CONTENTS

NEWS6 News

SCENE LISTINGS24 Gscene Out & About28 Brighton & Hove42 Solent

ARTS46 Arts News47 Arts Matters47 Arts Jazz48 Classical Notes49 Page’s Pages

REGULARS26 Dance Music26 DJ Profile: Lee Dagger45 Shopping52 Craig’s Thoughts53 Wall’s Words53 Gay Socrates54 Charlie Says55 Hydes’ Hopes55 Scene It, Done It 56 Queer I Come57 Ray A-J Phobias58 Sugar Swan59 Sam Trans Man60 MindOut

INFORMATION61 Services Directory62 Classifieds63 Advertisers’ Map

AFFINITY BAR

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FEB 2019GSCENE magazine) www.gscene.comt @gscenef GScene.Brighton

PUBLISHER Peter StorrowTEL 01273 749 947EDITORIAL info@gscene.comADS+ARTWORK design@gscene.com

EDITORIAL TEAM James Ledward, Graham Robson, Gary Hart, Alice Blezard, Ray A-JSPORTS EDITOR Paul GustafsonARTS EDITOR Michael HootmanSUB EDITOR Graham RobsonSOCIAL MEDIA EDITOR Marina MarzottoDESIGN Michèle Allardyce

FRONT COVERMODEL Arkadius AreckiINSTAGRAM oi_boy89 PHOTOGRAPHER Simon Pepper,www.simonpepperphotography.comInstagram: simonpepperphotographyf simonpepperphotographer

CONTRIBUTORSSimon Adams, Ray A-J, Jaq Bayles, Jo Bourne, Nick Boston, Brian Butler,Suchi Chatterjee, Richard Jeneway,Craig Hanlon-Smith, Samuel Hall, LeeHenriques, Adam Mallaby, Enzo Marra,Eric Page, Del Sharp, Gay Socrates,Brian Stacey, Michael Steinhage,Sugar Swan, Glen Stevens, DuncanStewart, Craig Storrie, VioletValentine (Zoe Anslow-Gwilliam),Mike Wall, Netty Wendt, RogerWheeler, Kate Wildblood

PHOTOGRAPHERSCaptain Cockroach, James Ledward,Jack Lynn, Marina Marzotto

© GSCENE 2019All work appearing in Gscene Ltd iscopyright. It is to be assumed that thecopyright for material rests with themagazine unless otherwise stated on thepage concerned. No part of thispublication may be reproduced, stored inan electronic or other retrieval system,transmitted in any form or by any means,electronic, mechanical, photocopying,recording or otherwise without the priorknowledge and consent of the publishers.The appearance of any person or anyorganisation in Gscene is not to beconstrued as an implication of the sexualorientation or political persuasion of suchpersons or organisations.

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20 LGBT+ HISTORY MONTHA calendar of events marking LGBT+ History Month, 2019

21 ISOLATIONRichard Jeneway says ‘let’s put the real meaning back into community’

22 FORT LAUDERDALE PRIDEFort Lauderdale Pride stages its first ever Pride parade in 2019

50 BENIDORM TO BRIGHTONTony Maudsley tells Brian Butler about bringing Kenneth to the stage

51 WE’LL ALWAYS HAVE PARISRoger Wheeler spends Christmas in Paris, the City of Light

‘HOMOPHOBIC UNDERCURRENTS'CAUSE WALKOUT AT PUBLIC MEETINGA public meeting called to discuss moving the Pride Village Party toMadeira Drive collapsed into chaos last month after perceivedhomophobic opinions were expressed by the chair Roger Rolf.

as ‘a homeless refugee’ during the Brighton Prideweekend, brought derision from the majority of thosepresent and was told by one local angry businessowner: “To describe yourself as a 'homeless refugee’is frankly insulting to the poor souls on this planet whoare genuinely homeless or refugees. Get a grip.”

A walkout followed by about a third of the peoplepresent, Mr Rolfe, the chair was replaced by DavidSpafford from the St James' Community ActionGroup who conducted the rest of the meeting, MrSpafford was fair and gave everyone the chance to airtheir views including the voices of local residents whorecognised there was little to be gained from movingthe event to Madeira Drive, as people given the choiceof paying an entry fee to an organised event on theseafront or drinking at their local gay bar for freewould more than likely continue to congregate in StJames Street outside their favourite gay bar.

Some local residents expressed genuine concernsabout general noise levels over the weekend. Thesewere noted and Pride organisers promised to workwith Brighton and Hove City Council to address thoseconcerns in 2019.

Larissa Reed, Brighton & Hove Council’s ExecutiveDirector for Neighbourhoods, Communities & Housingindicated that both the Fire Service and Sussex Policesupported the event remaining where it presently wasand encouraged everyone to complete the council’sonline consultation process.

The responses from the consultation will be reportedto the Tourism, Development & Culture Committee onMarch 7, 2019 at 4pm in the Hove Town HallCouncil Chamber. If you wish to speak at themeeting you need to let the Council's DemocraticServices team know in good time (usually they needat least a weeks notice, call: 01273 291066).

Local entertainer David Pollikett akaas Davina Sparkle explained toGscene why he walked out of themeeting in disgust. "What a debacle,I only went along as I was suspiciousafter seeing just a few posters put up

around St James Street announcing the meeting. Whatparticularly annoyed me was the out and out bigotrydisplayed in some parts of the room. The chair RogerRolfe said he felt persecuted during our Pridecelebrations. Persecuted! He has no idea whatpersecution is compared to the reason why we need aPride in the first place. The Pride Village Party is nowsafe, secure, free from yobs, has toilets, security andfirst aid all provided and paid for by Brighton Pride whoare doing a magnificent job.

“When Mr Rolfe said: ‘You lot haven't been persecutedfor the last 50 years’, I thought there's no point inarguing with an idiot and walked out of the meetingalong with other prominent local residents and businessowners. We told the organisers as we left: "This meetingis a farce and so is your homophobic organisation whichis falsely masquerading as some caring residentsassociation. It is not!"

Bill Smith, editor in chief at LatestTV and magazine summed up theviews of many in the room when hesaid: “Local businesses struggle tosurvive 51 weeks of the year and youwant to move somewhere else their

biggest payday of the year, which helps keep hundredsof local people in jobs all year round and helps manybusinesses survive through the long winter months, andall because you won't be inconvenienced for justseventeen hours each year."

Mr Rolf indicated the Kingscliffe were having troublefilling officer posts and encouraged people at themeeting to join the charity.

The Kingscliffe Society is a registered charity. Tobecome a member and have a voice send a cheque for£3 to Bernard Evans, Kingscliffe membershipsecretary, 150 Eastern Road, Brighton BN2 OAE. ’

Gscene asked Kingscliffe Society to comment. Theirchair Robert Edwards has indicated one is comingshortly and when it does will be run in full online atwww.gscene.com

) The meeting, advertised on a poster in St JamesStreet, attracted around 60 people to St Mary'sChurch Hall in Kemp Town and was promoted jointlyby The Kingscliffe Society and St James'Community Action Group. The poster invited: ‘Alllocal residents, and representatives of local charitiesand businesses operating locally to attend’.

On the morning of the meeting, Gscene magazineemailed all businesses that were involved in the 2018Pride Village Party asking if they were attending themeeting. Every businesses that responded indicatedthey did not know about the meeting and had notreceived any invitation from the organisers.

The poster also claimed that representatives ofBrighton Pride CIC, Brighton & Hove City Counciland Sussex Police had been invited.

Sussex Police did not attend the meeting, Brightonand Hove City Council received an invitation just fourdays prior to the event and at the start of the meeting.Paul Kemp, Director of Pride CIC revealed thatneither Brighton Pride CIC or himself had received anyinvitation to the meeting from either the KingscliffeSociety or St James Community Action Group. Heexplained that twice in the last two years BrightonPride CIC had asked the Kingscliffe Society toproduce their proposals for managing St James Streetif the Pride Village Party was moved to Madeira Drive.No response had been received.

What followed then was a bizarre set of exchangesbetween Mr Roger Rolfe a trustee of the KingscliffeSociety who appeared to be chairing the meeting anddifferent members of the audience resulting in MrRolfe shouting to the LGBT+ people present that "Youlot don't need a Pride anymore, you have not beenrepressed for 50 years".

Other comments from Mr Rolfe on opening themeeting included: “We are here tonight to stopourselves from being blasted out of our homes by thenoise and mess” [a rather interesting, neutral scene-setter for a chair], "We want to clear the filth off thestreet,” and “The decibel level in my house is louderthan being next to the bells at Big Ben.”

One of Mr Rolfe's supporters who described himself

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The Pride Village Party like Pride itself has become avictim of its own success. In 2014 Brighton Pride CICwas asked by both Sussex Police and Brighton & HoveCity Council to take over running the Pride VillageParty as it had become unruly and an inconvenience tomany local residents and businesses.

Pride organisers have invested heavily and created anevent that is now safe for both residents and visitorsalike while raising guaranteed funds for local goodcauses. With 35,000 people going to St James Streetduring the Pride weekend the present model is theonly sensible solution. If the event is moved toMadeira Drive or anywhere else and charged for,people will still go to drink at their favourite gay barsin the heart of the ‘gay village’, and you will eventually

end up with two separate events one paid for and onefree. Which would you choose to go to?

What this episode has highlighted is how exposed thelocal LGBT business sector is with regard to theirvoices being heard in the city. Since the demise of theGay Business Forum, LGBT business interests do nothave a voice at any forums that influence the decisionmakers or the decision making. Cities with large LGBTcommunities all over the world have effective forumsbringing local LGBT businesses together. Surely thetime has come for all local LGBT businesses inBrighton and Hove to think carefully about where theyfit in, and how they want to influence local politiciansand decision makers in the future to make sure theirbusiness interests are never ignored again.

GSCENE COMMENT BY JAMES LEDWARD

brighten up people's lives by the time Pride comesround again next year.

Funding comes from contributions made bybusinesses within the Pride Village Party in the StJames’s Street area, as well as ticket sales fromPride and the LoveBN1 festival.

The panel was made up of representatives frommedia organisations across the city including TheArgus, BBC Sussex, Latest TV, Brighton & HoveIndependent, Sussex Life, Brighton & HoveNews, Capital Brighton and Gscene magazine.For the first year ever, the panel considered bids ofmore than £1,000 but only granted funds if theyoverwhelmingly met the panel’s criteria.

Among the largest grants to be awarded this yearinclude £5,000 for three bids from the Friends ofPreston Park. This will pay for a picnic table, newlitter bins and a popular Easter egg hunt for families.

A bid of £1,600 was also granted to Light Up StJames’s Street, with the aim of improving andinstalling new illuminations in the area; while £3,000gifted to the St James’s Street Community ActionGroup will pay for new planters in the area.

Among others to benefit from the fund includeHangleton Food Bank (£500 for top up vouchers),Tarner Community Project (£1,000 to runsummer holiday events for young people), and theWhy Not Club (£520 to fund a weekly breakfastclub for the street community in Brighthelm Park).

Community events were also backed with £500awarded towards reviving the Patcham Duck Fayrefestival, £1,000 allocated to Bevfest in Bevendean,and £500 gifted to CASE to fund a science festivalfor families on low incomes in Hollingdean.

Among the charities to benefit include DolphinHouse, who were awarded £400 towardsredecorating its therapy room; Stay Up Late, who

have been given £1,000 to run a gig buddies scheme;and Carousel, who will receive £888 to buy an iPadand iPencil to allow learning disabled adults andchildren to engage in the arts.

Sports clubs will also benefit as £1,000 was awardedto buy kit for Crew Club United, a youth football clubin east Brighton; £400 granted to Preston BowlsClub to boost participation among younger members;and Preston Park Youth Cycle Club received£1,000 towards the construction of a concrete rampand tarmac path at Preston Park velodrome.

Paul Kemp, managing director ofPride CIC, said: “I’m thrilled that2018 has been another record-breaking fundraising year for Pridebenefiting more community groupsacross our city than ever before. It’sgreat to see community and

residents groups in St James’s Street, Kemptown andPreston Park where Pride has had significant impactover Pride weekend benefiting from funding forpositive community projects.

“It’s also really heart-warming to see SIF fund supporthomeless charities and food banks that have becomean essential resource to individuals and families acrossour city.”

In 2018, Brighton & Hove Pride raised a total of£250,000 for local charities and good causes. Thisincluded £180,000 for the Rainbow Fund fordistribution to LGBT+/HIV organisations through theirannual grants mechanism. £45,000 was madeavailable to the SIP for grants to local projects.£10,000 was allocated to the Pride Solidarity Fundand £15,000 to the Pride Cultural DevelopmentFund.

2018 SOCIAL IMPACT FUNDAWARDS - IN FULLDolphin House: £400 towards redecorating thetherapy room, including soft furnishings and artmaterials

Brighton & Hove Housing Coalition: £1,000towards core funding for a community campaigngroup to lobby on improvements to all aspects ofhousing across the city

Preston Bowls Club: £400 to support widerpromotion of four open days to encourage youngeraudience to take up bowls

Stay Up Late: £1,000 to support and expand theWild Rainbows gig buddies scheme

Patcham Duck Fayre: £500 towards running thecommunity event

) Now in its fourth year, residents in all corners ofBrighton & Hove are set to put a little bit of prideback into their city thanks to the cash raised by theUK’s most popular LGBT+ Pride celebrations. Inwhat has been a record-breaking year, theindependent panel were overwhelmed with thenumber of bids received, which ranged from projectsto support the vulnerable to residents wanting tobrighten up their streets.

After much consideration 40 bids were deemedsuccessful - with funding awarded to improve parksand open spaces, support community festivals andget togethers, pay for days out for low-incomefamilies and provide equipment for sports teams.

Tim Ridgway, chairman of thePride Social Impact Fund, said:“This has once again been arecord-breaking year for the SIPwith more people than ever

benefiting from money raised at what has become anincredibly successful community event. With the fundoversubscribed, making decisions on individual bidswas not an easy process. But those groups who havebeen awarded money will ensure that the legacy ofPride is far-reaching, extending to all corners of thecity.

“The panel also wants to thank the organisers ofPride for topping up the funds so that a recordamount of funding was available. This investmentback into our community will make a huge differenceto thousands of individuals across Brighton & Hoveensuring that the positive impact of Pride extendsbeyond one weekend a year.”

Launched in 2016, the SIP has now distributed morethan £80,000 to groups across the city. Projects putforward do not have to be LGBT related; they don'teven have to be directly linked to Pride, althoughapplicants directly impacted will be favoured.However big or small, the only criteria is that it will

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PRIDE SOCIAL IMPACT FUNDAWARDS RECORD BREAKINGGRANTS WORTH £45,000Community groups, charities and sports clubs are among dozens oforganisations to benefit from more than £45,000 of grants gifted under thebanner of the Brighton Pride Social Impact Fund (SIF).

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Norfolk Square Group: £1,000 towards providingcommunity planters and supporting a gardeninggroup for a public open space

Friends of Preston Park• Bid one - £2,000 for a new wooden picnic tableand bench set

• Bid two - £2,000 for five new bins for the park• Bid three - £1,000 to host a Easter Egg hunt for families

Green Centre: £650 towards the conversion of theupper deck of an education bus to host exhibitionsand workshops on One Planet initiatives

Young People's Centre: £1,000 towards aspecific project - TBC

Bevendean Chomp: £1,000 towards communitylunch club which supports up to 50 people twice aweek. This includes a summer trip to Drusilla’s forfamilies on low incomes.

Light Up St James's Street: £1,600 to buy andinstall new lights for trees and lamp posts in StJames's Street

Moulsecoomb and Bevendean CommunityVolunteers: £780 for community cookingequipment and a community celebration to coincidewith the installation of the new playground inBevendean in February.

Bevfest: £1,000 to pay for stage hire and essentialcosts of a community festival

Bees in the Woods Forest School: £960 to payfor five older people and their carers to attend forestschool sessions in Easthill Park in Portslade overthe next 12 months.

Crew Club United: £1,000 towards buying kit fora youth football team based in Whitehawk. Somefunds subsidised the cost of allowing the side playand attend a three-day youth tournament at Butlins.

Mixed Blessings Theatre Group: £600 tosupport an all-inclusive theatre group to tour Son ofan African, a new production of work, aroundSussex

Sing for Better Health: £1,000 towards runningthe weekly singing group for older people atElizabeth Court in Hove

The Other Screen: £1,000 towards running openand accessible film screenings and events whichexplore, discuss and challenge the representation ofdisabled people

Trust for Developing Communities: £200towards buying equipment and resources to supportthe youth work of the 67 Centre in Moulsecoomb

Friends of Farm Green: £900 towards theconstruction and installation of new thermoplasticactivity markings for a new playground in FarmGreen, Lower Bevendean

Moulsecoomb Forest Garden£1,000 to buy pond dipping kit and otherequipment to allow young people to get closer towildlife

Carousel: £888 to buy an iPad and iPencil to allowlearning disabled adults and children to engage inthe arts and develop talents

Quiet Down There CIC: £865 towards offeringtwo local schools (60 children) a residency in themarket (£540) and holding 10 community lunchesfor 100 people (£325)

St James's Street Community Action Group• Bid one - £1,000 towards providing materials for new flower beds at the corner of St James’s Street and Rock Gardens by the side of St Mary's Church

• Bid two - £1,000 towards restoring a section of garden beds in Dorset Gardens

• Bid three - £1,000 to provide materials and flowers for seven planters in St James's Street area and add one or two more street planters to the district

Kingscliffe Society: £10,794 for new outdoorgym in Dorset Gardens (provisional providingrelevant consents are met)

Community, Advice, Support and Education(CASE): £500 to fund a science festival forfamilies on low incomes in Hollingdean

Friends of Regency Square: £200 towardscreating a permanent community heritage exhibitionof old photos, prints, postcards and memories ofRegency Brighton to coincide with 200 years ofRegency Square.

Hangleton Food Bank: £500 to provide clients aone-off £10 supermarket voucher to ‘top-up’ theessential items which are not donated

Tarner Community Project: £1,000 to runsummer holiday events for young people attendingyouth club events

Why Not Club: £520 to fund a weekly breakfastclub in Brighthelm Park for the street community

Audioactive: £480 towards providing kit for Roomto Rant, which provides music workshops for youngmen in a YMCA Supported Housing setting inBrighton & Hove (TBC)

Small Performance Adventure with CreativeCascade Recovery: £800 to go towards the travelcosts and venue hire to support up to 100 people inaddiction recovery take part in drama workshops.

4Streets: £250 to purchase large outdoor screento support community cinema events. This will beheld by Pride as a community resource which canbe booked out by community groups across the city.

Sussex Cycle Racing League: £500 towards anew storage shed at Preston Park velodrome

Preston Park Youth Cycle Club: £1,000 towardsthe construction of a concrete ramp and tarmacpath at Preston Park velodrome to support a rangeof cycling activities

Little Green Pig: £1,000 to support filming of aproduction of Voices, a story about young people’sexperiences which will be form part of BrightonFestival 2019.

Bill Smith, editor in chief atLatest TV and magazine, has hissay on the absurdity of movingthe Pride Village Party out of thegay village and onto MadeiraDrive to satisfy a tiny group ofhomophobic nimbies.

Let’s move the England football games fromWembley, let’s move plants from Kew Gardens,let’s move opera from Covent Garden, let’s movethe sea from the seafront! All mad ideas and I’vegot one more, let’s move the Pride Village Partyaway from the Pride Village in Brighton.

Pride is St James’s Street and St James’s Street isproud to be Pride and the home from day one ofLGBT+ rights in Brighton & Hove. Are we reallysaying the seafront is the home of the Pride VillageParty! Of course not.

Everyone knows the long time rightful home ofPride is St James’s Street. That’s where the historyis, that’s where the memories are, and it must notmove.

So why are the council even thinking of moving itto the seafront? Why else would they be having aconsultation now? When is the consultation onmoving the Dome to the seafront? It seems to mejust another attack on East Brighton.

The Pride Village Party has always been the bestparty in town and should remain so. Lloyd Russell-Moyle our MP said at the Pride consultationmeeting I attended before Christmas that thebusinesses in the Village need Pride and with theMarlborough nearby St James’s Street remains theLGBT+ centre of Brighton 51 weeks a year - so inthe LUCRATIVE 52nd week let’s take the party andall the money elsewhere. What a cheek!

Are councillors that heartless, that stupid! I don’tthink so! Lloyd also said as a resident that he lovedthe Pride Village Party – as do I. He talks a lot ofsense that MP!!

So please readers… let’s keep the FA Cup Final atWembley and Pride in the Village In St James’sStreet where it’s always been at the heart of theGay Village.

Extend it to include the Marlborough too, thatmakes sense! Nothing else does! As I say, LiveAnd Let Live and, as my friend Macca says, Let ItBe!

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APPLICATIONS NOW OPEN FORBRIGHTON PRIDE PARADE 2019) Generations of Love, the theme of the 2019 Brighton Pride CommunityParade, will mark five decades of Pride while celebrating the 50th anniversary ofthe Stonewall uprising in New York City that ignited the Worldwide Pridemovement as we know it.

The Pride LGBT+ Community Parade is one of the undisputed highlights of theBrighton & Hove Pride Festival weekend and a glorious showcase of the city’scharities, community groups and small businesses as well as our invaluable bluelight services and statutory partners.

Applications for the 2019 Pride Community Parade (Saturday, August 3) are nowopen. Places will be allocated on a first come first served basis with priority givento local charities and community groups as well as previous Parade participants.Pride's rigorous Parade Standards will help maintain the integrity of theCommunity Parade and ensure that floats and entries from business partners orbrands support and celebrate Inclusion & Diversity or the achievements, culture,and aspirations of those belonging to their LGBT+ networks.

To register for the Parade, view: www.brighton-pride.org/pride-parade/

TWO PORTIONS OF MISS JASON SERVEDUP AT ROTTINGDEAN CLUB THIS MONTH) Two portions of Miss Jason arebeing served for your delight atRottingdean Club in February. MissJason makes a welcome return onFriday, February 1 for owner PhilSherrington's birthday bash. Party startsat 8pm so get there early to make sureyou get a place in the main room at thefront of the club.

Miss Jason is back on Sunday,February 24 for Miss Jason's SundayFunday. Miss Jason will be on stage at12.45-1.30pm, then 2.45-3.30pm,and finally 3.45-4.30pm so thateveryone who has a reservation forSunday lunch, which starts from 12pmand is completely sold out, gets achance to watch Miss Jason's set incomfort. You don't have to be dining towatch the show, but people booked infor Sunday lunch will get priorityseating.

Rottingdean is a private members’ clubso make sure you have taken out yourmembership for 2019 before popping

along to these events. You can take out asingle (£35) or joint membership (£55).

The process for applying is very simple.Call for an application form on 01273309529 or fill in an application formonline at:www.therottingdeanclub.com/index

As a member you can sign in the sameguest up to three times, at which pointthey will no longer be able to visit as aguest and will be invited to join the clubin their own right.

BEAR-PATROL RAISE ALMOST £23,500 IN 2018) Danny Dywer and Bear-Patrol, thesocial networking group, raised a total of£23,483.59 from their fundraisingactivities in 2018.

Pictured right: Danny Dwyer with Mayorof Brighton & Hove, Cllr Dee Simson,at Bear-Patrol’s Christmas Dinner atthe Camelford Arms.

Danny Dwyer said: “Since joining theRainbow Fund as a community volunteerin June 2018 it has changed my lifecompletely, helping me mentally andphysically in ways that I cannot describe,I’m personally smiling again and it hassignificantly helped to put a new lease oflife back into Bear-Patrol with theknowledge that monies raised at ourcommunity events will be looked afterand handed out via grants to variouslocal organisations that deliver ‘effective’frontline services to all our LGBT+/HIVcommunities, thus spreading the fundingand giving all our groups a chance tosurvive and look after their service usersin this current uncertain climate.

“All I can say is a MASSIVE thank you toeveryone who supported Bear-Patrol lastyear in every which way possible and weare looking forward to another excitingyear ahead.”

The organisations who benefitted fromthe fundraising in 2018 are: Sussex

Beacon: £98.82, LGBT CommunitySafety Forum: £100, Give Gain Grow:£305, Sussex Heart Charity: £365,MindOut: £9,174.68, Rainbow Fund:£13,440.09. Total funds raised in 2018is £23,483.59 bringing the grand totalraised since Danny Dwyer and Bear-Patrol commenced their communityfundraising in January 2011 to£211.472.23.

The main beneficiaries of Bear-Patrol’sfundraising last year were MindOut, theLGBT mental health service (£9,174.68)for their counselling service, and theRainbow Fund (£13,440.09), who givegrants to local LGBT/HIV organisationsthat deliver effective frontline services toLGBT+ people in the city.

Danny has lots of ideas in planningevents for this year, which will all bebuilding towards celebrating Bear-Patrol’s 10th AnniversaryFundraising in 2020.

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BRIGHTON BEARS LAUNCH NEW LOGO FOR 2019) The Brighton Bears’ team have launched a newlogo to accompany this year's Brighton BearWeekend (BBW) celebrations. Designed by talentedlocal artist Richard Denne from Big Bad BrightonBear, the three bears’ design (daddy, bear and cub)

features hints of BrightonPavilion and, of course, oneof the ever-presentseagulls.

The new 2019 T-shirtscome in red and navy fromsmall to 3XL, cost £14 andare available from Prowlerin St James’s Street,Brighton and brightonbearweekend.com whereyou can find all the up to date information for the bigweekend which takes place from June 13-16.

This year, BBW is once again proudly supporting and raising funds for theRainbow Fund who give grants to local LGBT/HIV organisations that delivereffective services to LGBT+ people in the city.

Graham Munday, Chair of BBW, said: “It is always anexciting time for us at BBW HQ to launch our new logo forthis year. It is great to be able to support and shine a light onlocal talent. I want to say a big thank you to Richard forgiving his time and skill to us free of charge allowing BBW toraise more money for the Rainbow Fund with every T-shirtthat is sold.”

Richard Denne, this year’s creator, says: “I’m an artist whoworks out of my studio in Hove. Designing and making T-shirts happened by accident. One day I was making somelarge paintings which usually involved screen printing someelements onto them and I needed to clean the screen andthere was a T-shirt laying around and I used that. The resultwas very interesting and I was hooked. I made a few more T-

shirts and then friends asked would I make them one. Always with an eye for abrand, I realised that I needed to design a logo to separate them from my fine artwork and the bear head evolved. Again by accident, a friend asked me to print alarge version on the front of a shirt. He was a big bloke (bear) so I teased him bywriting BigBadBrightonBear on it and BigBadBrightonBear.com was born.

"Jump forward five years and I was asked by a friend (Andrew Tull) on behalf ofBBW to design this year's artwork. It is an honour to be asked and I am lookingforward to the weekend even more this year."

ROYAL BRITISH LEGION LAUNCHES NEWBRANCH FOR LGBT+ COMMUNITIES) The British Legion’s new LGBT+& Allies branch opens nineteen yearsafter the UK government lifted the banon LGBT+ people serving in theArmed Forces.

As the anniversary of the end of theban on LGBT+ people serving in theForces is marked, the Legion isencouraging LGBT+ veterans, thosecurrently serving and civilians, manyof whom have previously beenstigmatised within the military to jointhe new national branch.

The new branch will recognise andremember the contribution of theLGBT+ communities to the BritishArmed Forces, and raise awareness ofthe Legion’s services accessible to thecurrently under-represented group. It ishoped that the new branch will act asa safe space for people from acrossthe LGBT+ communities to shareexperiences and support the work ofthe Legion.

With no other veteran organisationsspecifically for the LGBT+communities, the Legion hopes thenew branch will also help tackleisolation and build connections in ourcommunities. Branch members willreceive regular news and updates, andwill be encouraged to network withother members in their local areas.

Emma Miller-McCaffrey, one of thefounding members of the LGBT+ &Allies branch, said: “There are manypeople who historically have not beentreated appropriately by the military,but that has now changed. I am proudto be married to my wife - a servingmember of the Royal Navy, and I amproud of who I am as a gay woman.

“Becoming a member of the Legion’sLGBT+ branch allows me to be all of

those things without judgement. It’sgreat to see the Legion remindingpeople that they are here to support allwho served, regardless of genderidentity and sexual orientation.”

Emma Cannings, Director ofMembership at the Royal BritishLegion, added: “We know that peoplewho identify as LGBT+ havehistorically been marginalised withinthe Armed Forces community, and as aresult haven’t come forward for thehelp and support they’re entitled to.

“We hope that this new branch willbring the LGBT+ and Armed Forcescommunities together, tocommemorate the sacrifices made byour LGBT+ veterans and servingpersonnel and ensure that our servicesare accessible to all those who needthem.”

The Branch is open to veterans, thosecurrently serving and civilians, fromacross the UK. To become a member, view:www.britishlegion.org.uk/membership

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BRING DEMENTIA OUT) Switchboard have been working in partnership with Alzheimer’s Societyand their innovation team on a new scheme currently being piloted in Brighton &Hove and Greater Manchester.

Bring Dementia Out aims to raise awareness and provide support for LGBT+people affected by dementia. While everyone’s experience of dementia is unique,there can be many additional challenges that are specific to a person’s sexualorientation or gender identity. Alzheimer’s Society have partnered with LGBT+communities and organisations, including Switchboard here in Brighton, to createan online hub of resources to raise awareness of the challenges faced by LGBT+people affected by dementia.

Daniel Cheesman, CEO at Switchboard, responding to thescheme, said: “Switchboard is proud to be supporting the ‘BringDementia Out’ innovation as we are only too aware that dementiadoesn’t discriminate. Our Rainbow Café in Brighton has beenrunning now for over 12 months and we are in regular contactwith LGBT+ people affected by dementia. We are pleased to be

working in partnership with Alzheimer’s Society and together we will#BringDementiaOut.”

