01 Cover_December2011.indd - Out In The City
01 Cover_December2011.indd - Out In The City
01 Cover_December2011.indd - Out In The City
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WWW.OUTMAG.CO.UK<br />
ISSUE SIXTY 12/11<br />
£FREE<br />
Will Young<br />
GIVING US THE<br />
‘COME ON’<br />
INSIDE WORLD AIDS DAY... CHRISTMAS GIFTS... LOGAN SCHMITZ<br />
JODY AND BAYO FURLONG... KEY WEST
OUT IN THE CITY DECEMBER 2<strong>01</strong>1<br />
THE TEAM<br />
Editor<br />
DAVID HUDSON<br />
hudson@outmag.co.uk<br />
+44 (0)20 7258 1943<br />
Hudson’s<br />
Letter<br />
Design Concept<br />
Boutique Marketing<br />
www.boutiquemarketing.co.uk<br />
Graphic Designer<br />
Ryan Beal<br />
Sub Editor<br />
Chance Delgado<br />
Contributors<br />
Paul Burston, Chance<br />
Delgado, Mario<br />
Forgione, Anthony<br />
Gordon, John<br />
O‘Ceallaigh, Steven<br />
Sparling, Soren Stauffer-<br />
Kruse, Richard Tonks<br />
Photographer<br />
Chris Jepson<br />
Publishers<br />
Sarah Garrett<br />
Linda Riley<br />
Head of Corporate<br />
Sponsorship<br />
Rob Harkavy<br />
rob@outmag.co.uk<br />
+ 44 (0)20-7258 1777<br />
Director of Advertising<br />
& Exhibition Sales<br />
Square Peg Media<br />
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james@squarepegmedia.com<br />
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Head of Business<br />
Development<br />
Lyndsey Porter<br />
lyndsey@g3magazine.co.uk<br />
+ 44 (0)20 7258 1777<br />
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Dan Goodban<br />
dan@outmag.co.uk<br />
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© Square Peg Media Ltd 2000 - 2009.<br />
Square Peg Media Ltd t/a <strong>Out</strong> <strong>In</strong><br />
<strong>The</strong> <strong>City</strong> magazine will not take any<br />
responsibility for any loss/claim<br />
resulting from a transaction with one<br />
of our advertisers/ Media Partners.<br />
After emerging from a long-term relationship of<br />
several years, I have recently dipped my toes back<br />
into the world of dating. I haven’t dated since 2005.<br />
I was surprised to find that things have changed<br />
slightly since then. Many of us now have online<br />
lives.<br />
I admit that I am a fan of Facebook. I don’t regard<br />
myself as a prolific updater (well, not compared to<br />
some people), but meeting new people did make me<br />
pause to think about what I post. I realised that as<br />
soon as I accept a friendship request from someone<br />
I’ve just met, they can – should they so wish – trawl<br />
back through my life over the last few years.<br />
Depending on how much of yourself you choose to<br />
reveal, it’s like handing someone a potted<br />
autobiography of yourself. Do I really want a<br />
potential boyfriend to have all that information all<br />
at once?<br />
Upon reflection, I decided that personally, I didn’t<br />
mind. As I say, I’m not a prolific poster and I don’t<br />
think I post anything that I would find hard or<br />
awkward to explain to a potential new partner. If I<br />
did mind, it occurred to me that perhaps I could get<br />
into the habit of deleting stuff from anything beyond<br />
a few weeks ago. Everyone I care about still gets all<br />
my current status updates, but no-one new to my<br />
friends list can go back to see what I was thinking or<br />
feeling in such-and-such a year. It’s perhaps<br />
something to consider now that many of us have<br />
had online profiles for an increasing number of<br />
years.<br />
I find people’s Facebook walls fascinating, and do<br />
wonder why some people I know post some of the<br />
things they do, or – more importantly – if they are<br />
aware of the portrait that they paint of themselves<br />
when those updates are viewed in a cumulative<br />
fashion. <strong>The</strong> same applies to any of us, I suppose,<br />
so it is something to bear in mind.<br />
Anyway, enjoy our December issue, which includes<br />
information on World AIDS Day and some of the<br />
scene’s best Christmas parties. We’ve also got a<br />
chat with the lovely Will Young. I hope you have a<br />
fantastic festive season, and look out for our<br />
January issue, which will hit the streets just before<br />
25 December.<br />
hudson@outmag.co.uk<br />
@<strong>Out</strong><strong>In</strong><strong>The</strong><strong>City</strong>Mag<br />
CONTENTS 16<br />
04 LETTERS<br />
Send your<br />
correspondence to<br />
editorial@outmag.<br />
co.uk<br />
06 MY LONDON<br />
Promoter Logan<br />
Schmitz gives us his<br />
capital highlights<br />
08 SHOPPING<br />
Lots of suggestions<br />
from our Christmas<br />
present wish list!<br />
14 WILL YOUNG<br />
Following the<br />
success of recent<br />
album Echoes, and<br />
on the release of<br />
new single ‘Come<br />
On’, Will Young<br />
chats exclusively to<br />
<strong>Out</strong> <strong>In</strong> <strong>The</strong> <strong>City</strong><br />
19 DIARY<br />
December’s cultural<br />
highlights and arts<br />
listings<br />
22 MUSIC<br />
Our favourite singles<br />
and albums of the<br />
year<br />
24 FILM<br />
Our favourite films<br />
64<br />
PHOTO © CHRIS JEPSON<br />
42<br />
of the year<br />
26 THEATRE<br />
Backbeat reviewed<br />
and theatre news<br />
28 FOOD<br />
New <strong>In</strong>dian<br />
restaurant Carom<br />
reviewed<br />
31 OUT THERE<br />
George Michael<br />
teams up with Logan<br />
Schmitz; and other<br />
scene highlights for<br />
December; plus<br />
coverage of birthday<br />
parties at Trade,<br />
Salvation and<br />
<strong>The</strong>MenWho-<br />
Fell2Earth<br />
44 OUTREACH<br />
<strong>The</strong> Opening Doors<br />
service for older<br />
LGBT people<br />
46 OUTNEWS<br />
All the gay news<br />
from home and<br />
abroad<br />
48 CAREER<br />
Model and casting<br />
agency owners,<br />
twins Jody and Bayo<br />
Furlong<br />
50 FAMILY<br />
How your life<br />
changes when you<br />
have a child, and<br />
London Sperm Bank<br />
56 PROPERTY<br />
<strong>The</strong> Hale village in<br />
Tottenham Hale, and<br />
new items for the<br />
home<br />
64 TRAVEL<br />
Gay Key West<br />
71 BODY AND<br />
SOUL<br />
Agony uncle, World<br />
AIDS Day and Body<br />
Talk<br />
WWW.OUTMAG.CO.UK 3
READERS’ LETTERS: DECEMBER 2<strong>01</strong>1<br />
FEEDBACK<br />
SEND YOUR PRAISE, RANTS OR COMMENTS TO<br />
EDITORIAL@OUTMAG.CO.UK - ALL LETTERS PRINTED WIN A PRIZE…<br />
NOT CHILD’S PLAY<br />
I read your piece about adoption. I frequently now see posters<br />
inviting people to explore adoption, and am aware that local<br />
authorities, particularly in London, are desperate for people to<br />
come forward as potential adoptive parents and foster carers.<br />
Although all authorities now have to process applications from gay<br />
people and same-sex couples, I do wonder whether individual<br />
authorities are really gay-friendly, and exactly how many gay<br />
placements they’ve made – perhaps as a follow-up piece you could<br />
find out? I suspect that, sometimes, authorities claim to be gayfriendly<br />
but are less so in practice. <strong>In</strong> my experience, a lot of<br />
emphasis is placed on prospective adoptive parents having a good<br />
relationship with their own families and parents, ignoring that<br />
some gay people – through no choice or effort of their own – may<br />
have more difficult relationships with their family – particularly if<br />
there are issues concerning their sexuality. I don’t think such<br />
LGBT-specific issues are fully appreciated by some of those<br />
working in the adoption field.<br />
N, N15<br />
Join us on<br />
Facebook: Friends<br />
of <strong>Out</strong> <strong>In</strong> <strong>The</strong> <strong>City</strong><br />
Follow us on Twitter:<br />
@<strong>Out</strong><strong>In</strong><strong>The</strong><strong>City</strong>Mag<br />
OVER AND OUT<br />
I was gutted to read of the<br />
closure of First <strong>Out</strong>. I wasn’t a<br />
regular visitor to the café, but it<br />
was one of the very first gay<br />
venues I visited in London 20<br />
years ago, and I would still pop<br />
in once or twice a year. <strong>The</strong>re<br />
are so few places that offer<br />
such a community feel, or<br />
where all sections of the LGBT<br />
community felt so welcomed.<br />
Which venue will be next?<br />
Michael, Croydon<br />
NO SEX PLEASE<br />
I was interested to read your<br />
Agony Uncle’s response to the<br />
guy who was unhappy because<br />
his boyfriend rarely wanted to<br />
have sex with him. I have been<br />
in similar situations myself –<br />
both on the giving and<br />
receiving end. I went off sex<br />
with one boyfriend because he<br />
wanted it all the time and<br />
didn’t actually have the best<br />
personal hygiene – something I<br />
found difficult to discuss with<br />
him. I have also been in<br />
relationships where the other<br />
party didn’t want much sex. I<br />
think it’s more common than<br />
your agony uncle might<br />
imagine. Sometimes it’s a<br />
control issue. I’ve read that<br />
people can subconsciously<br />
withhold sex if they feel that’s<br />
the only power that they have<br />
within a relationship –<br />
particularly if they have a<br />
partner who dominates them<br />
in other areas. Either way, as<br />
your writer suggest,<br />
counselling is probably the<br />
best way forward – although<br />
persuading someone that they<br />
might need counselling can be<br />
a whole other issue!<br />
Troy, Bayswater<br />
DON’T GO WEST!<br />
Dear Richard Tonks, I do love<br />
your column, but for goodness<br />
sake, get out of west London!<br />
Move back east, or at the very<br />
least to Vauxhall. Besides a few<br />
trolly dollies down near<br />
Heathrow and Acton, does<br />
anyone live in west London?<br />
Andrew, “Bow... and proud!”<br />
Anyone who had a<br />
letter printed this<br />
month won a copy<br />
of new DVD<br />
Unhappy Birthday<br />
WRITE TO<br />
US AND WIN<br />
A DVD...<br />
Anyone who has a letter published in the January issue of <strong>Out</strong> <strong>In</strong> <strong>The</strong> <strong>City</strong> will win a copy of new DVD<br />
Uncle David. David Hoyle co-directs and stars in this award winning black comedy – the unsettling tale of<br />
an uncle and his nephew (pornstar Ashley Ryder), which was filmed over days on the Isle of Sheppey. It’s<br />
out 5 December through Peccadillo Pictures. <strong>The</strong> writer of January’s Star Letter will win a copy of Uncle<br />
David and Buffering, a frisky gay sex comedy from the makers of the film Shank about a gay couple who<br />
decide to make their own internet porn to get their way out of debt. It’s out 5 December from TLA<br />
Releasing. Send letters to editorial@outmag.co.uk, and please include your name and address if you<br />
want to be in with a chance of winning a prize.<br />
4 WWW.OUTMAG.CO.UK
LISTED LONDONER<br />
MY LONDON<br />
CLUB PROMOTER LOGAN SCHMITZ<br />
GIVES US HIS CAPITAL HIGHLIGHTS…<br />
Portrait by CHRIS JEPSON<br />
Where do you come from<br />
originally?<br />
I am a “country boy”, originally<br />
from Oklahoma <strong>City</strong>, located<br />
deep in the Bible belt and best<br />
known for the 1995 bombing as<br />
well as the musical, Oklahoma!<br />
Yee-ha!<br />
Where do you currently live<br />
and when did you move there?<br />
I have been living in the great<br />
city of London for over five<br />
years. I moved to the UK<br />
permanently from Miami/Ibiza<br />
after falling in love on the<br />
dance floor in Ibiza.<br />
What’s the best thing about<br />
living in London?<br />
It’s diversity, opportunity, and<br />
accessibility. It is the hub of the<br />
world welcoming all cultures,<br />
offering something for<br />
everyone, and there is never a<br />
dull moment. Doors continue<br />
to swing open with any bit of<br />
effort, and its central location<br />
makes it easily accessible to<br />
any destination in the world.<br />
…and the worst?<br />
Most people would say the<br />
weather, but for me it is the<br />
commuting. Getting from A to<br />
B can be absolutely exhausting.<br />
With millions packed in, and<br />
the weight of congestion, the<br />
simple day-to-day tasks have to<br />
be well organised, and meeting<br />
a friend has to be planned well<br />
in advance.<br />
What are your favourite<br />
restaurants?<br />
Growing up in the mid-west<br />
United States, and only a<br />
quarter of a day’s drive to our<br />
southern bordering country,<br />
Mexico. I am a huge fan of<br />
“Tex-Mex” food. London not<br />
being known for anything<br />
Mexican, I have found a few<br />
special restaurants that do it<br />
just right. Cantina Laredo in<br />
Covent Garden has the best<br />
frozen margarita in London<br />
and the guacamole is made<br />
fresh at your table. Café<br />
Pacifico is just around the<br />
corner serving up a very nice,<br />
but spicy homemade salsa.<br />
Where do you go drinking?<br />
If I am not toasted on two<br />
frozen margaritas, I like to<br />
hang out at Profile and Lo<br />
Profile for a drink in Soho.<br />
Favourite tourist haunt?<br />
<strong>The</strong> London Eye – with its<br />
spectacular views of the entire<br />
city.<br />
Favourite green space?<br />
My favourite green space is<br />
Clapham Common. With a<br />
four-year-old dog, I have spent<br />
more time roaming its pastures<br />
than anywhere else. I have<br />
picked up a few amazing<br />
friends along the way.<br />
Where do you escape the city?<br />
<strong>The</strong> only place to escape inside<br />
London is my home but I<br />
usually travel at least twice a<br />
month abroad. Once aboard the<br />
aircraft, I find it very relaxing:<br />
no phone, no messages, just<br />
clear skies… usually.<br />
What’s the most you’ve paid for<br />
a cab, and to where?<br />
<strong>The</strong> most I have ever paid for a<br />
taxi was to Gatwick Airport as<br />
I forgot my passport and I had<br />
to rush home and back again! I<br />
can’t remember the exact price,<br />
but it exceeded £100!<br />
Name a place or location of<br />
sentimental value to you…<br />
My bed. I can’t see to get<br />
enough of it.<br />
What’s London’s most beautiful<br />
building?<br />
I appreciate the older<br />
architecture of the city, but my<br />
favourite building is a tie<br />
between the Gherkin and the<br />
new Shard. I like big things…<br />
Are you single, dating or<br />
partnered?<br />
What would you prefer…?<br />
<strong>In</strong>vite us to a party…<br />
You saved the best for last! I<br />
would like to invite you to<br />
biggest event of 2<strong>01</strong>1: Logan<br />
Presents 3rd Anniversary<br />
starring George Michael and<br />
Rebeka Brown at PROUD2,<br />
inside the massive O2 Arena.<br />
On 17 December, we will be<br />
celebrating three years of<br />
spectacular events under the<br />
umbrella of Logan Presents<br />
with our biggest line-up to<br />
date! George Michael will<br />
headline the main arena. He<br />
will be performing tracks from<br />
his catalogue remixed for this<br />
event. Expect an action-packed<br />
night of stage performance and<br />
the best Ibiza-inspired sounds.<br />
www.LoganPresents.com<br />
6 WWW.OUTMAG.CO.UK
SHOPPING: DECEMBER 2<strong>01</strong>1<br />
SHOPPING<br />
BOOKS, BRICKS, DVDS, CAMERAS,<br />
PHONES AND FRAGRANCES. LOOK<br />
WHAT GORGEOUS GOODIES SANTA<br />
HAS IN HIS SACK THIS YEAR......<br />
1<br />
3<br />
1 SLEEPLESS NIGHTS<br />
<strong>The</strong> brilliant debut thriller from former<br />
<strong>Out</strong> <strong>In</strong> <strong>The</strong> <strong>City</strong> columnist SJ Watson,<br />
Before I Go To Sleep is available from<br />
£5.99 on amazon.co.uk<br />
2 TWENTY-SIX TALES<br />
London Triptych author Jonathan<br />
Kemp has a new collection of 26 short<br />
stories entitled Twentysix, out now:<br />
£9.99. www.MyriadEditions.com<br />
3 ALL HAIL!<br />
King Of Queens, a coffee table book<br />
by Boy George is limited to only 999<br />
copies. Each book includes a 10”<br />
picture disc vinyl featuring unheard<br />
and unreleased material from over the<br />
years, plus a unique centrefold<br />
spread, personalised by Boy George.<br />
Pre-order price is £399 (plus P&P),<br />
while retail price is £499. Full details<br />
at www.kitchensinkpublishing.com<br />
4 MAUDLIN MERRIMENT<br />
<strong>The</strong> Smiths had their entire back<br />
catalogue re-mastered. Eight-CD box<br />
set is £30.47 from Amazon or £34.99<br />
from www.rhino.co.uk/limited edition<br />
vinyl box set for £149.99.<br />
5 SPEXY MAN<br />
It’s Christmas, invest in good times:<br />
Alan Carr – Spexy Beast Live. It costs<br />
£19.99 from all good DVD retailers.<br />
6 PIERCING VISION<br />
Camp melodrama Mildred Pierce –<br />
available now on Blu-ray and DVD,<br />
and starring Kate Winslet. It retails for<br />
£24.99 on DVD or £29.99 on Blu-ray.<br />
from the Yves Saint Laurent label,<br />
priced £33.50 (40ml), or £42.50 for a<br />
gift set. www.theperfumeshop.com<br />
9 FUZZ-FREE<br />
<strong>The</strong> new E>One laser hair removal<br />
gadget is £1,299 - available from<br />
www.eswin.co.uk<br />
10 GRIN AND BARE IT<br />
<strong>The</strong> Make A Difference Trust is a<br />
charity that helps people living with<br />
HIV and AIDS. Merchandise includes<br />
this sexy calendar (£12) and mug<br />
(£5) – with all money raised going to<br />
a great cause. www.madtrust.org.uk/<br />
11 KID’S STUFF<br />
Examine these seemingly innocent<br />
cubes and you’ll find the illustrations<br />
offer a quirky take on modern life’s<br />
ABCs. £27.95 from www.follyhome.co.uk<br />
12 EEE-ZEE POSSE<br />
Stuff magazine’s Gadget of the Year<br />
award was the Asus Eee Pad<br />
Transformer. <strong>The</strong> Android device<br />
retails from £379 for the pad only, or<br />
£429 for the pad and keyboard dock.<br />
Check Comet, Argis, Amazon and<br />
other good stockists.<br />
13 IN THE RED<br />
If you really want to make a point this<br />
World AIDS Day, try these sparkly<br />
ribbons from NAT (National AIDS<br />
Trust). £14.99 or £16.99 (in<br />
presentation box), proceeds helping<br />
NAT to fund its work. www.<br />
worldaidsday.org/the-red-ribbon.php<br />
14 NIKON 1 CAMERA<br />
11<br />
14<br />
7<br />
2<br />
7 FEELING BLUE<br />
Commons Sons has produced a<br />
chunky range of knitwear for A/W11.<br />
This Star Crew top (£80) is available<br />
online only from ASOS. www.asos.<br />
co.uk/commonsons.tumblr.com<br />
Looking for a decent, mid-price digital<br />
camera? <strong>The</strong> new Nikon 1 – available<br />
in two formats – J1 (£549.99) and V1<br />
(£829.99) covers all bases.<br />
www.nikon.com<br />
15 APPLE OF OUR EYE<br />
8 FREE SPIRIT<br />
L’Homme Libre is a new fragrance<br />
<strong>The</strong> gorgeous Apple iPhone 4S retails<br />
at around £499, or from around £20 a<br />
month on contracts.<br />
8 WWW.OUTMAG.CO.UK
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8 9<br />
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15
BAROMETER: DECEMBER 2<strong>01</strong>1<br />
THE WORD<br />
THE AIDS SWISH, WATERSTONES AND OTHER<br />
THINGS FLOATING OUT BOAT THIS MONTH...<br />
ON FIRE<br />
SWISH FOR AIDS<br />
<strong>The</strong> AIDS Swish is a<br />
new event set to<br />
take place for<br />
the first time<br />
this World AIDS<br />
Day (Thursday 1<br />
December). It’s<br />
creators say that<br />
they created the event<br />
because they felt that some AIDSawareness-related<br />
events could be<br />
rather sombre and fun-free in tone, and<br />
they wanted to do something uplifting.<br />
Organised by the London AIDS Memorial<br />
campaign – who are trying to create a<br />
permanent memorial to those lost to<br />
AIDS here in the capital, the Swish<br />
people are encouraging everyone to<br />
dress up and swish down Old Compton<br />
Street. Assemble by Ed’s Diner at 6pm,<br />
swish down the street, and then attend<br />
a short service in St Anne’s Gardens<br />
conducted by the Sisters of Perpetual<br />
<strong>In</strong>dulgence. <strong>The</strong> Swish will signal the start of various events taking<br />
place in the bars of Soho for ‘Red Thursday’.<br />
IMAGE © DAVID HUDSON<br />
APP<br />
OF THE<br />
MONTH<br />
PHOTOGENE2<br />
FOR IPHONE<br />
Ever wished you could have<br />
Photoshop on your iPhone? <strong>The</strong> fully<br />
updated Photogene2 is the answer,<br />
allowing you amazing editing powers<br />
over your photos, including retouching,<br />
colouring, adding text,<br />
collage maker, cropping, rotating<br />
and much more. It’s available now for<br />
69p from the iTunes store.<br />
THIS<br />
MONTH’S<br />
RISE AND<br />
FALL<br />
‘CHRISTMAS IN<br />
SOHO’<br />
A charity single from a<br />
collective of the scene’s<br />
performers and singers,<br />
under the umbrella band<br />
name of Soho Cares.<br />
WILLY MOON<br />
Debut single ‘I Wanna Be<br />
Your Man’ is a brief, oneminute<br />
and 50-seconds of<br />
skiffle-influenced, oldstyle<br />
rock ‘n’ roll<br />
eccentricity.<br />
AB FAB<br />
It’s back, back, back! Eddy<br />
and Patsy return to our<br />
screens this month for the<br />
first new episodes in over<br />
six years, plus there’s talk<br />
of a feature film.<br />
WORLD AIDS DAY AT WATERSTONES<br />
Waterstones’ flagship store in Gower Street, WC1, will be<br />
commemorating World AIDS Day this year with a range of events.<br />
A team from www.nat.org.uk will be in the store on Monday 28<br />
November highlighting its new ‘HIV Aware’ campaign and selling<br />
charity Christmas cards. <strong>The</strong>y’ll be followed by a team from GMFA<br />
