furious writing with VG Lee to becoming a Drag King, to life coaching and arts and crafts - something to entertain everyone, provided enough to keep dry and happy.

The author panels featured a strong range of Independently published writers, celebrating the growth in lesbian fiction content in the past year.

The main stage was forced to move inside for Saturday afternoon but that didn't stop the musicians rocking the crowd something special.

And of course there was always the Retreat to unwind any air bed aches and pains.

Planet Central became host to more early evening social antics, with a second, larger round of speed dating, and our legendary drinking games to get everyone right in the mood for a Saturday night groovy party. 

Sunday is always the more mellow day where chilling is the priority for many. Planet Central hosted a mobile amateur open mic that toured the race course and performed the likes of erotic poetry, guitar playing and story telling. 

Some healthy Planeteer bubble football:

A fantastic live music line up for Sunday as the sun finally came out, gave us Miri, Me and Deboe and Grey Matter to name a few lesbian favourites.

Sunday night is comedy night, and Hazel O'Keefe's laughing cows did just that, with new and old faces giving us a final cheer and an impressive crowd surf before lights out.

Full photo set on Flickr

Downgirls Pre Pride Party: Prepare for a #mingetwinge

Venue: The Black Cap, Camden
Date: Friday 27 June

It was the night before Pride in London and you couldn’t NOT notice that the pre-pride party was going down. With extensive coverage on the Pride in London website, North London newspapers and with big names tweeting about the event I was excited to see what all the fuss is about and even more excited to find out exactly what a #mingetwinge was!

There were some big up and coming names on this bill. Guests were treated to an acoustic performance from Miri in the garden in the Black Cap, performing one original song and an amazing cover of Cheryl Cole’s “Parachute”. After this performance it was over to DJ Sandra Davenport to get the party started. Her set did not disappoint, Sandra and Missy Downgirl (Event organiser and host) could both be seen visibly dancing to the tunes in the DJ booth. The infectious dancing certainly bounced around the room. 

The venue itself looked amazing, the Downgirls mannequins were back out on display along with pride balloons, glow sticks and boards for photos with the caption “Prepare for a #mingetwinge” all went down a storm. 

Immani Love treated the crowd to some erotic poetry and got right into the crowds senses. Immani Love who won the Erotic Poet of the year award 2013 is definitely one to watch. Ruby Fortune then came on and dazzled the crowd with a sexy burlesque routine. It was then over to D-Rhymes and Larissa Eddie who absolutely smashed it. D-Rhymes who has collaborated with a host of well-known RNB and urban singers gave an exclusive performance of his singer “Rollercoaster” and Larissa Eddie (who performed at the Olympic Games in 2012) joined him for their new single as well as treating stars to her own single. It was refreshing to see an urban act like this at a night like Downgirls.



It was then over to DJ Chillz to take over the helm and she made sure the now packed venue at The Black Cap was dancing right through till 3am. 

Ruby Fortune returned for a finale performance this time dressed as a nurse and performed to Rihanna’s hit “Disturbia”. 

I pinned down Missy Downgirl and asked her about the term #mingetwinge 
“I thought it was relevant in a time when women’s visibility within the LGBTQ community and in the wider community is at an all-time low to find a term that was both tongue in cheek and empowering. Why can’t women be the sexual predators? Why can’t women who like women be taken seriously? When I see a woman I find attractive and I get a certain erm… twinge… I now refer to that as a #mingetwinge. I also have named a cocktail at Bar Titania after this term, as it’s not only women that can have this effect. Ask Rita for a #mingetwinge and say Missy Downgirl sent you! So if you're proud to be a woman that likes women you should be proud to have a #mingetwinge".


Amen! I could not agree more, Missy Downgirl promised that the next night would be bigger and better than the next and she is hoping to make sure that everyone that is #queerandfierce is in attendance. The next event is on July 11th at The Black Cap. However Missy Downgirl did hint that this might not be the only event she is involved with that weekend…. For more information regarding Downgirls you can find them on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and at their new website. Missy Downgirl also welcomed all to add her on Facebook.

This event did not disappoint and the vibe in the room was something reminiscent of the Astoria days, it was nice to be in a truly mixed environment where there was a higher percentage of women in attendance with music that kept you dancing all night long. I cannot wait to attend the next event. 

Pride in London Parade - A Planeteer Perspective

I was hung over, it was raining, and I woke up in a bed that was not my own at 9.30am on Saturday 28 June, this was shaping up to be a standard Saturday and even more standard Pride. I was still hanging from the previous Downgirls night (do check it out on Facebook if you haven’t already) and made the journey into central to march with Planet London and managed to not be sick on public transport. 

Whilst this was not the first time I had been a part of the parade it was the first time I had been a part of a walking group and it was the first time I had been attending alone. Despite being an event organiser and promoter this does not stop the real me and my real alter ego who I won’t name (she will punch me) from getting shy. 

What I loved about the pride march was the organisation, if someone as hung over, and to be frank stupid could find this group out of a sea of people Planet London must have done something right. The minute I found the group I instantly felt at home and welcome and saw a lot of faces I recognised. I donned my Planet London t-shirt and felt instantly at home and one of the crew. 

Naomi and Katie made sure everyone was involved and made sure the more shy and timid of the group were never alone. As well as the placards, stickers, t shirts and branded umbrellas from Planet London, the big spectacle really was the tricycle, which featured its very own sound system. This made me literally LOL and at various points made me shout to the crowd “I want to ride my tricycle I want to ride it NOW!”.

I still am upset I did not get to ride the tricycle, for some bizarre reason I found it rather sexy… maybe it was the way it looked and was decorated… maybe it was the fabulous and fierce women surrounding it… or maybe it was because I needed to rest my hungover arse and it was the only available seat… we will never know!

Despite my hangover and the fact I had my arm in a sling (don’t even ask), I managed to dance whilst holding a placard and was buzzing the full duration of the march…. For those who take hangovers as seriously as I do, I promise you this is a hangover cure like no other! Who needs the gym?! 

Bravely, Naomi and Katie allowed myself and Immanni Love to take control of the microphone and I felt both proud and liberated to talk to the strong crowd that braved the rain… I even managed to use the term #mingetwinge.. at least a dozen times ;)

So if you want to have a Pride that actually makes you feel proud rather than drunk and disorientated (you still have plenty of time to do this after the march) and you want to march for a group who support the LBQ community unlike others who just want to take your money, lie to you and that will not help you in the slightest (I mention no names and I tell you no lies), I urge you to march with Planet London next year. I will be back and this time I want to ride my own tricycle and see if we can’t get some tricycle tricks going!!! 

Thanks for the #mingetwinge ladies… until next year.

Missy Downgirl