To find out more about this new initiative go along to Brighthelm Centre from10am to 12pm on Tuesday, February 12 where you’ll hear from some of thosewho have been leading the innovation, those affected by dementia, Switchboardand Alzheimer’s Society.

The session is open to anyone, including people affected by dementia, LGBT+communities, organisations and health and social care professionals, howeverbooking is essential. To book your free place email:brighton.admin@switchboard.org.uk

Want to find out more details? email Natasha.Howard@alzheimers.org.uk.

To find out more about how you can help LGBT+ people affected by dementia,view: www.alzheimers.org.uk/bringdementiaout

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SUBTLE SIGNS THAT SHOWSUPPORT AT LOCAL HOSPITAL) Rainbow lanyards and pin badgeswith the NHS logo are appearingthroughout Brighton & SussexUniversity Hospitals NHS Trust(BSUH) as staff and volunteers showtheir support for LGBT+ patients, carers,visitors and colleagues. The lanyards andpins are a voluntary way for staff of anysexual orientation and gender identity toindicate that they are a ‘safe listeningear’ for LGBT+ patients, colleagues,volunteers and students.

Olivia King, Equality Advisor for BSUH,said “Although subtle, the rainbow pinsand lanyards represent a determinationacross our Trust to raise the standards ofunderstanding and inclusion for LGBT+people, whether as colleagues orpatients. From cancer services and end-of-life care, through to the experience ofindividuals applying for jobs, being visiblyopen, inclusive and supportive will helpto reduce anxieties and improve the carewe can offer.

“This is an important initiative for ourTrust and I’m delighted by theenthusiastic way colleagues and partnersare getting involved. The next delivery oflanyards and rainbow pins is beingfinancially supported by UNITE, UNISONand the Royal College of Nursing in ashow of collaboration with this initiative.All three organisations are committed toLGBT+ inclusion for staff and patients.”

Creating an inclusive atmosphere wherepatients feel safe to open up about theirsexual orientation and gender identity isespecially important for teams caring foryoung people.

Lorraine Tinker, BSUH’s DivisionalHead of Nursing for Children’s Services,adds: “Many young LGBT+ people saythat they do not have an adult they can

turn to or confide in and are distressed.We believe that people who work inhealthcare can play a key role in makingthings better. The badges were started asa way to signal to children and youngpeople that anyone they have an ear, avoice, an ally and friend to talk to whilein hospital. The badge is a reminder thatthey can talk to our staff about who theyare and how they feel.

“Our children’s nursing teams havegender identity training as part of theirmandatory training. We take pride inwearing our rainbow badges andlanyards, showing our young patientsthat we’re open to supporting them inthe ways they need”

Volunteers who work with the Trust, atboth the Princess Royal site in HaywardsHeath and the Royal Sussex County sitein Brighton, have also been keen toshow their support.

Kay Masters, a volunteer in theVoluntary Services Office, said:“Wearing a rainbow pin is such a simplething to do, but really effective in lettingpatients and visitors know that we carefor everyone equally, I’m very pleased tobe known as an ally for LGBT+ patientsand staff alike, and hope that I canprovide the care and support they need.”

For more info about how staff in theTrust’s hospitals champion and supportLGBT+ patients or colleagues, speak toanyone wearing a rainbow lanyard orrainbow NHS lapel pin.

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HIV+ AND 50+ ? • Meet others and socialise• Share peer support• Find information and advice • Have a say in how things are done

Then come along to a new projectprovided by people with HIV

Please get in touch to find out more

t: 07846 464384e: supper@lunchpositive.org www.lunchpositive.org

H I V +A N D

5 0 +

50+ SUPPER GROUPTUESDAY 5TH MARCH 6PM

Then meeting every 6-8 weeks

The LGBT Community Safety Forum is an independent group of lesbian, gay, bisexual

and trans(LGBT) volunteers in Brighton & Hove.

For more info visit: lgbt-help.comcall: 01273 855620 option 4, email: info@lgbt-help.com or pop into The Rainbow Hub at 93 St James Street

l b m

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!REPORT IT!info@lgbt-help.com

01273 855620

B Right On Q LGBT Community Festival c

Celebrating LGBT+ Lives and Culture

28TH March-14TH April 2019Victoria Gardens, Brighton, BN1 1WNwww.brightonlgbtfestival.com

Listening Ear Service provided by the Samaritans • This Advert was  paid for  with a grant from the Rainbow Fund

Do you want to be involved in this year's LGBT Community Festival?Exciting opportunities available: • Deputy Stage Manager • Assistant Stage Manager • Stage Crew• Stage Door Personnel • Front of House Personnel• Bar Crew & Kitchen Crew

For more information zplease email volunteer@brightonlgbtfestival.com

or visit www.brightonlgbtfestival.com

• Cleaning Personnel • Site Crew & Site Maintenance • Gardener, Receptionists & Drivers• Assistant Volunteer Coordinator• Community Liaison Assistant• Publicity & Promotion Assistant • Promotional Distributors

16 DAILY NEWS UPDATES ONWWW.GSCENE.COM)

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WHAT BLAGSS MEANS TO MEJohn Moore, the new Chair of BLAGSS (Brighton Lesbian andGay Sports Society) wants people to know 'What BLAGSS mean tohim!'

) “When I moved down to Brighton withmy husband five years ago, we knew no-one. We had recently retired and wantedto embrace the lifestyle that Brighton hadto offer.

“After picking up a leaflet about BLAGSSwe soon got involved, playing tennis andhelping out. With a background inLeisure Management I took on a SportsDevelopment role trying out newactivities for members. Being an ex-competitive swimmer I also joined Out toSwim and swam regularly.

“Through BLAGSS we have made a hugeamount of new friends and foundeveryone to be very friendly and

welcoming, many being in a similar position having moved here in recent years.I would like to say my tennis has improved; but my social network certainly has.

“You don’t have to be super sporty, BLAGSS accommodates all skill levels andabilities, is non-judgemental and provides some coaching too. The social eventsare great fun and a great way to meet and make new friends.

“Membership offers a wide range of sporting benefits plus discounts at a rangeof our local partners including our friends The Camelford and The Crown."

) Philip Erritty plays football with BLAGSS.

“In 2013, I was treated for brain cancer.After three years of recovery I could berelatively active again, but I found myself at28 living at home in the countryside,frustrated and eager to get out there again.

“I felt isolated, and as a young gay man Ifelt a desperate need to meet other gaypeople. My dad was brilliant anddiscovered MindOut, who I arranged tomeet to talk about my issues. It wasthrough MindOut that I discovered BLAGSS.On the face of it, BLAGSS offered mesomething really special: a chance to meetother gay people socially and build on myphysical health – the two most importantthings in my life at that time.

“Football is my number one sport so I knew exactly who to contact. Nonetheless,I was nervous about going, after all I had acquired some disabilities like dodgybalance and vision problems since I last played, and joining a new group isalways a bit scary….

“Fast-forward to December last year, I decided to stand up at the annual BLAGSSconference and thank Elliot and Colin, two of the many cherished friends I’vemade since joining their group two years ago. It is thanks to them that I’ve hadthe opportunity to travel across the country, and even go to Paris, to play infootball tournaments, and I’ve had the joy of walking in the parade at Pride forthe first time.

“Through their friendliness and support I’ve had the chance to feel like I belong,and what BLAGSS has given me in my life is more than I could ever haveimagined after such difficult times.”

For more details about BLAGSS view: www.blagss.org

NEW DROP-IN PROJECT FORTRANS AND NON-BINARY PEOPLE

) The Clare Project andSwitchboard launched a new transand non-binary drop-in service inJanuary to take place the thirdThursday of the month at CaféDomenica, Preston Circus, startingFebruary 21, 2019.

Initiated by social group the ClareProject, with Switchboard managingthe paid worker, TNB is a new drop-inand social support service for thoseidentifying as trans, non-binary, and/orquestioning their gender identity orvariance.

Facilitated by trans/non-binary people,the group will run from 6–8pm atCafe Domenica, 5-7 Preston Road,Brighton BN1 4QE and there willdifferent themes or topics every monththat attendees can voluntarily engagewith in whichever way they feel

comfortable. Topics may includehealth and wellbeing, substancemisuse, housing, or even artisticexpression or sports.

The drop-in is free to attend, and lightrefreshments will be provided,however, you will also be able topurchase snacks or other drinks fromthe café itself, which is all on theground floor and is wheelchairaccessible with an accessible toilet onsite. You are welcome to pop along atany point, however, if you would preferto discuss your attendance prior youare encouraged to get in touch prior toattending.

A spokesperson for the project, said:“We realise there is a desperate needfor more support and resources to bemade available for trans and non-binary people within the area, and wesee this as just the beginning of manygreat projects to come. The drop-inwill be person-centred towards theneeds of the communities, and wehope it will empower members of thecommunities to get involved and evenhost their own in the near future.”

If you would like to get involved, makean enquiry, or volunteer, email:tnbbrighton@gmail.com

MAN JAILED FOR ABUSINGBRIGHTON PRIDE REVELLER IN 2017) A man who subjected revellersheading to Brighton Pride in 2017 toracist and homophobic abuse is jailedfor more than four years.

Ryan Brown, whowas heading to Pridehimself, threatenedto "knock a womanout" while shoutinghomophobic andracist terms at othertrain passengers.

The 31-year-old from Hastings Road inCrawley, West Sussex, resisted arrestat Brighton and had to be restrained byBritish Transport Police officers. In hispocket he was carrying a large numberof small bags containing MDMA. Theincident happened shortly after 5pm onSaturday, August 5, 2017.

He was found guilty at Hove CrownCourt on Thursday, January 10 ofpossessing class A drugs with intent to

supply and causing fear of violencethrough racially charged andhomophobic language. Brown was alsosentenced at the same time for aseparate matter which included affray,criminal damage, and assault withintent to resist arrest which he pleadedguilty to in December 2018. He wasjailed for four years.

DC Imogen Sweeney, BritishTransport Police, said: “I’d like to thankthe victim in this case. She wassubjected to a frightening ordeal byBrown, receiving homophobic abuseand witnessing racist abuse. She hasremained determined to pursue justicethroughout this investigation and I’venothing but admiration and praise forher strength.

“Brighton Pride celebrates diversity andequality, values that Brown clearly needseducation in. This sentence reflects theseriousness and particularly nasty natureof his offending on that day.”

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UK’S FIRST LGBT+ BUSINESSAND MEDIA CENTRE LAUNCHESIN GATESHEAD) A former North East television studio has been given a new lease of life asthe UK’s first LGBT+ business and media centre. Stonehills, at Shields Road inPelaw, was previously used by the BBC but has been empty for a number ofyears. With the support of Gateshead Council, it will now become the PrideMedia Centre, offering a range of opportunities and support to the LGBT+communities as well as their allies. The complex will be the home of PrideCommunity Network (PCN), a not-for-profit organisation and will become thenew base for North East broadcaster, Pride Radio 89.2 fm, which currentlybroadcasts online to around 125 countries from studios at Newcastle’s DanceCity. This will be followed by the launch of an online television station, Out andProud TV.

The centre has a number of TV, radio studios and recording booths, along with16 offices which will be available to fledgling businesses from both the LGBT+communities and their supporters. The aim is for businesses to develop and benurtured in the incubator hub, in a safe environment with support given toaddress any particular issues. At the same time the centre will run a range ofoutreach programmes aimed at reaching isolated members of the LGBT+communities and delivering to them a range of relevant services.

Initially the management team are being seconded from Pride World Media,which is a multi-platform LGBT+ broadcaster, to help the venture get off theground.

Jonathan Morrell, Chair of the Board of PCN and an award-winning TVbroadcaster and journalist, said; “This is a really exciting venture and we’redelighted to be able to run the first dedicated LGBT+ business and media centrein the UK. There is a real opportunity here for us to do something very specialand give the LGBT+ communities the chance to turn their business ideas into areality with the full support of a strong network of experts. We are extremelygrateful to Gateshead Council for being so forward-thinking in allowing us tolaunch this unique venture here in the North East.”

Councillor John Adams added: “We’re delighted to welcomePCN to Gateshead, not only because they’re dynamic andambitious, but because they promote and embrace diversity.As a council this is something we are very much supportive of,and as a gay man it is important to me personally. The councilis helping the company get started and we’re looking forward

to seeing and hearing more from PCN this year.”

The not-for-profit organisation is now looking for support from businesses acrossthe region who are interested in building their relationship with the LGBT+communities. Work has already started on transforming the building, with a viewto office accommodation being available to rent from early 2019.

More information for businesses wanting to get involved is available bycontacting the centre at sales@prideworldmedia.com

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W E E K L Y H I V L U N C H C L U B

–––––––––––––––--------–––––––––––––HIV LUNCH CLUB

A safe and supportive community space for people with HIV, provided by people with HIV, where

empathy and supportiveness are everything

–––––––––––––––--------–––––––––––––

KITCHEN VOLUNTEERS

WANTEDTo join a friendly and supportive team

preparing and cooking tasty food for the community lunch club.

We're flexible on availability and full training is given.

To find out more please visit: www.lunchpositive.org

call us: 07846 464 384or email: info@lunchpositive.org

EVERY FRIDAYfrom 12 noon–3pm

DORSET GARDENS METHODIST CHURCHDORSET GARDENS, BRIGHTON, BN2 1RL

OSKA BRIGHT FILM FESTIVAL’S LGBT+ STRAND RETURNS FOR 2019 FESTIVAL) Oska Bright, the world’s leading learning disability film festival, continues tobuild on its successful LGBT+ screening, launched at its last festival in 2017.

At the festival, four films were shown in the new Queer Freedom screening aftera keynote speech by queer/femme learning disabled filmmaker Matthew

Kennedy that highlighted the importance of seeing yourselfrepresented on-screen. Matthew said: “The fact that Oska Brighthave decided to take the initiative to create an LGBT+ strand isnothing short of ground-breaking, it shows their enthusiasm andwillingness to listen to the voices of a specific community whoare rarely seen or heard.”

This year the festival is looking toincrease the number of LGBT+ filmsshown and is calling for people tosubmit short films that tackle themesof identity, gender and sexuality. Filmscan be any genre, from music videosto digital art, animation to comedy, butmust be made by, or feature in leadroles, people with a learning disability,autism or additional needs.

Matthew Hellett, Head Programmer of Oska Bright FilmFestival, said: “I decided to introduce an LGBT+ strand at thelast Festival as I am a gay man myself. Meeting other queerfilmmakers like Matthew Kennedy opened my eyes to the greatfilms that other LGBT+ people with learning disabilities aremaking and I wanted to engage with them and be able to

showcase their work.”

Oska Bright Film Festival takes place everyother year, with the next one on October 23-26,2019 at the Old Market in Brighton & Hove. Atthe 2017 festival, 66 films were screened, from13 different countries. Over 3,600 people cameto the festival over three days.

If you want to be part of the world’s first andbiggest celebration of learning disability film-making, submit your film by March 30, 2019.To enter a film, view: https://oskabright.org/submit-your-film/

MOVING ON!) The Amsterdam Bar & Kitchen wavedgoodbye to two popular members of theirstaff team last month. Miguel and hisgirlfriend Angel returned home to Toledo,Spain to start new careers training as schoolteachers. They had both worked at theAmsterdam for the last two years and werevery popular with customers, staff andmanagement alike.

Last year, Miguel a manager in the bar, raised £700 for the Sussex Beacon whenhe ran in the Brighton Half Marathon.

Tony, Peter and Neil, business partners at the Amsterdam Bar & Kitchen said:“We are very sad to see Angel and Miguel leave us to return home to Spain. Theywere a popular and important part of our team here at the Amsterdam Bar andKitchen. Their aim long-term is to become school teachers. However, in Spain whenyou apply you have to be ready to start straight away otherwise they offer any poststo the next person on the list. Both have gone home to register with the relevantauthority and then will probably take casual work while they wait their turn. They willdefinitely be missed by us all and we wish them both all the success in the world!"

THE GAY VALENTINE’S PARTY WITH ROCKLEGENDS SIREN AND GREYMATTER

) Siren, the legendary lesbianfeminist theatre company and band,are performing at the Gay Valentine'sParty at the Latest Music Bar onSaturday, February 16. The five-piece lesbian indie/alternative rockband emerged from the flourishingBrighton punk/alternative musicscene in the late 1970/80s, andpushed boundaries with theirpolitically radical songs and punchy,eclectic style.

Some members of Siren were also inpunk bands Devil’s Dykes and BrightGirls (on Vaultage punk compilations78 and 80) and their 1980s albumsincluded Siren in Queer Street andSiren Plays. To hear their latestrelease MeToo Song of Power, view:https://soundcloud.com/sirenbrighton/metoo-song-of-power

They will be joined by six-piece pop

rock band Greymatter, who havebeen performing live since 2004 andcreate beautiful vocal harmonies andlively layers of enduring rich melodies,interlaced with heart-felt lyrics aboutlife, love, heartache, yearning andpassion. They have produced threealbums and toured the UK andEurope. They won the L Fest BestBand/Artist Award of 2013 and 2014.

Zac Backencrack, the current reigningDrag King of Egresses, will becompering the show!

The Gay Valentine’s Party with Siren,Greymatter, Zac Backencrack andTrax of My Queers disco is at LatestMusic Bar, 14-17 Manchester Street,Brighton BN2 1TF on Sat, Feb16 from8pm ’til late. Tickets: £8 (80p bookingfee) or £10 on the door. To book tickets online, view:www.wegottickets.com/event/461704

18 DAILY NEWS UPDATES ONWWW.GSCENE.COM)

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) Do you have a few hours freeeach week to help improve the healthand wellbeing of someone who isisolated?

Terry is 81 years old and Nick, whovisits him weekly, is a volunteer atImpetus, a Brighton & Hove charitywhich connects people together toreduce isolation and improve healthand wellbeing. Today, Nick collectedTerry's prescription then took him toa cafe for tea and cake. They talked,laughed and shared confidencestogether.

Nick said: “Days spent in his flatalone can be long, boring and

depressing for Terry. He has mobilityissues and his vision is declining; hecan’t watch TV or read. Providingcompanionship for someone who’slonely, by volunteering with Impetus,was a way of doing something for thecommunity. I didn’t expect to find afriend! It’s a privilege to be able to bringsome joy and happiness into Terry’slife.” Terry says when he’s with Nick he“forgets about his problems.”

If you can spare an hour a week to visita neighbour, get in touch with theNeighbourhood Care Scheme atImpetus. No experience is necessary.Call 01273 775888or email: ncs@bh-impetus.org

READY TO SHARE NEIGHBOURLY GOODWILL?

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UnisexHairsalon

18 St Georges Road, Kemptown, Brighton BN2 1EB

01273 623 408

GLITTER SWIMMING GALA AT ROEDEAN SCHOOL) LGBT+ swimming clubs battled it out at the Glitter Gala at RoedeanSchool swimming pool in November 2018. Members of Out to SwimSouth, the LGBT+ swimming group, were joined by over 30 swimmersfrom Out to Swim London, Positive Strokes (an HIV positive swimminggroup in London) and the Moseley Shoals from Birmingham..

The aim of the gala was for everyone to feel comfortable and confident tocompete, especially if they hadn’t before. The atmosphere at thecompetition was of inclusivity and sportsmanship with people from all theclubs mixing and socialising together.

The competition included multiple individual and team events, including aFun Relay involving everyone in the team and a giant float! Competitorsthen celebrated with a party held in the centre of Brighton where medalswere awarded to the winners.

Out to Swim South are a group of sociable LGBT+ swimmers who swimfor fun, fitness and competitions, while providing a friendly environmentfor those who prefer the social aspect of the club, in the Brighton andSussex area. The club was established in 2006 as part of the main Londonaquatic group.

Saturday sessions are currently coached by volunteer instructors, whileMonday and Thursday sessions follow a 'set' provided by experiencedswimmers to enhance fitness.

The group share an enthusiasm to improve with like-minded people whilebeing part of an LGBT+ inclusive club including women, men and non-gender specific people, encompassing all ages from 20s to 60s.

Out to Swim South is open to everyone with a positive attitude, although itis an adult club and those under 18 are not able to participate.

There is a strong social aspect to the club with weekly dinners after theThursdays sessions and drinks in Kemptown after the Saturday sessions.

Feel free to go along to any of their sessions!

Mondays from 8.30-9.30pm andThursdays from 7.30-8.30 at PrinceRegent Pool and Saturdays from 5-6pmat Roedean School Pool.

For more information and prices, view:www.outtoswim.org/brighton/

FEBRUARY IS LGBT HISTORY MONTH!To mark the 50th anniversary of the Stonewall uprisings in New York,and the birth of the modern Pride movement, the theme of LGBTHistory Month in February is CATALYST: 50 years of activism. Brightonjoins the celebrations with a variety of events and exhibitions.

FEBRUARY 1-28) PIECES OF EIGHT - OUR TREASURE ISSUPERDIVERSITY, open Mon/Wed/Fri/Sat fromnoon-6pm; Tue/Thur from 2.30pm-6pm. Rainbow Hub hosts an intriguing photo exhibition ofeight Brighton & Hove residents. Each subject wasborn in a different decade over the last 90 years. From17 to 87, teenage musician to elder statesman theseinclusive photos are a light hearted examination ofthem, their pinups, how they used to look and aninspirational quote. Free entry. Rainbow Hub, 93 St James's St, BN21TP: therainbowhubbrighton.com/

) SPEAKING VOLUMESBHCC LGBT WorkersForum partnered withSussex Beacon host theSpeaking Volumes Exhibit inthe main foyer of BrightonTown Hall. This project hasallows the voices and storiesof hidden, stigmatised and

marginalised people living with HIV to be heard.Launched in parliament, it’s travelled internationallybefore returning to its home city. Free entry. www.speakingvolumesproject.org/Main Foyer, Brighton Town Hall, BartholomewSquare, Brighton BN1 1JW

) TRANS* GENDERThe Clare Project host this superb internationalphoto exhibition from the Rainbow Cities Network,called Trans* Gender. The exhibition explores ideasaround gender identity, activism, trans lives andcommunity. Cities from across the world haveprovided one photo each and Brighton & Hove’sfeatures a resident attending the city’s Trans Prideevent. Rainbow Cities, emphasise that every singleperson has the right to experience any gender identityin freedom and that the public space belongs to allcitizens. Free entry. Dorset Gardens Methodist Church,Dorset Gdns, BN2 1RL: www.clareproject.org. uk/

SATURDAY 2) POLARI ON TOUR: FREE CREATIVE WRITINGWORKSHOP from 10am-12pm with Paul Burstonand VG Lee. Call 01273 290800 to book your place. ) POLARI ON TOUR: FREE AUTHOR EVENT at2pm with: CG Lee, Paul Burston, Cerys Evans,

John McCullough, Elly Griffiths. No need to book, just turn up!Whitehawk Library, 179A Whitehawk Rd, BrightonBN2 5FL.

SUNDAYS 3, 10, 17 & 24) FREE FILM SCREENING EACH SUNDAY at1.30pm to celebrate LGBT History month. For info onwhat film is being screened call 01273 290800. Jubilee Library, Jubilee St, Brighton BN1 1GE

FRIDAY 15 - SUNDAY 17) QUEER CODEBREAKERS by Elle Castle,computational artist, is an installation that enablesusers to explore the parallels between ciphers,espionage, coded queer communication and thefragility of oral history. The installation incorporatessnippets from the Queer in Brighton oral historycollection. Queer Codebreakers is a collaborationbetween the Sussex Humanities Lab, Queer inBrighton, Brighton LGBTQ+ History Club,Brighton Digital Festival and is commissioned bythe British Academy through Dr Sharon Webb’s‘Rising Star Engagement Award’.Free entry to installation Fri–Sun, but you need aticket to attend the talk on Sat 16, see:www.preserivingcommunityarchives.co.ukor email sharon.webb@sussex.ac.uk for details.Jubilee Library, Jubilee St, Brighton BN1 1GE

SATURDAY 16) QUEER CODEBREAKERS TALK, 11am-1pm.You can talk with artists and hear Elle Castle speakabout the installation and their inspiration for thepiece. Laurence Hill, Director of the Brighton DigitalFestival and advisor on the project, and Dr SharonWebb, Lecturer in Digital Humanities at the Universityof Sussex, will speak about the wider significance ofthe installation and the motivation for thiscommission.Free event but you need a ticket to attend, see:www.preserivingcommunityarchives.co.ukor email sharon.webb@sussex.ac.uk for details.Jubilee Library, Jubilee St, Brighton BN1 1GE

WEDNESDAY 20) BRIGHTON VOICES: SOCIAL MEDIA -FRIENDS OR FOE? at 6.30pm. A multimedia presentation by Fox and Owl Fisherfollowed by Q&A session.

To book free tickets, visit:www.brightonvoicesfoxowl.eventbrite.co.ukAttendees are asked to consider making a donation(suggested amount £3), these funds will be splitbetween My Genderation and LGBT+networkactivities at the University of Brighton.Sallis Benney Theatre, Grand Parade Building, CityCampus, Brighton, BN2 0JY

THURSDAY 21) BIRD LA BIRD’S TRAVELLING QUEERPEOPLES HISTORY SHOW from 6.30–8pm.A fun and revolutionary exploration of the deep queerpast which may change the way you think aboutLGBT+ history forever. This box set worth of truestories squashed into a show bursts with information,

insight, laughter and emotion. Beginning in the vastprison which once stood on the site of Tate Britain,Bird lovingly traces the lives of queer prisonersspanning through centuries and across the BritishEmpire. It decolonises LGBT+ history by taking aninclusive, irreverent approach to the past andhighlighting the extraordinary lives of our queerforbearers and ancestors. This show is accessible inevery sense of the word, with audio description, livecaptions and a DIY punk attitude to history. Free event but you need a ticket to attend:www.eventbrite.com/e/bird-la-birds-queer-peoples-history-show-tickets-54843488350Friends Meeting House, Ship St, Brighton BN1 1AF

SUNDAY 24) FRIDA FRIDAYS & LIVING HISTORIES CYMRUpresents: NOT THE DONE THING at 3pm.Jane Traies discusses her new book Now You SeeMe: Lesbian Life Stories(tollingtonpress.co.uk/now.html), with livereadings and poems by the contributors followed byAn Extraordinary Female Affection: The Live andLove of the Ladies of Llangollen a performancewith Jane Hoy and Helen Sandler.(www.facebook.com/LivingHistoriesCymru). There will be intervals and time for drinks &mingling, with some background music. Tickets £8/£6 from BrownPaperTickets:https://notthedonething.bpt.meNightingale Room at the Grand Central (justoutside Brighton Station, BN1 3PA)

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hobby activities, but again if you’re alone andfeeling isolated and would like to connect butlack the confidence to engage I’d urge you toconsider taking part, even for half an hour.Many of the smaller groups and charities canoffer a named volunteer to meet you at or justprior to the event and stay with you during theevent and introduce you to others.

A great example of community peer-led eventswas the recent Lunch Positive supper evening,which was attended by over 40 people aged 50and over. This is a new event, only the secondtime, and the range of food was fantastic andserved at tables by the dedicated volunteers.Many of the older people in Brighton, who maybe considered isolated, don’t feel connected tothe scene because they don’t attend bars wherethere’s alcohol. Many of their generation havedied or just stay at home feeling the communityhas perhaps overlooked them. This event is asafe space where people with HIV can meet up,socialise and, from what I hear, fulfills a greatservice to what is a growing part of ourcommunity. As people live longer with HIV,services like this are of high value, particularlybecause it is peer-led by volunteers.

Something powerful stayed with me aftertalking to people after supper. One older mantold me he never goes out in the eveningbecause he feels he doesn’t fit in anymore. Hisroutine is to stay at home, read, watch TV, orlisten to music and use social media. Hisparting remark was that he felt energisedcoming to the supper and, importantly, excitedabout the next supper evening. He had met upwith some old friends he hadn’t spoken with forsome considerable time. For me that’s powerfulfor the simple reason that the supper has madeat least one person break a self-inflictedroutine.

If you’re like that person or know someone whois alone then make the change and take thefirst step to try some of what’s on offer, whoknows you might end up re-engaging with oldfriends or making new. If money is an issue thatneedn’t be a barrier as some of the regularevents are at low cost. Discover what’s going onlocally and encourage someone who is alone tobreak out of their mould or, better still, offer totake them along.

We live in a city with such a large LGBTQcommunity of all ages, cultures and genderswhich should be applauded and celebrated, butlet’s put the real meaning back into Communityby looking out for those who seem alone,whatever their age.

Remember, for those who are older being aloneis often not their choice and is probablybecause of circumstances beyond their control.

ISOLATIONYou look but do you see? Well for me that is my life as ablind person. My focus is on what I hear, observe bybody language, smell, touch, voice inflection, alongwith intuition and gut instinct. By Richard Jeneway

I was asked very recently by a fundingorganisation how charities, along with smallgroups, can connect with people who’reisolated. There are many reasons thatcontribute to isolation: feeling disconnected ornot belonging to the community thatsurrounds us, mental health, depression, lossof friends and partners, carers or poor physicalhealth, coupled often with low income andhigh living costs.

Some who’re considered to be isolated choosethat lifestyle for various reasons but are oftencontent with that way of life. How do I knowthat? Because I know, personally, some olderpeople in the area when asked, the answer isthe same and little would draw them out oftheir established daily routine. There is a senseof security we all feel within our living space,so listening to that group of people, who maybe isolated and feeling intense loneliness,breaking that routine is a great challenge.