on Tuesday 29 November, and legal experts www.riverhouse.org<br />
on Wednesday 30 November. On World AIDS Day event, teams<br />
from www.foodchain.org.uk will be present, with a book signing<br />
by Edd Kimber (winner of <strong>The</strong> Great British Bake Off) and a short<br />
concert from the London Gay Men’s Chorus (6-6.30pm). Check<br />
www.facebook.com/gowerstHIVweek for updates.<br />
QUOTE<br />
OF THE<br />
MONTH<br />
“Chris Evans on the radio<br />
talking about golf. Could<br />
the day get any worse?”<br />
Julian Clary – whose Twitter feed<br />
never fails to brighten our mornings.<br />
X FACTOR<br />
Feeling excited about this<br />
year’s competition… or<br />
can’t wait for it to limp to<br />
its oh-so-predictable<br />
conclusion…?<br />
WESTMINSTER<br />
COUNCIL<br />
…Particularly for its<br />
proposed new parking<br />
restrictions, banning<br />
parking on single yellow<br />
lines till after midnight.<br />
JULIA GILLARD<br />
<strong>The</strong> Austrialian PM refuses<br />
to speak out in support gay<br />
marriage in the country –<br />
despite many of her Labor<br />
colleagues doing so.<br />
ON ICE<br />
10 WWW.OUTMAG.CO.UK
COLUMNIST: PAUL BURSTON<br />
PINK LISTS & PRIZES<br />
PAUL BURSTON TALKS ABOUT A NEW LITERARY AWARD FOR<br />
LGBT WRITERS AND EXPLAINS WHY HE BELIEVES PINK<br />
PRIZES ARE STILL NECESSARY…<br />
Why do we need pink<br />
lists and prizes? It’s a<br />
question that arises<br />
every year when the<br />
<strong>In</strong>dependent’s Pink List<br />
is published or the<br />
winners of the<br />
Stonewall Awards are<br />
announced. And it’s a<br />
question that has<br />
occupied my mind more<br />
than usual this year, as<br />
I’ve been involved in<br />
setting up <strong>The</strong> Polari<br />
First Book Prize, which<br />
is awarded to an author<br />
for a debut book<br />
exploring LGBT themes.<br />
By the time you read this,<br />
the winner will have been<br />
announced. At the time of<br />
writing, we’re down to a<br />
shortlist of five authors - Clare<br />
Campbell, DJ Connell, Timothy<br />
Graves, Jonathan Kemp and<br />
James Maker - any of whom<br />
would make a worthy winner.<br />
Some people are against<br />
pink lists and prizes because<br />
they regard them as special<br />
pleading – or in the words of<br />
the Daily Mail, “political<br />
correctness gone mad”. Often<br />
those same people are against<br />
women-only awards like the<br />
Orange Prize, never stopping to<br />
wonder why every other<br />
literary prize is dominated by<br />
men. With few exceptions,<br />
books written by women<br />
simply aren’t taken as seriously<br />
as books written by men.<br />
Despite an abundance of<br />
best-selling female authors,<br />
there are fewer female book<br />
reviewers and far fewer female<br />
authors who see their work<br />
reviewed. And even when it is,<br />
all too often it’s dismissed as<br />
‘too domestic’, ‘not literary<br />
enough’ or simply ‘chick lit’.<br />
It’s still a straight man’s<br />
world - we just live in it.<br />
Earlier this year, the writer VS<br />
Naipaul stated that there<br />
wasn’t a single female author<br />
he regarded as his equal,<br />
including Jane Austen. Naipaul<br />
dismissed Austen’s “narrow,<br />
sentimental sense of the<br />
world”, and said that women<br />
writers were “quite different”.<br />
According to Naipaul, “I read a<br />
piece of writing and within a<br />
paragraph or two I know<br />
whether it is by a woman or<br />
not. I think [it is] unequal to<br />
me.”<br />
I dare say that Naipaul<br />
would have similar feelings<br />
about writers who are gay or –<br />
god forbid! – lesbian. And<br />
there are many others who<br />
would share his view and<br />
dismiss gay literature as<br />
quickly and as easily as they<br />
dismiss gay life. For me, gay<br />
literature and gay life are<br />
closely related. Of course, I<br />
would say that – I’m a gay<br />
writer. And as I’ve been<br />
nominated for several awards,<br />
and my name regularly appears<br />
on <strong>The</strong> Pink List, I suppose you<br />
could say that I have a vested<br />
interest in such things. And<br />
you’d probably be right. But the<br />
reason I believe in gay prizes<br />
isn’t because I live in hope of<br />
winning one. It’s because I<br />
firmly believe that they’re still<br />
necessary.<br />
That’s why we set up <strong>The</strong><br />
Polari First Book Prize. It’s also<br />
“We may enjoy far more rights<br />
than ever, but homophobia hasn’t<br />
gone away. And nor has<br />
heterosexism.”<br />
why Stonewall still have their<br />
annual awards, why <strong>The</strong><br />
<strong>In</strong>dependent still publish their<br />
Pink List and why Square Peg<br />
Media, publishers of this<br />
magazine, recently published<br />
their own Pride Power List.<br />
It’s about recognising the<br />
contribution made by LGBT<br />
people, and celebrating it.<br />
Because if we don’t, there’s<br />
still no guarantee that<br />
someone else will.<br />
We may enjoy far more<br />
rights than ever, but<br />
homophobia hasn’t gone<br />
away. And nor has<br />
heterosexism. A friend of mine,<br />
who works for a major<br />
newspaper, recently described<br />
an editorial meeting at which a<br />
news story about anti-gay hate<br />
crime was dismissed because<br />
“we ran an interview with Boy<br />
George last week”. No<br />
disrespect to George, but<br />
attitudes like this are a perfect<br />
example of why the battle for<br />
equality isn’t over. An<br />
interview with a gay pop star<br />
does not fulfil a newspaper’s<br />
‘gay quota’ for the week, not<br />
when gay people are still being<br />
bullied, beaten up and killed on<br />
our streets. I hate to say this,<br />
but we’re not out of the woods<br />
yet.<br />
We still need more<br />
balanced news reporting. And<br />
we still need more gay role<br />
models. Gay international<br />
rugby player Gareth Thomas<br />
summed this up perfectly in a<br />
piece he recently wrote for <strong>The</strong><br />
<strong>In</strong>dependent.<br />
“<strong>The</strong> first time I saw the<br />
Pink List was about two years<br />
before I came out. I remember<br />
that Clare Balding was on it,<br />
and she was a big name in<br />
sports. To me that was a real<br />
‘wow’ moment: looking<br />
through the list and seeing<br />
people in different jobs and<br />
walks of life who had been able<br />
to be themselves and be<br />
successful. It was incredible.<br />
<strong>The</strong> list itself didn’t prompt me<br />
to come out, because that was<br />
something I had to do when<br />
the time was right for me. But<br />
it was inspirational to see that<br />
these people, who did not need<br />
to pretend, could thrive in their<br />
chosen field.”<br />
Why do we need pink lists<br />
and prizes? We need them<br />
because we still haven’t<br />
reached the point where being<br />
gay is seen as a non-issue. And<br />
we need them because out<br />
there, there are still people like<br />
Gareth Thomas, waiting for<br />
that ‘wow’ moment.<br />
12 WWW.OUTMAG.CO.UK
COVER STAR: WILL YOUNG<br />
WHERE THERE’S<br />
A WILL…<br />
TEAMING UP WITH PRODUCER RICHARD X HAS RESULTED IN WILL YOUNG’S<br />
FINEST ALBUM SINCE THE PLATINUM-SELLING FRIDAY’S CHILD. IN THE<br />
MIDDLE OF A 23-DATE UK TOUR, HE CHATTED TO DAVID HUDSON ABOUT HIS<br />
NEW WORK…<br />
It’s ten years since Will Young first shot<br />
to fame by winning the first series of<br />
Pop Idol. Despite a new X Factor winner<br />
being thrust upon the public each year,<br />
Young remains the most enduringly<br />
successful contestant of any of the recent<br />
TV talent shows. Not only has he<br />
continued to notch up the hits (his most<br />
recent album Echoes entered the charts at<br />
number one a couple of months ago), but<br />
he’s also diversified, with film and theatre<br />
acting roles and numerous TV<br />
appearances – recently being awarded his<br />
own TV special on ITV and guest hosting<br />
Never Mind <strong>The</strong> Buzzcocks. Made in<br />
conjunction with producer Richard X,<br />
Echoes finds the singer embarking on a<br />
more dance-oriented direction. On the<br />
back of its success, he’s currently finishing<br />
a 23-date tour of the UK, but you’ll have<br />
one more chance to catch him live this<br />
year when he takes over the London<br />
Palladium for a night on 12 December. Just<br />
before the release of new single, ‘Come<br />
On’, he chatted with <strong>Out</strong> <strong>In</strong> <strong>The</strong> <strong>City</strong>…<br />
Hi, Will. How is the tour going?<br />
<strong>The</strong> tour’s going well. Bit tired today. But<br />
it’s great fun. It’s great to get out there,<br />
particularly with the new music, and to<br />
translate that live, and see how that works.<br />
It’s a real challenge as a singer, definitely,<br />
to sing the new songs.<br />
You’re playing the London Palladium in<br />
December – looking forward to that?<br />
I am. That’s 12 December. I’ve got two<br />
dates in London, and then this is a<br />
separate Christmas show, to round it all<br />
off. It should be really fun, and we’re<br />
going to have some dancers. Secretly, I<br />
want to dress as an elf, but I’m not sure<br />
that will get past the powers that be!<br />
Are you a Christmassy person?<br />
I’m very Christmassy this year. Weirdly so.<br />
I’ve been feeling Christmassy since early<br />
October!<br />
Why this year?<br />
I’ve got a new house, and my new house is<br />
very Christmassy. It has fireplaces, and I<br />
live on a square, and they do carol singing,<br />
so I’m ramping up for it already, even<br />
though there are a couple of months to go!<br />
How did you come to work with Richard X<br />
on your new album?<br />
I just asked him. I’m a great believer in<br />
waiting for the answer to things, and I<br />
didn’t really think through who I wanted<br />
to produce the songs, and then various<br />
names were being put forward, and I just<br />
thought ‘no, that’s not going to work’ or<br />
‘it’s not exciting’, or ‘I don’t think that will<br />
be interesting’, and then I was in<br />
Manchester, and I bought the Steve Mason<br />
record, which Richard had done. I loved<br />
the production, and I thought that if he<br />
can produce this then this is the man for<br />
me. And he’s just done the best job. He’s so<br />
brilliant... just brilliant.<br />
“<strong>The</strong>re<br />
are still<br />
challenges to being<br />
a gay man in any<br />
mainstream profession.<br />
<strong>The</strong>re are still people<br />
who have problems<br />
with other people’s<br />
sexuality.”<br />
What are your favourite tracks?<br />
I normally do have favourites, but not on<br />
this one because I think they’re all good in<br />
their own way. It’s quite hard to choose<br />
singles. And I really do mean that. I love<br />
the song ‘Personal Thunder’. I think that<br />
sits in its own pocket. And I love<br />
‘Runaway’, which I did with Jonathan<br />
Sloan, because I really liked what he’d<br />
done with Empire Of <strong>The</strong> Sun, and it was<br />
very much the type of song that I wanted<br />
to do with him. I love ‘Hearts On Fire’,<br />
which is a really cool one, and is a great<br />
one to do at gigs.<br />
Rewinding slightly back to your Greatest<br />
Hits in 2009, I liked the single ‘Hopes and<br />
Fears’, but it didn’t chart. Did that panic<br />
you? Did you wonder if your pop career was<br />
winding down?<br />
No, because it was sort of different. It was<br />
on the Greatest Hits, and that sold almost<br />
half a million, which for a greatest hits is<br />
brilliant, and that was just in the UK. <strong>The</strong><br />
single was just something I needed to put<br />
out there to show that Hits was out there. I<br />
think if ‘Jealousy’ hadn’t done so well, then<br />
I would have been worried much more.<br />
<strong>The</strong>n the new album went to number one,<br />
which must have been hugely gratifying.<br />
What was amazing, talking about singles,<br />
is how well the single did, because in the<br />
last few years, the albums have done well<br />
but the singles not so much, so that was<br />
really surprising, in a way.<br />
<strong>The</strong> music business has changed greatly in<br />
the last ten years. Does that make it<br />
harder for you as an artist to be heard? Is<br />
securing radio play an issue for you?<br />
Radio play’s even more important, if<br />
anything. I worried more when some<br />
stations wouldn’t play my music, for<br />
whatever reason, and that’s a concern. If<br />
they don’t play me, then people don’t get to<br />
hear it and they don’t know it’s out.<br />
Luckily, I do have enough people that do<br />
want to play my music. With ‘Jealousy’… I<br />
don’t know; you get all these statistics,<br />
saying it’s like the third most played song<br />
in the UK, or something like that, and<br />
that’s without two major stations that just<br />
won’t play my music.<br />
Doesn’t Radio One play you?<br />
Radio One haven’t played my music in four<br />
years.<br />
Does that upset you?<br />
Well, what can you do? Either you sit and<br />
14 WWW.OUTMAG.CO.UK
COVER STAR: WILL YOUNG<br />
cry about it or you just get on with it. <strong>In</strong><br />
any industry, it does come down to those<br />
people who control the traditional<br />
conduits and channels of communication<br />
to the public. <strong>The</strong> mainstream. You can’t<br />
do anything about that, so I’m really<br />
thankful to the people who have decided<br />
to play me; and I’ve learnt, over the years,<br />
to let go of the things that I can’t do<br />
anything about. On top of that, what’s<br />
great now is that I might not get Radio<br />
One and Capital playing my music, but<br />
now you’ve got things like YouTube, where<br />
you’ve got a video of me prancing around<br />
in Lycra, and one-and-a-half million<br />
people have watched it, so there are other<br />
ways of getting around it. It’s a doubleedged<br />
sword, really.<br />
What about your acting – do you have any<br />
upcoming roles in film, TV or theatre?<br />
I have actually, yeah. Hopefully… it’s a<br />
mixture of all three. I’m really excited, and<br />
have been thinking over the last few<br />
months of trying to bring in<br />
music and TV, but in an<br />
interesting way, so I’ve<br />
been looking at loads of<br />
things that I can<br />
maybe do around<br />
that. And I don’t just<br />
mean a musical; I<br />
mean something<br />
that had more of a<br />
music element to it.<br />
So, there are a<br />
couple of things, and<br />
occasionally I do<br />
auditions for things, and<br />
I either get them or I<br />
don’t [laughs], and that’s<br />
what I quite like about the<br />
acting. I think my strike rate is about<br />
50% at the moment, which is not bad.<br />
Your music career proves that sexuality is<br />
no bar to success in pop, but have you ever<br />
experienced discrimination or typecasting<br />
in the acting world?<br />
I don’t think so. I think we’ve moved on a<br />
long way, but I don’t think we can rest on<br />
our laurels, you know? I think there are<br />
still challenges to being a gay man in any<br />
mainstream profession. <strong>The</strong>re are still<br />
people who have problems with other<br />
people’s sexuality. We can sometimes<br />
make the mistake of giving ourselves a pat<br />
on the back and thinking that all is fine<br />
now, but it’s not really. If you compare us<br />
to places like Holland or Scandinavia,<br />
where people really don’t give a shit,<br />
people do kind of give a shit here. And it’s<br />
very sly things. I think the use of the word<br />
‘gay’, and the way that it’s used as a<br />
derogatory term, in the mainstream, and<br />
that you still hear it so much in schools –<br />
that needs to be clamped down upon.<br />
Language is so important – the power of<br />
language – and claiming back language. <strong>In</strong><br />
schools, the use of the word ‘gay’ is still<br />
very much a derogatory thing. You see it in<br />
schools, on TV and on the radio. It’s very<br />
powerful, and it plants a seed that gay is<br />
“I oscillate<br />
from being quite<br />
content on my own<br />
to thinking it would<br />
be nice to meet<br />
someone.”<br />
negative. And it<br />
shouldn’t be. But I’ve<br />
gone off on a tangent...<br />
with regards to acting…<br />
I haven’t seen it so much<br />
for me, I have to say.<br />
You’ve done a lot of work for<br />
charity over the last few years –<br />
such as Mencap, Catch 22, Oxfam and<br />
the Prince’s Trust – is it important to you<br />
to use your fame in a positive way?<br />
Yeah, it is. I was just thinking that I<br />
haven’t had a chance to do enough for<br />
Catch 22 [a charity that helps young<br />
people facing difficult situations in their<br />
lives] recently because I’ve been really<br />
busy; but yeah, a lot of what I do is fairly<br />
self-obsessed, so it’s quite nice to do<br />
something that isn’t.<br />
Catch 22 is a very worthy cause, helping<br />
kids who are facing particular difficulties -<br />
whether in their home life, education or<br />
otherwise. Is the outlook for young people<br />
and teenagers getting bleaker, given the<br />
world’s financial woes?<br />
Yeah. <strong>In</strong> the context of the summer riots,<br />
there have been a lot more conversations<br />
about this, and the youth can come out of<br />
the wrong side of those arguments or<br />
conclusions. I think it is [bleaker] in a way,<br />
because families are more dissipated. I<br />
don’t know what’s being done about it. I go<br />
and see projects that we do at Catch 22<br />
and I see kids and they learn really quickly,<br />
and they’re not the monsters that everyone<br />
seems to want to portray them as being.<br />
<strong>The</strong>y just need guidance. It’s why charities<br />
like Catch 22 are so important.<br />
Do you have a boyfriend or partner at the<br />
moment?<br />
I do not.<br />
Looking for one?<br />
Well, I suppose so, in as much as any single<br />
person is looking for one? I’m always on<br />
the lookout. Actually, I oscillate from<br />
being quite content on my own to thinking<br />
it would be nice to meet someone. I guess I<br />
don’t want to get too content on my own,<br />
[laughs] because then that would probably<br />
be it and I’d be happy to stay that way.<br />
Do guys throw themselves at you? Or do<br />
you ever wonder: “Does this person just<br />
like me because I’m famous?”<br />
Yes, that goes through my head, but I don’t<br />
warrant it with any more time than it<br />
deserves. I kind of think I have a fairly<br />
good judgement of character, and tend to<br />
think that if I was proved wrong then it<br />
would just be a bit disappointing, as it<br />
would be for anyone else if they found out<br />
that someone they like was an arsehole.<br />
Luckily, in ten years, I haven’t had that.<br />
Do you think your fame intimidates people<br />
when you meet them?<br />
Yeah, maybe. I think it can work two ways.<br />
Sometimes it can work in my favour and<br />
sometimes it doesn’t work in my favour.<br />
That’s just the nature of the beast really.<br />
People will have pre-judgements and think<br />
certain things, good and bad, and that’s<br />
just part of my life, so I just get on with it,<br />
really.<br />
‘Come On’ and Echoes are out now. Will Young plays<br />
the London Palladium on 12 December – see www.<br />
livenation.co.uk<br />
16 WWW.OUTMAG.CO.UK
CULTURE CALENDER: DECEMBER 2<strong>01</strong>1<br />
DIARY DATES<br />
DECEMBER’S CULTURAL HIGHLIGHTS IN AND AROUND LONDON<br />
1-2, 8-10 DEC:<br />
Improvised comedy<br />
show Set List, which<br />
has recently been<br />
touring the UK, comes<br />
to London for a short<br />
residency at the Soho<br />
<strong>The</strong>atre. Expect a “A<br />
Whose Line Is It<br />
Anyway?-style<br />
challenge” of stand-up<br />
comedy, with the<br />
nightly talented<br />
professionals handed<br />
an original, not-seenbefore<br />
set list of topics,<br />
partially written by the<br />
audience. Performers<br />
include Tim Minchin,<br />
Rich Hall, Zoe Lyons,<br />
Phill Jupitus, Greg<br />
Proops, Pajama Men<br />
and Robin <strong>In</strong>ce, among<br />
others.<br />
www.sohotheatre.com<br />
<strong>01</strong> & 22 DEC:<br />
<strong>The</strong> amazing Rihanna<br />
is back for what feels<br />
like her 76th show at<br />
the O2 Arena! If you<br />
miss herat the atart of<br />
the month, she has one<br />
remaining show on 22<br />
December. www.<br />
rihannanow.com<br />
FRI 02 DEC:<br />
Electro DJ Richie<br />
Hawtin, known as<br />
Plastikman, plays the<br />
London date of his ‘One<br />
<strong>City</strong>’ world tour,<br />
promoting his latest<br />
album, Kompilation.<br />
www.plastikman.com<br />
O4 DEC:<br />
<strong>In</strong> aid of the Make A<br />
Difference Trust<br />
‘A West End Christmas’<br />
returns to St Paul’s<br />
Church in Covent<br />
Garden (‘the actor’s<br />
church’). Performers<br />
from West End shows<br />
will be singing classic<br />
songs and carols.<br />
Mince pies and mulled<br />
wine are served free.<br />
Doors open at 7pm,<br />
with tickets at £25-£35.<br />
www.madtrust.org.uk<br />
SAT 03 DEC:<br />
02-04 DEC:<br />
<strong>The</strong> Kills perform a<br />
one-off show at the O2<br />
Brixton Academy,<br />
following the release of<br />
their album Blood<br />
Pressures earlier this<br />
year. www.thekills.tv<br />
05-06 DEC:<br />
Stepping away from<br />
supergroup Take That<br />