Over the years of volunteering I’ve listenedwith an open mind to many, mainly men,talking about loneliness and what mechanisms,if any, they’ve developed to combat those dayswhen no one calls and the only contact is ifthey venture to the shop, have a coffee or usesocial media. So, would you notice someonesitting alone nursing a cup of tea and mightyou say hello? Perhaps not for fear of rejectionor a negative response or just because we’rebusy with our lives; but sometimes a few wordscan make a world of difference.

Now, there are many local organisations outthere which offer lunch, supper, coffee andcake and various health, entertainment and

) When we’re out and about do we really seewhat’s happening or do we unconsciously takeaway that what we don’t want to see? As weenter late winter, and with thoughts of spring,can we make some changes to what we actuallysee?

What do we hear? Do we listen when someoneis talking to us? We think we do but can weremember or indeed reflect on a friend’sthoughts. When I listen to various groups ofpeople who are older, I wonder if serviceproviders hear and listen to people’sexpectations and needs. Often I’am advisedthat ‘collated statistics’ are evidence of theservices people want, but are they?

Is anyone listening, I mean really listening?Within the older HIV population, along withthe older LGBTQ community, who is hearingwhat we say? In my view, it’s the smaller peerand volunteer-led organisations that are theones who really do listen.

“Let’s put the real meaning back intoCommunity by looking outfor those who seem alone,whatever their age”

22 GSCENE

) This year’s Carnival themed main events onthe weekend of Saturday, February 23 andSunday, February 24 will be held on theiconic Fort Lauderdale Beach and include thefirst ever Fort Lauderdale Pride parade alongthe promenade.

One of the grand marshalls will be Miss MajorGriffin-Gracy, a transgender activist who hasbeen at the forefront of the fight for equalityfor more than 40 years. She was front andcentre during the police raid at the infamousStonewall riots in 1969, became an advocatefor prisoners’ rights through the 1970s and1980s, and, after a move to San Francisco inthe 1990s, began working closely with theHIV/AIDS communities.

And in a new documentary, Major!, premieringat the Inside Out Festival, filmmakerAnnalise Ophelian tracks Gracy's current workfor trans people of colour through the TGIJustice Project, which advocates fortransgender women of colour who have beenthrough the US prison system.

More than 120,000 visitors from the USA andbeyond are expected at the 42nd annual FortLauderdale Pride Festival, which opens onThursday, February 21 through Sunday,February 24.

The festival includes world-renownedentertainers on two stages, more than 100local and national exhibitors, a food court,and, of course, the world-class beaches of FortLauderdale.

This year’s entertainment line-up includesAmerican Idol fan favourite Ada Vox, whomade history as the first drag queen toadvance to the final 10 contestants, andsinger, choreographer, YouTube personality,American Idol veteran and popular guest judgeon RuPaul’s Drag Race, Toderick Hall. Thecelebrations will conclude at 7,45pm with astunning fireworks display on the beach.

Richard Gray, VicePresident of Diversityand Inclusion at theGreater FortLauderdale Conventionand Visitors Bureau,said: “Diversity is inGreater FortLauderdale’s DNA; it’swho we are. I’m so

proud that Pride Fort Lauderdale’s colourfultheme represents how diverse our destination is,and demonstrates to the world how welcomingand inclusive we are.”

The sights and sounds of the Caribbean andBrazil will come alive throughout the festivalas the 2019 Carnival theme pays tribute to thediverse ethnic communities that call GreaterFort Lauderdale home and to the MardiGras/Carnival season.

Miik Martorell,President of Pride FortLauderdale, said; “Thisyear’s Fort LauderdalePride is a nod to howinclusive Greater FortLauderdale is and weare excited to seeeveryone cometogether at this

historic gathering, as we throw the first paradeever on Fort Lauderdale Beach.”

Admission is free for the main events on FortLauderdale Beach and all proceeds raised willgo toward funding LGBT+ youth scholarshipsand local community organisers.

For more information about Fort LauderdalePride 2019 and to view the full schedule ofevents, view: www.pridefortlauderdale.org/

The Greater Fort Lauderdale Convention &Visitors Bureau has been proactively targetingand welcoming LGBT+ visitors since 1996 whenit became the first Convention & Visitors Bureauin the USA with a gay-centric vacation planner,and dedicated website on a CVB homepage.Since then, the destination has continued tobreak down barriers and facilitate essentialvisibility for the wider LGBT+ community atlarge. The destination now welcomes 1.5 millionLGBT+ travellers annually, who spend $1.5billion.

Fort Lauderdale also features one of the largestPride Centres in the country, the first and onlyWorld AIDS Museum and Education Centre,and is home to the Stonewall National Museum& Archives, one of the only permanent spacesin the USA devoted to exhibitions relating toLGBT+ history and culture. Most recently, GreaterFort Lauderdale opened the area’s first LGBT+Visitors Centre in Wilton Manors, home to oneof the world’s only LGBT+ shopping centres.

MORE INFO) British Airways fly direct into Fort

Lauderdale from Gatwick and Heathrow) Norwegian Air continue to fly into Fort

Lauderdale from Gatwick till end of March) For line-up of events, view:

www.pridefortlauderdale.org/events/) For more information about Fort

Lauderdale, view: www.sunny.org

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FORT LAUDERDALE PRIDEEyewitness to the historic 1969 Stonewall Riots is to be honouredon the first parade ever during Fort Lauderdale Pride this month.

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TRANS PRIDE FORT LAUDERDALEMiss Major Griffin-Gracy is honoured guest atTrans Pride and Pride Fort Lauderdale 2019.

) South Florida (Fort Lauderdale/Miami-Dade) has one of the largestTransgender communities in the country, although it might not benoticeable because many Trans people are 'stealth' in their public andprofessional lives. As a result, there is also a concentration ofsurgeons, health care and service providers who serve the Transcommunities in the area.

Last year, at the suggestion of TransSocial, one of the most activeTransgender support organisations, Pride Fort Lauderdale included aTrans Pride section as part of their larger festival. Those businesses,social service agencies and others who serve the communities wereprovided with a dedicated area to exhibit, internationally-recognisedTrans entertainers were showcased and profits from beverage sales inthat area were returned to the trans communities in the form ofgrants.

This year, Trans Pride Fort Lauderdale continues to grow within themain four-day Pride festival. A Trans steering committee is planningactivities, engaging businesses and sponsors and promoting the eventto the Trans communities. Trans Pride and Pride Fort Lauderdale will behonouring Miss Major Griffin-Gracy, a Transgender patron in theStonewall Inn on the night of the 1969 police raid that sparked theStonewall Riots (she was knocked unconscious and arrested in theraid) and the birth of the modern LGBT+ rights movement. Since then,Miss Major has been a tireless advocate for the Trans communities. Asthe 50th anniversary of that event approaches, Trans Pride and PrideFort Lauderdale are proud to introduce this pioneer to new generationsof LGBT+ people who live in a very different world in 2019.

FUDGE AT 60) Malcolm Fudge celebrated his 60th birthday in style with friendsat the Grosvenor Bar in Hove. Malcolm and his partner Dick ran themuch missed Fudges Restaurant and introduced the concept ofSunday cabaret lunches to Brighton in the 1990s. They were happyhalcyon days for local LGBT+ people leaving so many of us with veryhappy memories.

MALCOLM & DICK FUDGE

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26 GSCENE

DJ PROFILE: LEE DAGGER

Catch international record producer, songwriter, remixer and superstar DJLee Dagger of Bimbo Jones, one of the UK and USA’s top remixproduction teams, perform at Basement Club @ Legends in Brighton onFriday, February 1 from 11pm. The celebrated Grammy Award-winningproducer is a personal Billboard No1 artist, has achieved over 80 danceNo1s as a remixer, and was the producer of the No1 hit in the UKcommercial chart, Thunder In My Heart with Leo Sayer and Meck.

An impressively inked passport is testament to Lee’s worldwideperformance history. From Miami to Marrakech, Hong Kong to Helsinki,Australia to Russia, South Africa to Ibiza – he’s played the hottest clubsin the world alongside some of the world’s biggest names includingFaithless, Eric Morillo, Paul Oakenfold, David Guetta, Tenaglia, Carl Coxand Bob Sinclair. He’s performed at Glastonbury and headlined the MardiGras Harbour Festival in Sydney, Australia, performing with artists suchas Kylie, David Guetta, R3Hab, Keisza, George Michael, Carl Cox, PaulOakenfold, Erik Morillo and many more.

His remixes have been heard worldwide on radio and in clubland wherehe has officially remixed for everyone from Avicii, Rihanna, Madonna,Lady Gaga, P!nk, Britney, Kylie, Annie Lennox, Plumb, Ciara, Usher,Twenty One Pilots and The Killers. Now based in the USA, Lee continuesto write, produce, remix and perform to a global audience.

In October 2014, Lee achieved his first US Billboard Chart No1 hit withShelter Me featuring Inaya Day on Radikal records and the followingmonth, I Found Out by Bimbo Jones and Beverley Knight hit the No1spot in the Music Week UK dance chart. Bimbo Jones also co-producedwith Sergio Mende, his album, Bon Tempo, winning a 2010 Latin Grammyand was a Grammy Nominee for Best Contemporary World Music Album.

As a songwriter, Lee has written many songs with the likes of CyndiLauper, MC Lyte, Kristine W, Crystal Waters, Inaya Day, Kathy Brown, DJsfrom Mars, KC & the Sunshine Band, Leo Sayer, and Sian Evans.

Lee also mixes the Bimbo Jones Global Radio Show live every week,which is syndicated throughout the world to over 30 stations gaining ahuge worldwide following in excess of over two million listeners a week!

So what’s next for DJ Lee Dagger? He’s now living in America and youcan catch him making a splash on this side of the pond at BasementClub @ Legends, 31-34 Marine Parade, Brighton BN2 1TR on Friday,February 1 from 11pm, free entry.

DJ LEE DAGGER) www.djleedagger.co.ukf DJLeeDagger/) www.instagram.com/leedagger/t /LeeDagger/

ALBUMS) If music be the food of love,then it’s definitely time to get toplay on as we head into February

with our tailfeatherswiggling. Be itwith theelectrifyingelectronica of

the wavy wonder that is TheSound of Valkea Vol.1 on Valkea

Music, theseriouslysublime world ofgrooves of NightNoises Vol. 1 onNight Noise

Music, or the Digger Factory must-hear that is Tommy Guerrero’s

Dub Tunes on EdBanger, yourmonth of amorewill stay sweet.

If you need ahouse lesson in

your life, then the masterful ForThe Culture on Nervous NYC byOscar G will teach you right. Tribalhouse you’ll want to belong to,delivered with style and grace asthe man responsible for some of

house music’smost definingmomentsdelivers. Again.

We’re havingdouble thrills of

Feb faves with the perfectlydescribed “deep and spacioushouse cuts, weaving lazy pianos

and half heardvocals” ofTilman’s TalesAnd Reactionson Fine, asloopy as a

March hare and just as bouncy, orthe ever-glorious label Nordic Traxas they return with the B-Side’s

collectionbeauty ofHiddenTreasuresVol.1, a latebloomer that’s

keeping our life majestic, we’respring happy. Just how we like it.

Catch Wildblood & Queenie on1BTN 1st & 3rd Fri & 4th Wed101.4FM 1btn.fm, at Club BarbraFeb 15, Honey Dijon @ PatternsMar 9, Traumfrau IWD MixtapeMar 16, B, Please! Mar 22 andAlfresco Festival.perfectdistractions.com

DANCE MUSICBY QUEEN JOSEPHINE & KATE WILDBLOOD

WILDBLOOD & QUEENIE’S FAB FEB 12”) HORSE MEAT DISCO ft Amy Douglas Let’s Go Dancing GlitterboxThe disco queens return with a glittering call to dance. ) SOPHIE LLOYD Calling Out (David Penn mix) Classic Music CompanyA class remix to ensure this anthem continues to light up our nights.) RALPH SESSION Shine Your Light Half Assed RecordsAddictive disco delight from Session’s The Boogie Down Part 2 EP.) IAN BLEVINS The Serpent (Austin Ato Remix) Me Me MeIf only all house was made this way. A future alfresco favourite for sure.) PBR STREETGANG Pork Chop Express (Luke Solomon remix) SkintA chunky M.F. of a tune that will keep you jumping all year.) MELODYMANN Nobody Else Soiree Records InternationalHoney EP action destined to wiggle your winter hips and more.) GAOULE MIZIK A Ka Titine (Detroit Swindle edit) White LabelA rare cut that keeps the beats strictly class from our fave Swindle.) HDSN Show Me The Way NBASTDelivering style and substance; a right disco infused delight.) DANIEL STEINBERG Twilight Arms & LegsJackin' twisted house that will ensure the sweat is had till dawn.) VIOLET New Visions ParaisoA visionary in the studio, a wonder in the booth. Violet equals joy.

28 GSCENE OUT & ABOUT

l BAR 7@CRAWLEY SubmissiveSaturday 9pml BAR BROADWAY Jukebox 4pml BASEMENT CLUB@LEGENDSFusion: DJ Peter Castle 11pml BOUTIQUE Saturday Night Fever: DJKing Sol 8pm; cocktail masterclass foreveryone in bar 2 8pml CHARLES ST TAP Fierce: DJs 9pml CROWN KEMPTOWN Disco 7pml GROSVENOR BAR cabaret: Jason Lee9.30pml LEGENDS BAR Pre-club DJ 7pml MARINE TAVERN cabaret: MissJason 9pml PARIS HOUSE live jazz: Jorges HotClub 4pm; TC’s Joyful Noise: DJ Kenny9pml QUEEN’S ARMS double cabaret:Poppycock 6pm, Martha D’Arthur 10pml REGENCY TAVERN cabaret: Kara VanPark 9pml THE STABLE@LONDON WC2 TotalFekkin Nude: naked party for all 9pml SUBLINE The Men’s Room: DJScrewpulous 9pml THREE JOLLY BUTCHERS livefootball: Spurs v Newcastle 12.30pm;rugby: Scotland v Italy 2.15pm, Ireland vEngland 4.45pml ZONE cabaret: Miss Jason 10pm

SUNDAY 3l AFFINITY BAR Thank F*** It’s FebDouble Cabaret: Drag With No Name2.30pm, Topsie Redfern 8pml AMSTERDAM cabaret: Jason Lee5pm; roasts 12pm-till gonel BAR 7@CRAWLEY karaoke 7pml BAR BROADWAY Fireplace Sessions:Sam Chara 8.30pml BASEMENT CLUB@LEGENDSPop!Candy DJ Claire Fuller 9pml CAMELFORD ARMS Bear Bash: freefood & raffle 5pm; roasts & select menu12pm–till gonel CHARLES ST TAP cabaret: host SallyVate + Lady Imelda 7.30pm; Sally’sRock & Roll Bingo 8.30pm; roasts 12pml FIRE & LIGHTBOX@LONDON SW8Stark Bollock Naked: naked party 2pm;gay adult movie stars: Drew Dixon &Martin Biggs 5pm; Near Bollock Naked:underwear/jock strap party 6pml LEGENDS BAR cabaret: DavinaSparkle 3.30pm; roasts 12.30–4pml MARINE TAVERN roasts 12-5pm;Drag Open Mic: Stephanie Von Clitz 9pml PARIS HOUSE live music: Fleur DeParis 6pml QUEEN’S ARMS double cabaret:Cosmic 6.30pm & 9.30pm

PICS FROM AFFINITY BAR + AMSTERDAM BAR & KITCHEN

FEBRUARYLISTINGS

AFFINITY BARl 129 St James’s Street, BN2 1TH, Tel 01273 567935 www.affinitygaybar.co.ukFacebook: Affinity Bar Brighton. Text Alerts: text ‘Infinity’ to 88802. l OPEN daily 12pm–12am.l DRINK PROMOS Thirsty Thursday: £3.50 drinks including Fosters, doublehouse gin/vodka/rum and house wine.

l ONE FOR THE DIARY Saturday CAMP CABARETat 6pm: Pat Clutcher (2, 9 & 23) and Miss Jason (16);KARAOKE with Pat Clutcher at 7pm; and different gameshow every week at 9pm: The Golden Sh*t Game Showwith Pat Clutcher (2), You’re the One that I Want wherefour players compete for the affections of one of our sexybar studs in a series of cheeky challenges, games and

quick fire questions (9), Couples Come Play With Me (16) and Pat Clutcher’s1980s Game Show (23).

l ONE FOR THE DIARY Sunday (3) is THANK F**K IT’S FEBRUARY doublecabaret with Drag With No Name at 2.30pm and Topsie Redfern at 8pm.

l REGULARS Monday is ALL DAY KARAOKE from 12pm; KARAOKE withTommy Tanker (aka Pat Clutcher) at 7pm. l Tuesday is ALL DAY FREEJUKEBOX, you pick the tracks from 12pm. l Wednesday is QUIZ with JasonThorpe at 7pm; KARAOKE with Tommy Tanker at 8pm. l Thursday is Queen ofFlea Lydia L’Scabies at 10pm & 11pm. Affinity Bar say: “The award-winningbimbo performs her greatest homages to TV, film and musical theatre! Plus cheapdrinks & shot specials to keep you lubricated!” l Friday: start the weekend in stylewith LIQUID GOLD high-NRG tunes 8pm. l Sunday EVENING CABARET at5pm: Jade Justine (10), Pat Clutcher (17) and Stephanie Von Clitz (24). Thenit’s Pat Clutcher’s KARAOKE from 7pm (17).

Information is correct at the time of going topress. Gscene cannot be held responsible forany changes or alterations to the listings

FRIDAY 1l AFFINITY BAR DJ Liquid Gold 8pml AMSTERDAM cabaret: Davina Sparkle9.30pml BAR 7@CRAWLEY 7 Upstairs 9pml BAR BROADWAY Jukebox 5pml BASEMENT CLUB@LEGENDSGlitter: DJ David Noakes & guest DJ LeeDagger of Bimbo Jones 11pml BOUTIQUE Pinch Punch: DJ Cee 8pml CAMELFORD ARMS Friday Club6pml CHARLES ST TAP Fabulous Friday:DJ Morgan Fabulous 9pml CROWN KEMPTOWN R&B night 7pml GROSVENOR BAR cabaret: Spice9.30pm

l LEGENDS BAR Brighton Belles: DaveLynn & Sally Vate 9.30pml MARINE TAVERN Jukebox 8pml PARIS HOUSE DJ Havoxx 9pml QUEEN’S ARMS cabaret: KY Kelly10pml ROTTINGDEAN CLUB Phil’s Birthdaycabaret with Miss Jason 8pml SUBLINE Steam 9pml THREE JOLLY BUTCHERS liverugby: France v Wales 8pml ZONE cabaret: Miss Tish Ewe 10pm

SATURDAY 2l AFFINITY BAR Camp Cabaret: PatClutcher 6pm; karaoke: Pat Clutcher 7pm;Pat Clutcher’s Golden Sh*t Game Show9pml AMSTERDAM Karaoke: Jason Thorpe9.30pm

AMSTERDAM BAR & KITCHENl 11-12 Marine Parade, BN2 1TL, T: 01273 670976, www.amsterdambrighton.coml OPEN daily from 11am–late.l FOOD Mon–Fri 11am–8pm; Sat 10.30am–8pm; Sunday roasts from12.30pm till they run out, booking recommended: 01273 670976.l DRINK PROMOS Grolsch £3.50 a pint in February; select bottles beer £3; housespirit & mixer £3 single, £5 double; bottle house wine £10.90; 2 cocktails for £15.

l VALENTINE’S DAY Thursday (14): treat yourself and your partner to a three-course Valentine’s Day meal for two in a romantic setting for £40 per couple,including a bottle of Prosecco! Call to make a reservation.

l REGULARS CABARET Friday with top entertainers at9.30pm: Davina Sparkle (1), Stephanie Von Clitz (8),Mrs Moore (15) and Drag With No Name (22). SatKARAOKE with Jason Thorpe at 9.30pm. l SundayENTERTAINMENT with Brighton’s best serenading you afterlunch from 5pm: Jason Lee (3), Jamie Watson (10), RobTaylor (17) and Wain Douglas (Kara Van Park) (24).

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l REGENCY TAVERN roasts 12-6pml SUBLINE Guilty Pleasures: DJScrewpulous 9pml THREE JOLLY BUTCHERS livefootball: Leicester v Man Utd 2pm, ManCity v Arsenal 4.30pm

MONDAY 4l AFFINITY BAR All Day Karaoke12pm; Karaoke with Tommy Tanker (akaPat Clutcher) 7pml BAR BROADWAY Classics Jukebox6pml CHARLES ST TAP Gaymers Night:consoles, board/card games 8.30pm

l LEGENDS BAR Miss Jason’s MondayMadness 9.30pml PARIS HOUSE live jazz: Nils Solberg-Mick Hamer Trio 2pm; Roy Hilton & band8pml QUEEN’S ARMS Monday MadnessCabaret: Lola Lasagne 9pml THREE JOLLY BUTCHERS livefootball: West Ham v Liverpool 8pm

TUESDAY 5l AFFINITY BAR Free Jukebox 12pml BAR 7@CRAWLEY Crewsday: DJLewis Osborne 9pm

PICS FROM BAR BROADWAY

BAR BROADWAYl 10 Steine Street, BN2 1TE, Tel: 01273 609777, www.barbroadway.co.ukl OPEN Mon–Thur 6pm–1am, Fri 5pm–3am, Sat 4pm–3am, Sun 4pm–1am.l DRINK PROMOS Download the Bar Broadway app for exclusive drink deals.

l VALENTINE’S DAY Thursday (14) is RossCamerooooon’s VALENTINE’S QUIZ with prizes at8.30pm. Bar Broadway say: “LURVE is in the air and thewinners of each round will be given an opportunity to win aspecial Valentine’s prize, and there’s still the cash prize upfor grabs for the winner of the quiz!”

l ONE FOR THE DIARY Get your flags out for Friday (8) for EUROVISION:YOU DECIDE, the TV show to choose this year’s Song for Europe, which will beshown on the big screens with Mel Giedroyc and Måns Zelmerlöw on hostingduties from 7pm, stick around the Broadway & Eurovision Jukebox!

l REGULARS Sunday at 8.30pm: FIREPLACE SESSIONS presents: SamChara (3), George Martin Marino (10), Tabitha Wild (17) and Chase Adams(24). George Martin Marino (10) makes his solo Bar Broadway debut afterwowing the crowd at the SMUTs Open Mic nights. With musical, jazz and popnumbers, George will end your weekend in style! l Monday is CLASSICSJUKEBOX with your favourite Broadway musical tunes to ease you into the week.Request your faves, then relax and enjoy! l Tuesday is PIANO SINGALONG forpeople of all ages to gather and sing or enjoy the live music at 9pm. l Wednesday is Tabitha Wild’s BLANKETY BLANK at9pm. Win up to £100 cash at the game show that makesyou feel all BLANK inside! Bar Broadway say: “Tabitha’s backwith the naughtiest game show in town! Yes, it’s BlanketyBlank, and all you have to do is fill in Tabitha’s BLANKS.Don’t come if you’re easily offended, do come if you’re upfor a good laugh and want the chance to win hard cash.”l Thursday is Ross Cameroooon’s QUIZ with great prizes, including cash, at8.30pm. l Friday & Saturday: BROADWAY JUKEBOX where you tweet theweekend playlist @barbroadwayuk #Jukebox!

ROSS CAMEROON

TABITHA WILD

30 GSCENE OUT & ABOUT30 GSCENE OUT & ABOUT

FEBRUARYLISTINGS

BAR 7 CRAWLEYl 7 Pegler Way, Crawley, RH11 7AG, Tel: 01293 511177, www.7crawley.co.ukl OPEN daily from 6pm.l DRINK PROMOS Tue, Wed, Fri, Sat & Sun drink deals all night

l ONE FOR THE DIARY Friday (22) CABARET with thesensational Drag With No Name at 7pm.

l REGULARS Friday is 7-UPSTAIRS with all-star DJspop/ dance/guilty pleasures at 8pm, free till 11pm. l Itsparty time at SUBMISSIVE SATURDAY with tunes at 9pm,free till 11pm. l Sun is KARAOKE from 6pm. l Tues is

CREWSDAY with DJ Lewis Osborne from 7pm. l Wed is MIDWEEK CHILL from7.30pm. l Thur is WEEKEND WARM-UP with DJ Lewis Osborne from 7pm.

l BAR BROADWAY Piano Singalongwith the Regency Singers 9pml MARINE TAVERN Curry & Quiz withNat 7.30pml PARIS HOUSE live music: Scott Booth8pml QUEEN’S ARMS QA’s Got Talent withhost Poppycock & prizes 9pm

WEDNESDAY 6l AFFINITY BAR Quiz: Jason Thorpe7pm; Karaoke with Tommy Tanker (aka PatClutcher) 8pml BAR 7@CRAWLEY Midweek Chill 7pml BAR BROADWAY Tabitha Wild’sBlankety Blank 9pml BASEMENT CLUB@LEGENDS Ice:

DJ Claire Fuller 11pml CAMELFORD ARMS Seniors’ lunch2-3.30pml MARINE TAVERN Pink Pound 7pml PARIS HOUSE live music: AlexBondonno Trio 8pml QUEEN’S ARMS Sally Vate Show 10pml SUBLINE Floss: candyfloss/electro/pop-up performance/visual art 10pml THREE JOLLY BUTCHERS Open Micwith hosts Waterbear Music College 7pm

THURSDAY 7l AFFINITY BAR Lydia L’Scabiesperforms homages to TV, film & musicaltheatre 10pml BAR 7@CRAWLEY Weekend Warm-

Up 9pml BAR BROADWAY Ross Cameroooon’sQuiz with prizes 8.30pml BASEMENT CLUB@LEGENDS NowThat’s What I Call Legends with DJ ClaireFuller 11pml CAMELFORD ARMS £300 Big CashQuiz 9pml CHARLES ST TAP ThrowbackThursday 9pml GROSVENOR BAR Abel Mabel’sBingo 8.30pml HORSE FAIR@BRIGHTON SAUNAroleplay/fetish night: stable lads, stallions& mares - www.jamiehp.co.uk 9pml MARINE TAVERN ThrowbackThursday 80s Night 8pm

l PARIS HOUSE World music: PollitoBoogaloo 8pml QUEEN’S ARMS Brighton’s LeadingLadies cabaret: Stephanie Von Clitz 10pml REGENCY TAVERN Karaoke/Open Micwith Jason Thorpe 8pml SUBLINE Brace Yourself 9pml THREE JOLLY BUTCHERS Mitch &Paul’s Quiz & Chilli 8pm

FRIDAY 8l AFFINITY BAR DJ Liquid Gold 8pml AMSTERDAM cabaret: Stephanie VonClitz 9.30pml BAR 7@CRAWLEY 7 Upstairs 9pml BAR BROADWAY Eurovision: YouDecide on the big screens 7pm

BOUTIQUEl 2 Boyces St, West St, BN11AN, 01273 327607 www.boutiqueclubbrighton.coml OPEN from 8pm–late Fri & Sat.

l ONE FOR THE DIARY Friday is PARTY TIME with newDJ CEE bringing the house down with old school bangers from8pm. Boutique say: “Expect fresh new vibes and fresh newlooks with DJ CEE and the best crowd and drink prices in town!”

l REGULARS SATURDAY NIGHT FEVER with party vibeand hefty beats from superstar DJ King Sol. Mix it up with a

free cocktail masterclass for everybody in bar 2 on Sat (2); free shot drops everyhour on (9); free karaoke for groups of 10+ people (16); quote Gscene on the doorfor free entry till midnight (23).

PICS FROM BAR 7 + BOUTIQUE

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l BASEMENT CLUB@LEGENDSGlitter: DJ David Noakes 11pml BOUTIQUE Party with DJ Cee 8pml CAMELFORD ARMS Friday Club 6pml CHARLES ST TAP Fabulous Friday:DJ Morgan Fabulous 9pml CROWN KEMPTOWN R&B night 7pml GROSVENOR BAR cabaret: Sally Vate9.30pml LEGENDS BAR Brighton Belles: localcabaret stars & guests 9.30pml MARINE TAVERN cabaret: PeggyWessex 9pml PARIS HOUSE DJ Havoxx 9pml QUEEN’S ARMS cabaret: Rose Garden10pml REGENCY TAVERN CABA Regency:students/graduates perform 8.30pml ROTTINGDEAN CLUB cabaret: KrissieDuCann 8.30pml SUBLINE Dirty Tackle: sports kit 9pml ZONE cabaret: Stone & Street 10pm

SATURDAY 9l AFFINITY BAR Camp Cabaret: PatClutcher 6pm; karaoke: Pat Clutcher 7pm;You’re the One that I Want Game Show:challenges, games & questions 9pml AMSTERDAM Karaoke with JasonThorpe 9.30pml BAR 7@CRAWLEY SubmissiveSaturday 9pml BAR BROADWAY Jukebox 4pml BASEMENT CLUB@LEGENDSFusion: DJ Peter Castle 11pml BOUTIQUE Saturday Night Fever: DJ

King Sol & shot drops 8pml CHARLES ST TAP Fierce: DJs 9pml CROWN KEMPTOWN Disco 7pml GROSVENOR BAR cabaret: Dave Lynn9.30pml LEGENDS BAR Pre-club DJ 7pml MARINE TAVERN Candi Rell’sKaraoke & Cabaret Party 8pml PARIS HOUSE live jazz: Sam CarleseTrio 4pm; TC’s Joyful Noise: DJ Kenny 9pml QUEEN’S ARMS double cabaret:Poppycock 6pm, Lola Lasagne 10pml REGENCY TAVERN cabaret: Gemma& the Pianoman 9pml ROTTINGDEAN CLUB BottomlessLunch: £30 for main course & bottomlessfizz, members/guests/bookings only 12pml THE STABLE@LONDON WC2 TotalFekkin Nude: naked party for all 9pml SUBLINE The Men’s Room: DJScrewpulous 9pml THREE JOLLY BUTCHERS livefootball: Fulham v Man Utd 12.30pm; liverugby: Scotland v Ireland 2.15pm; PreHome Match Warm Up: Brighton v Burnley3pm; live rugby: Italy v Wales 4.45pml ZONE cabaret: Sally Vate 10pm

SUNDAY 10l AFFINITY BAR cabaret: Jade Justine5pml AMSTERDAM cabaret: Jamie Watson5pm; roasts 12pm-till gonel BAR 7@CRAWLEY karaoke 7pml BAR BROADWAY Fireplace Sessionspresent: George Martin Marino 8.30pm

CAMELFORD ARMSl 30-31 Camelford St, BN2 1TQ, Tel: 01273 622386, www.camelfordarms.coml OPEN daily from 12pm. The Camelford is dog friendly.

l FOOD Mon–Sat 12–9pm; Sunday roasts and selectmenu 12pm–till gone; seniors’ lunch Wed 2–3.30pm,two courses £9.50.

l VALENTINE’S DAY Thursday (14): fine dining three-course special menu in a candlelit romantic setting for £60per couple (incl free bottle of wine if booked in advance)or £30 per person (no free wine) on the night.

l REGULARS Thursday is the BIG CASH QUIZ with £300 cash prize, freesarnies and great atmosphere at 9pm. l Sunday is the BEAR BASH with free foodand raffle at 5pm.