You won’t be able to resist feeling festive<br />
if you take yourself along to the ExCel<br />
centre in Docklands on 2-4 December. It<br />
will be hosting the annual food<br />
extravaganza that is Taste Of Christmas.<br />
Expect plenty of tastings, cookery<br />
demonstrations, signature dishes from<br />
leading London restaurants, and plenty<br />
of opportunities to buy tasty goodies.<br />
Jamie Oliver and Hugh Fearnley-<br />
Whittingstall are among the chefs taking<br />
part. Full details and ticket bookings at<br />
www.tasteofchristmas.com<br />
10-31 DEC:<br />
Following successful Christmas shows in<br />
previous years, the Duckie collective<br />
will be returning to the Barbican this<br />
December for three weeks of<br />
performances. <strong>The</strong> Duckie Copyright<br />
Christmas will run for 30 performances<br />
from 10-31 December. “Step inside the<br />
Duckie superstore and witness the<br />
decaying arcades of branded Britain…<br />
conspicuous consumption thrives in this<br />
promenade performance featuring saucy<br />
shopaholics, supermarket sweepers and<br />
sweatshop Santas.” Pondering whether<br />
Christmas in 2<strong>01</strong>1 means anything more<br />
than shopping will be some of the club’s<br />
most regular performers, including<br />
Scottee, Harold Offeh, Jess Love, Ryan<br />
Styles, Bird la Bird, Susannah Hewlett,<br />
Sheila Ghelani, Roy Kerr, H Plewis and<br />
Dickie Beau. Mark Whitelaw directs and<br />
the designer is Robin Whitmore. <strong>The</strong><br />
show runs for 80 minutes without an<br />
interval, with tickets at £19.99. <strong>The</strong>re<br />
will also be a free Duckie club night on<br />
Friday 16 December until 1am.<br />
Book at www.barbican.org.uk - with<br />
more details at www.duckie.co.uk<br />
for a couple of nights,<br />
Gary Barlow performs<br />
his first solo shows in<br />
over a decade playing<br />
two nights at the Royal<br />
Albert Hall in support<br />
of the Prince’s Trust<br />
charity. Expect plenty of<br />
Take That hits to be<br />
included in his<br />
repertoire.<br />
www.takethat.com<br />
30 NOV-08<br />
JAN:<br />
Now an annual<br />
Christmas tradition,<br />
Sadler’s Wells will again<br />
play host to a<br />
production of <strong>The</strong><br />
Snowman this<br />
December. <strong>The</strong> show,<br />
which is based upon<br />
Raymond Briggs’ muchloved<br />
children’s book of<br />
the same name, has<br />
now become a family<br />
classic. Catch it at the<br />
Peacock <strong>The</strong>atre, WC2.<br />
www.sadlerswells.com<br />
07-08 DEC:<br />
Fans of magic –<br />
particularly those who<br />
like to see stage<br />
trickery deconstructed<br />
– can catch eccentric<br />
showmen Penn & Teller<br />
in London this month.<br />
<strong>The</strong> duo are celebrating<br />
35 years of working<br />
together, and will be<br />
bringing their show,<br />
Conversations with<br />
Penn & Teller: 35 Years<br />
WWW.OUTMAG.CO.UK 19
CULTURE CALENDER: DECEMBER 2<strong>01</strong>1<br />
of Magic & BS, to the<br />
<strong>In</strong>digo O2 at the O2<br />
Arena. <strong>The</strong> show will<br />
include an audience<br />
Q&A session. www.<br />
pennandteller.com<br />
WED 07 DEC:<br />
<strong>The</strong> big indie hopefuls<br />
at the beginning of the<br />
year, <strong>The</strong> Vaccines,<br />
never quite managed to<br />
break through in the<br />
way that may have<br />
been anticipated. That<br />
said, debut album What<br />
Did You Expect<br />
From<strong>The</strong> Vaccines?<br />
graced the top ten and<br />
stands as one of the<br />
year’s finest. Catch<br />
them in all their fiery<br />
glory at the O2<br />
Academy Brixton –<br />
their biggest gig to<br />
24 NOV-14 JAN:<br />
date. www.thevaccines.<br />
co.uk<br />
THUR 08 DEC:<br />
We’ve always been big<br />
fans of actor and writer<br />
Mark Gatiss (<strong>The</strong><br />
League of Gentlemen).<br />
He and Steven Moffat<br />
co-wrote the BBC’s reworking<br />
of Sherlock<br />
Holmes – simply<br />
entitled Sherlock – and<br />
there will be a<br />
screening of the first<br />
episode of the new<br />
series, starring<br />
Benedict Cumberbatch<br />
and Martin Freeman, at<br />
the VBFI Southbank on<br />
Thurs 8 December,<br />
followed by a Q&A with<br />
the writers and some<br />
cast members.<br />
www.bfi.org.uk<br />
We’ve loved Sharon Gless (above) ever<br />
since she pounded the streets of New<br />
York as Detective Cagney in Cagney &<br />
Lacey. <strong>The</strong> fabulous Ms Gless will be<br />
treading the boards of the West End<br />
when she brings her acclaimed<br />
performance in A Round-Heeled Woman<br />
to the Aldwych <strong>The</strong>atre for a strictly<br />
limited run, following a successful short<br />
run at the Riverside Studios.<br />
<strong>The</strong> show is based on a true story.<br />
Retired Californian English teacher and<br />
divorcee, Jane Juska, after 30 years of<br />
being ‘severely deprived’ of touch,<br />
realised that she ‘liked men’! She<br />
decided to place a ‘Personals’ advert in<br />
her favourite periodical, <strong>The</strong> New York<br />
Review of Books, which stated: “Before<br />
I turn 67 – next March – I would like to<br />
have a lot of sex with a man I like. If you<br />
want to talk first, Trollope works for<br />
me.”<br />
She received 63 replies from men aged<br />
between 32 and 84, and went on to write<br />
of her experiences in “A Round-Heeled<br />
Woman – My Late-Life Adventures in<br />
Sex & Romance”.<br />
Tickets cost £35/ £45. www.<br />
aroundheeledwoman.com<br />
THUR 08 DEC:<br />
Bryan Adams, will<br />
celebrate the 20th<br />
anniversary of his<br />
Waking Up <strong>The</strong><br />
Neighbours album, at<br />
the O2 Arena. www.<br />
bryanadams.com<br />
FRI 09 DEC:<br />
Celebrating the release<br />
of their fifth album, the<br />
wonderful Mylo Xyloto,<br />
Coldplay bring their UK<br />
tour to London with a<br />
date at O2 Arena. www.<br />
coldplay.com<br />
FRI 09 DEC:<br />
Get up close and<br />
personal with Melanie<br />
C, when the former<br />
Spice Girl plays a<br />
headline show at the<br />
Scala in King’s Cross.<br />
She’s promoting her<br />
fifth album, <strong>The</strong> Sea.<br />
www.melaniec.net<br />
SAT 10 DEC:<br />
Playing their first<br />
London show in five<br />
years, New Order –<br />
featuring original<br />
members Bernard<br />
Sumner, Stephen Morris<br />
and keyboardist Gillian<br />
Gilbert – headline at<br />
<strong>The</strong> Troxy in east<br />
London. www.<br />
newordernow.net<br />
MON 12 DEC:<br />
Anyone who thought<br />
Duran Duran were a<br />
spent force should<br />
check out their<br />
fantastic video for new<br />
single ‘Girl Panic!’. <strong>The</strong><br />
band bring all their hits<br />
to London for a<br />
headline show at the<br />
O2 Arena – a<br />
rescheduled tour from<br />
earlier in the year<br />
following Simon Le<br />
Bon’s throat problems.<br />
www.duranduran.com<br />
WED 07 DEC:<br />
<strong>The</strong> brilliant Frisky & Mannish follow a successful run of<br />
shows at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival with a UK tour,<br />
stopping off in London for a headline show at the Shepherd’s<br />
Bush Empire on Wednesday 7 December. Following ‘School of<br />
Pop’ (2009) and ‘<strong>The</strong> College Years (2<strong>01</strong>0), this year’s show is<br />
entitled ‘Pop Centre Plus’, offering their own inimitable<br />
careers advice for those wishing to pursue a career in pop!<br />
“Rigorous testing will identify your individual skill sets and<br />
personal strengths,” say the duo, enabling them to ascertain<br />
the right career path for you. “Some will be Biebers, some will<br />
be Britneys, and if the requisite talent is available, five lucky<br />
audience members will be hired on the spot. And, in the<br />
current economic climate, that is an opportunity that one<br />
simply cannot afford to miss!”<br />
Expect interactive fun plus full-blown dance routines and<br />
stunning renditions from these impressive musicians, singers<br />
and performers. Tickets cost £17.50 from ticketweb.co.uk,<br />
and the show starts at 7pm.<br />
SAT 10 DEC:<br />
Burlesque star<br />
Immodesty Blaize<br />
teams up with popsters<br />
<strong>The</strong> Noisettes for a<br />
one-off show at the<br />
HMV Forum in Kentish<br />
Town, entitled Looking<br />
For Trouble. Expect<br />
music, fashion and<br />
performance art, with<br />
special guests expected<br />
to join the shenanigans.<br />
MON 12 DEC:<br />
Wrapping up his UK<br />
tour, this month’s cover<br />
star – the fabulous Will<br />
Young – plays a<br />
headline show at the<br />
London Palladium<br />
celebrating his recent<br />
number one album,<br />
Echoes. www.willyoung.<br />
co.uk<br />
FRI 16 DEC:<br />
<strong>The</strong> Saturdays bring<br />
their All Fired Up tour<br />
to London, with a show<br />
at Wembley Arena,<br />
promoting last month’s<br />
On Your Radar album.<br />
www.thesaturdays.com<br />
16-19 DEC:<br />
George Michael wraps<br />
up his hugelysuccessful<br />
Symphonica<br />
tour with three pre-<br />
Christmas shows at<br />
Earl’s Court. www.<br />
georgemichael.com<br />
23 NOV-29 JAN:<br />
Following its hugely<br />
successful run last<br />
year, cult cabaret<br />
sensation La Soirée<br />
returns to the<br />
Le Gateau<br />
Chocolat<br />
Roundhouse in Chalk<br />
Farm. Expect risqué,<br />
cabaret from some of<br />
the cream of the scene,<br />
including Hugo<br />
Desmarais, Katherine<br />
Arnold, Mario Queen of<br />
the Circus, Mooky, Nate<br />
Cooper, <strong>The</strong> Skating<br />
Willers, the Wau Wau<br />
Sisters and <strong>Out</strong> <strong>In</strong> <strong>The</strong><br />
<strong>City</strong> favourite, Le<br />
Gateau Chocolat.<br />
Tickets £15-£40. www.<br />
la-soiree.com<br />
20 WWW.OUTMAG.CO.UK
Europe’s favourite Ski Pride Festival, from 8 th to 15 th January, 2<strong>01</strong>2<br />
New<br />
website<br />
with easy online<br />
reservation<br />
system<br />
www.gayskiweek.ch<br />
Email: arosa@gayskiweek.ch<br />
Reservations in UK, Amro<br />
<strong>01</strong> 462 434 663<br />
Meet with a beautiful crowd<br />
from all over the world and<br />
experience Arosa Ski at its best<br />
10 gay-friendly partner hotels and<br />
holiday apartments fitting any budget<br />
70 km fantastic ski & snowboard runs<br />
non-skiers always welcome in Arosa<br />
cultural events & great theme parties<br />
fine dining, apres-ski & wellness spa
MUSIC: REVIEWS<br />
THE YEAR IN MUSIC<br />
THE OUT IN THE CITY TEAM’S FAVOURITE CUTS FROM 2<strong>01</strong>1<br />
ALBUMS<br />
SINGLES<br />
1<br />
PATRICK WOLF<br />
Lupercalia<br />
1<br />
NICOLA ROBERTS<br />
‘Beat of My Drum’<br />
02<br />
03<br />
04<br />
05<br />
06<br />
07<br />
08<br />
09<br />
10<br />
11<br />
FLORENCE + THE MACHINE<br />
Ceremonials<br />
ADELE<br />
21<br />
WILL YOUNG<br />
Echoes<br />
CSS<br />
La Liberación<br />
SOUND OF ARROWS<br />
Voyage<br />
NICOLA ROBERTS<br />
Cinderella’s Eyes<br />
LADY GAGA<br />
Born This Way<br />
MEN<br />
Talk About Body<br />
CULTS<br />
Abducted<br />
LYKKE LI<br />
Wounded Rhymes<br />
02<br />
03<br />
04<br />
05<br />
06<br />
07<br />
08<br />
09<br />
10<br />
11<br />
PATRICK WOLF –<br />
‘Time Of My Life’<br />
ADELE<br />
‘Someone Like You’<br />
LANA DEL REY<br />
‘Video Games’<br />
NICKI MINAJ<br />
‘Super Bass’<br />
LADY GAGA<br />
‘<strong>The</strong> Edge of Glory’<br />
ADELE<br />
‘Rolling in the Deep’<br />
ROBYN<br />
‘Call Your Girlfriend’<br />
MARTIN SOLVEIG FT. DRAGONETTE<br />
‘Hello’<br />
RIHANNA FEAT. CALVIN HARRIS<br />
‘We Found Love’<br />
CSS<br />
‘<strong>City</strong> Grrrl’<br />
12<br />
KATE BUSH<br />
50 Words for Snow<br />
12<br />
WILL YOUNG<br />
‘Jealousy’<br />
13<br />
14<br />
15<br />
PJ HARVEY<br />
Let England Shake<br />
WASHED OUT<br />
Within and Without<br />
AZARI & III<br />
Azari & III<br />
13<br />
14<br />
15<br />
JESSIE J<br />
‘Nobody’s Perfect’<br />
CASEY SPOONER<br />
‘Faye Dunaway’<br />
PATRICK WOLF<br />
‘<strong>The</strong> <strong>City</strong>’<br />
16<br />
NERO<br />
Welcome Reality<br />
16<br />
BETH DITTO –<br />
I Wrote <strong>The</strong> Book EP<br />
17<br />
BEYONCÉ<br />
4<br />
17<br />
EXAMPLE<br />
‘Changed <strong>The</strong> Way You Kiss Me’<br />
18<br />
COLDPLAY<br />
Mylo Xyloto<br />
18<br />
DEATH CAB FOR CUTIE<br />
‘You Are A Tourist’<br />
19<br />
20<br />
CASEY SPOONER<br />
Adult Contemporary<br />
BLANCMANGE<br />
Blanc Burn<br />
19<br />
20<br />
HERCULES & LOVE AFFAIR<br />
‘My House’<br />
NOAH AND THE WHALE<br />
‘L.I.F.E G.O.E.S O.N’<br />
22 WWW.OUTMAG.CO.UK
FILM: REVIEWS<br />
FILMS OF THE YEAR<br />
THE OUT IN THE CITY TEAM CHOOSE THEIR<br />
FAVOURITE MOVIES OF 2<strong>01</strong>1…<br />
1. THE GUARD<br />
Although not a huge hit at the box office,<br />
this little gem of a movie was one of the<br />
year’s most unexpected comedic delights.<br />
Set in rural Ireland, it finds strait-laced<br />
FBI agent Wendell (Don Cheadle) pairing<br />
up with eccentric and confrontational<br />
small-town cop Sergeant Gerry Boyle<br />
(Brendan Gleason) to bust an international<br />
drug smuggling ring.<br />
<strong>The</strong> Guard<br />
2. THE FIGHTER<br />
Even if you don’t think you like boxing<br />
movies, there’s plenty to admire in this<br />
true-life tale that’s more about family<br />
bonds than fists. It boasts great<br />
performances from Christian Bale (who<br />
scooped an Oscar), Mark Wahlberg and<br />
Melissa Leo.<br />
3. ANIMAL KINGDOM<br />
Another film about<br />
family bonds, but a<br />
decidedly more bloody<br />
and brutal offering of<br />
nail-biting drama about a<br />
Melbourne crime family,<br />
headed by ruthless<br />
matriarch Jacki Weaver<br />
(who was nominated for<br />
an Oscar for her<br />
performance).<br />
4. THE KING’S SPEECH<br />
A huge commercial and critical success,<br />
this film swept the board at the Oscars and<br />
BAFTAs this year.<br />
5. WE NEED TO TALK ABOUT KEVIN<br />
Tilda Swinton gives a tour de force<br />
performance as the disenfranchised<br />
mother in director Lynne Ramsay’s<br />
adaptation of Lionel Shriver’s best-seller.<br />
Beginners<br />
6. BEGINNERS<br />
Christopher Plummer plays the 70-<br />
something man who comes out as gay to<br />
son Ewan MacGregor.<br />
7. BRIDESMAIDS<br />
One of the year’s funniest comedies.<br />
Kristen Wiig struggles to hold it together<br />
as maid of honour for her best friend.<br />
8. X-MEN: FIRST CLASS<br />
Just trumping Thor as our favourite bigbudget<br />
blockbuster of the year.<br />
9. TRUE GRIT<br />
Erasing memories of their poor remake of<br />
<strong>The</strong> Ladykillers, the Coen Brothers come<br />
up trumps with their take on the classic<br />
Western, featuring an amazing debut from<br />
Hailee Steinfeld.<br />
Weekend<br />
10. WEEKEND<br />
Heralded as the best British gay film in<br />
many years, Tom Cullen and Chris New<br />
star as the men who embark on a weekendlong<br />
new affair. Is it possible to fall for<br />
someone after just two days?<br />
11. TINKER, TAILOR, SOLDIER, SPY<br />
Gary Oldman stars in this atmospheric,<br />
big-screen adaptation of John Le Carre’s<br />
classic spy novel.<br />
12. THE SKIN I LIVE IN<br />
Spanish master Pedro Almodovar gave us<br />
one of his best in this typically eccentric<br />
tale about an obsessed surgeon.<br />
13. THE IDES OF MARCH<br />
George Clooney directs and stars in this<br />
slow-burning but intelligent political<br />
thriller, with the lovely Ryan Gosling.<br />
14. RABBIT HOLE<br />
Nicole Kidman gives a memorable<br />
performance in this heavy but engrossing<br />
tale of grief.<br />
15. SOURCE CODE<br />
Jake Gyllenhaal ticks all the right boxes in<br />
this slight but entertaining slice of<br />
Hollywood sci-fi.<br />
Red, White & Blue<br />
16. RED, WHITE & BLUE<br />
Another undiscovered gem, Noah Taylor<br />
stars in this brutal and extremely violent<br />
arthouse revenge thriller.<br />
17. I SAW THE DEVIL<br />
This bold Korean murder-fest is not for the<br />
squeamish.<br />
18. TAKE SHELTER<br />
A disquieting and engrossing tale of a man<br />
plagued by visions of an upcoming storm.<br />
19. 127 HOURS<br />
Based on a true story, James Franco gives a<br />
memorable performance in Danny Boyle’s<br />
latest offering<br />
20. MORNING GLORY<br />
Again, not a big box office hit, but<br />
enjoyable comic froth with Rachel<br />
McAdams and Harrison Ford.<br />
24 WWW.OUTMAG.CO.UK
THEATRE: REVIEWS AND PREVIEWS<br />
THE FAB FIVE<br />
STEVEN SPARLING REVIEWS BACKBEAT<br />
Book<br />
your<br />
tickets<br />
PHOTO © NOBBY CLARK<br />
<strong>The</strong>y are undoubtedly the world’s most<br />
famous rock quartet – but they started<br />
out life as a quintet. <strong>The</strong> story of how the<br />
Beatles went from five members to four is<br />
engagingly told in Backbeat, the newly<br />
opened play at the Duke of York’s <strong>The</strong>atre.<br />
It’s an evening of drama with a little sex,<br />
drugs and rock ’n’ roll added to the mix.<br />
Based on the 1994 film of the same name by<br />
Iain Softley, Backbeat traces the Beatles’<br />
early years in Hamburg when Stuart Sutcliffe<br />
played bass guitar. Stuart was, at heart, a<br />
painter, and it was only the insistence of pal<br />
John Lennon that convinced Stu to give<br />
music a try. Over the two-hour play we trace<br />
the highs and lows of this relationship as Stu<br />
tries to choose between rock‘n’roll and art.<br />
Like Christopher Isherwood before them,<br />
who found his cold English heart woken up<br />
by the decadence of Berlin in the years<br />
between the wars, the Beatles landed in<br />
Hamburg in the 60’s, finding the sleazy<br />
Reeperbahn district added grit and<br />
confidence to their music. Forced to play for<br />
hours every night, they had to gel together<br />
musically – it was an excellent training<br />
ground for a young band. If the theory that it<br />
takes 10,000 hours of practice to master<br />
something holds true, the hothouse<br />
environment of Hamburg went a long way to<br />
helping the Beatles achieve their potential.<br />
Backbeat was staged in 2<strong>01</strong>0 for the<br />
Glasgow Citizens <strong>The</strong>atre by original<br />
writer/director Softley before making its<br />
way to the West End. It’s an excellent<br />
production. <strong>The</strong> actors are fantastic,<br />
especially the five Beatles (Nick Blood,<br />
Andrew Knott, Daniel Healy, Will Payne and<br />
Oliver Bennett). Not only do they act well,<br />
portraying some of the most loved popular<br />
characters of recent times, but they also have<br />
to play live instruments, which they do<br />
brilliantly. When allowed full reign to let rip,<br />
these boys really rock. <strong>The</strong>y bring the<br />
audience to their feet.<br />
<strong>The</strong> supporting cast is no less commendable.<br />
<strong>The</strong>y play a multitude of small roles,<br />
populating the nightclub with what feels like<br />
hundreds of fans, while really only being ten.<br />
Ruta Gedmintas is radiant as Astrid<br />
Kirchherr, Sutcliffe’s love interest, while<br />
Mark Hammersley is captivating as Brian<br />
Epstein.<br />
Biographical stories of bands can sometimes<br />
be a bit slow moving, but Backbeat is slickly<br />
directed by David Leveaux, so the action<br />
never stops; while set pieces by Christopher<br />
Oram and Andrew D Edwards glide across<br />
the stage or are flown in and out, which<br />
conveys a relentless filmic energy to the<br />
piece. It’s surprisingly rich with humour and<br />
well balanced with raw emotion.<br />
Coming from a post-Beatles era, it was both<br />
entertaining and educational. As Astrid says<br />
of her introduction to the Beatles, “I followed<br />
him down the iron staircase and my world<br />
changed.”<br />
Backbeat is an excellent piece of theatre that<br />
has the potential to introduce a whole new<br />
audience to the Fab Four.<br />
MAKING A KILLING<br />
One of the West End’s most eagerlyawaited<br />
new productions comes to<br />
the Gielgud <strong>The</strong>atre this month. A<br />
new stage adaptation of the classic<br />
Ealing comedy <strong>The</strong> Ladykillers will<br />
feature Peter Capaldi (<strong>The</strong> Thick Of<br />
It), James Fleet, Ben Miller and Clive<br />
Rowe. <strong>The</strong> tale, which concerns itself<br />
with a bumbling group of bank<br />
robbers who pose as musicians, and<br />
the old lady who unwittingly houses<br />
them, has been adapted by Father Ted<br />
writer Graham Linehan. It’s taking<br />
bookings up until 18 February 2<strong>01</strong>2.<br />
Tickets from £35. Full details at www.<br />
theladykillers.co.uk<br />
GOTTA DANCE!<br />
Following a critically-acclaimed and<br />
hugely popular run at the Regent’s<br />
Park Open Air <strong>The</strong>atre, the<br />
outrageously upbeat Crazy For You<br />
has now transferred for the winter<br />
months to the Novello <strong>The</strong>atre in the<br />
West End. <strong>The</strong> production stars dishy<br />
Broadway star Sean Palmer, who<br />
some of you may remember from his<br />
brief stint as Marcus on Sex and the<br />
<strong>City</strong>. This much-loved show was<br />
adapted from George and Ira<br />
Gershwin’s 1930s comedy musical<br />
Girl Crazy, and features such classic<br />
songs as ‘I Got Rhythm’. It’s the tale<br />
of handsome Bobby Child (Palmer), a<br />
banking heir who just wants to tap<br />
dance but who finds himself sent by<br />
his disapproving mother to foreclose<br />
a failing playhouse in Deadrock,<br />
Nevada. Tickets from £27.50. http://<br />
crazyforyouthemusical.com<br />
CHRISTMAS HAUNTING<br />
Who doesn’t like a spooky story at<br />
Christmas? Coming to the Jerwood<br />
<strong>The</strong>atre at the Royal Court this month<br />
is Haunted Child, starring the<br />
fabulous Ben Daniels and Sophie<br />
Okonedo.<br />
“A small boy is driving his mother to<br />
distraction – waking at night, hearing<br />
phantom noises and fixating on his<br />
absent father. When he glimpses a<br />
figure prowling the house at night, a<br />
shadow is cast which gradually strips<br />
away his childhood certainties.”<br />
It runs from 2 December till 14<br />
January. http://royalcourttheatre.com<br />
26 WWW.OUTMAG.CO.UK
FOOD: REVIEW<br />
SOHO SPICE<br />
DAVID HUDSON REVIEWS CAROM<br />
100 WARDOUR STREET, W1F<br />
020 7314 4002. WWW.CAROMSOHO.COM<br />
Floridita and Meza Bar have both been<br />
Wardour Street fixtures since 2004.<br />
<strong>The</strong> Latin American-themed Floridita, in<br />
the basement, with its regular cabaret and<br />
South American menu, continues to pull<br />
in custom, but clearly, Meza was in need<br />
of a re-think, as owners D&D (who also<br />
own Le Pont de la Tour, Bluebird Chelsea,<br />
Quaglinos and Orrery, amongst several<br />
others) have totally revamped the place<br />
and relaunched it under the new name of<br />
Carom – the brand’s first <strong>In</strong>dian<br />
restaurant.<br />
D&D own some of the capital’s best and<br />
most well-established eateries, so for this<br />
first venture into <strong>In</strong>dian cuisine, they<br />
have recruited an expert in the field.<br />
Executive chef Balaji Balachander<br />
heralds from Chennai in south <strong>In</strong>dia, but<br />
he relocated to London in 2005, where he<br />
began a four-year run at the Michelinstarred<br />
Benares in Mayfair. He’s recruited<br />
some of his former colleagues to join him<br />
in his new kitchen, which is offering up<br />
an imaginative selection of regional<br />
<strong>In</strong>dian dishes.<br />
<strong>The</strong> venue has received only a light<br />
makeover. <strong>The</strong> room is still split between<br />
a large bar area and dining area, which is<br />
further sub-divided thanks to some<br />
floor-to-ceiling, colourful voile curtains.<br />
One wall has been painted bright pink,<br />
and is adorned with <strong>In</strong>dian art prints.<br />
Thick candles sit in chunky silver<br />
candlelabra, casting flickering<br />
illumination over the black tables. Booths<br />
along one wall provide more intimate<br />
seating for groups or parties. <strong>The</strong> feeling<br />
is contemporary with a dash of the<br />
palatial.<br />
We began our meal with poppadam and<br />
homemade chutney (£2.50). <strong>The</strong> mini<br />
poppadam were coin-sized but plentiful.<br />
<strong>The</strong> mango chutney was good, although<br />
we thought the tomato chutney a little<br />
watery… it just tasted like mildly spiced<br />
chunks of tomato. Our helpful waitress<br />
recommended that we try six main dishes,<br />
as portions are designed to be shared.<br />
From the ‘Favourites’ menu we went for<br />
some excellent potato and ginger cakes<br />
with Punjabi chickpeas (£5) and crispfried<br />
chilli squid ‘Mirch Makeli’ with<br />
coriander dip (£6.50). This was good,<br />
although I found the batter strangely<br />
powdery in texture. One of the meal’s<br />
highlights was definitely the King Prawns<br />
‘Ajwain’, with red pepper and onion, and<br />
pomegranate raita (£10) – spicy, tandoorcooked<br />
King Prawns with a creamy and<br />
cool raita accompaniment. Also hitting<br />
the right note was the chicken tikka with<br />
mint chutney (£8).<br />
Another highlight was the beef ‘sukha’<br />
(£9.50) from the curry menu – flavoured<br />
with Goan spices, pepper and coconut. It<br />
looked like a blackened mess but tasted<br />
sublime. Also from the curry menu was<br />
vegetable dumplings ‘kota’ (£8.50), in a<br />
seductive and unexpectedly zingy<br />
caramelised onion sauce. Add to this some<br />
baked rice (£3.50) and south <strong>In</strong>dian flaky<br />
bread (£3), and we were more than sated.<br />
We held back on the rice to squeeze in a<br />
couple of desserts. I was a little<br />
disappointed with my rich carrot ‘fudge’,<br />
with pistachio and almond (£5), which<br />
was more like a spicy mashed carrot<br />
spring roll, but my companion’s exotic<br />
fresh fruits (£6.50) was the perfect end to<br />
the meal, served with a small jug of<br />
almond and saffron custard – a wonderful<br />
twist on an old favourite.<br />
Carom offers an imaginative and<br />
interesting menu, which will no doubt<br />
be tweaked over the coming months.<br />
Prices range from the good to the very<br />
good – those who don’t want to mix and<br />
match several dishes can opt for hefty<br />
basmati rice Biriyani – served under a<br />
pastry crust – available for just £10.<br />
Service was friendly and surroundings hip<br />
and buzzy – although the adjacent bar<br />
was quite noisy. Perhaps it’s not the best<br />
destination for an intimate tête-a-tête<br />
(unless you grab a booth), but perfect for<br />
the upcoming party season.<br />
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OUT IN THE CITY: ACCESS ALL AREAS<br />
DECEMBER 2<strong>01</strong>1<br />
A<br />
A<br />
SCENE HIGHLIGHTS<br />
OUR PICK OF THE BEST EVENTS IN TOWN...<br />
George Michael<br />
DECEMBER 2<strong>01</strong>1<br />
ACCESS<br />
ALL<br />
AREAS<br />
OUR GUIDE<br />
TO EVENTS<br />
IN AND<br />
AROUND<br />
TOWN<br />
LOGAN PRESENTS…<br />
GEORGE MICHAEL!<br />
Since hosting his first night on the London gay scene three years ago, promoter Logan has truly carved out a<br />
place at the top table of London scene promoters. He’s thrown some of the capital’s most memorable<br />
parties, rocking such venues as the Coronet in Elephant and Castle and Pulse in Southwark with the likes of<br />
SuperMartXé and Hype. Now he’s in the final stages of putting together his biggest party yet… starring very<br />
special guest George Michael! ‘Logan Presents – 3rd Anniversary’ will take place at Proud 2 (at <strong>The</strong> O2 is<br />
Greenwich) on Saturday 17 December. If you’ve never yet visited this venue, prepare yourself to enjoy one of<br />
London’s most state-of-the-art, purpose-built clubbing spaces. Hitting the main stage, direct from his<br />
Symphonic tour, will be George Michael, who will be performing an exclusive set of club-oriented, remixed<br />
hits – classic tracks re-worked specifically for the night. Doors will be open from 11pm till 7am, with £15<br />
early-bird advance tickets available online from www.LoganPresents.com<br />
WE LOVE DISCO!<br />
Promising to be one of December’s biggest parties<br />
is undoubtedly the first birthday mega-bash for WE<br />
London. <strong>The</strong> night is one of Spain’s biggest gay<br />
events, with a long-running residency in Madrid.<br />
Over the last 12 months the team have hosted eight<br />
parties here in the capital – each one proving bigger<br />
and better than its predecessor. Expect the birthday<br />
bash to be the most lavish yet! <strong>The</strong> theme will<br />
simply be ‘Disco’, and We Party residents D’Johnny<br />
and Gonzalo will be joined by the brilliant Paul<br />
Heron on the main floor. <strong>The</strong>re will also be a guest<br />
set from Madrid regular Manuel De Diego. <strong>The</strong><br />
upstairs lounge will be hosted by Jodie Harsh, and<br />
will feature DJs Kris Di Angelis and Fat Tony.<br />
Advance tickets cost £15 – www.wepartylondon.com<br />
DAMAGED DISCO<br />
<strong>The</strong> folk from DiscoDamaged will be hosting a very<br />
special event at the Royal Vauxhall Tavern on Friday<br />
25 November, ahead of this year’s World AIDS Day.<br />
<strong>The</strong>y’ve made a short documentary entitled <strong>The</strong><br />
Bareback Issue, which examines gay men’s attitudes<br />
towards safer sex. <strong>The</strong> evening will feature the UK<br />
premiere of the film, and will then be followed by a<br />
panel discussion with Suzie Krueger (Hard On),<br />
Ashley Ryder (porn actor), Matthew Hodson (GMFA)<br />
and campaigner Peter Tatchell. <strong>The</strong> debate will be<br />
chaired by Stewart Who? (pictured), and will be<br />
followed by a Damaged club night. Doors open at<br />
8pm, with the film screening of the documentary at<br />
9pm sharp. <strong>The</strong> discussion will take place at<br />
9.45pm. Admission is £4. www.discodamaged.com<br />
XMAS STARZ<br />
<strong>The</strong> annual Popstarz Xmas Ball will take place on<br />
Friday 16 December at the gang’s usual home, <strong>The</strong><br />
Den, and will feature three rooms of festive fun –<br />
with the ‘<strong>In</strong>die ice temple’, the ‘Pop Popsicle Room’<br />
and the ‘R’n’B Wrappin’ Room’! Expect a show on<br />
the main stage plus plenty of festive giveaways.<br />
<strong>The</strong>re will be happy hour drinks from 10pm till 11pm,<br />
plus £2.50 drinks deals all night. This will be your<br />
last chance to join the Popstarz crew until New<br />
Year’s Eve, as they will be taking a break on Friday<br />
23 December and Friday 30 December, with the next<br />
big bash planned for Saturday 31 December. <strong>The</strong>y’ll<br />
be ringing in the New Year with a special uniformthemed<br />
party, and advance tickets for that cost just<br />
£14 (more on the night). www.popstarz.org<br />
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OUT IN THE CITY: ACCESS ALL AREAS<br />
DECEMBER 2<strong>01</strong>1<br />
TRADE<br />
TRADE CELEBRATED<br />
ITS 21ST BIRTHDAY<br />
OVER HALLOWEEN<br />
WEEKEND<br />
Although it no longer has a weekly presence on<br />
the scene, Trade’s reputation ensures that it still<br />
has a massive following. So much so that its<br />
annual birthday party, wherever it may be held,<br />
is guaranteed to be rammed to the rafters.<br />
This year’s 21st birthday was no exception.<br />
Promoter Laurence Malice and his team took<br />
over huge new super club Pulse in Southwark<br />
for a Halloween weekend spectacular that was<br />
appropriately themed ‘A Journey To <strong>The</strong> Dark<br />
Side’. <strong>The</strong> Trade faithful came in their droves,<br />
many zombie-fied for the occasion and only too<br />
keen to do their own version of the monster<br />
mash on the dancefloor. DJs Smokin Jo, Nick<br />
Tcherniak, the Sharp Boys, Steve Thomas and<br />
Pagano spun the hard house sounds, alongside<br />
special Berlin guest Monkia Kruse and a special<br />
live show from the fabulous Stewart Who?. <strong>The</strong><br />
Trade Lite room, featuring a live PA from Tonnic<br />
and sounds from Fat Tony, amongst others,<br />
offered some respite from the day-glo madness<br />
of the main floor.<br />
“Trade showed that it’s still as fresh today as it’s<br />
ever been,” a happy Laurence said afterwards.<br />
Thanks to all you who helped, and a special<br />
mention must go out to our production team,<br />
who produced such an amazing stage show!”<br />
PHOTOS: CHRIS JEPSON/LONDONCLUBLAND.COM<br />
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OUT IN THE CITY: ACCESS ALL AREAS<br />
DECEMBER 2<strong>01</strong>1<br />
THE MEN<br />
WHO FELL 2<br />
EARTH<br />
Launched by the same team who used to run<br />
the much-missed Rebel Rebel, monthly night<br />
<strong>The</strong>MenWhoFell2Earth has quietly established<br />
itself quite a following down at Old Street’s East<br />
Bloc. <strong>The</strong> club is aimed at a party-lovin’ crowd of<br />
“dressed up and dressed down homo’s and notso’s”,<br />
who happily get down and groove to a<br />
mixture of electro, dancefloor pop, punk-funk<br />
and throbbing disco. <strong>The</strong> team celebrated their<br />
first birthday on 5 November, and the faithful<br />
turned out in their droves to enjoy the Bonfire<br />
Night fizz and sparkle. Following in the<br />
footsteps of special guests such as the Drop<br />
<strong>Out</strong> Orchestra, the party’s guest of honour was<br />
S’Express legend Mark Moore, who worked the<br />
basement disco dancefloor up into a frenzy. DJ<br />
duo Another Night took care of Room Two,<br />
offering plenty of tunes for those attending to<br />
burn off some calories to – particularly needed<br />
after enjoying some special ‘Bowie’-themed<br />
birthday cake (in honour of the club’s name).<br />
“Wowzer - our first birthday party was pretty<br />
much our best night yet,” said delighted<br />
promoter Tony Fletcher, afterwards. “Massive<br />
thanks to everyone that came down, ate<br />
birthday cake and danced to the super lovely Mr<br />
Mark Moore, who was just amazing!”<br />
www.themenwhofell2earth.co.uk<br />
PHOTOS: CHRIS JEPSON/LONDONCLUBLAND.COM<br />
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A<br />
OUT IN THE CITY: ACCESS ALL AREAS<br />
DECEMBER 2<strong>01</strong>1<br />
FOREIGN<br />
TONGUES<br />
RICHARD TONKS<br />
BRANDISHES HIS<br />
TONGUE LIKE A<br />
WEAPON…<br />
With the approach of Christmas, my mind is<br />
drawn to happy recollections of sunny<br />
California, where I recently spent a pre-winter<br />
boost, enjoying a generous West Coast slice of<br />
San Franciso and LA gay life.<br />
One of the things I have always enjoyed<br />
about US travel is that it is possible to curry<br />
favour by utilising your accent. For the record,<br />
mine was originally cut in Wolverhampton, but<br />
flattened for common London parlance. <strong>The</strong><br />
resultant combination of vowels and howls that<br />
come tumbling out are challenging to place.<br />
Nothing special on our damp little island, but<br />
prompting substantial impact over the pond.<br />
Now, I read on various internet polls, the<br />
British accent (like every other bloody Brit thing,<br />
it seems), is losing world currency in terms of its<br />
sexual appeal. While holidaying in the States, my<br />
choice of phrases and words among my varied<br />
Californian buddies remained a constant source<br />
of hilarity, but not in the way I had imagined.<br />
“You always sound like you’re taking the piss<br />
out of what we are saying,” they said. Or “Lighten<br />
up Richard – this is gonna be awesome.”<br />
I do like a sarcastic take on things, but this<br />
bunch of LA hipster-lites should have been pretty<br />
aware what was going on. My parlance was the<br />
classic brand of Brit reserve mixed with sarcasm,<br />
right?<br />
But “Lighten up”? Was I being ungrateful?<br />
<strong>The</strong>y had just given me a Cyndi Lauper ticket.<br />
I also felt terribly old-fashioned. <strong>The</strong>re is<br />
nothing worse than when you’re embarking on a<br />
bit of flirty banter with a gruff, handsome man<br />
from their southern States when you pop into the<br />
conversation ordering a gin and tonic and<br />
enquiring about the recent weather – because<br />
they may interpret it as disinterest, until you<br />
clarify that it is perfectly acceptable at home as<br />
an early conversation starter. Maybe this<br />
explains the super-prevelance of smartphone<br />
dating. Directness is the key. Old conversational<br />
codes go out the window.<br />
Back to California. It looked like any kind of<br />
holiday romance was definitely off the cards in<br />
LA. I found myself unable to build much rapport<br />
with people whose topic of conversation rarely<br />
delved below ‘slightly negative’. As gay Brit<br />
friends will know, I would happily bitch about<br />
other bar characters at home.<br />
Well, it seemed my luck changed when a<br />
“HE EVEN RECORDED ME<br />
AT THE BAR RANTING ABOUT<br />
EAST LONDON HIPSTER<br />
JUST TO HEAR THE WAY I<br />
‘DISSED’ THEM”<br />
champion Knight in Negative Armour came<br />
charging my way.<br />
“What a wanker,” he opened, before<br />
launching into an entertaining diatribe<br />
concerning my fellow American friends’ decision<br />
to spend a weekend at a trailer park in Austin,<br />
Texas. “Who would stay in a trailer anyway? Sure<br />
it’s kind of cool, but kind of makes you trash.”<br />
This is the sort of parlance I understand.<br />
Mocking, laced with self-knowing, and this even<br />
before he had been introduced to anyone.<br />
“I suppose you know we’re all like ‘gonna<br />
diiiiie’ over your accent then, Richard?”<br />
Hmm, ‘negative one’ turns his attention to<br />
me and I find myself getting excited at this little<br />
toxic pool in the sea of Californian positivity.<br />
“Yeah – these vowels are painful and I intend<br />
to maim, then kill,” I retort, summoning a<br />
stereotyped accent of my current west London<br />
self.<br />
I quickly realised that while my accent<br />
might be seen as alluring, this pesky American<br />
may have a faux-interest in it order to remain<br />
‘cool’. He even recorded me at the bar ranting<br />
about east London hipsters just to hear the way I<br />
‘dissed’ them. After that he asked to keep in<br />
touch.<br />
He’s from Michigan and kind-of Jewish,<br />
And that’s a fetish of mine that requires a<br />
whole other column…<br />
GETTING<br />
ON THE<br />
GUEST LIST<br />
Big changes are<br />
coming for Work –<br />
promoter Patrick<br />
Lilley’s much-loved<br />
midweek night of r’n’b,<br />
hip hop, house and<br />
other urban sounds.<br />
<strong>The</strong> night has moved<br />
home, having just taken<br />
up a new Wednesday<br />
residency at Area in<br />
Vauxhall. Ruling over<br />
‘<strong>The</strong> Show Room’ will<br />
be DJs Niyi Maximus<br />
Crown, Tuomo Fox and<br />
Kingsley Jordan Wells.<br />
Taking care of the<br />
funky house, bashment<br />
and hip hop in the<br />
Runway Room will be<br />
Marlon Goodaz and Big<br />
John Freeman.<br />
Admission is £6, or<br />
cheaper with a flyer/<br />
advert.<br />
<strong>The</strong> Club Mofo team<br />
return with their Winter<br />
party on Friday 2<br />
December. Taking place<br />
at Corsica Studios (4/5<br />
Elephant Road,<br />
Elephant and Castle,<br />
SE17), there will be<br />
noisy live action from<br />
Emika Patten, No Bra<br />
and oFF Love, while<br />
Hannah Holland, LMC<br />
and Mark East spin the<br />
indie, rock and electro<br />
punk tunes - joining<br />
resident hell-raisers<br />
<strong>The</strong> Daughters of Kaos.<br />
Doors 9pm till 4am,<br />
with admission just £4<br />
before 9.30pm, and<br />
then £7 after. For more<br />
details, check http://<br />
www.facebook.com/<br />
clubmofo<br />
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OUT IN THE CITY: ACCESS ALL AREAS<br />
DECEMBER 2<strong>01</strong>1<br />
A<br />
SALVATION<br />
THE MEGA CLUB<br />
CELEBRATED ITS 13TH<br />
BIRTHDAY LAST MONTH…<br />
PHOTOS: CHRIS JEPSON/LONDONCLUBLAND.COM<br />
<strong>The</strong>y say that everything comes full circle, and that was<br />
certainly true for the Salvation team, who decided to<br />
return to their original home to celebrate the night’s 13th<br />
anniversary! Salvation has been running pretty<br />
consistently during that time in a range of venues, but<br />
Leicester’s Square’s Café De Paris has always been the<br />
home of some of its more memorable parties, and so it<br />
was to prove, yet again, for their birthday bash. <strong>The</strong><br />
gorgeous venue, in all its velvet and gilt-edged glory,<br />
quickly filled up. Resident Salvation DJs Mis White, Olive<br />
M, Gonazlo Rivas, Paul Coles and Pier Morrocco kept the<br />
muscle boy brigade on the main dance floor bouncing,<br />
while Howard Turner took care of the VIP room. Visual<br />
entertainment was provided by Raul Gonazalez and his<br />
scantily-clad team of hunky dancers.<br />
<strong>The</strong>re was no word from promoter Steve Elliot confirming<br />
the next Salvation party, but we’d be surprised if there<br />
wasn’t a Christmas or New Year party in the pipeline –<br />
keep checking press for details.<br />
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A<br />
OUT IN THE CITY: ACCESS ALL AREAS<br />
DECEMBER 2<strong>01</strong>1<br />
HAVING A BALL<br />
MARK AMES GIVES US THE LOWDOWN ON THE<br />
WORLD AIDS DAY REMEMBRANCE BALL…<br />
<strong>The</strong> owner of Pulse and XXL has organised one<br />
of this year’s biggest World AIDS Day events.<br />
<strong>The</strong> ‘World AIDS Day Remembrance Ball’ will<br />
take place on Saturday 3 December at Pulse,<br />
the huge new super club in Southwark.<br />
Promoter Mark Ames tells us to expect “a huge,<br />
spectacular show”, with confirmed DJs<br />
including Freemasons and Cahill.<br />
“We’ve also got a Gaydar Room featuring top<br />
Gaydar DJs, and a super chill-out room for<br />
remembrance. We’re not being maudlin about<br />
this – we want to rejoice in people’s lives –<br />
those who are living and those we have lost.<br />
This is a disease that affects all of us directly or<br />
indirectly and we have to be united to face it<br />
and fight it.”<br />
Mark is committed to creating an event that<br />
raises awareness among the London gay<br />
community, to highlight the need for us all to<br />
educate and protect ourselves, and to<br />
remember those who have been lost to HIV and<br />
AIDS.<br />
“We would like people to send in a photograph<br />
of someone they have lost – so we can project<br />
an image of them on to one of the video walls in<br />
Pulse as we will have a Remembrance Room for<br />
this – it’s almost like the patchwork quilts that<br />
are done in the US – gone but not forgotten.”<br />