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CHARLES STREET TAPl 8 Marine Parade, BN2 1TA, Tel: 01273 624091, www.charles-street.coml OPEN daily from 10am. l FOOD daily from 10am–10pm, inc breakfasts from 10am; Tue 2-4-1 burgers till10pm, choose any two burgers and get cheapest free; Wed Sticky Wings: 10 chickenor cauliflower vegan wings for £3; Sunday homemade roasts for £9 from 12pm,hand carved roast beef or turkey, roast pork with crackling, nut roast, lamb shank £11.l DRINK PROMOS all cocktails £4.95 Mon–Thur 5–8pm, £4 a pint on craft/caskworld beers (everything apart from Fosters and cider) on Mon, bottles of Prosecco£15 all night & half price drinks 5–9pm on Fri, Sun Craft Club: any two craft cans orbottles £6 from 6pm.

l VALENTINE’S DAY Thursday (14) two for one pizzas and a specialTHROWBACK THURSDAY for all you love birds out there from 9pm.

l ONE FOR THE DIARY Wednesday (20) sees thereturn of Mrs Moore’s BONA BINGO BONANZA raisingmoney for THT South from 8.30pm. Charles Street Tap say:“She’s back! And she’s changed up the paddling pool! MrsMoore’s Wednesday Madness has become a Brightoninstitution that raises hundreds for charity! And if you’ve neverseen the chaos of a drag queen in a paddling pool, pulling

giant bingo balls... well that’s so 2018! QUACK QUACK!”

l ONE FOR THE DIARY Sunday (24) is a BIRTHDAYCABARET KNEES UP with Drag Idol Heat winner PatClutcher from 7.30pm; then Sally Vate’s ROCK & ROLLBINGO and her Half Marathon. She’s big, bold, brassy, andhas a cracking set of earrings! Expect a night of camp funand giggles with the one and only Pat Clutcher!

l REGULARS Monday is GAYMERS night with consoles, board/card games andtournaments from 8.30pm l FABULOUS FRIDAYS with DJ Morgan Fabulous onthe decks from 9pm. l Saturday is FIERCE with DJs on rotation throwing out danceand house anthems from 9pm. l Sunday CABARET with host Sally Vate from7.30pm: Lady Imelda (3), Miss Penny (10) and Rose Garden (17).

l BASEMENT CLUB@LEGENDSPop!Candy DJ Claire Fuller 9pml BRUNSWICK PUB El GeeBee TeaQueue: Paul Diello/LGBT+ talent 7.30pml CAMELFORD ARMS Bear Bash, freefood & raffle 5pm; roasts & select menu12pm–till gonel CHARLES ST TAP cabaret: host SallyVate + Miss Penny 7.30pm; Sally’s Rock& Roll Bingo 8.30pm; roasts 12pml FIRE & LIGHTBOX@LONDON SW8Stark Bollock Naked: naked party 2pm;gay adult movie stars: Leo Rex & KorarDarver 5pm; Near Bollock Naked:underwear/jockstrap party 6pm

l LEGENDS BAR cabaret: Lola Lasagne3.30pm; roasts 12.30–4pml MARINE TAVERN roasts 12-5pm;Drag Open Mic: Stephanie Von Clitz 9pml PARIS HOUSE live music: Sam Chara& band 6pml QUEEN’S ARMS double cabaret: MrsMoore 6.30pm & 9.30pml REGENCY TAVERN roasts 12-6pml SUBLINE Guilty Pleasures: DJScrewpulous 9pml THREE JOLLY BUTCHERS livefootball: Spurs v Leicester 1.30pm; rugby:England v France 3pm

MONDAY 11l AFFINITY BAR All Day Karaoke12pm; Karaoke with Tommy Tanker (akaPat Clutcher) 7pml BAR BROADWAY Classics Jukebox6pml CHARLES ST TAP Gaymers Night:consoles, board/card games 8.30pml LEGENDS BAR Miss Jason’s MondayMadness 9.30pml PARIS HOUSE live jazz: Nils Solberg-Mick Hamer Trio 2pm; Simon Spillet &band 8pml QUEEN’S ARMS Monday MadnessCabaret: Lola Lasagne 9pml THREE JOLLY BUTCHERS livefootball: Wolves v Newcastle 8pm

TUESDAY 12l AFFINITY BAR Free Jukebox 12pml BAR 7@CRAWLEY Crewsday: DJLewis Osborne 9pml BAR BROADWAY Piano Singalongwith the Regency Singers 9pml MARINE TAVERN Curry & Quiz withNat 7.30pml PARIS HOUSE live blues: Yellow FunkMachine 8pml QUEEN’S ARMS QA’s Got Talent withhost Poppycock & prizes 9pml THREE JOLLY BUTCHERS livefootball: Man Utd v PSG 8pm

WEDNESDAY 13l AFFINITY BAR Quiz: Jason Thorpe7pm; Karaoke with Tommy Tanker (aka PatClutcher) 8pml BAR 7@CRAWLEY Midweek Chill7pm

l BAR BROADWAY Tabitha Wild’sBlankety Blank 9pml BASEMENT CLUB@LEGENDS Ice:DJ Claire Fuller 11pml CAMELFORD ARMS Seniors’ lunch2-3.30pml MARINE TAVERN Pink Pound 7pml PARIS HOUSE live music: SaraOschlag & band 8pml QUEEN’S ARMS Sally Vate Show 10pml SUBLINE Floss: candy floss/electromusic/pop-up performance/visual art 9pml THREE JOLLY BUTCHERS livefootball: Spurs v Borussia Dortmund 8pm

THURSDAY 14l AFFINITY BAR Lydia L’Scabieshomage to TV, film & musical theatre 10pml AMSTERDAM Valentine’s Day three-course meal for 2: £40 incl bottle ofPresecco, call to make reservation 6pml BAR 7@CRAWLEY Weekend Warm-Up 7pml BAR BROADWAY Ross CameroooonValentine’s Quiz with prizes 8.30pml BASEMENT CLUB@LEGENDSValentine’s Now That’s What I CallLegends: DJ Claire Fuller 11pml CAMELFORD ARMS Valentine’s Day:three-course candlit meal £60 per coupleincl bottle of wine if booked in advance,£30pp without free wine on the night 6pml CHARLES ST TAP Valentine’s DayThrowback Thursday 9pml GROSVENOR BAR Abel Mabel’sBingo 8.30pml LEGENDS BAR Valentine’s Party 8pml MARINE TAVERN Anti Valentine’sShow with Melanin Monroe 9pml PARIS HOUSE World Music: Babouwith Abraham de Vega 8pm

THE CROWN KEMPTOWNl 24 Grafton Street, Kemptown BN2 1AQ Tel: 07949590001,

http://tinyurl.com/CrownKemptownl OPEN Tue–Sun 3pm. The Crown is a dog friendly pub.l DRINK PROMOS daily specials, pop in for more info.

l ONE FOR THE DIARY Friday is R&B night at 7pm.

l REGULARS Saturday: get down to DISCO CLASSICSfrom 7pm.

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GROSVENOR BARl 16 Western Street, Hove, BN1 2PG, www.thegrosvenorbar.coml OPEN Mon-Fri 3pm–late, Sat & Sun 1pm-late. l DRINK PROMOS all pints £3.60, Mon–Fri 3–6pm.

l ONE FOR THE DIARY Friday CABARET at 9.30pm:Spice (1), Sally Vate (8), Miss Jason (15) andStephanie Von Clitz (22). Ever since Stephanie Von Clitzperformed in Drag Idol, the Dorset tart with a heart hasperformed at many venues over the country in cities likeLondon, Cardiff, Brighton and Manchester. Stephanie says:“Expect a wild and random atmosphere with lots of fun

banter, jokes and plenty of sing-alongs!”

l REGULARS Thursday is ABEL MABEL’S BINGO at 8.30pm. l Saturday topCABARET at 9.30pm: Jason Lee (2), Dave Lynn (9), Davina Sparkle (16) andTrudi Styles & the Piano Man (23).

l H-PARTYBOYS@BRIGHTONSAUNA H-Partyboys pool party event for18-40 year old guys in trunks or nothingat all 7.30pm. Free membership @www.jamiehp.co.uk l QUEEN’S ARMS Brighton’s LeadingLadies cabaret: Pat Clutcher 10pml REGENCY TAVERN Valentine’sKaraoke/Open Mic: Jason Thorpe 6pml ROTTINGDEAN CLUB Valentine’sDay: live music & set menu, bookingsonly 6pml SUBLINE Joystick Jockeys: gaymersnight 9pml THREE JOLLY BUTCHERS livefootball: Borisov v Arsenal 5.45pm,Malmo v Chelsea 8pm; Mitch & Paul’sQuiz & Chilli 8pm

FRIDAY 15l AFFINITY BAR DJ Liquid Gold 8pml AMSTERDAM cabaret: Mrs Moore9.30pml BAR 7@CRAWLEY 7 Upstairs 9pml BAR BROADWAY Jukebox 5pml BASEMENT CLUB@LEGENDSGlitter: DJ David Noakes 11pml BOUTIQUE Party with DJ Cee 8pml CAMELFORD ARMS Friday Club 6pml CHARLES ST TAP Fabulous Friday:DJ Morgan Fabulous 9pml CROWN KEMPTOWN R&B night 7pml GROSVENOR BAR cabaret: Miss

Jason 9.30pml LEGENDS BAR Brighton Belles: localcabaret stars & guests 9.30pml MARINE TAVERN Jukebox 8pml PARIS HOUSE DJ Havoxx 9pml QUEEN’S ARMS cabaret: LucindaLashes 10pml ROTTINGDEAN CLUB Great Gatsbywith Jen Merchent 8.30pml SUBLINE Filth: mixed full fetish 10pml ZONE cabaret: Davina Sparkle 10pm

SATURDAY 16l AFFINITY BAR Camp Cabaret: MissJason 6pm; karaoke: Pat Clutcher 7pm;Couples Come Play With Me Game Show9pml AMSTERDAM Karaoke with JasonThorpe 9.30pml BAR 7@CRAWLEY SubmissiveSaturday 9pml BAR BROADWAY Jukebox 4pml BASEMENT CLUB@LEGENDSFusion: DJ Peter Castle 11pml BOUTIQUE Saturday Night Fever: DJKing Sol + free karaoke for groups of10+ 8pml CHARLES ST TAP Fierce: DJs 9pml CROWN KEMPTOWN Disco 7pml GROSVENOR BAR cabaret: DavinaSparkle 9.30pml LEGENDS BAR Pre-club DJ 7pml MARINE TAVERN Candi Rell’s

JAMIE HP EVENTS BRIGHTON SAUNAl 75 Grand Parade, BN2 9JA. Visit www.jamiehp.co.uk for free membership,discount entry/special invites.l BRIGHTON HORSE FAIR Thursday (7): Are you brave enough for the HORSEFAIR role-play fantasy night where willing mares offer themselves to dominantstallions, without ever showing their faces? Choose your role and let them know youwould like to attend online: www.jamiehp.co.uk. Starts 9pm, entry £15, includesfirst drink and locker. l H-PARTYBOYS’ POOL PARTY H-Partyboys and lads in their sexiest swimwearcome together on the second Thursday of the month, Thursday (14), 8pm–2am, tocelebrate Pool Party at the Brighton Sauna. Expect the venue to be teaming with fitlads, 18-40, partying in their trunks, towels or even less! Entry £15 includes firstdrink & locker. Apply for an invite to this private event: www.jamiehp.co.uk

JAMIE HP EVENTS LONDONl Visit www.jamiehp.co.uk for free membership, discount entry/special invites.

FIRE & LIGHTBOXl 6a South Lambeth Place, London, SW8 1SPl STARK BOLLOCK NAKED Every Sunday: SBN (Stark Bollock Naked) iscrammed with over 400 sexy gay/bi guys from London and beyond, plus an enormousplay space from UKRed spanning 3,500 sq ft. Epic tunes from DJs Lee Harris &Flavio Simplicio from 2pm; gay adult movie stars on stage from 5pm: Drew Dixonopposite Northern chav Martin Biggs (3), Leo Rex on Korar Darver (10) Cam4'sJeff Canuck featuring Chris Matthews (17) and John Thomas and Scottish skintoughie AJ Alexander (24). Guys into underwear/jocks/pouches/pants can join thefun when NBN (Near Bollock Naked) follows at 6pm. Entry: members £14, guests£17, includes locker and first drink. Join online: www.jamiehp.co.uk

THE STABLEl 29 Endell St, Covent Garden, London WC2H 9BAl LONDON HORSE FAIR On Saturday (16) it’s the LONDON HORSE FAIR from9pm (9.20pm stallions) with over 150 fit guys aged 18+. Entry: £15 includes coatcheck & first drink. To be a part of this private event, visit www.jamiehp.co.ukl TOTAL FEKKIN NUDE Every Saturday (excl 16) the Total Fekkin Nude nakedparty where everyone is invited at 9pm.

l H-PARTYBOYS’ POOL PARTY On Thursday (28) it’s a private H-PARTYBOYSPOOL PARTY for fit men aged 18–40 at 7.30pm. Expect a carefully vetted guestlistof nearly 200 guys in trunks, towels or nothing at all. Apply for your password:https://jamiehp.co.uk/nights/pool-party/

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Karaoke & Cabaret Party 8pml PARIS HOUSE All that Jazz: LawrenceJones Trio 4pm; TC’s Joyful Noise: DJKenny 9pml QUEEN’S ARMS double cabaret:Poppycock 6pm, Marsha Mallow 10pml REGENCY TAVERN cabaret: MissPenny 9pm

l THE STABLE@LONDON WC2 HorseFair: roleplay/fetish: stable lads, stallions& mares - www.jamiehp.co.uk 9pml SUBLINE The Men’s Room: DJScrewpulous 9pml THREE JOLLY BUTCHERS livefootball: FA Cup 5th Round TBAl ZONE cabaret: Sally Vate 10pm

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TUESDAY 19l AFFINITY BAR Free Jukebox 12pml BAR 7@CRAWLEY Crewsday: DJLewis Osborne 9pml BAR BROADWAY Piano Singalongwith the Regency Singers 9pml MARINE TAVERN Curry & Quiz withNat 7.30pml PARIS HOUSE live blues: Dr Blue 2pml QUEEN’S ARMS QA’s Got Talent withhost Poppycock & prizes 9pml THREE JOLLY BUTCHERS livefootball: Liverpool v Bayern Munich 8pm

WEDNESDAY 20l AFFINITY BAR Quiz: Jason Thorpe

7pm; Karaoke with Tommy Tanker (aka PatClutcher) 8pml BAR 7@CRAWLEY Midweek Chill 7pml BAR BROADWAY Tabitha Wild’sBlankety Blank 9pml BASEMENT CLUB@LEGENDS Ice:DJ Claire Fuller 11pml CHARLES ST TAP Mrs Moore’s BonaBingo Bonanza: THT fundraiser 8.30pml MARINE TAVERN Pink Pound 7pml PARIS HOUSE live music: Chris Coull8pml QUEEN’S ARMS Sally Vate Show 10pml SUBLINE Floss: candy floss/electro/pop-up performance/ visual art 9pml THREE JOLLY BUTCHERS livefootball: Schalke 04 v Man City 8pm

PICS FROM LEGENDS BAR & BASEMENT CLUB

LEGENDS BARl 31-34 Marine Parade, BN2 1TR, T: 01273 624462, www.legendsbrighton.coml OPEN daily from 11–5am. l FOOD Mon–Sat 11am–5pm, Sunday lunch 12.30–4pm: choose from beef,belly pork, chicken supreme or wholesome nut roast served with roast potatoes,seasonal vegetables, homemade Yorkshire pudding and real stock gravy. Make sureyou leave some space for one of the moreish desserts.l DRINK PROMOS Buy one bottle of wine and get the second half price,Mon–Fri 12–11pm.

l VALENTINE’S DAY Thursday (14): love is in the airat the the VALENTINE’S PARTY from 8pm.

l ONE FOR THE DIARY Friday is now theBRIGHTON BELLES, featuring some of Brighton’sfavourite cabaret acts & their guests, launching (1) withDave Lynn & Sally Vate at 9.30pm. Check with thevenue for other acts every Friday!

l REGULARS l Saturday with PRE-CLUB sounds from7pm. l SUNDAY CABARET with the brightest stars of thestage at 3.30pm: Davina Sparkle (3), Lola Lasagne(10), Mary Mac (17) and Topsie Redfern (24). l MissJason’s MONDAY MADNESS with improv, jokes andditties from 9.30pm.

LEGENDS BASEMENT CLUBl 31-34 Marine Parade, BN2 1TR, T: 01273 624462, www.legendsbrighton.coml OPEN Wed–Sun from 11pm.l DRINK PROMOS various deals on Sun, select bottles £2.50 and house spirit &mixer £2.50 on Wed, £2.50 selected drinks on Thur.

l VALENTINE’S DAY Thursday (14) is VALENTINE’SNOW THAT’S WHAT I CALL LEGENDS with DJ ClaireFuller spreading the love with top tunes!

l ONE FOR THE DIARY Friday (1) is GLITTER with DJDavid Noakes and guest DJ, the Grammy-winning LeeDagger of Bimbo Jones, free entry. From Miami toMarrakech, Hong Kong to Helsinki, Australia to Russia, South

Africa to Ibiza, Lee Dagger has played the hottest clubs in the world alongside theworld’s biggest names, including: Faithless, Eric Morillo, Paul Oakenfold, DavidGuetta, Tenaglia, Carl Cox and Bob Sinclair. He’s performed at Glastonbury, headlinedthe 2010 Mardi Gras Harbour Festival in Sydney, Australia, sharing the bill with DavidGuetta, Carl Cox, Kelly Rowland and George Michael. Bimbo Jones is the studiopartnership between Lee Dagger and Marc JB, one of theUK & USA’s top remix production teams with over 80 No1son the club chart and two weeks at No1 on the UK nationalchart with co-production of Meck ft Leo Sayer’s Thunder InMy Heart Again. They’ve reworked tracks by Lady Gaga,Rihanna, The Killers, Keri Hilson, Kanye West, Britney,Usher, Tom Jones, Annie Lennox and many more!

l REGULARS Saturday is FUSION with DJ Peter Castle spinning chart /clubremixes. l Sunday is POP!CANDY with DJ Claire Fuller’s pick & mix of new andretro pop tunes. l Wednesday is ICE with DJ Claire Fuller melting the dancefloorwith chart/house/r&b. l Thursday is NOW THAT’S WHAT I CALL LEGENDS withDJ Claire Fuller taking you on a journey through the 1970s/80s/90s! l Friday isGLITTER with DJ David Noakes sparkling up the dance floor with chart & dancetracks.

FEBRUARYLISTINGS

SUNDAY 17l AFFINITY BAR cabaret: Pat Clutcher5pm; Karaoke: Pat Clutcher 7pml AMSTERDAM cabaret: Rob Taylor5pm; roasts 12pm-till gonel BAR 7@CRAWLEY karaoke 7pml BAR BROADWAY Fireplace Sessionspres: Tabitha Wild 8.30pml BASEMENT CLUB@LEGENDSPop!Candy DJ Claire Fuller 9pml CAMELFORD ARMS Bear Bash: freefood/raffle 5pm; roasts/select menu12pm–till gonel CHARLES ST TAP cabaret: host SallyVate + Rose Garden 7.30pm; Sally’sRock & Roll Bingo 8.30pm; roasts 12pml FIRE & LIGHTBOX@LONDON SW8Stark Bollock Naked: naked party 2pm;gay adult film stars: Jeff Canuck & ChrisMatthews 5pm; Near Bollock Naked:underwear/jockstrap party 6pml LEGENDS BAR cabaret: Mary Mac3.30pm; roasts 12.30–4pml MARINE TAVERN roasts 12-5pm;Drag Open Mic: Stephanie Von Clitz 9pm

l PARIS HOUSE live music: DaveWilliams & band 6pml QUEEN’S ARMS double cabaret: KaraVan Park 6.30pm & 9.30pml REGENCY TAVERN roasts 12-6pml SUBLINE Guilty Pleasures: DJScrewpulous 9pml THREE JOLLY BUTCHERS livefootball: FA Cup 5th Round TBA

MONDAY 18l AFFINITY BAR All Day Karaoke12pm; Karaoke with Tommy Tanker (akaPat Clutcher) 7pml BAR BROADWAY Classics Jukebox6pml CHARLES ST TAP Gaymers Night:consoles, board/card games 8.30pml LEGENDS BAR Miss Jason’s MondayMadness 9.30pml PARIS HOUSE live jazz: Nils Solberg-Mick Hamer Trio 2pm; Oli Howe & band8pml QUEEN’S ARMS Monday MadnessCabaret: Kara Van Park 9pm

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THURSDAY 21l AFFINITY BAR Lydia L’Scabiesperforms homages to TV, film & musicaltheatre 10pml BAR 7@CRAWLEY Weekend Warm-Up 7pml BAR BROADWAY Big Quiz: RossCameron & prizes 8.30pml BASEMENT CLUB@LEGENDS NowThat’s What I Call Legends: DJ ClaireFuller 11pm

l CAMELFORD ARMS £300 Big CashQuiz 9pml CHARLES ST TAP ThrowbackThursday 9pml GROSVENOR BAR Abel Mabel’sBingo 8.30pml MARINE TAVERN ThrowbackThursday 80s Night 8pml PARIS HOUSE World Music: SonGuarachando 8pml QUEEN’S ARMS Brighton’s Leading

MARINE TAVERNl 13 Broad St, BN2 1TJ, Tel: 01273 905578, www.marinetavern.co.ukl OPEN daily from 12pm. l FOOD daily from 12–9pm: Curry & Quiz on Tue from 7.30pm (quiz starts 9pm),roasts every Sunday 12–5pm, booking advised.l DRINK PROMOS Wed is Pink Pound Night with drinks from £1.

l VALENTINE’S DAY Thurs (14) is the ANTI-VALENTINE’S SHOW with MelaninMonroe from 9pm.

l ONE FOR THE DIARY Fri (8) CABARET with PeggyWessex, the infamous international superstar diva, at 9pm.Marine Tavern say: “Well we promised you a BIGannouncement and in the words of Peggy Wessex, we’ve finallybeen TELT that she’ll be live here at the Marine Tavern! It tookus five years to get her back to Brighton, and we’re so excited!Put it in your diaries - it’s sure to be a momentous evening!”

l ONE FOR THE DIARY Fri (22) CABARET with Ruby Murry (Britain’s Got Talent) 9pm.

l REGULARS Sat is Candi Rell’s CABARET & KARAOKE at 8pm. l Sun is DRAGOPEN MIC hosted by Stephanie Von Clitz at 9pm. l THROWBACK THURSDAYwith 1980s tunes from 8pm.

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Ladies cabaret: Miss Jason 10pml REGENCY TAVERN Karaoke/Open Micwith Jason Thorpe 8pml SUBLINE Brace Yourself 9pml THREE JOLLY BUTCHERS livefootball: Arsenal v Borisov 8pm, Chelsea vMalmo 8pm

FRIDAY 22l AFFINITY BAR DJ Liquid Gold 8pml AMSTERDAM cabaret: Drag With NoName 9.30pml BAR 7@CRAWLEY cabaret: Drag WithNo Name 7pml BAR BROADWAY Jukebox 5pml BASEMENT CLUB@LEGENDSGlitter: DJ David Noakes 11pml BOUTIQUE Party with DJ Cee 8pml CAMELFORD ARMS Friday Club 6pm

l CHARLES ST TAP Fabulous Friday: DJMorgan Fabulous 9pml CROWN KEMPTOWN R&B night 7pml GROSVENOR BAR cabaret: StephanieVon Clitz 9.30pml LEGENDS BAR Brighton Belles: localcabaret stars & guests 9.30pml MARINE TAVERN cabaret: Ruby Murryfrom Britain’s Got Talent 9pml PARIS HOUSE DJ Havoxx 9pml QUEEN’S ARMS cabaret: Lola Lasagne10pml REGENCY TAVERN CABA Regency:students/graduates perform 8.30pml ROTTINGDEAN CLUB Sam Hughes asElton John 8,30pml SUBLINE Steam 9pml THREE JOLLY BUTCHERS livefootball: West Ham v Fulham 7.45pm

QUEENS ARMSl 7 George St, BN2 1RH, T: 01273 696873, www.theqabrighton.coml OPEN from 5pm Mon–Fri, from 2pm Sat & Sun.

l ONE FOR THE DIARY Can you light up the stage?Tuesday is QA’S GOT TALENT with host Poppycock at 9pm.The QA say: “The search begins! Our weekly talent competitionis open to non-professional performers and is a chance toshowcase your talents and win £500! Plus, the winner willperform on the Queens Arms’ cabaret stage at the Village StreetParty during Brighton & Hove Pride 2019.”

l REGULARS MONDAY MADNESS CABARET at 9pm: Lola Lasagne (4 & 11)and Kara Van Park (18 & 25). l Wed is the SALLY VATE SHOW at 10pm. l ThurCABARET with Brighton’s Leading Ladies at 10pm: Stephanie Von Clitz (7), PatClutcher (14), Miss Jason (21) and Spice (28). l Fri CABARET at 10pm: KYKelly (1), Rose Garden (8), Lucinda Lashes (15) and Lola Lasagne (22). l SatCABARET with Poppycock at 6pm; then at 10pm: Martha D’Arthur (2), LolaLasagne (9), Marsha Mallow (16) and Mrs Moore (23). l Sun DOUBLE CABARETat 6.30pm and 9.30pm: Cosmic (3), Mrs Moore (10), KaraVan Park (17) and Lucinda Lashes (24). One of the south’smost outrageous drag acts, Lucinda Lashes (24) has beensinging (in her beautiful, unique feminine way), telling jokesand generally having a laugh for more years than she canremember! “I’ve the mouth of a sewer and the voice of an angel.I’ll be singing my lungs out, showtunes to pop, and gettinginvolved with the crowd. Expect the unexpected. I’m notpolitically correct in any shape or form, my songs are very eclectic and my vocal rangemakes people doubt if it’s actually me singing, they think I mime. I don’t. I enjoy chattingwith the audience and like the odd vodka and diet now and again!”

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FEBRUARYLISTINGS

PARIS HOUSEl 21 Western Rd, BN3 1AF, T: 01273 724195, www.parishousebrighton.coml OPEN daily from 12pm. l FOOD daily from 12pm–close.l ONE FOR THE DIARY Sunday live music at 6pm: Fleur de Paris (3), SamChara (10), Dave Williams (17) and Marilyn du Sax (24).

l REGULARS Free live music: Mon jazz: Nils Solberg-Mick Hamer Trio at2pm; 8pm live bands: Roy Hilton (4), Simon Spillet (11), Oli Howe (18) and WillGardener (25). l Tue at 8pm: Scott Booth (5), Yellow Funk Machine (12), DrBlue (19) and Harry Hornsey & Alfie Banardi (26). l Wed at 8pm: AlexBondonno Trio (6), Sara Oschlag (13), Chris Coull (20) and Robin Watt (27). lThur world music at 8pm: Pollito Booglaoo (7), Babou with Abraham de Vega(14), Son Guarchando (21) and Tres Amigos (28). l Fri PARTY TIME with DJHavoxx at 9pm. l Sat AND ALL THAT JAZZ live at 4pm: Jorges Hot Club (2),Sam Carlese Trio (9), Lawrence Jones Trio (16) and Gabriel Garrick Trio (23);TC'S JOYFUL NOISE with DJ Kenny at 9pm, free.

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l REGENCY TAVERN cabaret: LucindaLashes 8pml THE STABLE@LONDON WC2 TotalFekkin Nude: naked party for all 9pml THREE JOLLY BUTCHERS livefootball: Burnley v Spurs 12.30pm,Everton v Man City 5.30pm; rugby: Francev Scotland 2.15pm, Wales v England4.45pml SUBLINE The Men’s Room: DJScrewpulous 9pm

SUNDAY 24l AFFINITY BAR cabaret: Stephanie VonClitz 5pml AMSTERDAM cabaret: Wain Douglasaka Kara Van Park 5pm; roasts 12pm-tillgone

l BAR 7@CRAWLEY karaoke 7pml BAR BROADWAY Fireplace Sessionspres: Chase Adams 8.30pml BASEMENT CLUB@LEGENDSPop!Candy DJ Claire Fuller 9pml CAMELFORD ARMS Bear Bash: freefood/raffle 5pm; roasts/select menu12pm– till gonel CHARLES ST TAP Birthday CabaretKnees Up with Drag Idol heat winner PatClutcher 7.30pm; Sally’s Rock & RollBingo & Half Marathon 8.30pm; roasts12pml FIRE & LIGHTBOX@LONDON SW8Stark Bollock Naked: naked party 2pm;gay adult movie stars: John Thomas & AJAlexander 5pm; Near Bollock Naked:underwear/jockstrap party 6pm

SATURDAY 23l AFFINITY BAR Camp Cabaret: PatClutcher 6pm; karaoke: Pat Clutcher 7pm;Pat Clutcher’s 1980s Game Show 9pml AMSTERDAM Karaoke with JasonThorpe 9.30pml BAR 7@CRAWLEY SubmissiveSaturday 9pml BAR BROADWAY Jukebox 4pml BASEMENT CLUB@LEGENDSFusion: DJ Peter Castle 11pml BOUTIQUE Saturday Night Fever: DJ

King Sol 8pml CHARLES ST TAP Fierce: DJs 9pml CROWN KEMPTOWN Disco 7pml GROSVENOR BAR cabaret: TrudiStyles & the Pianoman 9.30pml LEGENDS BAR Pre-club DJ 7pml MARINE TAVERN Candi Rell’sKaraoke & Cabaret Party 8pml PARIS HOUSE Live jazz: GabrielGarrick Trio 4pm; TC’s Joyful Noise: DJKenny 9pml QUEEN’S ARMS double cabaret:Poppycock 6pm, Mrs Moore 10pm

ROTTINGDEAN CLUBl 89 High St, Rottingdean, BN2 7HE, Tel: 01273 309529 f therottingdeanclubl FOOD served daily; ask at the bar for full menu. Saturday (9) isBOTTOMLESS LUNCH, 12-3pm: £30 per person incl main course & bottomlessfizz; guests/members only, bookings required. l MEMBERSHIP The Rottingdean Club is a members’ bar in the heart of thevillage with regular entertainment, great food, welcoming staff, a large garden withlager and cider on draught and free Wi-Fi. Ask at the bar for membership details or

email bar@therottingdeanclub.co.uk

l ONE FOR THE DIARY Friday (1) is PHIL’SBIRTHDAY CABARET with Miss Jason at 8pm. Get thereearly to avoid disappointment!

l ONE FOR THE DIARY Friday (8) is live music withsensational vocalist KRISSIE DU CANN at 8.30pm.

l VALENTINE’S DAY Thursday (14): Book a cosy table for two or share yourevening with other others and enjoy a set menu and livemusic from 6pm! Bookings only, call 01273 309529.

l ONE FOR THE DIARY Friday (15) is THE GREATGATSBY night with Jen Merchant performing music fromPostmodern Jukebox, Caro Emerald, Chicago: The Musical,Gershwin, Irving Berlin and more from 8.30pm. RottingdeanClub say: “Jen Merchant will take you back to a time of jazz,liquor and the best parties. Get practising your Charleston and don those flapperdresses and sharp suits for an evening of 1920s fun and frivolity!”

l ONE FOR THE DIARY Friday (22) is live music with Sam Hughesperforming all the hits of Elton John from 8pm.

l ONE FOR THE DIARY SUNDAY FUNDAY (24) with Miss Jason and herusual witty banter, tittle-tattle and songs at 12pm, standing room only.

REGENCY TAVERNl 32-34 Russell Sq, Brighton BN1 2EF T: 01273 325 652, www.regencytavern.co.ukl OPEN Sun–Wed 12–11pm, Thur 12pm–12am, Fri & Sat 12pm–1am. TheRegency Tavern is dog friendlyl FOOD Tue–Sat 12–8pm, Sunday roasts 12–6pm, two for £19.95, bookingrecommended.

l VALENTINE’S DAY Thursday (14) is VALENTINE’SOPEN MIC/KARAOKE with Jason Thorpe at 8pm.

l REGULARS Thursday is KARAOKE/OPEN MIC at8pm. l Fri (8 & 22) is CABA-Regency with the besttalent that Brighton’s student and recently graduatedcommunity has to offer from 8.30pm. Regency Tavern say:

“Now with even more bang for your buck, CABA-Regency is going fortnightly sothere's even more reason to drag along your mates, your mum, and that cute guy/girlfrom the bar last week and share the night with us. We’ll be featuring performancesfrom Sussex performing arts community's biggest names!” l Saturday CABARETat 9pm, free entry all night. This month’s line-up: Kara Van Park (2), Gemma &the Piano Man (9), Miss Penny (16) and Lucinda Lashes (23).

PICS FROM REGENCY TAVERN + ROTTINGDEAN CLUBJA

SON

THOR

PE

MISS JA

SON

JEN

MER

CHAN

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FEBRUARYLISTINGSREGENCY TAVERN RAISE £233.03 FOR THE RAINBOW FUND

7 GEORGE STREET BRIGHTON01273 696873

www.theqabrighton.com

SATURDAY CABARETPOPPY COCK AT 6PM CABARET AT 10PM

2 FEB MARTHA D’ARTHUR9 FEB LOLA LASAGNE

16 FEB MARSHA MALLOW23FEB MRS MOORE

SUNDAY CABARETDOUBLE CABARET 6.30PM & 9.30PM

3 FEBCOSMIC10 FEBMRS MOORE17 FEBKARA VAN PARK24 FEBLUCINDA LASHES

FRIDAY AT 10PM

1 FEB KY KELLY8 FEB ROSE GARDEN

15 FEB LUCINDA LASHES22FEB LOLA LASAGNE

MONDAYMADNESSAT 9PM

4 & 11FEB LOLA LASAGNE18 & 25FEBKARA VAN PARK

TUESDAYAT 9PM

THE QA’S GOT TALENTHOSTED BYPOPPY COCKTHE SEARCH BEGINS! WIN £500 AND PERFORM ON THE QA STAGE AT PRIDE

OPEN TILL 1AM SUN-THUR& TILL 2AM FRI & SATMON-FRIOPEN FROM 5PM / SAT & SUN FROM 2PM

WEDNESDAYAT 10PM

THE SALLY VATESHOW

THURSDAYAT 10PM

7 FEB STEPHANIE VON CLITZ14 FEB PAT CLUTCHER21 FEBMISS JASON28 FEBSPICE

IN FEB & MARCH - SIGN UP NOW!entry form available at the bar or www.theqabrighton

BRIGHTON’SLEADING LADIES

40 GSCENE OUT & ABOUT

l BAR BROADWAY Classics Jukebox6pml CHARLES ST TAP Gaymers Night:consoles, board/card games 8.30pml LEGENDS BAR Miss Jason’s MondayMadness 9.30pml PARIS HOUSE live jazz: Nils Solberg-Mick Hamer Trio 2pm; Will Gardener Trio8pml QUEEN’S ARMS Monday MadnessCabaret: Kara Van Park 9pm

TUESDAY 26l AFFINITY BAR Free Jukebox 12pml BAR 7@CRAWLEY Crewsday: DJLewis Osborne 9pml BAR BROADWAY Piano Singalongwith the Regency Singers 9pml MARINE TAVERN Curry & Quiz with

Nat 7.30pml PARIS HOUSE live blues: HarryHornsey & Alfie Barnardi 8pml QUEEN’S ARMS QA’s Got Talent withhost Poppycock & prizes 9pm

WEDNESDAY 27l AFFINITY BAR Quiz: Jason Thorpe7pm; Karaoke with Tommy Tanker (aka PatClutcher) 8pml BAR 7@CRAWLEY Midweek Chill7pml BAR BROADWAY Tabitha Wild’sBlankety Blank 9pml BASEMENT CLUB@LEGENDS Ice:DJ Claire Fuller 11pml CHARLES ST TAP Mrs Moore’s BonaBingo Bonanza: THT fundraiser 8.30pml MARINE TAVERN Pink Pound 7pm

l LEGENDS BAR cabaret: TopsieRedfern 3.30pm; roasts 12.30–4pml MARINE TAVERN roasts 12-5pm;Drag Open Mic: Stephanie Von Clitz 9pml PARIS HOUSE live music: Marilyn DuSax & band 6pml QUEEN’S ARMS double cabaret:Lucinda Lashes 6.30pm & 9.30pml REGENCY TAVERN roasts 12-6pml ROTTINGDEAN CLUB Sunday Fundaywith Miss Jason 12pm

l SUBLINE Cum in Your Pants:underwear party 9pml THREE JOLLY BUTCHERS livefootball: Chelsea v Brighton 11.30am;football: Man Utd v Liverpool 2pm

MONDAY 25l AFFINITY BAR All Day Karaoke12pm; Karaoke with Tommy Tanker (akaPat Clutcher) 7pm

PICS FROM SUBLINE + VELVET JACKS

FEBRUARYLISTINGS

SUBLINEl 129 St James' St, BN2 1TH, T: 01273 624100, www.sublinebrighton.co.ukl OPEN Sun, Wed & Thur from 9pm, 10pm Fri & Sat. l DRINK PROMOS £1 off draught pints all night Wed.

l ONE FOR THE DIARY Friday (15) is FILTH fullfetish party with Kitten Skye and friends, advance ticketsavailable. The organisers say: “Expect a fun, filthy, dirty playnight with loads of extras and bang for your buck in a greatcentral location and a venue with all the naughty feel of anold school dungeon. Plenty of staff, dungeon monitors andplay co-ordinators on hand for your every query and need!”

l REGULARS Wednesday is FLOSS, the queer, progressive, open andalternative experience with free candy floss, electronic music, pop-up performanceand visual art; experience joy and rapture from 10pm, £5 on the door with proof ofevent share. The organisers say: “Be Free. Be Liberated. Be Floss. FLOSS is anexciting, alternative weekly club night for all genders with dark rooms, electro tunes,games and art!” l Friday (8) is DIRTY TACKLE sportswear night, entry £3 inkit/£5 otherwise. l Thursday (14) is JOYSTICK JOCKEYS gaymers night from9pm. l Saturday is THE MEN’S ROOM with DJ Screwpulous on the decks from10pm. l Sunday (24) is CUM IN YOUR PANTS underwear party with DJScrewpulous, entry £3 for members or £5. Subline say: “Our monthly underwearparty, undress to impress! DJ Screwpulous will be handling audio duties this month;the heating is on NOW, and staying on! The underwear dress code is COMPULSORY -get down early to secure a locker.

VELVET JACKSl 50 Norfolk Sq, BN1 2PA, Tel: 07720 661290 tinyurl.com/VelvetJacksl OPEN Tue–Thur 4–11.30pm, Fri & Sat 12–11.30pm, Sun 1–11pm.

l FOOD Indian/Sri Lankan food, including chilli cheesychips and curry plates, every Thur, Fri & Sat.l DRINK PROMOS two top quality cocktails for £124–7pm daily, excl Sat.

l ONE FOR THE DIARY Wednesday (6) is the BIGFAT QUIZ with a cash prize and half time pizza from 7pm.

l VALENTINE’S DAY Thursday (14): look out for a VALENTINE’S NIGHTSURPRISE, ask at the venue for more info!

KITT

EN SKY

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THREE JOLLY BUTCHERSl 59 North Rd, BN1 1YD, Tel: 01273 608571, www.3jollybutchers.coml OPEN daily from 12pm. l FOOD Sat (9): Pre-Home Match Warm Up with Pie & Pint £9 before Brightonmatch, Thur: Beef or Veggie Chilli £5 incl entry to the quiz.l SPORT Live football and rugby on the big screens, see listings for fixtures.

l ONE FOR THE DIARY Wednesday (6) is OPEN MIC night with WaterbearMusic College from 7pm.

l REGULARS Thursday is the PUB QUIZ with Mitch & Paul at 8pm.

l PARIS HOUSE live music: RobinWatt & band 8pml QUEEN’S ARMS Sally Vate Show10pml SUBLINE Floss: candy floss/electro/pop-up performance/visual art 9pml THREE JOLLY BUTCHERS livefootball: Chelsea v Spurs 8pm

THURSDAY 28l AFFINITY BAR Lydia L’Scabiesperforms homages to TV, film & musical

theatre 10pml BAR 7@CRAWLEY Weekend Warm-Up 7pml BAR BROADWAY RossCameroooon’s Quiz with prizes 8.30pml BASEMENT CLUB@LEGENDS NowThat’s What I Call Legends: DJ ClaireFuller 11pml CAMELFORD ARMS £300 Big CashQuiz 9pml CHARLES ST TAP ThrowbackThursday 9pml GROSVENOR BAR Abel Mabel’sBingo 8.30pml MARINE TAVERN ThrowbackThursday 80s Night 8pml PARIS HOUSE World Music: TresAmigos 8pml QUEEN’S ARMS Brighton’s LeadingLadies cabaret: Spice 10pml REGENCY TAVERN Karaoke/openmic with Jason Thorpe 8pml SUBLINE Brace Yourself 9pml H-PARTYBOYS POOLPARTY@THE STABLE WC2H fit 18-40 year old guys in towels, trunks ornothing at all 7.30pm To apply:jamiehp.co.ukl THREE JOLLY BUTCHERS Mitch &Paul’s Quiz & Chilli 8pm

GSCENE OUT & ABOUT 41

THE ZONEl 33 St James’ St, BN2 1RF, Tel: 01273 682249, www.zonebrighton.co.ukl OPEN 11am Sun–Thur, 10am Fri & Sat, closed Fri (22) & Sat (23).l DRINK PROMOS Sun–Thur 11–12am, Fri & Sat 10am–7pm.

l ONE FOR THE DIARY Saturday CABARET with sensational acts at 10pm:Miss Jason (2) and Sally Vate (9 & 16). Runner-Up in the Golden HandbagAwards as Favourite Drag Entertainer, Sally Vate is Maid to Make Your MotherWater! Sally says: “Hi I’m Sally Vate, male actress, Queen of the Residency and

Brighton’s Sweetheart! My goal in life is to bring a little bitof joy and happiness into a world that can get you down.Life too short not to have a laugh - it keeps you young!Through the medium of performance, story and joketelling, singing and bringing characters alive on the theatrestage including pantomime, I hope I bring some level ofjoy! Love Vate, Love Life.”

l REGULARS Friday with top CABARET at 10pm: Marsha Mallow (1),Stone & Street (8) and Davina Sparkle (15).

SALLY VA

TEPICS FROM THE ZONE

42 GSCENE OUT & ABOUT

HAMPSHIRE BOULEVARDPORTSMOUTHl Hampshire Terrace, Southsea, PO1 2QN, Tel: 02392 297509l OPEN Sun & Mon 9pm, Tue–Sat 7pml DRINK DEALS various deals on Sun, £1.50 drinks on Mon.

l ONE FOR THE DIARY WE LOVE FRIDAYS with £1,000 cash bomb, hostsCherry Liquor & Bella Black and DJ Toby Lawrence spinning tunes to get you

moving, entry £3 b4 10pm/£5 after. Hampshire Boulevardsay: “Fridays in February, we’re changing our confetti toCASH! That’s right, we’re giving away up to £1,000 so makesure you’re here for a chance to win your share!”

l REGULARS Thursday is A NIGHT ON THE LASHESwith the legendary Lucinda Lashes hosting karaoke anddishing out the ditties from 9pm, free entry. l Saturday is

BLANK with DJs Rob Davis & Missy B cranking up the party vibes with the latestchart remixes from 9pm. l Sunday is 90S–NOW, free entry. l Monday is20SOMETHING with banging tunes courtesy of DJs Lee Harris & Luke Ennor, entry£5. l Win up to £500 every Tuesday at CHERRY’S BINGO from 8pm with top actson the stage: Vicki Vivacious (5), Cherry’s Birthday with Karen Dalton as Nan(12), Jacqui Swallows (19) and Crystal Lubrikunt (26). l Wednesday is BIGNAVY NIGHT OUT with host Aura-Jay’s Karaoke, free entry.

l PORTSMOUTH DRAG RACE Applications are now openfor PORTSMOUTH DRAG RACE 2019 with heats takingplace Tues (5, 12 & 19) March; the Grand Final is Tue (26)March. Hampshire Boulevard say: “Are you Portsmouth’s nextDrag Superstar? This competition is open to everyone - DragQueens, Drag Kings, Bio Queens - you just need Charisma,Uniqueness, Nerve and Talent. So get ready to SLAY thecompetition. Make them GAG! Start your engines and may the biggest SUPERSTARWIN!” Places are limited so if you’re interested, check out the Hampshire BoulevardFacebook page.

CHERRY LIQUO

R

PORTSMOUTHl HAMPSHIRE BOULEVARD 1 Hampshire Terrace, Southsea TEL: 02392 297509

SOUTHAMPTONl BOX BAR Compton Walk, SO14 0BHTEL: 023 8036 6163

www.theedgesouthampton.coml EDGE Compton Walk, SO14 0BHTEL: 023 8036 6163www.theedgesouthampton.coml LONDON HOTEL2 Terminus Terrace, SO14 3DT TEL: 02380 710652, www.the-london.co.uk

PICS FROM HAMPSHIRE BOULEVARD, PORTSMOUTH

FRIDAY 1PORTSMOUTHl HAMPSHIRE BLVD We LoveFridays: DJ Toby Lawrence, hosts CherryLiquor & Bella Black + £1,000 cashbomb 9pmSOUTHAMPTONl BOX BAR GLOW DJs 10pml EDGE GLOW: DJs & UV lights 11pm

SATURDAY 2PORTSMOUTHl HAMPSHIRE BLVD Blank: DJsMissy B & Rob Davis 9pmSOUTHAMPTONl BOX BAR The Big One: DJs 10pml EDGE The Big One: DJs Liam Searle& Patrick Cawley 10pm

SUNDAY 3PORTSMOUTHl HAMPSHIRE BLVD 90s-Now 9pmSOUTHAMPTONl EDGE Cabaret v Karaoke with draghost Aura Jay 10pm

MONDAY 4PORTSMOUTHl HAMPSHIRE BLVD 20Something:DJs Lee Harris & Luke Ennor 9pmSOUTHAMPTONl EDGE Mates Rates: DJ DarcyBuckland 10pm

TUESDAY 5PORTSMOUTHl HAMPSHIRE BLVD Cherry’s Bingo& cabaret with Vicki Vivacious 8pmSOUTHAMPTONl BOX BAR Time Out DJs 11pm

l EDGE Time Out: DJ ArthurHutchinson 11pm

WEDNESDAY 6PORTSMOUTHl HAMPSHIRE BLVD Big Navy NightOut with Aura Jay’s karaoke 9pmSOUTHAMPTONl BOX BAR Beauty and the BallsBingo: host Miss Disney & prizes 8pm;Bella Black’s karaoke 10.30pml EDGE Bar 150: DJs Missy B, LeeHarris & Audio K9 10pm

THURSDAY 7PORTSMOUTHl HAMPSHIRE BLVD A Night on theLashes: Lucinda Lashes, karaoke, tunes9pmSOUTHAMPTONl BOX BAR Double Trouble Quiz: draghosts Aura Jay & Bella Black 8pml EDGE Smart: DJ Liam Searle 10pm

FRIDAY 8PORTSMOUTHl HAMPSHIRE BLVD We LoveFridays: DJ Toby Lawrence, hosts CherryLiquor & Bella Black + £1,000 cashbomb 9pmSOUTHAMPTONl BOX BAR GLOW: DJs 10pml EDGE GLOW: DJs & UV lights 11pm

SATURDAY 9PORTSMOUTHl HAMPSHIRE BLVD Blank: DJsMissy B & Rob Davis 9pmSOUTHAMPTONl BOX BAR The Big One: DJs 10pm

SOLENTLISTINGS

l EDGE The Big One: DJs King K &Claire Fuller 10pm

SUNDAY 10PORTSMOUTHl HAMPSHIRE BLVD 90s-Now 9pmSOUTHAMPTONl EDGE Cabaret v Karaoke with draghost Aura Jay 10pm

MONDAY 11PORTSMOUTHl HAMPSHIRE BLVD 20Something:DJs Lee Harris & Luke Ennor 9pmSOUTHAMPTONl EDGE Mates Rates: DJ Darcy

Buckland 10pm

TUESDAY 12PORTSMOUTHl HAMPSHIRE BLVD Cherry’sBirthday & cabaret with Karen Dalton asNan 8pmSOUTHAMPTONl BOX BAR Time Out DJs 11pml EDGE Time Out: DJ ArthurHutchinson 11pm

WEDNESDAY 13PORTSMOUTHl HAMPSHIRE BLVD Big Navy NightOut with Aura Jay’s karaoke 9pm

GSCENE OUT & ABOUT 43

44 GSCENE OUT & ABOUT

THE EDGE & BOX BARSOUTHAMPTONl Compton Walk, SO14 0BH, Tel: 023 8036 6163, www.theedgesouthampton.coml OPEN The Edge: 10pm everyday. l The Box Bar: 7pm Tue–Sat.l FOOD Box Bar: 7–10pm Tue–Satl HAPPY HOURS The Box Bar: 2-4-1 cocktails 7–late Tue, Thur & Fri (till8pm on Wed & Sat); The Edge: £1.50 shots & £2 house doubles on Mon, £1.50drinks on Wed, £1.50 singles/£3 doubles on Sun.

l ONE FOR THE DIARY Saturday is THE BIG ONEfrom 10pm with three bars, two dancefloors & DJs: LiamSearle & Patrick Cawley (2), King K & Claire Fuller(9), Phil Marriott, Claire Fuller & Neil Sackley (16)and Luke Antony & Patrick Cawley (23).

l REGULARS Sunday is CABARET V KARAOKE withdrag host Aura Jay. Monday is Mates Rates with DJ Darcy Buckland. lTuesday is TIME OUT with DJ Arthur Hutchinson spinning the best pop/r&btunes. l Wednesday is BEAUTY & THE BALLS BINGOwith host Miss Disney and prizes every round from 6pm,KARAOKE after with Bella Black 10.30pm. Stick aroundfor BAR 150 with DJs Missy B, Lee Harris & Audio K9from 10pm. l Thursday is DOUBLE TROUBLE QUIZ withdrag host duo Aura Jay & Bella Black at 7pm; then it’sSMART, a night dedicated to you being you, with DJ LiamSearle. l Friday is GLOW with UV lights and guest DJsevery week!

DJ KING K

MISS DISN

EY

PICS FROM THE EDGE & BOX BAR, SOUTHAMPTON

SOUTHAMPTONl BOX BAR Beauty and the BallsBingo: host Miss Disney & prizes 6pm;Bella Black’s karaoke 10.30pml EDGE Bar 150: DJs Missy B, LeeHarris & Audio K9 10pm

THURSDAY 14PORTSMOUTHl HAMPSHIRE BLVD A Night on theLashes: Lucinda Lashes, karaoke, tunes9pmSOUTHAMPTONl BOX BAR Double Trouble Quiz: draghosts Aura Jay & Bella Black 8pml EDGE Smart: DJ Liam Searle 10pm

FRIDAY 15PORTSMOUTHl HAMPSHIRE BLVD We LoveFridays: DJ Toby Lawrence, hosts Cherry

Liquor & Bella Black + £1,000 cashbomb 9pmSOUTHAMPTONl BOX BAR GLOW: DJs 10pml EDGE GLOW: DJs & UV lights 11pm

SATURDAY 16PORTSMOUTHl HAMPSHIRE BLVD Blank: DJsMissy B & Rob Davis 9pmSOUTHAMPTONl BOX BAR The Big One: DJs 10pml EDGE The Big One: DJs Phil Marriott,Claire Fuller & Neil Sackley 10pm

SUNDAY 17PORTSMOUTHl HAMPSHIRE BLVD 90s-Now 9pmSOUTHAMPTONl EDGE Cabaret v Karaoke with draghost Aura Jay 10pm

SOLENTLISTINGS

MONDAY 18PORTSMOUTHl HAMPSHIRE BLVD 20Something:DJs Lee Harris & Luke Ennor 9pmSOUTHAMPTONl EDGE Mates Rates: DJ DarcyBuckland 10pm

TUESDAY 19PORTSMOUTHl HAMPSHIRE BLVD Cherry’s Bingo& cabaret with Jacqui Swallows 8pmSOUTHAMPTONl BOX BAR Time Out DJs 11pml EDGE Time Out: DJ ArthurHutchinson 11pm

WEDNESDAY 20PORTSMOUTHl HAMPSHIRE BLVD Big Navy NightOut with Aura Jay’s karaoke 9pmSOUTHAMPTONl BOX BAR Beauty and the BallsBingo: host Miss Disney & prizes 6pm;Bella Black’s karaoke 10.30pml EDGE Bar 150: DJs Missy B, LeeHarris & Audio K9 10pm

THURSDAY 21PORTSMOUTHl HAMPSHIRE BLVD A Night on theLashes: Lucinda Lashes, karaoke, tunes9pmSOUTHAMPTONl BOX BAR Double Trouble Quiz: draghosts Aura Jay & Bella Black 8pml EDGE Smart: DJ Liam Searle 10pm

FRIDAY 22PORTSMOUTHl HAMPSHIRE BLVD We LoveFridays: DJ Toby Lawrence, hosts CherryLiquor & Bella Black + £1,000 cashbomb 9pmSOUTHAMPTONl BOX BAR GLOW: DJs 10pml EDGE GLOW: DJs & UV lights 11pm

SATURDAY 23PORTSMOUTHl HAMPSHIRE BLVD Blank: DJs

Missy B & Rob Davis 9pmSOUTHAMPTONl BOX BAR The Big One: DJs 10pml EDGE The Big One: DJs Luke Antony& Patrick Cawley 10pm

SUNDAY 24PORTSMOUTHl HAMPSHIRE BLVD 90s-Now 9pmSOUTHAMPTONl EDGE Cabaret v Karaoke with draghost Aura Jay 10pm

MONDAY 25PORTSMOUTHl HAMPSHIRE BLVD 20Something:DJs Lee Harris & Luke Ennor 9pmSOUTHAMPTONl EDGE Mates Rates: DJ DarcyBuckland 10pm

TUESDAY 26PORTSMOUTHl HAMPSHIRE BLVD Cherry’s Bingo& cabaret with Crystal Lubrikunt 8pmSOUTHAMPTONl BOX BAR Time Out DJs 11pml EDGE Time Out: DJ ArthurHutchinson 11pm

WEDNESDAY 27PORTSMOUTHl HAMPSHIRE BLVD Big Navy NightOut with Aura Jay’s karaoke 9pmSOUTHAMPTONl BOX BAR Beauty and the BallsBingo: host Miss Disney & prizes 6pm;Bella Black’s karaoke 10.30pml EDGE Bar 150: DJs Missy B, LeeHarris & Audio K9 10pm

THURSDAY 28PORTSMOUTHl HAMPSHIRE BLVD A Night on theLashes: Lucinda Lashes, karaoke, tunes9pmSOUTHAMPTONl BOX BAR Double Trouble Quiz: draghosts Aura Jay & Bella Black 8pml EDGE Smart: DJ Liam Searle 10pm

) PINTER AT THE BBC (BFI DVD).This five-disc set comprising 10 playsis a fascinating look at the work ofone of the country’s greatestplaywrights. It clearly shows Pinter’sdevelopment from early works suchas A Slight Ache, which has all theelements there but feels slightlylacking focus, to major later playssuch as Old Times and The BirthdayParty. The latter is worth the price ofthe set alone, a superlative exampleof the televised play which succeeds

on the strength of its magnificent performances from JoanPlowright, Kenneth Cranham, Robert Land, Colin Blakely, JulieWalters and the writer himself. It might just be the best of thebunch: a perfectly balanced blend of menace, absurd realism andexistential crisis which is also, at times, incredibly funny. Extrasinclude a number of interviews and a rarely seen series of fouranimated films written by Pinter.

) HUSH…HUSH, SWEET CHARLOTTE(Eureka blu-ray). Robert Aldrich’sfollow-up to What Ever Happened toBaby Jane? also stars Bette Davis ina mad concoction of big acting,psychological torment and brazenlystolen plot twists. When Charlotte’smarried lover (Bruce Dern) ismurdered in a prologue shebelieves her Big Daddy-stylefather (Victor Buono) is theculprit. Forty years later her

kindly cousin (Olivia de Havilland), together with the towndoctor (Joseph Cotton), decides to help poor mad Charlottefor completely selfless reasons which have nothing to dowith her massive fortune. It’s ridiculous, and the final double-homicide had me roaring with laughter, but it’s a wildlyentertaining rollercoaster ride of Southern Gothic nonsense.

) Exfoliating Seaweed Block, £4(Workshop 13a Prince Albert Street

Brighton 01273 731340)

) Bluebuck Underwear from £18(Prowler, 112-113 St James's Street,

Brighton, 01273 603813)

GSCENE 45

) Coasters, £6 (Abode, 32 Kensington Gardens, Brighton, 01273 621116)

) Kitchen Multi-tool,£29.99 (England at Home,22b Ship Street, Brighton,

01273 205544)

)Modern TossSwearing Socks, £9(Pussy, 3a KensingtonGardens, Brighton,01273 604861)

SHOPPINGWITH MICHAEL HOOTMAN

46 GSCENE

FRIDA FRIDAYSNightingale Room, Grand Central,29-30 Surrey St, Brighton,notthedonething.bpt.me) FRIDA FRIDAYS & LIVINGHISTORIES CYMRU present LGBTQHistory Month event, NOT THEDONE THING (3pm, Sun 24), anentertaining afternoon of lesbianhistory with Jane Traies discussingher latest book, Now You See Me:Lesbian Life Stories, live readingsand poems by the contributors, andperformance of An ExtraordinaryFemale Affection: The Life & LoveOf The Ladies Of Llangollen, withJane Hoy and Helen Sandler.