<strong>The</strong> night will also act as a fundraiser for<br />
organisations involved in helping those affected<br />
by HIV and fighting the spread of the virus.<br />
“We’re working with Status and Mildmay. We<br />
chose Status for its pro-active work in<br />
prevention of the AIDS virus – they are taking a<br />
very hands-on and sensible approach to it. And<br />
we chose the Mildmay due to its international<br />
drive on tackling the AIDS epidemic head on.”<br />
To avoid any confusion, Mark is keen to point<br />
out that this is not an XXL event, and that XXL<br />
will have its own event running on the same<br />
night.<br />
“We’re doing an XXL Fetish event at Arcadia –<br />
<strong>The</strong> Rubbed-Up Ball – which is men-only. <strong>The</strong><br />
Remembrance Ball is open to everyone in the<br />
LGBT and straight communities. It’s a party to<br />
support and raise much-needed charity funds<br />
for these groups.”<br />
World AIDS Day Remembrance Ball takes place<br />
on 3 December from 10pm till 6am at Pulse.<br />
XXL members £8, non-members £15. Pulse, 1-4<br />
<strong>In</strong>victa Plaza, Blackfriars Bridge, SE1.<br />
SHOW YOU CARE<br />
DUSTY O EXPLAINS TO OUT IN THE<br />
CITY THE CONCEPT BEHIND SOHO<br />
CARES, AND ITS FUNDRAISING<br />
CHRISTMAS CHARITY SINGLE,<br />
‘CHRISTMAS IN SOHO’…<br />
What is Soho Cares and how did the idea come about?<br />
Dusty O: Soho Cares is a group of artists, singers and performers who<br />
work in Soho, put together by Ben B of Boisounds and myself, and who<br />
have all come together to record an Xmas song and video called<br />
‘Christmas <strong>In</strong> Soho’ to help raise money and awareness for the Status HIVtesting<br />
organisation.<br />
Who’s involved?<br />
So many people have been kind and got involved. Ku Bar, Circa, Madame<br />
Jo Jo’s, the Yard Bar and <strong>The</strong> Edge all donated money, while Victims of<br />
Glamour Studios donated the space. Bambi Fantastic and loads of<br />
industry pros donated time and know-how, and the list of artists is<br />
amazing. It includes David Hoyle, Holestar, Nathan James, Mari Wilson,<br />
Zee Asha, Marc Massive, Jeyjon, <strong>The</strong> Trannyshack Girls, Lorenza Johnson,<br />
Vanilla Lush, Vicki Vivacious, Lucy Wilson, Rowan John, Michael Winaver,<br />
myself … you name it, they came, and we had some really big voices on it!<br />
Plus it has been remixed by some amazing scene DJ’s in a variety of<br />
different styles. I am so proud of the finished result.<br />
What has it been like be part of the project and to watch it take shape?<br />
Raising the money and coordinating it with Ben has been hard work! It<br />
sounded like a good idea but the logistics are huge. Now it is all done<br />
though, I am honoured to have helped it all happen. <strong>The</strong> song and video<br />
are fantastic and our donor bars have all agreed to play it on heavy<br />
rotation in their venues. It would be fantastic if people downloaded it and<br />
helped us raise a bit of money for Status, who are helping the gay<br />
community in a very direct fashion. This is a genuine coming together of<br />
Soho, which has always been the heart of our scene. Please folks, buy it!<br />
How can readers help or buy the single?<br />
It is available on iTunes, with a whole selection of remixes by some great<br />
DJ’s. <strong>The</strong> video is on YouTube and you can hear it in bars all over Soho.<br />
For more details, check the Facebook group page ‘SOHO CARES’<br />
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A<br />
OUT IN THE CITY: SCENE GUIDE<br />
DECEMBER 2<strong>01</strong>1<br />
GOING OUT<br />
SCENE GUIDE AND PARTY SUGGESTIONS...<br />
VENUES:<br />
CENTRAL<br />
LONDON<br />
79 CXR, 79 Charing Cross<br />
Road, WC2. 020 7734<br />
0769. Leicester Square<br />
tube. Mon-Sat 1pm-3am,<br />
Sun 1pm-10.30pm. <strong>Cover</strong><br />
charge after 11pm. Large,<br />
cruisy, bar – always busy<br />
after 10.30pm with those<br />
who don’t want to head<br />
home too early.<br />
ADMIRAL DUNCAN, 54<br />
Old Compton Street, W1.<br />
020 7437 5300. Leicester<br />
Square tube. Friendly,<br />
famous, traditional gay<br />
pub – look out for the<br />
purple and pink exterior!<br />
CANDY BAR, 4 Carlisle<br />
Street, W1. 020 7494<br />
4041. Tottenham Court<br />
Road tube. Mon-Thu 5-<br />
11.30pm. Fri & Sat 5pm-<br />
2am. Sun 5-11pm. Longrunning<br />
and famed lesbian<br />
bar.<br />
CIRCA, 62 Frith Street,<br />
Soho, W1D 3JN.<br />
Tottenham Court Road<br />
tube. Soho gay bar, offering<br />
pop and r’n’b tunes, drag<br />
hosts and cute bar staff.<br />
Open 4pm till 1am daily.<br />
www.circasoho.com<br />
COMPTONS, 52 Old<br />
Compton Street, W1. 020<br />
7479 7961. Leicester Square<br />
tube. Noon-11pm. A Soho<br />
institution. Large,<br />
traditional gay boozer on two<br />
floors, attracting a butch,<br />
manly crowd. www.<br />
comptons-of-soho.co.uk<br />
THE DUKE OF<br />
WELLINGTON, 77<br />
Wardour Street, W1. 020<br />
7439 1274. Piccadilly Circus<br />
FESTIVE SONGS OF PRAISE<br />
Following a successful launch party last month,<br />
Songs Of Praise will be returning to East Bloc on<br />
Old Street on Saturday 3 December. From some<br />
of the team behind the late Kimono Krush, Songs<br />
Of Praise will be returning with its “oh-so-holy<br />
blend of high-quality pop”. <strong>The</strong>y will be joined on<br />
this festive special by the East End’s “very own<br />
Dean of Disco”, Dave Kendrick (Macho <strong>City</strong>).<br />
He’ll take care of the smaller ‘Chapel’ while<br />
spinning the pop classics and future hits in the<br />
Altar Room will be the Sugarlow Boys, David Oh<br />
and Neil Prince. <strong>The</strong> club will be suitably decked<br />
out for the festive season.<br />
Doors will be open from 11pm till 4am on<br />
Saturday 3 December, with admission £5 before<br />
midnight (£7 after). East Bloc, 214-217 <strong>City</strong><br />
Road, Shoreditch, London, EC1V 1JN.<br />
tube. Mon-Thu noon-11pm,<br />
Fri & Sat noon-midnight, ‘til<br />
10.30pm on Sun. Traditional<br />
fun gay pub over two floors,<br />
attracting a cross-section<br />
from across the scene.<br />
THE EDGE, 11 Soho<br />
Square, W1. 020 7439<br />
1313. Tottenham Court<br />
Road tube. Noon-1am,<br />
Sun 2pm-11.30pm. Stylish,<br />
hip gay bar spread over<br />
four intimate floors, with<br />
regular nights from top<br />
DJs, regular piano bar and<br />
tasty food.<br />
ESCAPE, 10a Brewer<br />
Street, W1. 020 7734<br />
2626. Piccadilly Circus<br />
tube. 5pm-3am. <strong>Cover</strong><br />
charge after 11pm. Every<br />
night’s a party at this latenight<br />
video dance bar.<br />
FREEDOM, 66 Wardour<br />
Street, W1. 020 7734<br />
0071. Piccadilly Circus<br />
tube. Opulent style bar, with<br />
late-night club promotions<br />
for a mixed, metrosexual,<br />
trendy crowd.<br />
www.freedombarsoho.com<br />
FRIENDLY SOCIETY, 79<br />
Wardour Street, WC1.<br />
Piccadilly Circus tube.<br />
Trendy and unique, intimate<br />
basement bar with quirky<br />
décor and fun atmosphere –<br />
attracts a mixed crowd.<br />
G-A-Y BAR, 30 Old<br />
Compton Street, W1. 020<br />
7494 2756. Leicester Square<br />
tube. 12pm-12am. Huge,<br />
poptastic gay bar, with a<br />
multitude of video screens,<br />
pop tunes and drinks<br />
promotions. www.g-a-y.co.uk<br />
G-A-Y LATE, 5 Goslett<br />
Yard, off Charing Cross<br />
Road, WC2. Tottenham<br />
Court Road tube. 11pm-3am.<br />
Late-night sister venue to G-<br />
A-Y Bar – more video<br />
screens, camp pop fun and<br />
cheap drinks.Gets very busy<br />
KU AUCTION<br />
Now a World AIDS Day institution,<br />
the Ku Bar in Lisle Street will again<br />
be hosting its World AIDS Day<br />
auction on Thursday 1 December<br />
– as part of this year’s Soho Red<br />
Thursday. Now in its fourth year, the<br />
challenge this year is for the auction<br />
to beat last year’s whopping sum of<br />
£10,000 – a huge sum of money to<br />
be raised at one bar in one evening!<br />
How do they raise all that money? Well, once again they will be auctioning<br />
off dates with the bar’s beautiful bar boys! That may not sound very<br />
respectable, but trust us, it’s done in good taste for charity. Basically, after<br />
the auction, successful bidders get to accompany their chosen Ku Bar boy<br />
up to an exclusive reception in Ku’s first floor bar and to spend some time<br />
together. If you don’t fancy bidding for a bar boy, other auction prizes<br />
include a stay at the nearby W Hotel, a photoshoot with a professional<br />
photographer, theatre tickets, afternoon tea at Claridge’s hotel and tickets to<br />
see Steps in concert next year, amongst other goodies. <strong>The</strong> event will be<br />
hosted by Boogaloo Stu and surprise guests, and the fun kicks off at 8pm<br />
sharp.<br />
Following this, a week later (8 December), the Ku Bar will officially celebrate<br />
its 16th anniversary – check the website for further details at www.ku-bar.<br />
co.uk<br />
most nights of the week.<br />
THE GREEN CARNATION,<br />
4-5 Greek Street, Soho,<br />
W1. 020-7434 3323.<br />
Stylish, three-floored late<br />
night gay venue, with bar,<br />
dancefloor and nightly<br />
promotions. Attracts a very<br />
mixed crowd. www.<br />
greencarnationsoho.co.uk<br />
HALFWAY TO HEAVEN, 7<br />
Duncannon Street, WC2.<br />
020 7321 2791. Charing<br />
Cross tube. Mon-Thu noon-<br />
11pm, Fri & Sat 12pm-<br />
12am. Old-style gay pub<br />
spread over two floors.<br />
HEAVEN, <strong>The</strong> Arches,<br />
Villiers Street, WC2.<br />
Charing Cross Road tube.<br />
Huge, world-famous gay<br />
club, which is now home to<br />
G-A-Y, along with mixed/<br />
studenty Monday nighter<br />
Popcorn. Check www.g-ay.co.uk<br />
for details<br />
THE KINGS ARMS, 23<br />
Poland Street, W1. 020<br />
7734 5907. Oxford Circus<br />
tube. Mon-Thur 12pm–<br />
11pm, Fri-Sat 12pm-12am,<br />
Sun 12pm-11.30pm.<br />
London’s bar for bears and<br />
blokes. Traditional<br />
atmosphere plus pool<br />
table. Sunday night<br />
karaoke very popular.<br />
KU BAR, 30 Lisle Street,<br />
Leicester Square, WC2.<br />
020 7437 4303. Leicester<br />
Square tube. Large, awardwinning,<br />
upmarket gay bar<br />
spread over three floors,<br />
open till 3am daily; always<br />
busy throughout the week.<br />
www.ku-bar.co.uk<br />
KU BAR SOHO, 25 Frith<br />
Street, W1. Leicester<br />
Square tube. New, smaller<br />
sister venue to Lisle Street<br />
Ku Bar, with entrances on<br />
Old Compton Street and<br />
Frith Street - open till 11pm<br />
daily. <strong>The</strong> first floor houses<br />
a Gay Tourist Office from<br />
noon-6pm each day (www.<br />
gaytouristoffice.co.uk).<br />
www.ku-bar.co.uk<br />
LO-PROFILE, <strong>The</strong><br />
Basement, 84-85 Wardour<br />
Street, W1. Swanky,<br />
sophisticated, 400-<br />
capacity late-night<br />
basement bar and club<br />
space – from the people<br />
that bring you gaydar.co.<br />
uk. Open 11pm-3am<br />
Thursdays, and 10pm-4am<br />
on Fridays and Saturdays.<br />
www.loprofile.com<br />
MADAME JO JO’S, 8-10<br />
Brewer Street, W1. Longrunning,<br />
late night gig<br />
venue, nightclub and<br />
cabaret bar - open to very<br />
mixed crowd. Home to<br />
popular Wednesday<br />
nighter Trannyshack. www.<br />
madamejojos.com.<br />
MOLLY MOGG’S, 2 Old<br />
Compton Street, W1. 020<br />
7434 4294. Tottenham<br />
Court Road tube. Small,<br />
intimate little gay pub, with<br />
regular drag shows<br />
attracting a mixed crowd<br />
of theatre folk and tourists.<br />
NEW BLOOMSBURY SET,<br />
76 Marchmont Street,<br />
40 WWW.OUTMAG.CO.UK
OUT IN THE CITY: SCENE GUIDE<br />
DECEMBER 2<strong>01</strong>1<br />
A<br />
WC1. 020 7383 3084.<br />
New, intimate basement<br />
bar/lounge, beneath<br />
Snappy Snaps on<br />
Marchmont Street -<br />
between Russell Square<br />
and King’s Cross tubes.<br />
Open 4-11pm Mon-Sat (2-<br />
10.30pm Sunday). www.<br />
newbloomsburyset.co.uk.<br />
PROFILE, 84-84 Wardour<br />
Street, W1. 020 734 3444.<br />
Piccadilly Circus tube.<br />
Upstairs bar above Lo-<br />
Profile, owned and run by<br />
the team behind Gaydar.<br />
Stylish gay bar/diner, open<br />
for food and drink from<br />
early morning through till<br />
11pm – when the action<br />
moves downstairs. www.<br />
profilesoho.com<br />
THE QUEBEC, 12 Old<br />
Quebec Street, WC1. 020-<br />
7629 6159. Marble Arch<br />
tube. Long-running and<br />
huge pub, on two floors,<br />
attracting an older crowd.<br />
Open till 3am at weekends.<br />
Off the beaten Soho track<br />
but worth checking out.<br />
www.thequebec.co.uk<br />
THE QUEEN’S HEAD, 25<br />
Tryon Street, SW3. 020-<br />
7589 0262. Sloane Square<br />
tube. Popular, very longrunning,<br />
cosy gay pub – a<br />
Chelsea institution.<br />
RETRO BAR, 2 George<br />
Court, WC2. 020 7321<br />
2811. Charing Cross tube.<br />
Mon-Fri noon-11. Sat 5pm-<br />
11pm, Sun 5pm-11pm. A<br />
traditional boozer for the<br />
gay scene’s indie,<br />
alternative and studenttypes<br />
– Tuesday’s pop quiz<br />
is an institution.<br />
RUPERT STREET, 50<br />
Rupert Street, W1. 020<br />
7292 7141. Piccadilly<br />
Circus tube. 12-11pm, Sun<br />
10.30pm. Large, designerstyle<br />
bar, popular with<br />
professional gay boyz and<br />
post-work drinkers.<br />
SHADOW LOUNGE, 5<br />
Brewer Street, W1. 020-<br />
7287 7988. Piccadilly<br />
tube. Exclusive, gorgeous,<br />
late-night bar and club for<br />
A-list gays and celebspotters.<br />
Open from late<br />
each evening.<br />
www.theshadowlounge.<br />
com<br />
THE STAR AT NIGHT, 22<br />
Great Chapel Street, W1.<br />
Tottenham Court Road<br />
tube. Relaxed, mixed gay/<br />
lesbian bar – in traditional,<br />
bistro-type surroundings.<br />
Great food menu and<br />
cocktails. Open 6-11.30pm<br />
Tue-Sat. www.<br />
thestaratnight.com<br />
SWEATBOX, 1-2 Ramillies<br />
Street, Soho, W1. 020-<br />
3214 6<strong>01</strong>4. Exclusively gay<br />
gym (ground floor) and<br />
sauna (basement levels),<br />
with occasional late-night<br />
parties. Friendly and fun.<br />
Open Sun-Thurs noon-<br />
2am, and till 7am Friday<br />
and Saturday. www.<br />
sweatboxsoho.com.<br />
VAULT 139, 139 Whitfield<br />
Street, W1. 020-7388<br />
5500. Central, daytime<br />
and evening intimate<br />
cruise club, for a men-only<br />
crowd. Open 1pm-1am<br />
seven days a week. www.<br />
vault139.com<br />
VILLAGE, 81 Wardour<br />
Street, W1. 020 7434 2124.<br />
Piccadilly Circus tube. 12-<br />
1am, Sun 11.30pm. Late<br />
night door charge. Soho’s<br />
original gay café bar,<br />
spread over four floors,<br />
and now with basement<br />
dancefloor and discos.<br />
Popular with a youngish<br />
crowd of boys and girls.<br />
THE YARD, 57 Rupert<br />
Street, W1. 020 7437<br />
2652. Piccadilly Circus<br />
tube. Mon-Thur 4pm-11pm,<br />
Fri & Sat 1pm-11pm, Sun<br />
1pm-10.30pm. Busy gay<br />
bar with hugely popular<br />
courtyard area, outdoor<br />
balcony and cosy loft bar.<br />
SAUNAS<br />
CHARIOTS WATERLOO, 1<strong>01</strong><br />
Lower Marsh, Waterloo, SE1.<br />
020 74<strong>01</strong> 8484. Waterloo<br />
tube. Well-presented, popular<br />
sauna, open 24/7. www.<br />
gaysauna.co.uk<br />
PLEASUREDROME, 124<br />
Cornwall Road, Waterloo,<br />
SE1. Waterloo tube. Big<br />
venue with lots of different<br />
areas – open 24 hours,<br />
365 days of year. www.<br />
pleasuredrome.com<br />
SAUNABAR PORTSEA, 2<br />
Portsea Place, Marble<br />
Arch, W2. 020 7402 3385.<br />
Marble Arch tube. Small<br />
and friendly gay sauna<br />
with masseurs. www.<br />
gaysaunabar.com<br />
SAUNABAR COVENT<br />
GARDEN, 29 Endell Street,<br />
Covent Garden, WC2. 020<br />
7836 2236. Covent<br />
Garden tube. Basement<br />
sauna with pool, sauna<br />
and rest rooms. Check<br />
website for discount entry.<br />
www.thesaunabar.co.uk<br />
SWEATBOX SOHO,<br />
Ramillies House, 1-2<br />
Ramillies Street, Soho, W1.<br />
020 3214 6<strong>01</strong>4. Oxford<br />
Circus tube. Gay-owned<br />
and run gym and large<br />
basement sauna area.<br />
www.sweatboxsoho.com<br />
NORTH<br />
LONDON<br />
THE BLACK CAP, 171<br />
Camden High Street, NW1.<br />
020 7485 0538. Camden<br />
Town tube. Shufflewick<br />
Bar: Mon-Thu Noon-1am,<br />
Fri-Sat 12noon-2am, Sun<br />
Noon-10.30pm. Club: Mon-<br />
Thu 10pm-2am, Fri-Sat<br />
10pm-3am, Sun 10pm-<br />
1am. Long-running, famed<br />
gay pub – probably the<br />
most famous cabaret pub<br />
in London. www.<br />
theblackcap.com<br />
CENTRAL STATION, 37<br />
Wharfdale Road, N1. Tel:<br />
020 7278 3294. Kings<br />
Cross tube. Big, lateopening<br />
gay bar on three<br />
floors, with ground floor<br />
cabaret and infamously<br />
cruisy cruise nights in<br />
basement. Upstairs B&B<br />
accommodation. www.<br />
centralstation.co.uk<br />
CLUB KALI, <strong>The</strong> Dome, 1<br />
Dartmouth Park Hill,<br />
Tufnell Park, N19. World’s<br />
biggest lesbian and gay<br />
D.E. Experience<br />
ROYAL DECEMEBER<br />
<strong>The</strong> Royal Vauxhall Tavern offers a full roster of entertainment every month<br />
of the year, but it goes crazy in December, with the annual RVT Pantomime<br />
being just one of the delights on offer! <strong>The</strong> panto has become a must-see<br />
institution over recent years and always draws a big crowd. This year’s adult<br />
production will be ‘Robyn Hood’, and will star Jonny Woo, Holestar, Myra<br />
Dubois, Timberlina, Miss Annabel Sings and the voice of Scottee. You can<br />
catch an early preview on Wednesday 7 December, plus further shows on 28<br />
December (doors 7pm), and then two performances each night on 29 and 30<br />
December (show at 7.30pm and 10.30pm). Tickets cost £8.50 online or £9.99<br />
on the door (limited early bird tickets online £6.50 for 28-30 December).<br />
Other festive events this month include ‘Baubles, Bangles and Biddie!’ on<br />
Wednesday 14 December, with James ‘Biddie’ Biddlecombe hosting a<br />
seasonal smörgåsbord of festive free-range frivolity, accompanied with<br />
musical backing by Chris Marshall. Doors are at 7pm, and entry costs £8.50.<br />
This will be followed on Wednesday 21 December by the return of the<br />
monthly, popular avant garde life drawing class with Dr Sketchy. Bizarre<br />
circus acts and hunks of man flesh provide the cabaret, while the audience is<br />
given paper and pencils to come up with the art! Tickets £10 in advance or<br />
£15 on the door.<br />
Continuing its Thursday night run, up to and including 22 December, is David<br />
Hoyle’s Winter Warmer. <strong>The</strong> cabaret legend will take to the stage each week<br />
for a topical chinwag and avant garde lecture, and he’ll be joined each week<br />
by some special guests. <strong>The</strong>se will include Dublin-based ‘self-made manmade<br />
woman’ Veda, and author Jonathan Kemp (1 Dec), Al Pillay and poet<br />
Rachel Pantechnicon (8 Dec), Gerry Potter, Helen Noir and Darrell Berry (15<br />
Dec), contemporary circus performer Chrisalys and “Professional dirtbag<br />
and slut” Ashley Ryder (22 Dec).<br />
Other attractions at the venue include Monday’s gay bingo session with<br />
Timberlina and Hey Baylen (excluding 26 December), and Tuesday’s Bar<br />
Wotever (excluding 27 December), a performance free-for-all and laidback<br />
midweek session for girls, boys, trans-folk and glorious wotevers.<br />
Fridays in December offer up new club night Rooster (2 Dec), with the<br />
ComeAndTurn DJ collective and performers Timberlina and JonJo. Premier<br />
pop party ‘Push <strong>The</strong> Button’ returns on Friday 9 December, followed by<br />
another special Bar Wotever party on Friday 23 December, with free<br />
admission all night.<br />
Weekend institutions include Duckie every Saturday (excluding 24 and 31<br />
December), and the long-running S.L.A.G.S/CHILL-OUT every Sunday, with<br />
DJs Simon Le Vans, Andy Almighty and Sean Sirrs spinning the commercial<br />
house and big dance anthems. <strong>The</strong> D.E Experience offers up the 5.30pm<br />
cabaret. Bear in mind that the venue will be closed on Sunday 25 December,<br />
but there will be a special S.L.A.G/S/Chill-out on Boxing Day 26 December<br />
(2pm-2am), Tuesday 27 December (2pm-midnight), and another to see in the<br />
New Year on 31 December (the Chill-<strong>Out</strong> Pink Ball with D.E Experience on<br />
stage at 10pm). Doors for NYE will be 8pm till 5am, with early-bird tickets<br />
£15, then £20 (more on door).<br />
WWW.OUTMAG.CO.UK 41
A<br />
OUT IN THE CITY: SCENE GUIDE<br />
DECEMBER 2<strong>01</strong>1<br />
gay pub, with long history<br />
of hosting cabaret. Packed<br />
to rafters on Saturday<br />
(Duckie) and Sunday<br />
(S.L.A.G.S/Chill-<strong>Out</strong>).<br />
Check www.rvt.org.uk or<br />
the facebook group RV<br />
Taverners for information.<br />
THE STAG, 15 Bressenden<br />
Place, SW1. 020 7828<br />
7287. Victoria tube. Mon &<br />
Tue midday-midnight,<br />
Wed-Fri midday-2am, Sat<br />
5pm-2am, Sun 4pmmidnight.<br />
Dark and<br />
atmospheric gay bar in<br />
Victoria, occasional<br />
cabaret,DJs at weekends,<br />
upstairs theatre space.<br />
www.abovethestag.com<br />
Southern Asian music<br />
night, running every third<br />
Friday of the month.<br />
Always busy and rather<br />
unique. www.clubkali.com<br />
EGG, 200 York Way,<br />
King’s Cross, N7. 020<br />
7609 8364. King’s Cross<br />
tube. Bespoke club space<br />
on three floors, hosting<br />
occasional gay club nights<br />
and after-hours sessions.<br />
www.egglondon.net<br />
THE GREEN, 74 Upper<br />
Street, N1. 020-7226<br />
8895. Angel tube.<br />