LE CLUCKCircle Arts Centre, North Street,Portslade) LE CLUCK (Sat 9). Localimpresarios Tori Bond and SuziTyhurst host an eclectic varietyshow of stand-up comedy, musicaltheatre and dance plus a fewsurprises. Acts include Epicene,

Joshua Robertson, The Monks,Coastline Harmony, BennetKavanagh and Apollo Productions.10% of ticket sales and donationswill go to Amaze, a local charitywhich supports families of childrenand young people with specialeducational needs and disabilities.

MARLBOROUGH THEATRE4 Princes Street, Brightonwww.brownpapertickets.com) MICRONIAN THEATRECINDERELLA & THE UGLIES (Fri1–Mon 4). Micronian present thisalternative adult panto written byMike Black - the story of Cinderellahas never been told quite like this!) JUNO DAWSON’S LOVELY TRANSLITERARY SALON (7.30pm, Thur 7).The acclaimed writer of The GenderGames invites her favourite transauthors for an evening of readings,animated conversation and a bit ofa party!

) TROJAN HORSE/RAINBOW FLAG(Thur 21). A programme of artistfilms exploring the role of LGBT+spaces as sites of resistance,community, desire and culturalsignificance. A newly commissionedfilm by artist Ian Giles, about thesuccessful campaign to save theJoiners Arms, a queer venue in EastLondon, provides the conceptualspringboard to present recent filmsby artists Rob Crosse, MathewParkin, Hannah Quinlan, RosieHastings and Patrick Staff. At atime when queer spaces across theUK are in short supply and underthreat from gentrification, thescreening asks what is queer spaceand how can all environments beread through a queer lens?

) DAVID HOYLE (7.3pm, Fri 22 &Sat 23) Triumphal return of the oneand only fireball of the cabaretapocalypse, avantguardian, allsinging, all raging wonder. Postdrag, post gender and impossibleto beat, David is the originalperformance avalanche. ‘There isnothing quite like it: bold andunique, electrifying and disarminglyhumane’ Time Out

SIRENLatest Bar, 14-17 Manchester St, www.wegottickets.com/event/461704) GAY VALENTINE'S PARTY (8pm’til late, Sat 6) Live music fromlegendary lesbian indie/alternativerock band SIREN and pop rock bandGREYMATTER, compered by currentreigning Drag King of Egresses, ZACBACKENCRACK plus disco fromTRAX OF MY QUEERS. Tickets: £8(80p booking fee), £10 on door.

THE BRUNSWICKThe Brunswick, Holland Rd, Hove, www.thebrunswick.net Box office: www.wegottickets.com

) ALL START: MAMAS & PAPASROCK (2pm, Sat 2). Join Al andspecial guests for an afternoon ofgreat kids songs, silly stories,games, prizes and kids’ open mic– start practicing your favouritesong! Mamas & Papas Rock issuitable for primary school agechildren and their little siblings.The Brunswick have a greatchildren’s menu and are chilledand relaxed!

) EL GEEBEE TEA QUEUE (Sun 10). An evening of LGBT+ comedy andcabaret featuring: Naz & Ella, an indie-folk duo who write and singabout love, loss and poor political decisions, through intricate guitarriffs and room-silencing harmonies, the duo captivate their audienceto share their thoughts on topics frequently neglected in music; KateBushfly, a spectacular, surreal tribute to Kate Bush; Markx, acontemporary singer/songwriter and creative entrepreneur, whosecritically acclaimed EP Water debuted at #14 on the iTunessinger/songwriter chart and received a glowing review from Head of

BBC Radio 2, Jeff Smith; poet andspoken word artist Aiden Bex,good guy gone bad and backagain; Dryadic, whose luscious,emotive pop hooks and candid,heartfelt lyrics traverse anacoustic spectrum with EasternEuropean influence at one end,and British trad-folk at the other;Brighton’s most inclusive comedycollective, Honk Improv, featureslocal improvisers in bite-sizedchunks!

BENT DOUBLEKomedia, Gardner St, BrightonBox office: 0845 293 8480) BENT DOUBLE (Sun 3). A gay-friendly, irreverent night of fun andfrolics hosted by Zoe Lyons (MockThe Week and Michael McIntyre’sComedy Roadshow). Featuringheadliner Eleanore Tiernan.

BRIGHTON CENTREKings Road, BrightonBox office: 0844 847 1515) BASTILLE (Fri 1). The bandplays new material ahead of therelease of their hugely anticipatedthird album. With support from

Lewis Capaldi and Ulysses Wells.) TEARS FOR FEARS (Mon 4). RuleThe World Tour with special guestAlison Moyet.) BOYZONE (Tue 5 & Fri 15).Marking the group’s final album,Thank You & Goodnight.) THE X FACTOR LIVE (Tue 19).Presented by Becca Dudley.) PROFESSOR BRIAN COX (Tue26). Taking audiences to the edgeof our current understanding aboutthe origin and evolution of oursolar system and the universe, Coxoffers a fascinating insight intothe workings of nature at the mostfundamental level.

CAROLINE OFBRUNSWICKDitchling Road, Brightonwww.brownpapertickets.com) FUNNY GIRLS (Fri 8). JulieJepson hosts a night of fabulousfemale funnies with stand-up,musical comedy and improv.

ARTSBY MICHAEL HOOTMAN

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)OREGON In Performance (BGO Records). Oregon was one of thebest loved of world music groups, founded in 1970 and still activetoday, although with changing personnel. Oregon performed an

improvised mix of jazz, folk, andmusic from India and elsewhere.With four talented and multi-instrumental performers in theirline-up, the group always hadthe ability to ring the changes,although here it is CollinWalcott’s sitar and tabla thatgrab the attention, along withRalph Towner’s classical guitar.This fine set captures them liveat New York’s Carnegie Hall andtwo Canadian venues in 1979.

Inevitably it is a sort of greatest hits package, but none the worsefor that. If Oregon is new to you, start here.

)ALEXIS KORNER Everyday I Have the Blues: The SixtiesAnthology (Grapefruit Records). Like many of my generation, I grewup with Alexis Korner, religiously tuning in every Sunday night forhis Blues & Soul Show on Radio 1to hear his made-for-radio gravellyvoice. The eclectic mix of earlyblues and gospel and modern r&bthat he played, as well as manyfine examples of what’s nowknown as world music, opened myears to the sounds of a music Ibarely knew existed. Kornerhimself was no great shakes as amusician – in his own words hewas “an appalling singer” – andhis song-writing wasn’t up tomuch either, but he was a fantastic catalyst, enabler and facilitator,as this 3CD collection of his 1960s’ output reveals. It starts with hisfirst Blues Incorporated sessions – the group the first ever all-whiteelectric blues band that kickstarted the British 1960s’ r&b boom –and finishes with sessions including singer Robert Plant, who leftmidway to join Led Zeppelin. An invaluable document of animportant era in British music.

)HOUSTON PERSON & RON CARTER Remember Love (HighNote).Houston Person is an 85-year-old American tenor saxophonist bestknown for his soul jazz recordings, Ron Carter a spry 82-year-oldAmerican bassist famous for his work in the second great Miles Davis

Quintet alongside HerbieHancock and Wayne Shorter. Thetwo first recorded together in1989, this set their sixthcollaboration. Yet any sense oftwo old codgers gently relivingold times is immediatelydispersed by their youthfulsoloing, Person breathy andresonant, Carter bending basslines in almost flippant fashion.None of the tracks move muchabove slow walking pace – a

sprightly The Way You Look Tonight excepted – but the standout trackis the usually clichéd You Are My Sunshine, which is a solo Cartermasterclass in how to play the bass, answered by Person’s majesticsolo on the closing Without A Song. The choice of some pieces mightsuggest nostalgia, but actually the set is timeless, which is a muchbetter attribute.

ALL THAT JAZZBY S IMON ADAMS

This month I’m concentrating on the plethora of concurrent exhibitionsin one gallery close enough to travel to and sure to satisfy anyinquisitive visitor.

TOWNER ART GALLERYEastbourne, www.townereastbourne.org.uk )FIGURE STUDY II: JOE HILL CURATES THE TOWNER COLLECTION(until Apri 28). Their new Director, Joe Hill, has curated a personal

response to Towner’s renowned collection.His diverse selection spans a period of100 years and rather than presenting athemed selection, Joe has aimed toexamine how the selection process itselfcan further an individual’s understandingof place, perception and aspirationthrough its collections.The title for the show is taken from aFrancis Bacon painting that belongs toJoe’s hometown, the former mining andtextiles community of Batley in West

Yorkshire. The loss of the town’s gallery in the early 1980s to a nowderelict shopping centre means it is unlikely the town’s residents willhave an opportunity to see the collection or know of its existence. Joeonly became aware of the provenance of the painting while installing itat an exhibition at Camden Arts Centre, London in 2010.Joe is interested in understanding how this collection could haveplayed a role in developing a new post-industrial identity for the areaand contributed to the aspiration and sense of pride amongst itsyounger population. The display includes work by artists such as EileenCooper, Holly Downing, Elisabeth Frink, Richard Hamilton, PatrickHeron, Peter Lanyon, Victor Pasmore, John Piper,Walter Sickert and Thomas Joshua Cooper.

)EVAN ROTH: RED LINES (until Apr 28) isArtangel’s first networked artwork, available free toanyone, anywhere. Roth has travelled to coastalsites around the world where the cables that makethe Internet possible emerge from the sea. RedLines can be experienced by anyone, anywhere inthe world, and you can find out how to join thenetwork at your home or workplace atartangel.org.uk/project/red-lines.

)THE WEATHER GARDEN: ANNE HARDY CURATES THE ARTS COUNCILCOLLECTION (Feb 17–Jun 2). British artist Anne Hardy has curatedthe Arts Council Collection in Towner’s eighth and final exhibition aspart of the Arts Council Collection National Partners Programme 2016-19. Anne Hardy’s work derives from gaps in the urban space wherematerials, atmospheres, and emotions gather, using what she finds

there to manifest sensory and unstableinstallation works that fully immerse you,Hardy brings this approach to her selectionfor Towner. The Weather Gardenencompasses over 30 artworks in a diverserange of media that are engaged withmaterial, physical action, and sensuality.Exhibited artists include Roger Ackling,Claire Barclay, Becky Beasley, Appau JnrBoakye-Yiadom, Claude Cahun, LynnChadwick, Alice Channer, Lygia Clark,Thomas Joshua Cooper, Jane Coyle,

Hubert Dalwood, Rita Donagh, Barry Flanagan, John Gibbons,Shirazeh Houshiary, Kim Lim, Sarah Lucas, Lucia Nogueira,Madeleine Pledge, Ima-Abasi Okon, Margaret Organ, KarinRuggaber, Veronica Ryan, Seb Thomas, Edward Weston and CathyWilkes.

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Winter Will Hin Weichen, and thedisc concludes with Hildegard VonBingen’s (1098-1179) passionatelyecstatic Ave Generosa (withNorburn’s voice souring aloft),followed by a closing Procession.There are delicate solo worksperformed beautifully by Stuttard onthe harp, as well as richly blendedthree part singing in Ther Is NoRose Of Swych Virtu, a familiar tuneto some. Roses and lilies, and theirsymbolism associated with theVirgin Mary, figure large, but evengladioli make an appearance in onesong. This is a glorious selection ofmusic, performed with cleardevotion and the ability tocommunicate the varied emotions of

this fascinating repertoire. Wellworth exploring.

Reviews, comments and events: v nicks-classical-notes.blogspot.co.ukt @nickb86uk) nbclassical@hotmail.co.uk

REVIEWS) JOHANNES PRAMSOHLER ViolinConcertos by Johann Jakob KressAudax ADX13716. ViolinistJohannes Pramsohler is back withmore unexplored treasures,highlighting virtuoso violinconcertos by Johann Jakob Kress(c.1685-1738), the court concertmaster at Darmstadt. Four out ofthe five works here are receiving

world premiere recordings, andPramsohler is joined by theDarmstädter Barocksolisten.Interestingly, they perform onmodern instruments, therebychallenging the idea that Baroquemusic should now only be theterritory of period-instrumentgroups. Their attention tohistorically performed detail andarticulation is certainly striking.The disc opens with a wonderfulconcerto by Georg PhilippTelemann (1681-1767), withPramsohler and the players joinedby Manfred Bocksweiger on solotrumpet. Possibly written for Kressto perform, the bright trumpet ismatched by a scintillating highregister violin part, and a delightfulcentral Adagio is followed by ajoyous Allegro finale, with wateryrunning lines cascading from soloviolin. There are two Kress Concertion the disc. No 1 has a beautifullytouching, arioso Adagio, withstaccato orchestral accompaniment,and a dancing Allegro to finish, andNo 6 has a stately slow introductionwith delicate writing for the violin.Its Adagio is mournful, withsustained, unusual harmonic shifts,and the Allegro is a light dance. Theother two works here call for threetrumpets in addition to the lighterorchestral forces, and this providesa great contrast. The Concerto byJohann Friedrich Fasch (1688-1758) contrasts a birdlike soloviolin part against the full orchestra,

with minor key interjections fromtrumpets and oboes. There’s a skipin the step of the walking bass linein the Andante, and the Allegro iscelebratory and virtuosic, withbright trumpet fanfares. The discconcludes with a lively Ouverture(Orchestral Suite) by JohannSamuel Endler (1694-1762). Itseight movements include highlyvirtuosic solo violin displays, oftenpunctuated by punchy rhythmicaccompaniment from the orchestra.There are lighter moments too, witha simple stately dance for stringsalone (Fantasie) and a delicate,delightful oboe/ violin dialogue inthe Passepied. This is a disc full ofdelights, and Pramsohler is clearlyin his element. His brightness oftone and lightening touch ismatched by great energy and vividarticulation from the Darmstadtplayers. Highly recommended.

) THE TELLING Gardens OfDelight. The Telling specialise instaged performances and ‘concert-theatre’ pieces to bring the ballads,poetry and story-telling of theMiddle Ages to life. They will befamiliar to many in Brighton asthey perform regularly in theBrighton Early Music Festival, andmember Clare Norburn was co-founder and until recently Co-Director of the festival. Togetherwith fellow singer Ariane Prüssner,and medieval harp player and singerLeah Stuttard, they have recordeda collection of striking works underthe title Gardens of Delight,exploring the use of flowers asimagery and inspiration in medievalsong. They take us on a trip aroundEurope, through Spain, France,England, Italy and Germany, andalso through time, with musicspanning the 11th to 15thcenturies. Norburn has a bright,bell-like soprano voice, contrastedbeautifully by Prüssner’s rich,deeper tones. This is particularlyevident in the opening traditionalSephardic song, La rosa Enflorese,with Prüssner’s haunting voice, fullof sadness, followed by Norburn’syearning tones, all supported byStuttard with an atmospheric, lightharp accompaniment. The worksrange from the florid and virtuosic,wandering lines of O Rosa Bella byJohannes Ciconia (1370-1412), tothe unexpectedly passionateanonymous German song Der

CLASSICAL NOTESBY NICK BOSTON

CINEMA) The MET Opera’s production of Bizet’s Carmenis showing live (Sat 2, repeated on other dates),with Clémentine Margaine and Roberto Alagna.) The Royal Ballet is live from the Royal OperaHouse (Tue 19) in Carlos Acosta’s first production there of MariusPepita’s ballet Don Quixote. In a range of local cinemas, including:Duke of York’s/Duke’s at the Komedia, Brighton, CineworldEastbourne and the Connaught Cinema, Worthing. Check for times.

CONCERTSBRIGHTON DOMEBox Office: 01273 709709, www.brightondome.org ) Pianist Pavel Kolesnikov (7.30pm, Sat 2) performsBrahms, Beethoven, Tchaikovsky and Couperin.) The Brighton Philharmonic Orchestra, conducted

by Stephen Bell, (2.45pm, Sun 10) perform Wagner, Gliére andStrauss’ Four Last Songs with Camilla Roberts (soprano).

ACCAUniversity of Sussex, 01273 678822, www.attenboroughcentre.com) As part of Viriditas, a series of events exploring the music and lifeof Hildegard von Bingen (6-10 Feb), Voice and the Celestial Sirens(6pm, Sun 10), directed by Deborah Roberts, perform music byHildegard as well as music from the convents of Europe. The CastalianQuartet (11am, Sun 24) perform Haydn and Elgar and are joined byDaniel Lebhardt (piano) for Brahms’ Piano Quintet.

ASSEMBLY HALLWorthing, www.worthingtheatres.co.uk) The Worthing Symphony Orchestra (7.30pm, Thur7) performs Arnold, John Williams, Tchaikovsky, andKorngold’s Violin Concerto with Jennifer Pike (violin).

ST MICHAEL’S CHURCHHigh St, Lewes, www.eventbrite.co.uk ) The Baroque Collective Singers (7.30pm, Sat 16) perform music byHandel and Vivaldi, with the Baroque Collective, directed by JohnHancorn, with soloists Jenni Harper (soprano) and Rebecca Leggett(mezzo soprano).

THE BIRLEY CENTREEastbourne, www.melodywoodham.com ) The Modulus String Quartet and New Network Singers (7.30pm,Sat 23) present Without Borders, a concert of new works composed inresponse to the migrant crisis. The concert includes world premieres byClive Whitburn, Melody Woodham, Tim Laverack and Jessica Curry,with profits going to Migrant Help.

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) THE AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF A TRANSGENDER SCIENTIST (The MITPress) by Ben Barres. mitpress.mit.edu Ben Barres was known for

his innovative scientific work andfor pioneering advocacy forgender equality in science. Inthis book, completed shortlybefore his death from pancreaticcancer in 2017, Barres describesa life full of remarkableaccomplishments, from hischildhood as a precocious mathsand science whiz to hisexperiences as a female studentat MIT in the 1970s to histransition in his 40s, to hisscientific work and role asteacher and mentor at Stanford.The science is complicated, eventhough Barres thoughtfullysimplifies it for the unfamiliar

reader, but it’s the chapters on his life and then the passionateadvocacy which really gripped. Barres’ clipped style is frank, candidbut also allows the reader to understand the drive behind hiscommitment to equality (with a lot of references to his publishedarticles online) and diversity in the world of science, and also whythat is so fundamentally important to all of us.

) FASCINATION (The MIT Press)by Kevin Killian.mitpress.mit.edu Fascination:Memoirs is a combination ofKillian’s two early memoirs,Bedrooms Have Windows, hisautobiographical story about anambitious writer carving out hisown space in gay hyper eroticdrink fuelled world of 1970s NewYork just before and during theAIDS crisis. The second part ofthe book is part of itsunpublished sequel, Bachelors GetLonely, and the book concludeswith Triangles in the Sand, a newchronicle of Killian’s affair withcomposer Arthur Russell. Killian’scomplete mastery of writing

about desire, sex and indulgenceis exposed here, his own struggleswith drink, his abandonment tosensuality and sexual pleasuresand a momentous wallowing inhis own melancholic thoughtscombine to make this book athrilling read. He’s darkly funnytoo. Geographically soft focused,it’s hard where it counts. I wasonly familiar with Killian’s poetrybefore and this book introducesthe (new) reader to hisbreathtaking prose. It is anerotically charged flashback,which is seductive, rough, andpossessive, and leaves yougasping in a squalid, dampsatisfied slump, giggling but notquite sure where you are.

) QUEER EYE: LOVE YOURSELF,LOVE YOUR LIFE (Headline) byAntoni Porowski, Tan France,

Jonathan Van Ness, Bobby Berkand Karamo Brown. Written by allfive of the Queer Eye guys,possibly all holding the samefabulous crayon, Queer Eye is partmemoir, part lifestyle mag, andpart how-to: how to start yourown skincare regimen, how tostock your closet with stylishbasics, how to have aconversation (I know, right!), howto buy a table, how to set a table,how to weep at the beauty of yourtablecloth (I made that bit up…).Photographer Denise Crewguarantees that everything looksfabulous and, to borrow AntoniPorowski’s phrase, the bookpromotes, “a carefree symphony ofthe senses”. Basically you’re alllazy frumps and these five guyscalled MoJo want to take care ofyou. And with this book, that’sexactly what they’re going to do.There’s an audio book version too,if you’re too busy getting amanicure to turn pages, whereyou’ll get the extra remarkabletreat of learning about theinfamous five’s lives. Swoon.

) GAYBCS: A QUEER ALPHABET(Greystone Books) by RaeCongdonwww.newsouthbooks.com.au This is a superbly simple hardbackbook, crafted with a sophisticatedand understated aesthetic whichdisguises the wonderful subtlehumour that permeates it.Congdon has done what gooddesign is all about, shared a lot ofinfo in a simple yet informativefun way to learn about queerterms. Their commentary andsuggestions for the words andtheir usage is spot on, moving theconversation on in a progressive,inclusive way. This is for learning,with an expectation ofcelebration, intersectionalacknowledgement and validity. It’sso finely crafted and simple that ahell of a lot of work must havegone into it, but like all elegantand strong things it’s alsobeautiful. A great gift, I adoredeach and every page. It’s abeginner’s guide to common

LGBT+ terminology, cheekilygraffitied atop a children’salphabet book and accompaniedby pithy explanations good enoughto make this Old Queer smirk. AsCongdon says, “Words are the mostpowerful form of communication,it’s important to use them withconsideration and be aware of howcontext and tone can affectothers.”

) WHAT WILL THE NEIGHBOURSSAY! by Richard Leewww.leetraceybooks.co.uk This charming book tells the truestory of comedian (Richard) LeeTracey’s life as a young working-class inexperienced guy, growingup in the 1950s. Finding out he ison the wrong side of the law, whenyou could be imprisoned simply forbeing gay, and facing a possiblelong jail term if people discoveredhis secret. The compellingnarrative shares story of bigotry,violence and hatred withbittersweet consequences. Forcedby society to live in the shadows,Tracey finds a way to live withoutfear, a life filled withopportunities, adventure and somevery real love. This is a working-class gay memoir with real heart,detailing the change of Britishculture and also the changeswrought on a young gay man byhis family and the judgementalsociety around him. Tracey alsoshares the triumph of his spiritand the importance of friendshipsand trust. It’s also, of course, veryfunny and that touchstone ofhumour and the way it allowsTracey to cope with the slings andarrows of life is a recurring motif.Tracey went on to spend manyyears on stage and is famouslocally for playing saucy Dames inthe charity fundraising adultpantos of the city.

PAGE’S PAGESBOOK REVIEWS BY ERIC PAGE

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BRINGING BENI TO BRIGHTONBrighton-based actor Tony Maudsley chats to Brian Butlerabout his starring role in Benidorm, the smash hit TVcomedy series, about playing Hagrid’s 16-foot highbrother, and his penchant for rude T-shirts and hot pants.

) Tony Maudsley, whose 21 year acting careerspans everything from period drama to pantoand hit stage musicals, admits he was a badboy at school in Liverpool. "A drama teacher fished me out and took me tohis youth theatre and then I went to do acollege course and then gave it all up."

After travelling and working in an MFIwarehouse, he decided at 23 to give acting a goand went to drama college in Wales. Aftergraduating, he was in a tour of South Pacificwhich didn’t sell and was closed, but Tony hadbeen spotted and was called to audition for thepart of wrongly convicted supposed child killer,Stefan Kisko, in the TV film A Life For A Life.“I hadn’t done much television but it was toplay opposite the award-winning OlympiaDukakis, and I got it."

It created a huge boost in his career,catapulting him into the spotlight and winninghim the Royal Television Society Best NewcomerAward."Tim Burton had seen it and asked me toaudition for Sleepy Hollow so it boosted me upmy career ladder."

He originally auditioned for a different part inthe hit TV series Benidorm but didn’t get it.“Then three years later I auditioned forKenneth, the hairdresser. The other guys wereall small and thin. I was 20 stone and sweatingheavily and was flustered because I’d rushedacross London from a play I was rehearsing. Iguess they saw what they were looking for."

And so began eight years in the series whichfinished last year.“The character was written but then they seewhat you can bring to it," he says. Two of thethings he’s brought are rude T-shirts and hisfamous hot pants. “I drew up a list of slogans

for the T-shirts and the lawyers decided if theywere too mucky for ITV at 9pm.”

I asked him why it had been so successful, stillplaying to six million viewers when it was axed?“We did more episodes than Only Fools & Horsesand I think it’s because it’s about working classpeople having a great time on holiday. Manypeople recognise their dad or mum or grandmain the characters."

Such was the enthusiasm of its fans that theywent on holiday to be at the location duringfilming. “We had to promise them they’d be inthe background shots to keep them quiet."

“All the characters have back stories and theyall have big hearts. It’s shown in the winter onTV because it brings sunshine into people’slives.”

And now he’s reprising his role as the campcoiffeur in Benidorm Live on tour and on stage.How different is it to be in a touring version ofthe show? “Live audiences are great. When each of us hasour first entrance, the audience roars. They’veinvested in the characters over the years andthey want to show it."

Tony admits audiences up north have been moreraucous. Down south they seem to listen more.It will be interesting to see what the Brightonaudience is like. “There will be my friends who I drink with at theweekend and who’ve never seen me on stage.“

Creator, Derren Litten, has hinted the showmight come back but Tony thinks that mightdepend on the outcome of Brexit as to whetherthey could work on location for several monthsat a time. And there’s also talk of a film.

Tony’s versatility is such that, after filming theclassic Vanity Fair with Reese Witherspoon, thedirector of the Harry Potter films asked him toplay the voice of Hagrid’s 16-foot high brother,Grawp. "It was the best paid job I ever had and it stillpays from repeat fees," he jokes. “It was afascinating thing to do because I was actingagainst a green screen but with real actors. Theyput you in a kind of X-ray machine and captureall your facial movement which they project onto the final CGI character."

How does he deal with a touring schedule? “I’m not 100% happy with it. It’s six days ofperforming and on the seventh day you travel tothe next venue. The audiences are great but youdon’t get home for the nine months of the tour.”So playing in Brighton will be a bonus especiallysince Tony lives two minutes from the TheatreRoyal.

Having done films, TV, panto and straight drama,what’s left? “I’d love to play Lenny in Of Mice And Men - butI need to do it in the next five years."

Asked what advice he would give to the youngaspiring Tony, he doesn’t hesitate: “Give it fiveyears - I did say that to myself. Work hard andhope for the best. For me, it paid off.” It certainly did.

What next? “A Stephen Poliakoff drama set in the Cold War.Maybe after that I’ll be ready for the sunshineand the hot pants again.”

MORE INFO) Benidorm Live is at the Theatre Royal,Brighton from February 25 to March 2.

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) So 76 years after the movie, we still,occasionally, gaze at each other and quote ‘the'line, these days expressed with humour ratherthan deep passion. “Let’s go to Paris forChristmas,” said my beloved. “Mais Oui,” said I.So we went.

Eurostar is just a train like any other exceptthat it takes over an hour to get on board,never mind about passport control, it’s allautomatic anyway. The main problem was thesize and amount of luggage people weretaking, all of which had to go through securityscanners, some cases were as big as the ownersand that’s saying something.

The trains were all fully booked, as it wasChristmas we upgraded to Standard Premier,just as well, we had big comfy seats, lunch anddrinks. Seasoned travellers as we are, on arrivalat Gare du Nord we grabbed the first taxi andgot royally ripped off. €35 for a €10 journey,only ever use a taxi with a green ParisienneTaxi sign, we knew that didn’t we?

Paris is a beautiful city at any time withthousands of tourists from the Far East andassorted US citizens. The French don’t really‘do’ Christmas, they put a few lights up andadorn some of the more famous buildings withsome glitter but apart from that not a lothappens. Christmas Day is just like any Sunday,everything is running as normal except themuseums are closed, as it can take about threehours queuing to get in to most of them wegave them a miss anyway.

We checked into a rather unusual hotel in theMarais, quite nice but nothing to write homeabout so I won’t. It was called Les Jardins duMarais since you ask.

Up to the Sacre Coeur on Christmas Day, wefelt that we should, just to get trampled andshoved by our oriental chums. The weather wasbrilliant and we did get a fleeting glimpse ofthe view, we’d seen it before anyway. To be

fair, if you’ve never been to Paris this is aspectacular view on a beautiful day, if you canhandle the crowds, it’s worth a visit.

As this was hardly our first visit to Paris whydid we bother to go see the other famoussites? But we did anyway, so Eiffel Tower ✔,

Place de la Concorde ✔, the Louvre ✔, theChamps Elysees ✔ etc, still there and still thesame. But no sign of any yellow jackets,everything was very clean and tidy.

We did visit the Centre Pompidou with somequite expensive advance tickets, if you likevery modern art then this is for you. With over100,000 works, the collections of the MuséeNational d’Art Moderne make up one of theworld's leading references for art of the 20thand 21st centuries. The building was regardedas quite bizarre in 1977, all very brutalist, butnowadays, with Frank Gehry and others, thereis no real shock. The view from the top offersspectacular views of the city.