London’s first ‘gay gaystropub!’<br />
Stylish, Islington<br />
bar, serving full food menu<br />
and wide range of<br />
cocktails. Mixed, chilled<br />
crowd.<br />
KW4, 77 Hampstead High<br />
Street, NW3. 020-7435<br />
5747. Large, cosy,<br />
traditional old gay pub,<br />
with regular<br />
entertainment, beer<br />
garden and food. One of<br />
London’s longest-running<br />
gay establishments. www.<br />
kw4.co.uk<br />
THE LOAD OF HAY, 207<br />
Pinner Road, Watford,<br />
<strong>01</strong>923-441113. Watford’s<br />
only gay pub, with big<br />
beer garden and regular<br />
entertainment. www.<br />
loadofhay.co.uk<br />
THE OAK BAR, 79 Green<br />
Lanes, N16. 020-7354<br />
2791. Manor House tube.<br />
Friendly, diverse gay bar<br />
with late-night club<br />
promotions (open ‘til 3am<br />
at weekends). Very popular<br />
with lesbians and male<br />
friends. www.oakbar.com<br />
SOUTH<br />
LONDON<br />
AREA, 67-68 Albert<br />
Embankment, SE1.<br />
Gorgeously-designed,<br />
hard dance club and<br />
cabaret rooms, with<br />
eclectic roster of different<br />
gay nights and one-off<br />
promotions, including<br />
Friday nighter Onyx and<br />
new Sunday nighter<br />
Booster, amongst others.<br />
www.areaclub.info<br />
BARCODE VAUXHALL,<br />
Arch 69, Albert<br />
Embankment, SE11. 0207<br />
734 3342. Vauxhall tube.<br />
Open 7 days a week. Mon-<br />
Thu 4pm-1am, Fri-Sun<br />
4pm-4am. Very popular<br />
club bar, with dancefloor<br />
and mezzanine chill-out<br />
space - gets busy at<br />
weekends.<br />
CLUB COLOSSEUM, 1<br />
Nine Elms Lane, Vauxhall,<br />
SW8. Huge, late-night<br />
venue for after-hours<br />
crowd – hosting various<br />
monthly promotions such<br />
as Bootylicious (www.<br />
bootylicious-club.co.uk).<br />
THE EAGLE, 349<br />
Kennington Lane, SE11.<br />
020 7793 0903. Mon, Tue,<br />
Wed, Thu, Fri, Sat 9pmlate,<br />
Tue 9pm-2am, Sun<br />
9pm-late. Vauxhall tube.<br />
Large, club-bar with<br />
nightly promotions.<br />
Tonker (Fridays) and<br />
Horse Meat Disco<br />
(Sundays) are particularly<br />
popular. www.<br />
eaglelondon.com<br />
FACTORY, 65 Goding<br />
Street, SE11. Stylish,<br />
railway arch Vauxhall<br />
venue, hosting occasional<br />
dance and cruise nights,<br />
such as the infamous<br />
Hard On (www.<br />
hardonclub.co.uk).<br />
FIRE, South Lambeth<br />
Road, Vauxhall, SW8.<br />
Vauxhall tube. <strong>In</strong>famous,<br />
late-night gay venue<br />
beneath the Vauxhall<br />
railway arches, host to the<br />
likes of Orange, A:M, Later<br />
and Juicy. Open around<br />
the clock at weekends.<br />
www.fireclub.co.uk or<br />
www.myspace.com/<br />
firelondon or www.<br />
clubtickets.com<br />
THE GEORGE &<br />
DRAGON, 2<br />
BlackheathHill, Greenwich,<br />
SE10. 020 8691 3764.<br />
Deptford Bridge DLR. Mon-<br />
Thu 4pm-1am, Fri & Sat<br />
4pm-4am, Sun 4pm-2am.<br />
Late-night pub with nightly<br />
entertainment and cabaret.<br />
www.gandd.org.uk<br />
THE HOIST, Arch 47c,<br />
South Lambeth Road,<br />
SW8. 020 7735 9972.<br />
10pm-late. Door charge<br />
and strict dress code. One<br />
of London’s most famous<br />
dress-code and cruise<br />
clubs - busy with a menonly<br />
crowd. Open Friday-<br />
Sunday and occasional<br />
Thursdays (SM Gays every<br />
third Thursday of the<br />
month - www.smgays.<br />
org). www.thehoist.co.uk<br />
JACKIE’S JUKEBOX,<br />
Rivoli Ballroom, 350<br />
Brockley Road, SE4. First<br />
Saturday of the month,<br />
7pm-midnight (£7). Gay<br />
ballroom and Latin<br />
dancing night, attracting<br />
up to 300 dancers a<br />
month to the glam 1950sstyle<br />
Rivoli Ballroom.<br />
Crofton Park BR. www.<br />
therivoli.co.uk<br />
KAZBAR, 50 Clapham<br />
High Street, SW4. 020<br />
7622 0070. Clapham<br />
North tube. Mon-Thu<br />
4pm-midnight, Fri 4pm-<br />
1am, Sat noon-1am, Sun<br />
noon-midnight. Clapham<br />
video bar, popular<br />
throughout the week, with<br />
DJs at weekends.<br />
LITTLE APPLE, 98<br />
Kennington Lane, SE11.<br />
020 7735 2039.<br />
Kennnigton tube. Open 7<br />
days a week. Small,<br />
traditional gay boozer for<br />
local gay boys and girls -<br />
open till 1.30am Fri-Sat.<br />
PARIS GYM, 73 Goding<br />
Street, Vauxhall, SE11.<br />
020 7735 8989. Vauxhall<br />
tube. Huge, well-equipped<br />
men-only gym with large,<br />
devoted following. Regular<br />
classes. Tourists welcome.<br />
Check website for entry<br />
details and membership.<br />
www.parisgym.com<br />
PULSE, 1-4 <strong>In</strong>victa Plaza<br />
(corner of Blackfriars<br />
Road and Southwark<br />
Street), SE1. Southwark<br />
tube. State-of-the-art,<br />
5,000-capacity megaclub,<br />
hosting occasional gay<br />
parties/one-off events.<br />
www.pulse-club.info<br />
ROYAL VAUXHALL<br />
TAVERN, 372 Kennington<br />
Lane, SE11. 020 7840<br />
0596. Vauxhall tube.<br />
Opening times vary. Huge,<br />
traditional and historic<br />
286, 286 Lewisham High<br />
Street, SE14. 020-8690<br />
7648. Large, late-opening<br />
gay venue, with regular<br />
entertainment, DJs and<br />
cabaret. Open till 2am<br />
Sun-Thur and 4am Fri-Sat.<br />
www.two8six.co.uk<br />
THE TRAFALGAR ARMS,<br />
148 Tooting High Street,<br />
SW17. 020-8767 6059. A<br />
spacious, lively, attitudefree,<br />
gay-friendy pub.<br />
Excellent food served all<br />
day. Weekly DJs on Friday<br />
and Saturday nights.<br />
Karaoke on Wednesdays.<br />
THE TWO BREWERS, 114<br />
Clapham High Street,<br />
SW4. 020 7819 9539.<br />
Clapham Common tube.<br />
Mon-Thu 5pm-2am, Fri &<br />
Sat 5pm-4am. South<br />
London’s most famed gay<br />
cabaret venue. Large bar<br />
and separate dancefloor<br />
room. www.the2brewers.<br />
com<br />
UNION, 66 Albert<br />
Embankment, SE1. 020-<br />
7793 9262. Cruisy dance<br />
club which hosts regular<br />
promotions. Plays areas<br />
and hot go-go’s. www.<br />
clubunion.co.uk and<br />
www.ma1.co.uk<br />
XXL, Arcadia, 51-53<br />
Southwark Street, SE1.<br />
London Bridge tube. Huge<br />
world-famous club for<br />
bears, big men and<br />
admirers, on Sat and<br />
Wed. Pulls in 1,000+<br />
42 WWW.OUTMAG.CO.UK
OUT IN THE CITY: SCENE GUIDE<br />
DECEMBER 2<strong>01</strong>1<br />
A<br />
TAKE THE G-A-Y TEST!<br />
Jeremy Joseph,<br />
promoter of G-A-Y, is<br />
well known for his<br />
fundraising efforts,<br />
having raised many<br />
thousands of pounds for<br />
the Elton John AIDS<br />
Foundation over the<br />
past few years – even<br />
running the London<br />
marathon two years on<br />
the trot! HIV awareness<br />
is something that he<br />
feels passionately<br />
about, and to coincide<br />
with this year’s World<br />
AIDS Day he’s<br />
organising his most<br />
ambitious project yet. <strong>In</strong><br />
conjunction with<br />
trailblazing Soho sexual<br />
health clinic 56 Dean<br />
Street, he’s hoping to<br />
enter the Guinness Book<br />
of World Records – for the most HIV tests to be carried out in an<br />
eight-hour period!<br />
Why should you take part? Well, first and foremost, everyone should be<br />
aware of their HIV status. Should you be HIV positive, the sooner you know<br />
about it, the better your chances of receiving effective treatment before<br />
you ever fall ill. Even if you have tested negative, you should get yourself<br />
tested again, at least on an annual basis. And if you’ve tested negatively<br />
only recently… well, for everyone who signs up to be tested – even if they<br />
don’t reckon they need a test –<br />
G-A-Y will donate £5 to the Elton John AIDS Foundation. So, if they get 500<br />
people tested, that will be a £2,500 donation – or £5,000 if they can get<br />
1,000 people tested!<br />
56 Dean Street staff will be providing discreet testing and support services<br />
at one of the nine HIV testing stations throughout the G-A-Y bar on Old<br />
Compton Street.<br />
Dr Alan McOwan, Lead Consultant at 56 Dean Street (part of Chelsea and<br />
Westminster Hospital NHS Foundation Trust), said, “We will be using the<br />
world’s fastest HIV antibody test, which provides a result in just 60<br />
seconds. One in 20 gay men in London has undiagnosed HIV and<br />
two-thirds of undiagnosed men think that they are negative. 56 Dean<br />
Street is now diagnosing one in five of all new HIV diagnosis in gay men in<br />
London. Testing early for HIV can add 16 years to someone’s life.”<br />
<strong>In</strong> order to set the record within the time frame, G-A-Y is encouraging<br />
everyone to pre-complete the registration form that will be printed in Boyz<br />
magazine or can be picked up at G-A-Y. Registration forms will also be<br />
available on the evening (Thursday 1 December).<br />
<strong>The</strong> mass testing takes place at G-A-Y Bar on Thursday 1 December from<br />
2-10pm on Thursday 1 December.<br />
customers each Saturday<br />
with uplifting dance<br />
anthems and occasional<br />
guest DJs. www.xxllondon.com<br />
SAUNAS<br />
CHARIOTS STREATHAM,<br />
292 Streatham High<br />
Road, SW16. 020 8696<br />
0929. Streatham station.<br />
Large sauna, with weekly<br />
theme nights (bears, men<br />
of colour, etc). www.<br />
gaysauna.co.uk<br />
CHARIOTS VAUXHALL,<br />
63-64 Albert<br />
Embankment, Vauxhall,<br />
SE1. 020 7247 5333.<br />
Vauxhall tube. Large,<br />
modern sauna in<br />
converted railway arch.<br />
www.gaysauna.co.uk<br />
THE LOCKER ROOM, 8<br />
Cleaver Street,<br />
Kennington, SE11. 020<br />
7735 6064. Kennington<br />
tube. Long-running,<br />
intimate gay-owned and<br />
run sauna. www.thelockerroom.co.uk<br />
STEAMWORKS, 309 New<br />
Cross Road, New Cross,<br />
SE14. 020 8694 0606.<br />
New Cross/New Cross<br />
Gate station. Small, longrunning<br />
establishment.<br />
www.steamworkslondon.<br />
co.uk<br />
EAST<br />
LONDON<br />
THE ANGEL, 21 Church<br />
Street, E15. Tel: 020 8555<br />
1148. Stratford BR and<br />
tube. Big gay pub, always<br />
popular at weekends, with<br />
regular cabaret, DJs and<br />
disco nights. New night<br />
Hidden <strong>In</strong>Da Hood held<br />
each Tuesday (8pm till<br />
late - offering r’n’b,<br />
bashment, Soca and<br />
funk).<br />
THE BACKSTREET,<br />
Wentworth Mews, off<br />
Burdett Road, E3. 020-<br />
8980 8557. Over 25 years<br />
old – small but legendary<br />
East End dress code<br />
leather club, open Thur-<br />
Sun. Very strict rubber<br />
and leather dresscode,<br />
ensuring a wide and loyal<br />
following. www.<br />
thebackstreet.com<br />
BISTROTHEQUE, 23-27<br />
Wadeson St, E2. Tel: 020<br />
8983 7900. Bethnal<br />
Green tube. Very mixed,<br />
gay/straight crowd of<br />
trendy metrosexuals.<br />
Great bar, restaurant, plus<br />
separate cabaret room.<br />
www.bistrotheque.com<br />
DALSTON SUPERSTORE,<br />
117 Kingsland High Street,<br />
E8. 020 7254 2273.<br />
Highbury & Islington tube.<br />
New, two-floor mixed<br />
gay-straight venue - café<br />
by day and fashionable<br />
performance space and<br />
club promotions at night.<br />
Open from breakfast until<br />
2am every day.<br />
GAY LICK, Club Lick, 58<br />
Hoe Street, E17.<br />
Walthamstow tube.<br />
Twice-monthly gay<br />
promotion at a cruisy club<br />
space. Every first and<br />
third Friday from<br />
9pm-4am. Entry £4<br />
before midnight and £7<br />
after. www.gaylicke17.co.uk<br />
THE JOINERS ARMS, 116<br />
Hackney Road, E2. Tel:<br />
020 7739 9854.<br />
Debauched decadence<br />
– old-skool boozer<br />
popular with post-club<br />
crowd at weekends. Gets<br />
busy later in the evenings.<br />
KINGS HEAD, 11 Church<br />
Street, E15. Tel: 020 8534<br />
<strong>01</strong>97 Stratford BR and<br />
tube. <strong>In</strong>timate and<br />
welcoming East End gay<br />
pub – regular cabaret.<br />
Open till late throughout<br />
the week.<br />
THE OLD SHIP, 17 Barnes<br />
Street, E14. Tel: 020 7790<br />
4082. Limehouse DLR.<br />
Small, local, traditional<br />
gay pub, with regular<br />
cabaret - five minutes’<br />
walk from BJ’s White<br />
Swan (see below).<br />
VOGUE FABRICS, 66<br />
Stoke Newington Road,<br />
N16. New, underground<br />
and arty hangout for the<br />
Dalston set. Mixed crowd<br />
but regular gay events.<br />
BJ’S WHITE SWAN, 556<br />
Commercial Road, E1. Tel:<br />
020 7780 9870.<br />
Limehouse DLR. A large,<br />
legendary, long-running<br />
gay pub and club, open<br />
throughout the week.<br />
Wednesday’s Amateur<br />
Strip is an institution.<br />
www.bjswhiteswan.com<br />
SAUNAS<br />
CHARIOTS LIMEHOUSE,<br />
574 Commercial Road,<br />
E14. 020 7791 2808.<br />
Limehouse rail station.<br />
Multi-level, wellestablished<br />
sauna.<br />
<strong>The</strong>med parties such as<br />
‘Big and chunky’ each<br />
Monday evening, amongst<br />
others. www.gaysauna.<br />
co.uk<br />
CHARIOTS SHOREDITCH,<br />
1 Fairchild Street,<br />
Shoreditch, EC2. 020<br />
7247 5333. Liverpool<br />
Street station. Biggest gay<br />
sauna in UK, with a maze<br />
of rest rooms. Very<br />
popular (particularly at<br />
weekends). www.<br />
gaysauna.co.uk<br />
E15 CLUB, 6 Leytonstone<br />
Road, Stratford, E15. 020<br />
8555 5455. Stratford<br />
tube. Deceptively large<br />
sauna behind a discreet<br />
facade. www.londonnoise.<br />
com/e15<br />
WEST<br />
LONDON<br />
THE HOPE & ANCHOR,<br />
20 Macbeth Street,<br />
Hammersmith, W6. (020<br />
8748 1873). Gay pub for<br />
Hammersmith and<br />
Chiswick. Traditional<br />
boozer with nightly<br />
entertainment – open<br />
noon-11pm throughout<br />
week, with popular<br />
karaoke at weekends.<br />
THE RICHMOND ARMS,<br />
20 <strong>The</strong> Square, off<br />
Princes Street, Richmond.<br />
020-8940 2118.<br />
Long-running, traditional<br />
gay pub, with regular<br />
cabaret and<br />
entertainment. One of gay<br />
London’s better locals.<br />
TED’S PLACE, 305a<br />
North End Road, West<br />
Brompton, W14. 0207<br />
385 9359. Earls Court or<br />
West Brompton tube.<br />
Mon-Fri from 7pm-late,<br />
closed Sat & Sun. Small,<br />
West London cruise club.<br />
Dark and sleazy. www.<br />
tedsplaceuk.co.uk<br />
WEST 5, Popes Lane,<br />
South Ealing, W5.<br />
020-8579 3266. Large,<br />
popular gay pub with<br />
Piano Room and cabaret<br />
bar, open till late at<br />
weekends with<br />
entertainment and DJs.<br />
Attracts a big local crowd<br />
- particularly at weekends.<br />
www.west5ealing.com<br />
WINDSOR CASTLE, 152<br />
Bath Road, Hounslow,<br />
TW3. 020 8577 6590.<br />
Hounslow West tube.<br />
Large, local gay pub with<br />
regular cabaret and<br />
entertainment throughout<br />
the week. www.thewinz.<br />
co.uk<br />
TO UPDATE LISTINGS, PLEASE<br />
SEND INFORMATION TO<br />
EDITORIAL@OUTMAG.CO.UK<br />
WWW.OUTMAG.CO.UK 43
CAMPAIGN<br />
OPENING DOORS<br />
CONNECTING LIVES<br />
As part of its ongoing campaign to highlight the work carried out by<br />
Age UK’s Opening Doors London project, <strong>Out</strong> <strong>In</strong> <strong>The</strong> <strong>City</strong> chats to its<br />
LGBT Development Coordinator, Nick Maxwell.<br />
Nick Maxwell<br />
OPENING DOORS<br />
What are the main functions that Opening<br />
Doors performs?<br />
We provide social opportunities and<br />
support to older LGBT people who would<br />
otherwise be isolated and cut off. Isolated<br />
from their own community – whether that<br />
be the LGBT community or their own older<br />
peers – but also cut off for a variety reasons<br />
from services upon which they are<br />
increasingly reliant. <strong>The</strong> project provides<br />
many things, from social events and<br />
activities, to befriending services, keeping<br />
people in touch via the newsletter,<br />
accessing people through our advice and<br />
information teams so that they’re getting<br />
the right benefits advice or are able to fill<br />
in housing applications and – if necessary –<br />
are able to make the smooth transition to<br />
sheltered accommodation. We offer many<br />
services, but it’s basically providing social<br />
opportunities, support and information.<br />
When did you get involved?<br />
I came on board at the start of the project<br />
in January 2008. I had been involved<br />
beforehand with the Gay Men’s Group, as it<br />
was known before. Age UK Camden, as it<br />
was known then, were aware that older gay<br />
men were attending their Henderson Court<br />
resource centre, which is up in Hampstead<br />
– a very gay-friendly area. So they set up an<br />
older gay men’s group, and quite often, that<br />
is what happens in some organisations: a<br />
lesbian or gay member of staff will<br />
recognize the unique needs of LGBT<br />
service users, but when that staff member<br />
leaves, the group folds. Age UK Camden<br />
decided to actually invest in the group.<br />
Is the future secure?<br />
No. Unfortunately, in the charity sector,<br />
nothing’s secure. Funding comes in to<br />
cover basic costs, but we have around 22<br />
activities a month now, and they all have to<br />
take place in a venue somewhere, and<br />
sometimes you’re relying on the goodwill<br />
to give us those venues free, but the Age<br />
UK venues in London are closing because<br />
of council cuts, so we need to pay venues<br />
and there’s more and more demand in the<br />
funding. We’re secure for the next three<br />
years, because that’s the funding we’ve<br />
been allocated from the different charity<br />
providers, but beyond that is a big question<br />
mark, so we’re very much part of a working<br />
and developing service, but a big part of<br />
our work is also securing donations and<br />
ongoing funding.<br />
If you were speaking directly to an older<br />
gay person who may be reading this, what<br />
would you say to them?<br />
I don’t have any one message. We are here<br />
to listen to them and to ask what they<br />
want. Our service starts at 50, and although<br />
we talk about the older LGBT generation<br />
being 50 and upwards, we don’t talk about<br />
the younger LGBT generation being 50 and<br />
below. Fifty and above is men and women<br />
in their 50s, 60s, 70s, 80s and 90s – we’ve<br />
got service users in their 90s – so that<br />
covers half a century of experience, so<br />
there is no one package that you can offer<br />
to that wide a variety of people. That’s why<br />
we’re trying to expand the service, and why<br />
we’re asking people to tell us what they<br />
want.<br />
<strong>Out</strong> <strong>In</strong> <strong>The</strong> <strong>City</strong> is running an awareness-raising<br />
campaign around the work carried out by Age<br />
UK’s Opening Doors London project.<br />
Running for the past six years, Opening Doors<br />
London is a unique project providing<br />
information and support services to LGBT men<br />
and women aged 50 and above from across<br />
London. <strong>The</strong> organisation estimates that there<br />
are around 100,000 older LGBT men and<br />
women in London, many of whom are socially<br />
isolated, cut off from family and friends and<br />
not in contact with appropriate services, or still<br />
hiding their sexuality or gender identity<br />
because of fears born from very real negative<br />
experiences. Stonewall has recently published<br />
a comprehensive report (Lesbian, Gay &<br />
Bisexual People in Later Life) about some of<br />
the problems experienced by the older LGBT<br />
community. Amongst its findings where that<br />
gay and bisexual men over the age of 55 were<br />
almost three times more likely to be single than<br />
heterosexual men in the same age bracket<br />
(40% compared to 15%). LGBT people were<br />
more likely to live alone (41% compared to 21%<br />
of heterosexual people), and, unsurprisingly,<br />
were far less likely to have children. <strong>The</strong>y were<br />
more likely to have suffered from depression or<br />
anxiety (gay men twice as likely as heterosexual<br />
men). Opening Doors is a lifeline for many<br />
hundreds of older LGBT people. It runs both<br />
men and women’s group, and helps organise<br />
social events, workshops, talks, as well as<br />
offering advice. For full details of these, check<br />
the latest newsletter at www.<br />
openingdoorslondon.org.uk<br />
For more information, you can call LGBT<br />
Development Coordinator Nick Maxwell on 020<br />
7121 3335 or visit the website at www.<br />
openingdoorslondon.org.uk<br />
44 WWW.OUTMAG.CO.UK
NEWS<br />
IN THE NEWS...<br />
Gay stories from the UK and further afield...<br />
VIGIL AGAINST<br />
HATE CRIME<br />
An estimated 2,000 people attended<br />
this year’s Vigil Against Hate Crime,<br />
which took place in Trafalgar Square<br />
on Friday 28 October. <strong>The</strong> third such<br />
annual vigil, it was again organised by<br />
the 17-24-30 campaigning group, in<br />
partnership with the Harvey Milk<br />
Foundation. <strong>The</strong> event included<br />
performances from the Gay<br />
Symphonic Winds Orchestra and<br />
members of the London Gay Men’s<br />
Chorus, Pink Singers and Diversity,<br />
while speakers included Equalities<br />
Minister Lynne Featherstone MP and<br />
Beverley Smith (of Disability Hate<br />
Crime Network). <strong>The</strong>re was also a<br />
two-minute silence at 8pm. Smaller<br />
vigils took place at the same time in<br />
Brighton, Kettering, Leicester, Norfolk,<br />
Norwich, Plymouth, Sussex, Suffolk<br />
and Stoke.<br />
Mark Healey, organiser of the London<br />
event said “We had a good turnout<br />
again this year, although I did expect<br />
more people following three highprofile<br />
attacks in central London…<br />
However it’s not just about the<br />
numbers, is it? It is about making as<br />
many people aware that there is a<br />