During our visit we also took a dinner cruiseon the Bateaux Mouches. Never done thatbefore, it’s for tourists we thought, but so are

we, so we went. Notcheap, in fact quiteexpensive at €150 each,it was Christmas afterall. This was a completesurprise; in fact quitebrilliant, amazing foodand wine, incrediblestaff and a lovely tripright along the river.Seeing Paris by nightfrom the boat was really

very lovely and dare I say, quite romantic, mycynicism took a few hours off.

Paris can just mean shopping to some and ofcourse Les Grands Magasins should be visited ifonly for the incredible Christmas decorations,there are some. Once again we were almosttrampled underfoot by sharp elbowed tourists,we didn’t stay long. Here again if you go rightup to the roof you get to see all of Paris, thistime for free.

This is a city to walk around, but it was cold sowe used the metro, buying a ‘carnet’ of 10 at atime saves money, at just €1.9 per trip it’s abargain and you can go all over the city. Ticketsare available at every metro station, themachines work and are in English.

We did take an unanticipated stroll downBoulevard St Germain through the famousLatin Quarter which is stuffed with incrediblyexpensive boutiques and fascinating cafés aswell the Sorbonne University and the Jardindu Luxembourg, but not much to see there inDecember.

So yes we will always have Paris, but next timeit will be in the summer when all the residentsare away and it’s only tourists. Wonderful!

TOP 5 MUST SEES IN PARIS) Sacre Coeur and Montmartre (www.sacre-coeur-montmartre.com/english/)) Eiffel Tower, passing the famous flame onthe Pont de l’Alma (www.toureiffel.paris/en)) Notre-Dame de Paris and Ile de la Cité(www.notredamedeparis.fr/en)) Champs-Elysées and Arc de Triomphe(www.paris-arc-de-triomphe.fr/en)) Louvre and Louvre Pyramid (www.paris-arc-de-triomphe.fr/en)

MORE INFO) You can travel to Paris in just two hours and15 minutes on Eurostar from St PancrasInternational in London, or pick it up atEbbsfleet International and AshfordInternational in Kent. ) EasyJet fly direct from Gatwick to Charles deGaulle airport.

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‘WE’LL ALWAYS HAVE PARIS’...When Rick said this to Ilsa in Casablanca, no one realisedthat it would become one of the most famous lines of alltime from a film. By Roger Wheeler

GSCENE 52

CRAIG’S THOUGHTS Another Brick In The Wall. Or The LGBT Brexit. By Craig Hanlon-Smith@craigscontinuum

comes with a host of reactions from all cornersof our supposedly diverse and accepting selvesthat are matching the polarising nature of ourEU departure. The very best and worst of ourcommunities is forever in our midst.

There are clear differences between ourcommunities and these should be acknowledgedand celebrated. But too often we give so muchtime to difference that we neglect that whichmakes us the same. At the very least we’re proneto ignore our common experiences which can bea source of support and comfort. And yet ourcollective ability to shout ‘PHOBIC’ at theslightest question or criticism needs addressing.At times it feels as though a great chunk of theLGBTQ masses may need to count to 10 and justcalm the f*** down. It’s akin to suggestingeveryone who voted to ‘leave’ is a racist. Insome cases yes, in many no.

Brexiteers often cite the freedom of movementof people as a source of conflict and theirarguments are not without merit. Of coursethese freedoms are taken advantage of by thosewho mean to do us harm or disrupt our way oflife. But in turn these instances are takenadvantage of and the threat magnified by thosewho wish to use such occasions as a weapon offear. We’re twisting our truths in a vice-versawordy weaponry swap shop which has nopositive outcome but works to increase nationallevels of anxiety. Anxiety that impactseconomics and ultimately the little guys on theground.

Our own communities have begun to build ourown walls of division which not only separatethe LGBTQ but create further silos of shamewithin our own so-called teams. Whether nationshaming, race shaming, leave or remainshaming, trans-shaming, lesbian shaming, fatshaming, skinny shaming, camp shaming, femmeshaming, HIV shaming, sl** shaming, bottomshaming, it’s all just a way to keep people down,to keep the other back and at bay.

It’s time to look at ourselves and to commandwhat’s great about we, me, I and us based uponwho we are and what we’ve achieved. There’snothing great to be celebrated by keepingothers out or ourselves locked in. There’s littleto celebrate in our sense of individuality orcollective communities by intimidating those weare not. I’m fabulous because I’m not trans,camp, HIV+, a bottom, promiscuous. News: noyou’re not. You don’t achieve because of howothers are – your life isn’t that easy.

Wake up, sit up, grow up and whatever thecontext the content remains the same. It’s notcruel to be kind.

The freedom to travel without a statepermission, the freedom to move withoutquestion across an entire continent is aprivilege the majority of us can’t rememberliving without but this is about to change for ageneration if not longer. Brexit is to all intentsand purposes our very own wall between usand our neighbours. Walls are not onlyimpossible to scale on one side they’reimpenetrable for all of us. Like it or not we willsoon need to learn to live with our wall andit’s time to get used to the idea.

Change can be a challenge and it’s perhaps theacceptance of such significant change that’sproving difficult for the remain voters of whichI am one. But you cannot always play for thewinning side, democracy is a system that willnot always satisfy our own private or publiclypolitical leanings. And whilst I’m enraged atthe lies told to help secure a victory, these areno different to the total fabrications and falsepromises made by all contributors to our usualelectoral process. We went to war in 2002 on a‘sexed-up’ lie regarding fictitious weapons ofmass destruction. Horrible, but that we’re anation of liars is written into our history. We’vebeen in a race to the bottom since time began.

Change often sticks in the throat but it doesn’tneed to. Perhaps we can learn from theprogress and shape-shifting within our owncommunities to help us think about thenational situation in a more manageable way.Our range of LGBTQ communities have beendeveloping and changing in recent years at apace that at times feels a challenge to keepup. More disappointingly, this all too often

“We give so much time to difference that we neglect that which makes us the same. At thevery least we’re prone to ignore our commonexperiences which can be a source of supportand comfort”

) Whatever position taken on the subject ofBrexit, there is some agreement that on allsides of the discussion behaviours have ledmuch to be desired. Neither lies nor fearsprojected during polarised arguments areattributes we should be aspiring to and yet weperhaps shouldn’t be surprised that thesecharacteristics emerge. Members of the LGBTQcommunities have often found themselves apolitical punchbag and this kind of aggressiveand hostile rhetoric on both sides is nothingnew – the context has changed not thecontent.

I’ve been surprised at the seemingly one-sidedunderstanding of the desire to ‘end the freemovement of people’. Whilst I appreciate theconcerns around immigration, when I hear theviews of some English folk I’m often relieved tohave a ‘jolly foreigner’ down the street to talkto. We have no way of knowing the details yetbut any inhibition of the freedom to travel willnot be a one-sided approach. Perhaps not bythe end of this year or even the next two butcertainly within five to 10 there will benoticeable changes to our current freedoms torun around Europe as we please. Thoseimpromptu f*** it trips to Sitges or Mykonos.The international Pride circuits from GranCanaria to Madrid. And whilst one may havepreviously dragged piss soaked black footysocks through the Nothing to Declare channelat Gatwick following that trip to Berlin, beprepared in future to have the dirty laundryaired on either side of the border.

We, the LGBTQ, are a range of communitiesthat have one unshakeable common thread.We’ve fought for all of our freedoms howeverbasic and fundamental. The freedom to work,the freedom to marry, to apply for life-insurance, to visit a loved one in hospital. Thefreedom to raise a child, the freedom to holdhands at the bus stop, to sit together on aflight. The freedom to exist without fear ofprosecution and imprisonment. The freedom toengage in sexual relationships without the fearof an inevitable death. Freedom is everything.

OTHERING ) A very creative performer friend of mine recently posted onFacebook just how much he HATED the Red Hot Chilli Peppers. Andthen a few days later, in a different post, a disabled friendproclaimed how disappointed he was that he had finally sunk to anew low in that he had just had sex with a guy who wore Crocs (bythe way that guy was me!). Both posts released a torrent ofseemingly harmless, supportive hatred from friends and followers. Allwere in agreement that these subjects were quite legitimate targetsfor their light-hearted communal disapprobation. Who could get hurt?After all the RHCP are just a bunch of overrated, over-playedrecording artists! And aren't Croc wearers just seriously fashionchallenged idiots? Right?

I wondered just how my sensitive performer friend would have felt ifsomeone had lanced a 'social media anger abscess' in his directionwith the purulent exudate engulfing him and his vulnerable creativeofferings. I certainly didn't feel unscathed by the wave of Croc-hatredunleashed by my disabled friend. I ended up pondering just howmany times he might have had to endure the discomfort ofwitnessing 'harmless' disablist sentiments.

It seems like the public articulation of ‘dislikes’ is becomingsomething of an international pastime, opening up widening chasmsbetween diametrically opposed echo chambers which themselvessplinter and fragment!

Essentially, there’s a wholelot of ‘othering’ going on.

Othering is the process ofcasting a person (or group)in the role of ‘the other’ andestablishing one’s ownidentity through oppositionto and, frequentlyvilification of this ‘other’

In my experience of facilitating Faerie Sex Magick Workshops, I havefound it to be the single most common source of blocks betweenworkshop participants, creating what, at times, seem to beinsurmountable barriers to the potential that intimacy might bepossible between certain individuals within the group. What’smagickal about the workshop, though, is that the other-ers aremeeting together day after day in an emotionally intimate groupsetting where compassion and empathy has space to grow. And inthis context the ‘other’ can be viewed as a potential source oflearning; this ‘other’ can begin to be seen as a diverse and complexentity worthy of love and desire, even!

So how might this burgeoning social media-amplified other-ingcompulsion be countered?

First of all, to recognise that it is happening. Secondly, to registerwhen it is happening. And finally to decide NOT to define oneselfthrough opposition to any individual or group.

It’s really up to you!To Other or not To Other?If another others you, well, it just feels like poo!Other another: Judge the book by its cover...Don't other that other-er!One way or the other, that other-er's your brother-erCould you make 'em your lover-er?It's all down to you!

Btw: No Femmes! No Smokers! No H&H! No Twinks! No Partnered! NoTories! No Trump Supporters! No Brexiteers!

GSCENE 53

CENTURIES OLD TOWN SEEKS YOUNGER) I’m 43. I’m married to another man. I’m gay. I’m bald(ing). I’mwhite. I’m Irish. I don’t drink. I probably eat too much. I liketechnology. I like good conversation. I have gay friends. I havestraight friends. I know all sorts of people. Actually I like all sorts ofpeople. I don’t like rain and cold. I love a warm beach and cold water.I don’t understand cruelty. I enjoy walking. I dislike most modern art.I like purple…

You might have guessed by now, as you have found yourself here inthe back pages with me, that this issue was themed around whatBrighton has to offer LGBT+ people. The first thing that popped intomy head when I read the proposed topic was a dating app. I even

started writing my profiledescription, see above. I thendecided that my 150 characterprofile description shoulddescribe me and what I’mlooking for. So I played with“looking for open, no stringsattached relationship withlarger than average town”, or“average guy looking for olderexperienced town or city toshow me some fun”, or“looking for quiet nights in

with a more mature town”. Then I realised that the answers to thesecould probably be, in order, London, Brighton and Lewes!

I decided that Brighton would just be naughty and bold but with agreen and conservative side too. The profile summary would read as“non-gender specific town looking for various partners to explore newthings”. Brighton could describe its areas as it would its manypersonalities; “Older town with many faces. I can be posh (Hove,actually) but also like to get down and dirty and a bit grubby (London/ Western Road). I also like quiet nights in with a nice glass of wine(Kemptown) or even a spliff (Hanover). I like people to use myextensive green spaces (Queens Park) but I also like to have a nice,clean private passage (Eastern Street, aka Phil’s Terrace). When youare with me you can expect something to be happening everyweekend. I try to entertain and take your money. I would considermyself a pretty big tart really. Take what you like from me, depositwhat you must in me and leave”.

“The profile summary would read as ‘non-gender specific town looking forvarious partners to explore new things’”

I love the idea now of treating all my future travel plans to be basedon some sort of matching algorithm. In fact, the travel companies cantake something from this! Okay, let’s try this; I’m looking forsomewhere which must have beaches, beautiful nature, culturaldiversity, festivals, a wide range of food, oh and of course goodweather, click SUBMIT button - RESULT: Brazil!

Damn, perhaps I’ll try that again and make sure to tick the box whichomits far right Presidents who state that Brazil doesn’t needlegislation specifically targeting homophobia, because "mosthomosexuals are murdered by their respective pimps at hours whengood citizens are already asleep".

Hey-ho, back to the ideas board!

WALL’S WORDSBY MIKE WALL

GAY WISDOMBY GAY SOCRATES

54 GSCENE

just wait. Eventually, he was greeted byanother savant with an iPad, a microphoneand earpiece who took the phone, rushedthough the settings, connected it to the storewi-fi then took a snap of his personal 'About'screen featuring his sim card details and serialnumber. He tried to stop it when some othersclosed in around him. Eventually, the idiottold him that he did not qualify for a newbattery and was gone. The next day hereceived intimidating messages on his phoneasking him about his sim card and telling himthat they knew he wasn't using his sim cardand number that the phone was registeredwith.

So, the battery scam was complete and wasreally only a data harvest for unregulatediPhones. But why? What is that lovelycompany Apple's interest in all of this? Andwhy are they obviously identifying people totheir phones? Do they sense what's coming?What if those Soviet Russians got hold of thisinfo? Or another dodgy government? What ifApple become the government with all theirglobal information that they've mined bysimply lying. But hey, they're a nice company.

Here's some of the things you shouldquestion.

Facial recognition. Then, facial recognitionverification. The more times the same faceappears in the 'selfies file' the more chancesthat it is the phone owner. The second face,the spouse or lover. And on and on.

Resist taking anything into Apple becausethey drain the data. Yes they may plug it in tosomething for 'diagnostics' as they call it.

Use a computer to email. Be vigilant in Applestores. You own that phone. By patronisingyou that you know nothing means they havefull access to their data.

Throw the searches off by looking for tractorcomponents and flaky pastry recipes.

Never has there been a company of suchloyalty. Nobody who works on the ground atApple ever spills the sauce on the covertevilness of that company. Why? If you tryGoogling 'Apple are evil' you come up with thelatest iPads on the market. Which makes usfeel that perhaps Apple aren't evil at all.Apple lost billions on the share prices recentlyand this is the most scary part of all. Theymay now have to make up that money fortheir shareholders, somehow. I wonder howthey might be able do that?

Welcome to the dawn.

CHARLIE SAYS Who’s in control? The pitfalls oftechnology. By Charlie Bauer Phd.http://charliebauerphd.blogspot.co.uk

“Your iPhone is now more important than the government. Any government. More importantthan Brexit! Your iPhone is your watcher andmentor and will one day be your judge andproducer of evidence profiling”

evidence profiling. Okay, Apple say that theyonly store certain parts of your data. First ofall, why? Secondly, how do we know this, is itan independent body regulating this, oranother company? No, it’s Apple who tell usthis and it’s up to us to believe them. Or not.So, why have they built fields of aircrafthangers storing all your data? They say thedata is not attached to an individual. It's up tous to believe them. Or not.

Let’s now presume that they’re mining yourdata, your contacts, emails, web searches, pornsites etc. We're told that this is worth evenmore than the price of the actual hardware tothese companies. So, why sell us a piece ofmetal and glass for £1,000? WhatsApp, Googleand Facebook are free and their owners areworth millions. Why do we think that is andwhy is Apple making us pay for the privilege ofkeeping our personal behaviour?

A friend took out his sim card and logged intothe idiot with the iPad at the Apple Storeentrance. He was asked for his phone number,which he refused to hand in, instead he gavethem an email address. The idiot genius wasannoyed, but not too much. He could sense hisreticence. Then he noticed the microphonepinned to his chest and the earpiece. My frienddidn't need to hand in a phone number becausehis appointment was in 30 minutes so he would

) Earlier in 2017 the wonderfully honestApple Inc announced they were finally wrong.That they had made a mistake with theirhardware and that the batteries were onlymanufactured to last a set amount of time.This could be forced obsolescence. Or robbingyou of your money. True to form, Appleadmitted their shortcoming vileness and rolledour a cheaper (not free) battery amnestywhere, if you had an iPhone less than an Xmodel, you could get your batteries replacedfor £25 instead of £60. As a gesture ofgoodwill. Not bad, eh? Since I think Apple arethe evil empire with a cutsy face, I declined,but many people I know hit the store phone inhand.

The average idiot iPhone user gives Applepermission to access all of their informationin exchange for cheap apps and a snazzyphone. I've never known such loyalty andhanding over of power to the richest capitalistcompany on the planet.

That iPhone comes at a price. Currently £1,000or thereabouts. But it is FANTASTIC. At first.Until you realise that actually the thing iscontrolling you, not you it. Not just becauseyour head is buried in it for 14 hours a daybut because if you want to do somethingdifferently than anyone else, like NOT shareyour contacts or, heaven forbid, change thesim card, your hardware is rendered inoperablepretty quickly. Just like those battery issuesthat have just embarrassed Apple. Not.

It really is the docility of the populaceregarding all forms of power that is the issue.Your iPhone is now more important than thegovernment. Any government. More importantthan Brexit! When you think about it youriPhone is your watcher and mentor and willone day be your judge and producer of

THE POT OF GOLD) Welcome! My, look at you! Young, fun and come to find your pot ofgold at this end of the LGBT+ rainbow I'm guessing? Well, let me tellyou about my own first trip to Brighton.

Miss Stevens, Mrs Coop, nine children on the autistic spectrum, andme. I was an SEN teaching assistant in South London, and we had allgathered enough points on the star chart or something, to be alloweda day trip. Many years ago of course. We promised the kids the fullentertainment package! Visit to the Sealife Centre, fish and chips onthe beach, rides and ice cream on the pier, culminating in a visit tothe Pavilion to tire them out, whilst giving them enough historicalfacts to keep them buzzing on a two hour ride home.

I wasn’t out at work yet. Barely went to bars, all my friends weregirls. But I knew all about Brighton, and I didn't miss the rainbowflags as we walked past the Old Steine and St James's to the seafront.So two years later I moved myself down to the gay capital of the UK.As thousands before you and me, I came to seek my own El Dorado.

I’d love to tell you it was like one of those West End shows. Boy fromvillage comes to the big city, walks into a bar, takes his shirt off,gets adopted by fierce but soft-centred drag queens, and becomeseveryone's favourite new cutie behind the counter. It was not,obviously. Not seldom, you hear from new arrivals how they walkedin, how heads turned slowly and eyes looked up and down, and howheads usually turn back, to the gays we already know. That’sBrighton, I’m afraid. For this boy from a small town, there was a lotof fool’s gold to get through first.

“For this boy from a small town, there was a lot of fool’s gold toget through first”

Sorry, I’m not exactly selling it. Let me try again! You see, I mustadmit that the biggest problem was how I’d sit there, all Ice QueenElsa, waiting for my Prince. Now that’s not how you make friends, isit? I eventually met my first gay friend, the lovely lesbian Lisa, at thebackpackers we stayed at. My first regular haunt thus the Candy Bar.And boy did we get the party started there – I had finally found thesparkle!

It may not be easy to get a stiletto in the proverbial door, but onceyou do... and there’s the crux, you gotta do, just like I had to! Bebold and use Grindr to meet up for just a coffee. Join a gay choir,am-dram or book club. Or a sports team, or a gym? Don’t be afraid toslip your number in someone's bag on the way out - they’re all gay!Volunteer for an LGBT+ charity, they’d love to have you. Or take yourtop off and do become that young barman! The pot of gold is alwaysout there, are you gonna go and get it?

GSCENE 55

DOES BRIGHTON STILL HAVE THE MAGIC?) When I first visited London in the mid 1980s the streets werepaved with gold. Not literally, but as a young gay man just coming toterms with his sexuality they may have well have been paved withrainbows!

I shared a flat with other gay men until I could afford my own place.There were bars, clubs, and other places where I could live out andproud. I was out at work and hardly anyone seemed to care. My friendswere straight, gay, lesbian, bisexual, trans, English, American,Australian, Scandinavian, different shades of skin, different accents,even a rather gorgeous red headed Irish man who mercilessly teasedme with his flirting. Very different to my provincial home town! Iremember watching the music video to Bronski Beat's Hometown Boyand it could have been my own story.

And I remember the occasional weekend away in Brighton. Away fromthe busyness of London but still a welcoming world where I could bemyself and have a little fun. I never thought that 30 years later I'dend up living here making it my home.

The world has changed since the 1980s and the once homogeneousgay community, ghettoed together for security and comfort, is nowmainstream. And I think a little of the magic has gone. At least forme.

“The once homogeneous gay, community, ghettoed togetherfor security and comfort, is nowmainstream. And I think a littleof the magic has gone”

I no longer have the energy to party. I no longer drink like I once did.I'm happily married with no need to cruise the streets - not thatanyone has to do that any more with the likes of Grindr and otherapps.

Now I see the challenges and the pain. The gay man or lesbian womanwho's been looking after an elderly parent only to find themselveshomeless when they pass. The young trans person who, even now, isrejected by so many for not being who they 'should' be. The bisexualperson rejected for not 'choosing' a single gender. The young persontrading sex for accommodation. The partner who can't afford to leaveeven though the abuse has become intolerable. The older person whochooses suicide over having to go back into the closet in a care homeand can't ask for help because to do so feels so much worse.

I'm not saying there weren't always problems, but in my youth I wasunaware of many of the challenges of life and of getting older. I'm notsaying there isn't a community; if you have the ability to connect withLGBT+ social groups on a regular basis I'm sure it feels very different.And I love my church, and the organisations I support, which aredeeply rooted in the LGBT+ community. However, they are smallcompared to the larger communities of Brighton & Hove and as I getolder it's too easy to become parochial in my attitudes.

The magic of belonging isn't as easy to feel as it was when I wasyounger, and I have no doubt that more change has occurred in methan it has in the community at large. I do think there are ways backthat don't include abandoning the gains we've made, but likeeverything else I believe that it's going to take work and compromiseto achieve it. As I get even older I think it's going to take more thana little magic to do so.

HYDES’ HOPESBY REV MICHAEL HYDES

SCENE & DONE ITBY MICHAEL STEINHAGE

don’t have.” He also stated the cabaret sceneallows him to explore new performance areas.“The close group of friends I’ve made throughdrag have allowed me to improve and developmy drag character massively to what it is today.”

From our recent conversations about progressand motivation, we have discovered some of ourmotivation is drawn from our support for eachother. It is comforting to be able to expressmutual support at shows and even perform alltogether on multiple line-ups such as the mostrecent final of Lip Sync for Your Life at ClubRevenge. These shared experiences help us tocritique and praise each other’s work to thendevelop new acts and looks.

I knew that Calypso would want in on thediscussion, so I asked about her development onthe local scene. Calypso, Joshua Hughes-Davies,made his way down to Brighton from what I liketo refer to as ‘The Shire’, Welwyn Garden City.Josh arrived in Brighton about a year ago withCalypso in tow. Calypso was never truly realiseduntil she started performing in Brighton, namelyat Sussex Drag Soc, where she is media andpromotions manager.

Joshua explained; “I spent my entire A-Levelsdreaming of Brighton and becoming part of itsscene. I wanted the challenge of a saturated anddiverse scene after having been exposed to dragthrough Live Action Role Play and things likeRocky Horror as a child.” He expresses a distinctimpression that drag requires; “Creativity, a fierydevotion, passion and a sense of fun.”

He further explained “Being accepted with openarms when you aren't necessarily a mainstreamkind of drag performer was unexpected andappreciated. You nonetheless have to work hardas there’s so much drag representation; you haveto work just as hard to get recognised.”

We all agree that Brighton is a pleasant place tostart out with drag and feel it sets an examplefor the UK in terms of offering opportunities fordrag artists to perform or partake in events,with the willingness to help each other grow.

) @electrathequeen ) @dickdaydraghag ) @theonlycalypso

56 GSCENE

QUEER I COME The C.U.N.T Of Brighton’s Drag Scene.Exploring the diverse and supportive dragscene in Brighton. By Violet Valentine (ZoeAnslow-Gwilliam) @zoe_ag

Brighton has allowed me to be moreunapologetic with my drag style with reducedworry. I continue to be comfortable withexploring my style of cartoon-like and eccentricdrag with prosthetics and a multitude ofcoloured face paints. Some of my recent stylingand performances have been made easier toexplore by the welcoming nature towardsalternative drag.

I have the pleasure of being best friends withup and coming successes on the Brightoncircuit: Electra, best described as a vintagec**k destroyer (an aesthetic), and Calypso,best described by the word ‘spoopy’ (sorry,Joshua). We often function as a dysfunctionalgroup, which means stealing each other's wigsand Kryolan sticks but more importantly ourcloseness has resulted in dramatic personaldevelopment within our drag over the past yearhelped by the fact we’ve all been doing drag forabout two years. We learn from each other'sstyles, such as trying different looks thatencourage us out of our comfort zones, and inturn discover alternative assets to use in our

drag whether it’s something as simple as a newcolour combination or a new performance trick.

I chatted with Electra, Connor Harriott, abouthow her drag has developed because ofBrighton. Connor spent his childhood inNewcastle, miles away from this seaside town,then moved down to Brighton to study Law.Electra was created in Newcastle but wasn’ttruly actualised until Brighton. Connorcommented that; "Coming from a smaller scene,I was given the foundations of drag butBrighton has developed me hugely as a queenand performer because it’s allowed meopportunities that more intimate scenes just

) Brighton is generally known as being one ofBritain’s quirkiest cities with eccentricities likeindependent queer events and independentfashion companies on every street. Brighton isa brilliant place to let your pride and freak flagfly. It’s the perfect example of colliding Britishsubcultures from old school skate culture, thehippy movement, unavoidable modern ladculture, the prominent gay scene and the queerpunk revolt.

Brighton’s unique and diverse styling remains asignificant influence on the type of drag thatcomes out of Brighton. Brighton haseverything: traditional drag queens, club kidsand drag kings of all gender expressions.Exploring gender in drag is a pleasantexperience in Brighton with AFAB, trans andnon-binary performers being aplenty. Apartfrom snide remarks from some public, I’msupported by fellow performers around me thatmy drag is indeed very valid.

Brighton seems to produce some of theweirdest and notably, creepiest, drag on the UKscene. With performers such as Dick Day, thewinner of London competition, Gold Rush,opting for an eclectic, bold style with thesilliest of gags. He is a brilliant example ofBrighton’s unapologetic comedic approach toperformance, with no drops or splits necessary.He stated; “Within Brighton, there’sundoubtedly a more immense comedic value toperformers’ viewpoints on performance.”Brighton is where he started his drag journeyand he commented there is; “A very acceptingand cohesive community.” Despite very fewvenues for the sheer amount of talent Brightonhas to offer, he thinks; “On the most part wesupport each other and book a broad range ofperformers, some of the best the UK has to offer.”

Dick tends to base his looks on specific actshowever comments he isn’t “a very femmepresenting queen,” despite the fact he does padand cinch he “still rocks a moustache and bodyhair, which is another thing we don’tconsistently see on more ‘famous’ queens” a lotof the scene also “follows this mantra.”

Alike to others, I get my inspiration fromeverywhere; from the runway, current music andpopular films to name a few. I draw my mostrecent inspiration from fantasy art and gamessuch as League of Legends and Magic: TheGathering. But I’m obviously influenced byother drag artists that employ an alternativestyle, on Brighton drag scene, notably, LydiaL’Scabies for her combination of glamour andgore with use of prosthetics and pout, andNosferatu for his brilliant concepts and the factthat he has big pointy ears too.

GSCENE 57

I HAVE A PHOBIA How can you be scared of yourself or being alone? Get your goggles and floats on as Ray A-J dives into thedeep end of autophobia - the fear of being left alone.

a heart attack and collapsed to the floor withno one to find you? What if you were justwalking down the street, innocently mindingyour own business and out of the blue someonesteals the bag from your back? These are thejust some of the horrific thoughts that could goracing through someone's mind when they haveautophobia.

Autophobia is, in its simplest form, the fear ofbeing alone. Sufferers are bombarded withtrepidation, shaking, confusion, which can leadto panic attacks at the slightest suggestion ofbeing by themselves. For autophobes, beingleft alone or feeling isolated, despite being ina room full of people, can haunt them. Itsounds like the complete opposite ofagoraphobia (the fear of large crowds or abarrage of people), but from what I've learntit’s just as complex. A victim of this heavyphobia may start off being a little nervous atthe idea of going to the shops alone, forexample. They may feel flustered when steppingout of the door by themselves aware that,despite being in a street, town, or shop full ofpeople, they’re very much divorced from thecrowd, on their own as a lone wolf to fight offeveryone else. On the way home they might bewondering who’ll be waiting for them whenthey finally reach the door of their sanctuary.Nobody, they realise. At this revelation, theymight find themselves panicking because theyknow they're alone even in the safest placethey could be - home. They'll have no onearound to protect them from robbers that maycoming knocking, or from mysterious figuresthat may follow them on their journey.

According to an incredibly brave user, MissAutophobia, whom I’m very thankful to havespoken to, their version of this extreme fearhas manifested into a fear of themselves. Theydescribe how they feel as though they’ve got aMr Hyde figure living inside of themselves;they're petrified that if no one is around todistract them, they'll unleash the stabbing darkthoughts that run through their mind, andeventually do something they can't control.

Sufferers like Miss Autophobia can be scared ofharming themselves or someone else, but othersufferers may just be afraid because they feeldefenceless. Both cases are understandable.How many times have you seen the news ofsomeone being robbed in the street or at homeand thought "What if that were me? What ifsomeone had robbed me the other night when iwas home alone? What would I have done?" Orhow many times have you thought, "I couldscream right now for no reason, no one isstopping me?" So for sufferers, I think we canlend some sympathy, and hopefully if you meetsomeone with this phobia, you can lend an earto their pain and help them out a bit.

) So, I'm a month late but... HAPPY NEWYEAR EVERYBODY! Wow, a whole year haspassed already. That means this little columnis a year old too. Gosh, a whole year old! Well,the New Year has inspired me. As with NewYear tradition, and as we've already had ayear's worth of this column to explain thebasics behind phobias (and for me to get overmy own), for 2019 I thought it was onlyfitting to change this column up a bit. Insteadof just talking through the steps to get over aphobia, I'm going to lend the stage to otherpeople's phobias and as many differentirrational phobias as I can find, so we get toread about more than just my usual fear of theactor Timothy Spall.

Last issue I gave a preview of a couple ofphobias known as apiphobia (the fear of bees)and autophobia (the fear of being alone), as asort of dip your toe into the world of differentphobias. So for this edition, you might want tograb some floats and goggles because we'rediving straight into the deep end ofautophobia. Prepare yourself...

What would you do if you were home alone fora day? The very idea is exciting, right? I knowwhenever I'm home alone I go straight for theremote and chuck on some RuPaul's Drag Raceto binge (volume on full so I can singembarrassingly badly along to each lipsync). Ilove being home alone; I can watch what Iwant on TV, dance around the house likenobody's watching, and just go crazy. But forsome people, the very idea of being bythemselves is crippling.

What if you took a nap and the house suddenlycaught fire and there was no one around towarn you? What if a treacherous burglar brokeinto your house and there was no one besideyou to fight them off? What if you had a fit or

What is that darknessStaring back at meDeep into my soulCausing my mind to bleed

What is that smileCrooked and sharpDigging into my chestRipping out my heart

Whose eyes are thoseSwollen in the darkPulling me in Consuming my headSucking the very essence of my soul Straight out of me

Wait - I recognise those eyesThat smileThat faceBroken and twisted... That fragment of meThey've come back againTo torture me once moreWith violent thoughtsThe bleakness gripping to my core

The darkness has returned As soon as another soul fled OutOfThe DoorLeaving meAlone

With only myself to try and ignore That Mr Hyde figure that resides deep in mymind The horrid entity within meThat now I must fight off aloneBy myself with no one around to keep it at bayNo one to distract me from the thought ofcausing painCan take overCan take centre stageAnd reign over my very thoughtsMaking me its puppetOnce again

I'm scared of myself

Scared to death of what I might doI don't want to be like thisBut I want to be like this tooI'M SO TERRIFIED OF MYSELFI want to screamBut I can'tI can't run away from meI'm my own villain But this autophobia is taking over

Me

“Sufferers are bombarded with trepidation, shaking, confusion, which can lead to panic attacks at theslightest suggestion of being by themselves”

SUGAR SWAN - HOW SHE SEES ITThe impossibility of attempting to adhereto cis-normative femininity and beautystandards. By Ms Sugar Swan

58 GSCENE

with surgical transition. I still had a penisand subconsciously I foolishly believed thatgetting rid of it would fix all my problemsand I would be transformed into a 'realwoman'. However, at this time I was nolonger performing femininity and that feltjust great.

My vaginoplasty came and went last year, andquelle surprise, whilst I’m elated by the factthat I now have a vagina, I still sufferdysphoria. This was very much an obviousoutcome and one which, of course, I knewwould be the reality.

I spent the latter half of last year trying towork out what more I could do to feel morefeminine and to pass as cis more often inpublic. At one point I even contemplatedremoving my already plentiful breast implantsand going for bigger. I considered doublingthe size of my lips, pumping more fat intocheeks. I already have a 'G' cup chest, largelips and sharp cheekbones from my first setof surgeries. Would having larger breastsreally make me feel more feminine and wouldthey help me pass as cisgender more often?No, of course they wouldn't.

To try and hold myself to cisgender beautystandards is futile. There’s absolutely no waythat I can compete in the beauty stakes withcis girls and neither can I turn back the clockto a time when testosterone didn'tmasculinise my body. I have to try and acceptthe fact that I’ve had some good surgicalresults and that I’m deemed a beautifulwoman. I’ve had, what is seen as a successfultransition - yet somehow, because I can’thelp but compare myself to cis women of myage, I feel less. Less feminine, and less of awoman.

I’m walking a tightrope where if I try toohard to perform femininely I can come acrossas a parody of a woman and if I don't botherat all then it could be questioned why I evenbothered transitioning at all if I’m not goingto ‘make the effort’. Societal beauty standardsfor women suck and are of course, totallyunrealistic for most women, both cis andtrans.

I’ve finally come to the realisation thatthere’s no amount of surgery, make up, fillers,or implants that will make me more passablethan I am now and I must try to come toterms with that the best I can. Will I foreverbe jealous of cis women and trans womenwho pass better than I? Of course I will, butall I can do is face the mirror each morningand tell myself that I’m the woman I am, andthat is okay.

started to grow in I was able to stop wearingwigs which helped me feel more authentic inmyself. Once laser hair removal freed my faceof hair and hormones started to soften myskin I was able to stop wearing heavy makeup. This again made me feel more like myselfand less like I was putting on a show for thegeneral public, all in a bid to be called 'Miss'instead of 'Mr' by shop assistants and othersuch strangers.

The real game changer for me came when Iwent through facial feminisation surgery andbreast implants. Having the bones and softtissue of my face augmented into a morefeminine shape and having bigger breaststhan those which hormones blessed upon mebestowed a new feeling of natural femininity,one which I didn't have to paint on, nor strapon, one which was just there when I woke inthe mornings. Having hair after being bald, asmooth face after a full beard, soft femininefacial features after hard, strong masculineones and large, full breasts after small budsall contributed to me feeling my authenticfeminine self.

I had now got to the stage where I didn'tneed to wear make up at all to feel feminineand at some indistinguishable point my senseof style and how I dressed had changed. Iwas finally dressing for myself and my choicesin fashion were no longer centred aroundtrying to be gendered correctly by strangers,and this felt great. I still however,experienced gender dysphoria.

I would often be 'clocked' as trans bystrangers but I was in a fairly good placewhere I was so happy with my surgical resultsthat I didn't care. I had to be somewhatrealistic. I’m six foot one, I’m broad, and I’vehad 35 years of testosterone running throughmy system, I couldn't erase that with a fewyears of oestrogen and some feminisingsurgeries.

More than all of this, however, was theunderlying knowledge that I still wasn't done

“Societal beauty standards for women suck and are of course, totally unrealisticfor most women, both cis and trans”

) At the very start of transition I felt that Iwas forced to perform femininity to be takenseriously as a woman. I felt that I had towear feminine coded clothes, wigs and a lotof make up, more make up than any onewoman should wear, before I was able toleave the house. Should I not wear prostheticbreasts, tuck my genitals and 'make the effort'to look as feminine as possible then I wouldbe gendered as male?

I was under no impression that I blended intosociety as a cis woman, I was very clearly atrans woman, but the aim of my performativefemininity was to be gendered correctly. Thisworked to some degree. It was most difficultin those early days to hold my head highwhen the majority of society looked upon meas a cross-dresser.

As I moved into medical and surgicaltransition the need to perform femininitybegan to lessen. Once my transplanted hair

GSCENE 59

SAM TRANS MANThinking beyond gender. Dr SamuelHall on dismantling the false divideand achieving true equality.

with our bodies. There is no one way, no rightway, to be trans. For some it’s as simple asneeding to be acknowledged as sitting morecomfortably outside of the binary; usinggender neutral pronouns, seeing themselves asa person first and foremost. In fact this isincreasingly common, and rightly so, since thegender binary is an arbitrary societal constructwhich has been increasingly reinforcedthroughout Western and much religioushistory.

More and more people are defining themselvesas non-binary, including many people whodon’t see themselves as trans at all, which isfair enough, since the very concept of non-binary is transcendent of gender altogether. Tome the arrival point of this natural evolutionof thinking is beyond gender. To a place wherean understanding of what true equality means.In the same way that the breaking down ofracial barriers or even the concept of race atall, results in an appreciation of the equalvalue of human beings of all skin colours.

Other trans people, myself included, have sucha severe sense of mismatch, that the surgerybecomes inevitable, a matter of time only.Especially if you live in a country where thereis access to surgeons and/or funding fortreatment, which is increasingly the case infirst world countries.

I can’t help thinking though, that we aremissing a trick here. You see if the issue ofgender is a societal one, then surely thebreakdown of gender in society can lead tothe equality so many of us long for. I mayhave this wrong, but my understanding is thatone of the fundamental aims of feminism is toachieve equality with men. If the abolition ofgender as a restrictive binary choice ischampioned, surely this is one of the quickestways to achieve equality?

) Just recovering from my second lot ofgenital surgery. The first operation, wherethey skinned my arm to make my penis andsliced both buttocks up to cover the deficit onsaid arm, left me deeply traumatised, bothphysically and mentally. It’s perhaps a goodthing you can’t really know what this is goingto be like until you do it (a bit like having ababy). I could only ever glimpse what was tocome - ultimately the acquisition of afunctioning penis, bodily integrity, improvedmental health and wellbeing.

I could barely imagine the impact for thoseclose to me, who cannot yet see how muchhappier I am, because there is a time lag aswhat is going on under the surface risesslowly to become visible to others. The fact is,this second (and not so long) operation,involving some very unpleasant rearrangementof my undercarriage, has meant I can now peethrough the penis created at the first surgery.And that, my friends, has led to happiness Ihave rarely experienced, save perhapsfollowing the births of my three children.

This has taken me totally by surprise. I didn’texpect to feel quite this degree of joy, peace,integrity and contentment. At huge expense,but totally worth it, and importantly for me asa clinician, proving that this is indeed thecure for gender dysphoria. I cannot see genderany more, it’s just… disappeared.

This element of transition isn’t something alltrans people do, or need to do. There are moretrans people who haven’t and never will havegender reassignment surgery, either throughlack of funds or access to surgery, or throughlack of need from a psychological perspective.This is a little known or understood factoutside trans circles, or perhaps even withinthem, where the binary persists despite thevery deconstruction of it that we are doing

This is why I struggle so much to see the logicbehind the anti-trans lobby that is so veryvocal and well-funded at the moment. We arenatural allies with feminists. With the motherswho are distressed by their child’s gendervariance, with the angry lesbians and loudvoices protesting against the violation ofwomen’s safe spaces. There is so little logicbehind the constant assertion that transwomen (assigned male at birth) are a threatto cis female people in any circumstance.

Of course it’s always possible to find theexception that proves the rule. So a sad caseof a trans woman sexually assaulting femaleprisoners has been held up as the reason forinitiating the exclusion of all trans womenfrom all such safe or female-only spaces. Thisis akin to suggesting that all people of colourshould be excluded from a certain place orspace based on the infringements of oneindividual. Such action would never becondoned in our society today.

The breakdown of gender is both desirable andnecessary for the advancement of humanconsciousness and our understanding ofourselves as species. It is equality that drivesrespect for all people, animals, plants andplanet. It is equality that underpins politicalmovements on the liberal left, seeking to ironout the grossly unfair distribution of wealth,food, education and opportunity. It is equalitythat should prompt us to move away fromusing ‘political correctness’ as a slur, oraccusing people of being snowflakes becausethey call us out on things we hadn’tconsidered before.

Gender causes the oppression of half of theEarth’s population and, like race, affects usall. If we truly believe that all human beingsare equal, we must continue to fight thisbattle against the increasing tendency toreinforce gender norms in both subtle andbrutal ways. From the pink or blue nurserywares, to the rape of women and girls in wartorn countries, we are all steeped in, anddeeply attached to this false divide. Modernfeminists on the right side of history need tolet go of their firmly held position in thisbinary to see the wood for the trees. Then wewon’t need a debate. We are all the same.

60 GSCENE

have to make an appointment or go anywhere,the service was simply on their phone. Theyasked what else MindOut does and found outabout a weekly peer support group for LGBTQpeople of colour.

Bandu decided to try it. It was a group, andBandu had anxieties about meeting other peoplebut also wanted to. The group was only forpeople of colour and Bandu rarely (never?) hadthe opportunity to meet only with other queerpeople who were also people of colour. It wastoo good an opportunity to pass by. Bandu wasencouraged by meeting with the facilitatorbefore starting in the group, it helped to knowhow the group was run, that there were groundrules and that it was confidential.

It meant travelling to Brighton, but Bandu feltgood about that, it was good to get away fromLondon once a week, good to have a journey tomake for something that was just for them.Bandu felt hopeful.

In the group, Bandu found people withsimilarities and with differences. At times it waspainful and moving to listen to other people’sdifficulties and really feel for them, at times itwas hard to talk about their own experiences.After a few weeks, Bandu found that they feltmore connected to the other group members,eager to hear how they were and able to sharein their ups and their downs.

There were tears and there was laughter. Bandulooked forward to going.

Bandu was surprised by how much they couldoffer to others, how good a listener they wereand how well they could encourage people toopen up. Bandu is thinking about volunteeringwith MindOut, perhaps as a Peer Mentor,perhaps on the online service, or maybe both.They would like to be useful.

Bandu is now planning to move to Brighton.They know this won’t be easy as their work is inLondon. They know they remain far from atpeace with their identity and their sexuality.They still can’t imagine being out to their familybut they do feel less suicidal, less desperate andless despairing. They feel they’ve changed forthe better and at times they don’t feel so alone.Bandu is pleased that they’re asking for andreceiving support within their own community.Bandu knows there is support for them and thatmakes a world of difference.

A LITTLE BIT OF MENTALHEALTH MAGIC…

The magic that happens at MindOut is when peopleget the space and the support they’ve been waitingfor, somewhere they can share some of the hard workof living with mental health issues.

They tried talking to a doctor, but the look ofimpatience in the doctor’s eyes made Bandufeel worthless, they couldn’t speak about theirdistress to a stranger, a professional.

Bandu had friends and family from Tanzaniawho were lovely, kind and generous people.But sharing thoughts about suicide or genderidentity or sexuality wasn’t a possibility andthey knew they’d never talk about it. Bandufelt guilty for keeping secrets and guilty forhaving problems when they had been given somuch help from their friends and their family.

Bandu tried to meet other LGBTQ people, butmostly didn’t feel safe as a queer black person.They often felt even more misunderstood andexcluded. It seemed that all efforts to connectwith people left Bandu feeling more isolatedand alone.

Bandu had visited Brighton with their parentsas a teenager. They remember enjoying thebeach and the sunshine. They also rememberednegative comments made by their father aboutalcohol and homosexuals; both felt like awarning directed to Bandu. As an adultremembering their father’s words they Googled‘Brighton Queer Black’ and followed a link tomental health and wellbeing support offered atMindOut for LGBTQ people of colour.

The first thing Bandu found was the onlinesupport service, which has a regular session forpeople of colour. This was helpful as Banducould open up about how suicidal they felt,without fear of judgement and Bandu didn’t

) Ninety per-cent of our service users live orwork in Brighton and the surrounding area, butsome come from further afield, places wherethe services we have in Brighton are non-existant, or not accessible for other reasons.

Bandu lives in London where they’ve been forthe last 20 years. For Bandu, gender andsexuality have always been the cause of greatinner turmoil. Over the years they’veexperienced periods of self-hatred and shame,sometimes so severe that they wanted to die.Thinking about suicide and planning suicideoften replaced thoughts about their identity,about how to ‘come out’, about how to telltheir friends, about how to tell their family.They couldn’t face the fear and shame, and itwas easier and a relief to think about how toend it all.

For Bandu, self-care was very hard to do, theyjust couldn’t find a way to like themselves andthey felt worthless, a sense of happiness orpride seemed so far out of reach. They knewthey were not straight, not in theconventional sense, as this was muddled withtheir gender identity and their appearance.How they appeared to the rest of the worldand what they were compelled to identify aswas not who they were. The confusion, thenot fitting in and the isolation were beyondpainful.

Finding mental health support or anycommunity support in London was difficultand Bandu feared meeting anyone they knew.

MINDOUT INFOMindOut offer advice and information,advocacy, peer support group work, peermentoring, suicide prevention, low-costcounselling and online support. All ourservices are confidential, non-judgementaland independent.

) For more info, ring 01273 234839) or email us on info@mindout.org.uk) or online at: www.mindout.org.ukwhere you’ll find opening times for ouronline service.

“Bandu was surprised by how much they could offer to others, how good a listener they were andhow well they could encourage people to open up”

GSCENE 61

LGBT SERVICES● ALLSORTS YOUTH PROJECTDrop-in for LGBT or unsure young people under 26 Tues 5.30–8.30pm 01273 721211 or emailinfo@allsortsyouth.org.uk, www.allsortsyouth.org.uk

● BRIGHTON GEMS Social group for gay men over 50 with several events everymonth inc meeting at Dorset Gardens 2nd Monday of month2.30pm last Fri of month 7-9pm. For info emailinfo@brightongems.com www.brightongems.com

● BRIGHTON & HOVE POLICEReport all homophobic, biphobic or transphobic incidentsto: 24/7 assistance call Police on 101 (emergencies 999)Report online at: www.sussex.police.ukLGBT team (not 24/7) email: LGBT@sussex.pnn.police.uk• LGBT Officer PC James Breeds: Tel: 101 ext 558168James.breeds@sussex.pnn.police.uk

● BRIGHTON & HOVE LGBT SAFETY FORUMIndependent LGBT forum working within the communities toaddress and improve safety and access issues in Brighton& Hove 01273 855620 or info@lgbt-help.comwww.lgbt-help.com

● BRIGHTON & HOVE LGBT SWITCHBOARDHelp-line with email & webchat facility 01273 204 050Opening times see www.switchboard.org.uk/brighton• LGBT Older Peoples' Project• LGBT Health Improvement and Engagement Project• LGBTQ Disabilities Project• Rainbow Cafe: support for LGBT+ people with Dementia• Volunteering opportunities 01273 234 009

● BRIGHTON ONEBODYONEFAITHFormerly The Gay Christian Movement. Contact: Nigel Nashnigelnash@me.com www.onebodyonefaith.org.uk

● BRIGHTON WOMEN’S CENTREInfo, counselling, drop-in space, support groups 01273 698036 or visit www.womenscentre.org.uk

● LESBIAN & GAY AA12-step self-help programme for alcohol addictions:Sun, 7.30pm, Chapel Royal, North St, Btn (side entrance). 01273 203 343 (general AA line)

● LGBT NA GROUPBrighton-based LGBT (welcomes others) NarcoticsAnonymous group every Tue 6.30–8pm, Millwood Centre,Nelson Row, Kingswood St. 0300 999 1212

● LGBT+ MEDITATION GROUPMeditation & discussion, every 2nd & 4th Thur, 5.30–7pm,Anahata Clinic, 119 Edward St, Brighton. 07789 861 367 or www.bodhitreebrighton.org.uk

● LUNCH POSITIVELunch club for people with HIV. Meet/make friends, findpeer support in safe space. Every Fri, noon–2.30pm,Community Room, Dorset Gdns Methodist Church, DorsetGdns, Brighton. Lunch £1.50. 07846 464 384 or www.lunchpositive.org

● MCC BRIGHTONInclusive, affirming space where all are invited to come asthey are to explore their spirituality without judgement.01273 515572 or info@mccbrighton.org.uk www.mccbrighton.org.uk

● MINDOUTIndependent, impartial services run by and for LGBTQpeople with experience of mental health issues. 24 hr confidential answerphone: 01273 234839 or email

● SUSSEX BEACON24 hour nursing & medical care, day care 01273 694222 or www.sussexbeacon.org.uk

● TERRENCE HIGGINS TRUST SERVICESFor more info about these free services go to the THToffice, 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 Service @ Dukes Mound:advice, support, 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, & Squirt

• Condom Male: discreet, confidential service posts freecondoms/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 support group work programme for newly diagnosed HIV+ gay men

• HIV Support Services: info, support & practical advice for people living with/affected by HIV

• HIV Welfare Rights Advice: Find out about benefits or benefit changes. Advice line: Tue–Thur 1:30-2:30pm.1-2-1 appts for advice & workshops on key benefits

● TERRENCE HIGGINS EASTBOURNE• Web support & info on HIV, sexual health & local

services via netreach and myhiv.org.uk• Free condom postal service contact Grace Coughlan

on 07584086590 or grace.coughlan@tht.org.uk

● SEXUAL HEALTH WORTHINGFree confidential tests & treatment for STIs inc HIV; Hep A & B vaccinations. Worthing based 0845 111345645

NATIONAL HELPLINES● NATIONAL LGBT DOMESTIC ABUSEHELPLINE 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

● MAINLINERS 02075 825226

● NATIONAL AIDS HELPLINE 08005 67123

● NATIONAL DRUGS HELPLINE 08007 76600

● THT AIDS Treatment phoneline 08459 470047

● THT direct 0845 1221200

SERVICES DIRECTORY

info@mindout.org.uk and out of hours online chatwww.mindout.org.uk

● NAVIGATESocial/peer support group for FTM, transmasculine &gender queer people, every 1st Wed 7-9pm & 3rd Sat ofmonth 1-3pm at Space for Change, Windlesham Venue,BN1 3AH. For info seehttps://navigatebrighton.wordpress.com/

● PEER ACTIONRegular low cost yoga, therapies, swimming, meditation& social groups for people with HIV.contact@peeraction.net or www.peeraction.net

● RAINBOW FAMILIESSupport group for lesbian and/or gay parents 07951 082013 or info@rainbowfamilies.org.ukwww.rainbowfamilies.org.uk

● RAINBOW HUBInformation, contact, help and guidance to services forLGBT+ communities in Brighton, Hove and Sussex atRainbow Hub drop in LGBT+ one-stop shop: 93 St JamesStreet, BN2 1TP, 01273 675445 or visitwww.therainbowhubbrighton.com

● SOME PEOPLESocial/support group for LGB or questioning aged 14-19,Tue 5.30-7.30pm, Hastings. Call/text Cathrine Connelly 0797 3255076 or emailsomepeople@eastsussex.gov.uk

● TAGS – THE ARUN GAY SOCIETYSocial Group welcome all inEast & West Sussex Areas.Call/Text 07539 513171 www.tagsonline.org.uk

● VICTIM SUPPORTPractical, emotional support for victims of crime 08453 899 528

● THE VILLAGE MCCChristian church serving the LGBTQ community. Sundays6pm, Somerset Day Centre, Kemptown 07476 667353www.thevillagemcc.org

HIV PREVENTION, CARE & TREATMENT SERVICES● AVERTSussex HIV & AIDS info service 01403 210202or email confidential@avert.org

● BRIGHTON & HOVE CAB HIV PROJECTMoney, benefits, employment, housing, info, advocacy.Appointments: Tue-Thur 9am-4pm, Wed 9am-12.30pmBrighton & Hove Citizens Advice Bureau, Brighton TownHall. 01273 733390 ext 520or www.brightonhovecab.org.uk

● CLINIC MFree confidential testing & treatment for STIs including HIV,plus Hep A & B vaccinations. Claude Nicol Centre, SussexCounty Hospital, on Weds from 5-8pm. 01273 664 721 or www.brightonsexualhealth.com

● LAWSON UNITMedical advice, treatment for HIV+, specialist clinics, diet& welfare advice, drug trials. 01273 664 722

● SUBSTANCE MISUSE SERVICEPavillions Partnership. Info, advice, appointments &referrals 01273 731 900. Drop-in: Richmond House,Richmond Rd, Brighton, Mon-Wed & Fri 10am-4pm, Thur10am-7pm, Sat 10am-1pm; 9 The Drive, Hove 01273680714 Mon & Wed 10am-12pm & 1pm-3pm, Tue & Thu10am-4pm, info & advice only (no assessments), Fri10am-12pm & 1pm-3pm.• Gary Smith (LGBT* Support) 07884 476634

or email gsmith@pavilions.org.uk For more info visit weblink: pavilions.org.uk/services/treatment-recovery-options/

62 GSCENE

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15 ROTTINGDEAN CLUB89 High St Rottingdean, BN2 7HE01273 309529 f Therottingdeanclub

17 THREE JOLLY BUTCHERS 59 North Rd, 01273 608571www.three-jolly-butchers.co.uk

18 VELVET JACKS50 Norfolk Square, 07720 661290http://tinyurl.com/VelvetJacks

) HOTELS22 GULLIVERS HOTEL

12a New Steine, 01273 695415www.gullivershotel.com

23 JURYS INN101 Stroudley Rd, 01273 862121

24 JURYS INN WATERFRONTKings Rd, 01273 206700

10 LEGENDS HOTEL31-34 Marine Parade, 01273 624462www.legendsbrighton.com

21 NEW STEINE HOTEL10/11 New Steine, 01273 681546www.newsteinehotel.com

25 QUEENS HOTEL1/3 Kings Rd, 01273 321222www.queenshotelbrighton.com

) HEALTH & BEAUTY26 BARBER BLACKSHEEP

18 St Georges Rd, 01273 623408wwww.barberblacksheep.com

27 DENTAL HEALTH SPA14–15 Queens Rd, 01273 710831www.dentalhealthspa.co.uk

28 VELVET TATTOO50 Norfolk Square, 07720 661290http://tinyurl.com/VelvetJacks

) SEXUAL HEALTH29 CLINIC M Claude Nicol

Abbey Rd, 01273 664721www.brightonsexualhealth.com/node/11

30 THT BRIGHTON61 Ship St, 01273 764200

) SAUNAS31 BRIGHTON SAUNA

75 Grand Parade, 01273 689966www.thebrightonsauna.com

) SHOPS32 BARBARY LANE

95 St George’s Rd, Kemptown33 PROWLER

112 St James’ St, 01273 68368034 SUSSEX BEACON Charity Shop

130 St James’s St, 01273 68299235 SUSSEX BEACON Home Store

72-73 London Rd, 01273 680264www.sussexbeacon.org.uk

) LEGAL SERVICES36 ENGLEHARTS

49 Vallance Hall, Hove St, 01273 20441137 MW SOLICITORS BRIGHTON

178 Edward St, 01273 447884www.mwsolicitors.co.uk

38 MW SOLICITORS HOVE73 Church Rd, Hove, 01273 830030www.mwsolicitors.co.uk

) COMMUNITY39 BRIGHTON WOMEN’S CENTRE

72 High St, 01273 698036 www.womenscentre.org.uk

40 LUNCH POSITIVEDorset Gardens Methodist Church, Dorset Gardens, 07846 464384 www.lunchpositive.org

41 RAINBOW HUB93 St James’s St, 01273 675445 www.therainbowhubbrighton.com

ADVERTISERS’ MAP

13 QUEEN’S ARMS7 George St, 01273 696873www.theqabrighton.com

14 REGENCY TAVERN32-34 Russell Sq, 01273 325 652

15 ROTTINGDEAN CLUB89 High St Rottingdean, BN2 7HE01273 309529 f Therottingdeanclub

16 SUBLINE129 St James’s St, 01273 624100www.sublinebrighton.co.uk

17 THREE JOLLY BUTCHERS59 North Rd, 01273 608571www.three-jolly-butchers.co.uk

18 VELVET JACKS50 Norfolk Square, 07720 661290http://tinyurl.com/VelvetJacks

19 ZONE 33 St James’s St, 01273 682249www.zonebrighton.co.uk

) CLUBS10 BASEMENT CLUB (below Legends)

31-34 Marine Parade, 01273 624462www.legendsbrighton.com

5 BOUTIQUE CLUB2 Boyces St @ West St, 01273 327607www.boutiqueclubbrighton.com

7 ENVY (above Charles St Tap)8-9 Marine Parade, 01273 624091www.charles-street.com

) FOOD2 AMSTERDAM BAR & KITCHEN11-12 Marine Parade, 01273 688 826www.amsterdambrighton.com

6 CAMELFORD ARMS30-31 Camelford St, 01273 622386www.camelford-arms.co.uk

7 CHARLES STREET TAP8-9 Marine Parade, 01273 624091www.charles-street.com

20 CUP OF JOE28 St George’s Rd, 01273 698873www.cupofjoebrighton.co.uk

10 LEGENDS BAR31-34 Marine Parade, 01273 624462www.legendsbrighton.com

11 MARINE TAVERN13 Broad St, 01273 681284www.marinetavern.co.uk

21 NEW STEINE BISTRO12a New Steine, 01273 681546www.newsteinehotel.com

12 PARIS HOUSE21 Western Road, 01273 724195www.parishouse.com

14 REGENCY TAVERN32-34 Russell Sq, 01273 325 652

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) BARS & PUBS1 AFFINITY BAR129 St James’s St, www.affinitygaybar.co.uk

2 AMSTERDAM BAR & KITCHEN11-12 Marine Parade, 01273 688 826www.amsterdambrighton.com

3 BAR BROADWAY10 Steine Street, 01273 609777www.barbroadway.co.uk

4 BEDFORD TAVERN30 Western Street, 01273 739495

5 BOUTIQUE BAR2 Boyces St @ West St, 01273 327607www.boutiqueclubbrighton.com

6 CAMELFORD ARMS30-31 Camelford St, 01273 622386www.camelford-arms.co.uk

7 CHARLES STREET TAP8-9 Marine Parade, 01273 624091www.charles-street.com

8 THE CROWN24 Grafton St, 07949590001

9 GROSVENOR BAR16 Western Street, 01273 438587

10 LEGENDS BAR31-34 Marine Parade, 01273 624462www.legendsbrighton.com

11 MARINE TAVERN13 Broad St, 01273 681284www.marinetavern.co.uk

12 PARIS HOUSE21 Western Rod, 01273 724195www.parishouse.com

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