problem and that we all need to be<br />
vigilant, to look out for each other<br />
and keep our communities safe. At<br />
the same time we need to keep the<br />
pressure on local authorities to<br />
ensure that they are doing everything<br />
within their powers to prevent these<br />
attacks – especially in the current<br />
economic climate.”<br />
THT’S SUPER<br />
SUPPER<br />
Cilla Black, Graham Norton<br />
and Dan Gillespie-Sells were<br />
amongst the celebrities who<br />
turned out to help support<br />
the annual Terrence Higgins<br />
DIVERSITY<br />
ROLE MODELS<br />
LAUNCHED<br />
Trust Supper Club, which took<br />
place in a range of top<br />
restaurants and private homes<br />
across London on 1 November.<br />
Forty-five dinner parties were<br />
staged at venues such as Scott’s,<br />
Mr Chow, China Tang, J.<br />
Sheekey, <strong>The</strong> Greenhouse and<br />
Massimo, with guests including<br />
members of the public and<br />
names such as Rory Bremner,<br />
Russell Tovey, Sean Pertwee,<br />
Nick Herbert MP, Ronni Ancona<br />
and Francis Barber. After dinner,<br />
guests were chauffeured to a<br />
glamorous, cocktail-filled after<br />
party at Piccadilly’s Café De<br />
Paris, hosted by Coronation<br />
Street star Charlie Condou. By<br />
the end of the evening, around<br />
£80,000 had been raised for the<br />
HIV charity, which will go<br />
towards its ongoing campaigns<br />
to fight the spread of HIV and<br />
AIDS. For more details, check<br />
the website at www.tht.org.uk<br />
SCOTTISH<br />
CONSERVATIVES VOTE<br />
FOR GAY LEADER<br />
Ruth Davidson, and openly gay MSP,<br />
has been elected leader of the<br />
Scottish Conservative Party. Ms<br />
Davidson was only elected as a<br />
member of the Scottish Parliament<br />
earlier this year and succeeds<br />
Annabel Goldie as the leader of the<br />
third largest party in the parliament.<br />
Speaking of her election victory, Ms<br />
Davidson said that she felt optimistic<br />
about the future for Scottish<br />
Conservatives. “A political party is not<br />
a leader, a political party is its<br />
membership and I want to bring our<br />
members at all levels much closer<br />
together in our party going forward<br />
and to take our party forward in<br />
unity.”<br />
<strong>The</strong> House of Commons played<br />
host to a launch event for<br />
Diversity Role Models in early<br />
November. This new charity has<br />
been created to help stamp out<br />
homophobic bullying in schools<br />
by educating children of all ages<br />
about diversity. It was set up by<br />
schoolteacher, Suran Dickson,<br />
following the suicide of a<br />
schoolboy, 15-year-old Dominic<br />
Crouch, who killed himself<br />
following taunts that he was gay.<br />
<strong>The</strong> launch event took place<br />
in the State Rooms just a few<br />
days before the start of Anti-<br />
Bullying Week. It was attended<br />
by a mix of public figures, role<br />
models, teachers, politicians and<br />
anti-bullying and diversity<br />
campaigners, including: the Rt<br />
Hon John Bercow MP; BBC<br />
newsreader Jane Hill; Minister<br />
for Equalities Lynne<br />
Featherstone MP; Labour MP<br />
Chris Bryant; and journalist and<br />
Dragon’s Den/Today show<br />
presenter Evan Davis; along with<br />
representatives from Stonewall<br />
and other related charities. A<br />
keynote speech was made by the<br />
Minister for Women and<br />
Equalities and Home Secretary,<br />
the Rt Hon <strong>The</strong>resa May MP,<br />
followed by Roger Crouch,<br />
Dominic’s father (who was<br />
awarded Stonewall’s 2<strong>01</strong>1 “Hero<br />
of the Year”). <strong>The</strong> charity aims<br />
to take positive role models –<br />
whether straight, gay, bisexual<br />
or transgender – into schools to<br />
run workshops and talk to<br />
pupils.<br />
For more details, see www.<br />
diversityrolemodels.org<br />
46 WWW.OUTMAG.CO.UK
“<strong>The</strong> last 12 months have been the happiest and most<br />
special of my life. To become a parent is a blessing I never<br />
imagined might be bestowed upon me until recently.”<br />
Elton John speaks in <strong>The</strong> Guardian about becoming a parent.<br />
STONEWALL<br />
AWARDS 2<strong>01</strong>1<br />
<strong>The</strong> sixth annual Stonewall Awards<br />
took place at the V&A in London on<br />
Thursday 3 November. One of the<br />
most glittering events in the UK’s<br />
gay calendar, the drinks reception<br />
was followed by prize-giving, which<br />
this year was hosted by comedian<br />
Stephen K Amos. Around 400<br />
people attended the show, and the<br />
winners were as follows:<br />
Hero of the Year – Roger Crouch<br />
Roger has tirelessly dedicated<br />
himself to raising awareness of<br />
homophobic bullying in schools,<br />
after his son Dominic took his own<br />
life in 2<strong>01</strong>0.<br />
Broadcast of the Year – Scott Mills<br />
Scott’s documentary was <strong>The</strong><br />
World’s Worst Place to be Gay?<br />
Entertainer of the Year – Jane<br />
Hazlegrove (aka out gay paramedic<br />
Kathleen ‘Dixie’ Dixon on BBC’s<br />
Casualty)<br />
Joint Journalist of the Year –<br />
Vanessa Feltz, Daily Express, and<br />
Matthew Todd, Attitude magazine.<br />
Politician of the Year – Chris<br />
Bryant MP<br />
Publication of the Year – Guardian<br />
Weekend<br />
Sports Award of the Year – Anton<br />
Hysen<br />
Writer of the Year – Alan<br />
Hollinghurst.<br />
Stonewall Community Group of<br />
the Year – UK Black Pride.=<br />
Bigot of the Year – Melanie Phillips<br />
An award voted for by thousands of<br />
Stonewall supporters, in<br />
recognition of her “shrill views on<br />
just about everything from the NHS<br />
to Barack Obama to gay rights.”<br />
WORLD<br />
NEWS<br />
COMMONWEALTH AID TO<br />
BE CUT TO HOMOPHOBIC<br />
COUNTRIES<br />
Prime Minister David Cameron has<br />
indicated that British financial aid<br />
will be cut to Commonwealth<br />
countries that have a poor record<br />
on gay rights. He told the BBC’s<br />
Andrew Marr Show at the<br />
weekend: “Britain is now one of<br />
the premier aid givers in the<br />
world… we want to see countries<br />
that receive our aid adhering to<br />
proper human rights, and that<br />
includes how people treat gay and<br />
lesbian people.” Some<br />
Commonwealth nations reacted<br />
with wariness to the<br />
announcement. A Ugandan<br />
presidential official, John<br />
Nagenda, told the BBC his country<br />
was “tired of these lectures” and<br />
that the Commonwealth nations<br />
should not be treated like<br />
“children”. <strong>The</strong> move has also not<br />
been universally welcomed by<br />
LGBT rights campaigners. Mac-<br />
Darling Cobbinah, the executive<br />
and national director of the Centre<br />
for Popular Education and Human<br />
Rights Ghana, has said the move<br />
would bring “pain and anguish” to<br />
the struggling country, and could<br />
backfire if gay people are blamed<br />
for the aid cuts. Veteran human<br />
rights campaigner Peter Tatchell<br />
has also criticised the plan, saying<br />
that cuts in aid would penalise the<br />
poorest and most vulnerable<br />
members of such nations, and<br />
recommending that the<br />
government instead donates to<br />
organisations working within such<br />
countries that are campaigning for<br />
human rights and humanitarian<br />
projects within such countries.<br />
AND<br />
FINALLY...<br />
GEORGE SPEAKS OUT<br />
AGAINST EASTENDERS<br />
Singer George<br />
Michael has spoken<br />
out against a gay<br />
storyline in<br />
EastEnders, saying<br />
on Twitter that he<br />
felt it was<br />
unrealistic and gave<br />
a negative<br />
impression to youngsters who may be<br />
struggling with their sexuality.<br />
Although he praised the actors<br />
involved, he said that, “<strong>The</strong><br />
relationship between Sayed [sic] and<br />
Christian is the most insulting piece<br />
of bullshit on British television right<br />
now... So far, Christian has been<br />
beaten up 3 times that I can<br />
remember, and is now accused of<br />
child molestation. Sayed [sic] has<br />
been disowned and is now mistreating<br />
his partner shamelessly, presumably<br />
because he is now a confused<br />
bisexual after all. Total fucking<br />
bullshit.”<br />
“I know that there are gay people<br />
involved in the writing of the show but<br />
they really need to rethink their<br />
approach to gay ‘issues’.”<br />
JESSIE J<br />
TALKS<br />
ABOUT<br />
GIRLFRIEND<br />
Singer Jessie J has<br />
spoken out again<br />
about her<br />
bisexuality in an<br />
exclusive interview<br />
with Cosmopolitan, revealing that she<br />
was dating a woman until recently<br />
and that this had made some music<br />
executives initially uncomfortable.<br />
“When I was with my girlfriend last<br />
year and used to go to studio<br />
sessions, I remember going, ‘This is<br />
my girlfriend,’ and some people were<br />
initially uncomfortable with it. But<br />
after a while they weren’t because I<br />
wasn’t. I’ve never used it as a<br />
gimmick. I’ve always said I’ve dated<br />
guys and I’ve dated girls… If I’m in<br />
love, I’m in love.”<br />
She revealed that she has since split<br />
from her girlfriend and is now single.<br />
WWW.OUTMAG.CO.UK 47
CAREER<br />
MEN ON TOP<br />
Model and casting agency owners, twins Jody and Bayo Furlong<br />
QTELL US A BIT ABOUT YOUR WORK<br />
AND WHAT IT INVOLVES.<br />
J: We own <strong>The</strong> Eye Casting Ltd and we act<br />
as casting director, model scout and model<br />
agent. <strong>The</strong> company is split in two. I do all<br />
the casting and Bayo runs the agency. My<br />
job is to find the right people to appear in<br />
advertising, be it photographic, TV,<br />
commercial, runway or catalogue. We do<br />
conventional casting through agencies,<br />
and also a lot of street casting. We also do<br />
scouting for a lot of the big model agencies<br />
in town. We’ve models placed at Models 1,<br />
Elite, Union, Next and Nevs in London,<br />
and our models – including the new<br />
Burberry girl, Milly Simmonds – are<br />
placed in NY, Paris, Milan, and all over<br />
Europe and Australia.<br />
B: We also have a street cast agency of<br />
young, good-looking types. Sometimes<br />
clients want to book ‘real’ people rather<br />
than professional models, so we look after<br />
lots of students, musicians, artists, etc,<br />
who can lend their cool vibe to all kinds of<br />
advertising.<br />
QHOW DID YOU FIRST GET INTO THIS<br />
LINE OF WORK?<br />
J: When we were young, we belonged to<br />
loads of casting agencies. We used to do<br />
‘extra’ work: TV adverts and pop videos,<br />
so we knew the industry from that side.<br />
About ten years ago, I got a job working at<br />
a casting studio where I got to know a bit<br />
about the other side. I ended up working<br />
for a couple of casting directors, where I<br />
Andrew Marshall<br />
did a lot of the casting for all the original<br />
Dove ads with ‘real’ women. <strong>In</strong> 2006, I set<br />
up by myself and started <strong>The</strong> Eye agency.<br />
My first client was a worldwide Nokia<br />
campaign with photographer Rankin.<br />
B: When Jody went off to film Find Me<br />
<strong>The</strong> Face for six months, I came in to run<br />
things. When he returned, we split the<br />
company in two or else we’d have killed<br />
each other by now!<br />
QARE YOU COMPLETELY ‘OUT’ AT<br />
WORK?<br />
J: Of course – we’ve been completely out<br />
for 18 years. It helps that we own our own<br />
company, but in the business we’re in,<br />
being gay would never affect our work<br />
opportunities.<br />
QAS TWINS, WHO CAME OUT TO WHOM<br />
FIRST?<br />
J: We never really came out. DJ Fat Tony<br />
took us under his wing when we first<br />
moved to London and we used to go<br />
clubbing with him all the time. Back in the<br />
90s there used to be loads of clubs that<br />
were what was called ‘mixed’: nobody<br />
cared if you were gay or straight; it was all<br />
L-R: Bayo and Jody Furlong<br />
about dressing up and having fun. He had<br />
this amazing club called Fierce Child and<br />
one night I ended up kissing a boy. I don’t<br />
think we even discussed it, it was a given.<br />
B: Ha! I saw him snogging some boy in a<br />
club and that was it really. It never came<br />
up again.<br />
QWHAT ADVICE WOULD YOU GIVE TO<br />
ANYONE WANTING TO ENTER YOUR<br />
PROFESSION?<br />
J: <strong>The</strong> same advice I would give anyone:<br />
you need to start at the bottom, work hard<br />
and learn your craft. Too many young<br />
people these days think they know it all.<br />
I’d worked in all aspects of this business<br />
before I set up my own company, and it<br />
served me well because I really know what<br />
I’m talking about. Do some research and<br />
learn what jobs are out there and what you<br />
would be most interested in, be it casting,<br />
production, booking, scouting, etc. Most<br />
importantly, pay attention to detail. You<br />
have to make sure you do your job 100%<br />
correctly even if it means staying in the<br />
office till midnight – that way you’re<br />
covered when others inevitably mess up.<br />
B: I agree with Jody. If I’d tried to do what<br />
I do now ten years ago I would have been<br />
terrible. <strong>The</strong>re is no substitute for<br />
experience and it’s really nice to be in a<br />
position where you can be confident in<br />
your work rather than constantly feeling<br />
you’re blagging it.<br />
www.theeyecasting.com<br />
48 WWW.OUTMAG.CO.UK
CAREER<br />
FIRST<br />
IMPRESSIONS<br />
As soon as you walk through the door of a job interview you are<br />
being judged. First impressions remain vitally important. Anthony<br />
Gordon offers some advice to ensure you get off to the best start…<br />
<strong>The</strong>re’s rarely such a thing as<br />
a job for life these days. Most<br />
of us will work for several<br />
employers over our lifetime<br />
and, in the current economic<br />
climate, competition for most<br />
roles is fierce. Like it or not,<br />
first impressions still count for<br />
a great deal when you turn up<br />
for an interview. Besides<br />
knowing that you are capable<br />
of doing the job, a prospective<br />
employer is going to want to<br />
know whether you can act as<br />
an ambassador for their brand,<br />
fit in with the rest of any<br />
existing team and show<br />
potential for the future. Making<br />
a good first impression can<br />
help swing an interview in your<br />
favour from the very beginning.<br />
If you’ve an imminent<br />
interview, congratulations!<br />
Make sure you’re prepared to<br />
‘wow’ them from the moment<br />
you walk through the door.<br />
1. Think about your<br />
appearance. It may sound<br />
obvious, but you’d be<br />
surprised by the number of<br />
people who still think<br />
dressing casually will do<br />
their chances no harm. <strong>In</strong><br />
some circumstances and<br />
some companies, it won’t, but<br />
in others, it will. Don’t<br />
assume that just because the<br />
person interviewing you<br />
works for some young and<br />
funky company that they<br />
have a relaxed attitude<br />
towards attire. Everyone<br />
likes to see that you’ve made<br />
an effort and can look<br />
professional and presentable<br />
should the need arise. <strong>In</strong><br />
short, you can never dress<br />
too smart for a job interview.<br />
If you haven’t got a suit and<br />
can’t afford to invest in one,<br />
ask around friends to see if<br />
you can borrow.<br />
2. Arrive early. Check the<br />
Transport For London website<br />
the night before your interview<br />
to ensure your regular<br />
transport services aren’t closed<br />
or on strike. Even if all appears<br />
to be running smoothly, give<br />
yourself plenty of time to reach<br />
your destination.<br />
3. Treat everyone equally –<br />
whomever they are. You might<br />
be working with these people<br />
in a few weeks’ time, and for<br />
all you know, the receptionist<br />
you were rude to might be<br />
dating the very person who is<br />
interviewing you.<br />
4. Practise your handshake. You<br />
want to come across as<br />
confident, at ease and pleased<br />
to meet your interviewer. <strong>In</strong><br />
fact, you may even want to<br />
practise speaking out loud<br />
beforehand – particularly the<br />
key points that you want to get<br />
across to the interviewer.<br />
Speaking these words aloud<br />
also helps to cement them in<br />
your mind.<br />
5. Be prepared for small talk.<br />
When you sit down for an<br />
interview, the person<br />
interviewing you may well<br />
open the conversation with a<br />
comment about the weather<br />
or your journey to the<br />
interview. <strong>The</strong>y want to<br />
engage with you at a more<br />
informal level before getting<br />
down to the nitty gritty.<br />
6. Try to maintain eye contact<br />
when speaking, and make sure<br />
you can also demonstrate that<br />
you are able to listen. Using the<br />
interviewer’s name makes the<br />
interview more personable, and<br />
shows that you paid attention<br />
during the introductions stage<br />
– but don’t go overboard. Overfamiliarity<br />
can come across as<br />
sycophantic.<br />
7. Carry copies of your CV,<br />
and know its contents inside<br />
out. Should you be pressed<br />
for more details about a<br />
specific point, a look of blank<br />
confusion does not go down<br />
well. Don’t tell lies or make<br />
up hobbies to make yourself<br />
appear more interesting!<br />
8. Be prepared to give examples<br />
of when you have<br />
demonstrated initiative in past<br />
roles, and also be armed with<br />
your own questions to ask at<br />
the end of the interview. “What<br />
do you enjoy most about<br />
working at [name of<br />
company]?” shows you have an<br />
interest in the organisation and<br />
its culture.<br />
9. Finally, be aware that you<br />
might be judged before<br />
you’ve event set foot through<br />
the door. It’s not unknown<br />
for some prospective<br />
employers nowadays to<br />
check the Facebook or<br />
Linked<strong>In</strong> profiles of those<br />
they summon for interview.<br />
Either ensure your privacy<br />
settings disallow this, or that<br />
you don’t post anything that<br />
could embarrass you.<br />
50 WWW.OUTMAG.CO.UK
WWW.OUTMAG.CO.UK 51
PARENTING<br />
THE FIRST YEAR<br />
Ever wondered what it might really be like to suddenly find yourself the<br />
parent of a child. Gay parent Lea Andrews offers us five things she wishes<br />
somebody had told her during the first 12 months…<br />
So... we’re pregnant. Well, she is, and I am<br />
wandering around in a pre-parenting fog. I<br />
ask all my mum’s friends (of which there<br />
are increasing numbers nowadays) what to<br />
expect. <strong>The</strong>y say I’ll pick it up. Well, here I<br />
am, thirteen months into parenthood and I<br />
have decided that I should attempt to go<br />
forth where others have fallen. You will<br />
probably be aware of the 40,000 books that<br />
are already out there on this subject, but if<br />
you are nervously expecting the arrival of<br />
your little bundle of joy, or sitting in a room<br />
with a very young baby, you will know that<br />
you are about as likely to go sky-diving as<br />
you are to read a thesaurus-sized book. So<br />
here are my top tips:<br />
1. Sleep<br />
Sleep very quickly becomes like a tiny<br />
endangered bird on a remote island. You<br />
will soon celebrate a couple of hours’<br />
uninterrupted sleep like you used to<br />
celebrate the idea of winning a house<br />
overlooking Hampstead Heath. Learn to<br />
love your quiet moments. Get them<br />
wherever and whenever you can, and don’t<br />
be scared to ask for help and take a break.<br />
2. Your relationship<br />
If you are in a partnership, then get your<br />
relationship in the best possible shape<br />
before the baby arrives, because sleep<br />
deprivation, lack of time and space and<br />
differences in opinions on parenting can<br />
put quite a strain on even the most loving of<br />
couples.<br />
Learn to give each other a break where you<br />
might usually slip into an argument. And<br />
remember, if your partner picks on you, it’s<br />
probably not them – or you – but just the<br />
burden of sleep deprivation.<br />
3. Your time<br />
I sometimes hear parents say, “We haven’t<br />
had a night out in ten months. We just don’t<br />
want to leave the baby!” You may as well<br />
say, “My life is over now, I am merely a<br />
feeding and cleaning machine”. Stop! Call<br />
a friend or a relative, and even if you sit<br />
at the end of the garden playing<br />
Monopoly, go and do something<br />
non-baby related at least once<br />
every couple of<br />
weeks.<br />
Your<br />
child will thank you, because not only are<br />
you preventing yourself from becoming a<br />
frightening infant-obsessed parent, but you<br />
are also teaching your baby to feel relaxed<br />
and confident around other people.<br />
Obviously, if you’re a woman and you’re<br />
breastfeeding there are certain things you<br />
need to put into place, but nothing is<br />
impossible.<br />
4. Money<br />
If you read the back of any baby shop<br />
catalogue, you will see the handy, what-tobuy<br />
list to ‘help’ you get fully<br />
prepared for parenthood.<br />
This ‘handy’ list is<br />
actually a genius way<br />
for the shops to<br />
fleece you- of<br />
hundreds of<br />
pounds. Ignore<br />
the list, and use<br />
your common<br />
sense. Your baby<br />
needs<br />
somewhere to<br />
sleep, clothes to<br />
wear and<br />
nappies. Despite<br />
owning half of<br />
Mothercare<br />
(thanks mum!),<br />
our 13-month-old<br />
son’s favourite toys<br />
are two old<br />
saucepans and a Tupperware box. Oh, and<br />
we bath him in (shock!)... the bath.<br />
Obviously, there is the overwhelming<br />
excitement of being a new parent that<br />
sends you reeling into every baby and toy<br />
shop, emerging two hours later in a sweaty<br />
haze with 56 plastic bags full of gear, but<br />
you will need a lot more money and a lot<br />
more stuff when they are older, so restrain<br />
yourself!<br />
5. Routine<br />
Boring as it sounds, babies crave, need and<br />
thrive on routine. And after a few<br />
weeks, however raucous and<br />
crazy you are in other aspects<br />
of your life, so will you.<br />
This doesn’t necessarily<br />
mean sticking to the<br />
Gina Ford rulebook,<br />
just keep it simple.<br />
Concentrate on<br />
helping your baby to<br />
learn to sleep, eat and<br />
relax.<br />
Finally, don’t try<br />
and achieve<br />
everything in an<br />
instant. Just get<br />
through and enjoy each<br />
day and try to remember<br />
it… because it will fly<br />
past quicker than you can<br />
possibly imagine.<br />
54 WWW.OUTMAG.CO.UK
PARENTING<br />
GENE THERAPY?<br />
Toyin Jegede of the London Sperm Bank looks at some of the<br />
reasons men choose to donate sperm, and the process new<br />
donors go through before they can start donating…<br />
“Donor 1<strong>01</strong>: Caucasian, green<br />
eyes, brown hair, 1.80m,<br />
atheist, marketing executive”<br />
What would your profile say?<br />
If you feel you have good genes,<br />
are healthy and like the thought<br />
of “passing on your genes”, then<br />
why not become a sperm<br />
donor?<br />
Not only will you continue your<br />
gene pool but you will also help<br />
others who are not able to<br />
conceive. Becoming a donor is<br />
more than just a gesture of<br />
altruism, but a way that you can<br />
fulfil your desire to procreate in<br />
an unconventional way.<br />
Whether you are currently in a<br />
relationship or single, we would<br />
like to hear from you. Our<br />
donors come in all shapes and<br />
sizes; regardless of education,<br />
social background, race or<br />
hobbies, we want you – as long<br />
as you are aged 18-45, fit and<br />
healthy, and free from<br />
hereditary or infectious disease.<br />
<strong>The</strong> first step involves filling<br />
out an enquiry form on our<br />
website (check out www.<br />
londonspermbank.com) or<br />
calling one of our consultants<br />
on 020 7935 9004 to book an<br />
initial screening visit.<br />
During this visit you will get<br />
the chance to speak to a<br />
member of the team who will<br />
be more than happy to answer<br />
any questions that you might<br />
have. We will also get you to<br />
complete a medical<br />
questionnaire and also produce<br />
a sperm sample for us to check<br />
its suitability to freeze.<br />
If you are considered fit and<br />
healthy, with great sperm<br />
quality after freezing, you are<br />
already halfway through the<br />
screening process. We will then<br />
ask you to come in for blood<br />
and urine tests for sexually-<br />
transmitted diseases. If these<br />
tests come back with the all<br />
clear, you are asked to see our<br />
medical doctor for a medical<br />
assessment and then you are<br />
free to start making donations.<br />
If for any reason you are not<br />
accepted on to our programme,<br />
our meticulous screening<br />
process means that at the very<br />
least you find out more about<br />
yourself than when you<br />
previously enquired.<br />
If you’re still not 100% sure<br />
about making that initial<br />
enquiry, here are just some of<br />
the reasons why our donors,<br />
have joined the programme:<br />
‘…people close to me have<br />
suffered testicular cancer and<br />
become infertile…’<br />
Police Officer, 34<br />
‘…my partner and I won’t be<br />
having kids so I really want to<br />
help couples who want them…’<br />
Plumber, 32<br />
‘…I have no idea what might<br />
happen in the future, and I<br />
knew a couple who were unable<br />
to have children, so I decided to<br />
do this…’<br />
Student, 26<br />
‘…so that my friends could<br />
know more about where the<br />
sperm used to create their child<br />
came from…’<br />
Mathematician, 29 (known<br />
donor to lesbian couple)<br />
Each and every donor has their<br />
own reason for joining, so<br />
whether you are considering<br />
donating for altruistic reasons<br />
or to “pass on your genes” make<br />
today the day you choose to<br />
take action!<br />
www.londonspermbank.com<br />
56 WWW.OUTMAG.CO.UK
PARENTING<br />
NEW YEAR, NEW BABY<br />
Barrie Drewitt-Barlow of the British Surrogacy Centre offers some<br />
guidelines on those planning to explore surrogacy in 2<strong>01</strong>2…<br />
With the festive season now upon us,<br />
we’re all feeling the pressure to buy<br />
those ‘must have’ presents for our loved<br />
ones. A few years ago, many a gay man<br />
putting together his wish-list for Santa<br />
would have included at least five bottles of<br />
premium D&G aftershave and the latest<br />
trendy underwear. <strong>The</strong>se days, when Santa<br />
empties his sack in our house, it’s full of<br />
PS3 games and other toys for the kids!<br />
Of course, if you’re just starting out on the<br />
process of trying to become<br />
parents through surrogacy,<br />
there’s always next year to be<br />
thinking about gifts for<br />
junior. If you’re thinking of<br />
starting a family in 2<strong>01</strong>2,<br />
then these are the steps<br />
you need to be<br />
considering:<br />
Financial preparation<br />
Surrogacy can be<br />
expensive, depending on<br />
where in the world you<br />
want to do it. <strong>The</strong> USA<br />
offers the gold standard for<br />
surrogacy, which means there<br />
is a price to pay. Always get as<br />
much information as possible on<br />
the process outlay and costs.<br />
Budget for all the fees for the<br />
agency, clinic, social<br />
worker, legal costs,<br />
immigration, hotel,<br />
flights and not<br />
forgetting the allimportant<br />
egg donor<br />
and surrogate fees.<br />
My best advice?<br />
Don’t go to <strong>In</strong>dia! It<br />
may seem a<br />
temptingly cheaper<br />
option, but surrogacy<br />
for gay couples is<br />
illegal in <strong>In</strong>dia.<br />
Regardless of what<br />
you hear from anyone<br />
else, it is illegal for<br />
same-sex couples and<br />
if you are caught,<br />
you face<br />
prosecution –<br />
leading to a huge<br />
fine and possibly<br />
even<br />
imprisonment!<br />
Legal<br />
preparation<br />
It’s most important<br />
to make sure you have legal coverage in<br />
your surrogacy journey. <strong>The</strong>re is a list of<br />
legal experts available to you from the<br />
British Surrogacy Centre, with our<br />
recommendations on where to go and what<br />
to pay. Don’t be scared into thinking that<br />
everything will be problematic. If you can<br />
do a lot of the prep work yourself and<br />
submit it to a court, this will certainly save<br />
you many thousands of pounds. My advice<br />
is to make sure you have a good lawyer,<br />
certainly in the USA, as you will encounter<br />
many legal minefields on your journey to<br />
parenthood. Here in the UK, I would<br />
recommend A <strong>City</strong> Law Firm, ran by Karen<br />
Holden. <strong>In</strong> the USA, I would only<br />
recommend Tom Pinkerton, based in San<br />
Diego. Both firms are easy to find on the<br />
internet.<br />
Clinics<br />
IVF clinics around the world are now<br />
accepting that there are many same-sex<br />
couples who wish to become parents. Such<br />
couples want to use the services of these<br />
clinics, and, given the current economic<br />
downturn affecting the world, these clinics<br />
are now much more readily accepting of<br />
our community. This means that we have<br />
great power as consumers to shop around<br />
and to get the best prices. We no longer<br />
have to beg for assistance! <strong>The</strong>re are a few<br />
very good clinics that we would<br />
recommend, but none in the UK better than<br />
<strong>The</strong> London Women’s Clinic on Harley<br />
Street. <strong>In</strong> the USA, my recommendation at<br />
this time is Dr Guy Ringer at CFP in<br />
California. Both have a fantastic pregnancy<br />
rate, both have a huge gay and lesbian<br />
following, and both have worked for many<br />
years promoting same-sex parenting. Prices<br />
vary a lot between clinics but these two<br />
establishments are fair and honest.<br />
<strong>The</strong>y want to help you achieve<br />
pregnancy first time round, without<br />
the worry of how much things are<br />
going to cost.<br />
If you are considering having a<br />
baby, now is the time to<br />
start doing your<br />
homework. Costs for many<br />
services are currently lower<br />
than usual, and the<br />
economic climate has never<br />
been better.<br />
For more information<br />
on any aspect of<br />
surrogacy or donor<br />
insemination,<br />
please contact<br />
British<br />
Surrogacy<br />
Centre <strong>01</strong>621<br />
878650.<br />
For more<br />
information, check the<br />
website at www.<br />
britishsurrogacycentre.<br />
com<br />
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PROPERTY<br />
ALL HALE!<br />
<strong>The</strong> Hale, built by leading property developers Newlon, is Tottenham Hale’s<br />
new village for first-time buyers…<br />
Now one of London’s major<br />
regeneration areas,<br />
Tottenham Hale is fast<br />
becoming a hotspot. A £400<br />
million project to create Hale<br />
Village is now well underway.<br />
Newlon Housing Trust is building<br />
185 affordable one and two<br />
bedroom apartments through<br />
New Build HomeBuy (part buy,<br />
part rent), which are perfect for<br />
first-time buyers.<br />
Now, an affordable home can<br />
be purchased from just £56,000<br />
for a 40% share. So extensive is<br />
the project that it will create a<br />
brand new suburb of London,<br />
including its own primary<br />
school, health centre, hotel and<br />
high street. It will transform this<br />
large area of former industrial<br />
wasteland and open up a vibrant<br />
waterfront area over the River<br />
Lea.<br />
Some of the contemporary<br />
homes boast private winter<br />
gardens and views of the nearby<br />
river, whilst others have access<br />
to roof allotments, landscaped<br />
gardens and communal<br />
courtyards. Newlon has been<br />
particularly careful to design the<br />
apartments to provide energyefficient<br />
living, and they have<br />
been designed with space<br />
planning in mind. All apartments<br />
feature substantial window light<br />
and have been constructed with<br />
high-quality materials and<br />
finishes.<br />
All the apartments include<br />
the following:<br />
• Secure door entry system<br />
• Ceramic floor tiling in the<br />
kitchen and bathroom<br />
• Wool-mix carpets<br />
throughout the living areas and<br />
bedrooms<br />
• Contemporary fitted<br />
kitchens<br />
• All kitchens are fitted with<br />
an oven, hob, stainless steel<br />
extractor hood, washing<br />
machine, fridge freezer and<br />
dishwasher<br />
• Modern white bathroom<br />
suites with ceramic tiles to floor<br />
and walls<br />
• Balcony or terrace to<br />
selected apartments<br />
• A 12-year BLP<br />
Construction Warranty<br />
Tottenham High Road is<br />
nearby, while the Tottenham<br />
Hale Retail Park is just five<br />
minutes’ walk away. <strong>The</strong>re are<br />
also excellent transport links,<br />
with Tottenham Hale station<br />
just a two-minute walk away. It<br />
provides connections to London<br />
Liverpool Street in just 12<br />
minutes. It is also on the Victoria<br />
underground line and is just four<br />
stops from King’s Cross St<br />
Pancras. Stratford is just ten<br />
minutes away by train, so<br />
residents will be within easy<br />
striking distance of the new<br />
Westfield Shopping Centre. For<br />
further afield, it’s also worth<br />
bearing in mind that Tottenham<br />
Hale offers a fast train service to<br />
Stansted airport.<br />
Just to the north of Hale<br />
Village lies Lea Valley Park,<br />
which offers over 100 acres of<br />
open, green space. A large part of<br />
the area is managed for the<br />
preservation of wildlife, with<br />
woodlands, wildflower<br />
meadows, ponds and waterways.<br />
Newlon’s new affordable<br />
homes at Hale Village are<br />
available now. Prices start from<br />
£56,000 for a 40% share based<br />
on a full market value of<br />
£140,000 for a one-bedroom<br />
apartment. <strong>The</strong> two-bedroom<br />
apartments are priced from<br />
£66,400 for a 40% share with a<br />
full market value of £166,000.<br />
Newlon will also pay legal fees if<br />
you complete within their target<br />
times and use one of their<br />
approved panel of solicitors.<br />
For more information contact Newlon<br />
Home Ownership on 0800 058 2544<br />
newlonhomeownership.org.uk.co.uk<br />
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INTERIORS<br />
SOMETHING IN THE WATER<br />
Despite a grey and imposing exterior, Shanghai’s new Waterhouse hotel has<br />
been scooping awards for its effortlessly minimalist and modern interior…<br />
If, like many of the <strong>Out</strong> <strong>In</strong><br />
<strong>The</strong> <strong>City</strong> team, you favour a<br />
chic, cool minimalist look for<br />
your home, and you’re<br />
seeking some inspiration, you<br />
could do a lot worse than<br />
look east for ideas. <strong>The</strong><br />
Waterhouse Hotel in Shanghai<br />
opened for business last year,<br />
since which time it has picked<br />
up a clutch of design awards –<br />
most recently, the inaugural<br />
World <strong>In</strong>terior of the Year<br />
Award, announced at INSIDE:<br />
World Festival of <strong>In</strong>teriors in<br />
Barcelona in early November.<br />
From the outside, the<br />
Waterhouse, in the South Bund<br />
district of the city, is<br />
unremarkable. <strong>In</strong> fact, unwary<br />
travellers who have booked<br />
themselves a room may turn up<br />
and wonder if they have the<br />
correct address. <strong>The</strong> owners of<br />
this riverside development<br />
have taken a disused army<br />
warehouse and retained much<br />
of the original exterior, but<br />
lavishing great care and<br />
attention to the detail of the<br />
interior.<br />
Shanghai-based architects<br />
Neri & Hu are the team<br />
responsible for the building’s<br />
startling transformation. <strong>The</strong>y<br />
pride themselves on having “a<br />
good understanding of how to<br />
preserve historical buildings in<br />
the proper way”, yet at the<br />
same time being sensitive to<br />
the client’s remit – in this case<br />
to create a four-storey, 19-room<br />
boutique hotel to the highest of<br />
standards.<br />
Design-wise, the architects<br />
decided to follow a philosophy<br />
of blurring the distinction<br />
between internal and external<br />
spaces, to create a disorienting<br />
spatial experience for guests in<br />
search of something out of the<br />
ordinary. This is where you will<br />
find baths and shower units in<br />
glass-walled rooms in the<br />
centre of bedrooms. Public<br />
places allow glimpses into<br />
private rooms while the private<br />
spaces invite guests to peek<br />
into public areas.<br />
<strong>The</strong> feel of the venue –<br />
which is owned by Singaporean<br />
hotelier Loh Lik Peng – is both<br />
industrial, with exposed<br />
concrete walls, steel beams and<br />
the imposing views of the<br />
nearby Huangpu River and<br />
docklands landscape, yet warm<br />
and enticing, with extensive<br />
use of real wood, stone, and a<br />
palette of soft greys and pale<br />
creams. Against this simple<br />
backdrop, the hotel also boasts<br />
a significant collection of<br />
designer furniture, including<br />
selected works by leading<br />
names such as Arne Jacobsen,<br />
exemplar of the “Danish<br />
Modern” style; Finn Juhl, the<br />
master of functionalism in<br />
furniture design; Hans Wegner,<br />
one of the most innovative<br />
Danish furniture designers.<br />
<strong>The</strong> end result is a beautifully<br />
modern and contemporary<br />
hotel in what was formerly a<br />
bleak concrete shell.<br />
waterhouseshanghai.com<br />
www.insidefestival.com<br />
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HOMES<br />
<strong>01</strong> 02<br />
03<br />
04<br />
We Want<br />
THIS MONTH’S HOT<br />
PRODUCTS FOR THE HOME<br />
<strong>01</strong>. Owl Lamp<br />
Glowing softly, this cute owl<br />
lamp would make a soothing<br />
nightlight for a child’s<br />
nursery but works just as well<br />
in a bedroom or hallway.<br />
Made in England from fine<br />
bone china, the owl is one of<br />
a range of animals available<br />
– you can also choose from a<br />
puppy and rabbit.<br />
RRP £60<br />
www.urbancuckoo.co.uk<br />
02. FUSION table and chairs<br />
If you’re hosting mates or<br />
your other half’s folks this<br />
Christmas, IKEA provides a<br />
reasonably cheap means to<br />
seat extra dinner guests in<br />
comfort. Structured so that<br />
the chairs slot beneath the<br />
table when not in use, the<br />
FUSION set can be pushed<br />
aside when the time comes<br />
to get the Wii out.<br />
RRP £229<br />
www.ikea.co.uk<br />
03. Stained Glass<br />
If you’d like to introduce<br />
some non-ecclesiastical<br />
Christmas cheer into your<br />
home this month, this wintryhued<br />
artwork brings the<br />
beauty of churches’ stainedglass<br />
windows to the<br />
homesteads of London. Made<br />
from a mosaic of coloured<br />
glass pieces, it looks like a<br />
shimmering kaleidoscope<br />
when illuminated.<br />
RRP £111<br />
www.artisanti.com<br />
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HOMES<br />
05<br />
06<br />
07<br />
08<br />
04.Emer Bed<br />
Snowy December weather<br />
and classic Christmas<br />
movies mean this is a month<br />
that demands plenty of duvet<br />
days. That makes it a good<br />
time to invest in a suitably<br />
comfortable bed and this oak<br />
model is our<br />
recommendation. Solid,<br />
inviting and stylish, it should<br />
look the part and keep you<br />
cosy for years to come.<br />
RRP £949<br />
www.livingitup.co.uk<br />
05. Oriel sofa<br />
Alluringly elegant and<br />
classically styled, the Oriel<br />
sofa is brought bang up to<br />
date with this vivid turquoise<br />
shade. With each piece being<br />
bespoke, you’ve a choice of<br />
fabric and colour that suits<br />
you best, but the supremely<br />
comfortable duck-feather<br />
and reflex-foam cushions<br />
come as standard.<br />
RRP POA<br />
www.rume.co.uk<br />
06. Sailor’s chest<br />
Pockmarked and weatherworn,<br />
this substantial sailor’s<br />
chest will stand out when<br />
housed on terra firma. With<br />
two separate compartments,<br />
it’s an attractive storage unit,<br />
but we recommend using it<br />
as a coffee table so guests<br />
can appreciate its chunky<br />
rope handles and nautical<br />
detailing.<br />
RRP £359.99<br />
07. Cardboard Radio<br />
Offering ‘environmentally<br />
sound sounds’ is this<br />
Cardboard Radio from<br />
designer Christopher<br />
McNicholl. <strong>The</strong> no-frills FM<br />
radio and MP3 player,<br />
complete with audio input<br />
cable and four AA batteries,<br />
is aimed at anyone who’s<br />
aghast at the unnecessary<br />
packaging and nonbiodegradable<br />
gadgets.<br />
RRP £24.99<br />
www.Monsterstuff.co.uk<br />
08. Dualit coffee grinder<br />
We do love Dualit accessories<br />
for our home, so we were<br />
immediately taken by this<br />
new coffee grinder. It’s a<br />
small but sturdy piece of<br />
equipment, with a conical<br />
burr that spins at 450 rpm.<br />
That’s intentionally slower<br />
than other machines in order<br />
to minimize heat and<br />
preserve aromas and oils<br />
released during the grind. It’s<br />
available now priced £79.95.<br />
www.dualit.com<br />
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TRAVEL<br />
GO WEST<br />
David Hudson kicks back and soaks up some rays<br />
in Florida’s most southerly point – Key West…<br />
If you’re looking for a gay<br />
escape that guarantees yearround<br />
sunshine, America’s<br />
Key West is a destination<br />
both paradoxically far-flung<br />
yet easily accessible for UK<br />
travellers. It’s famously the<br />
southernmost part of the US –<br />
being a small island at the tip<br />
of the Florida keys – a string of<br />
islands stretching down<br />
towards the Caribbean. To<br />
reach it, you must first fly to<br />
Miami and then on to Key West<br />
either by road for 160 miles<br />
(bridges span the various keys<br />
en route) or – as I did – catch a<br />
connecting flight, which takes<br />
just under an hour in a<br />
propeller-powered plane.<br />
Although the road route is<br />
unquestionably scenic, most of<br />
those who have done it once<br />
subsequently opt to fly out of<br />
sheer convenience.<br />
Key West is approximately<br />
four miles long and two miles<br />
wide. It’s home to a permanent<br />
population of around 25,000<br />
which is, at any one time,<br />
swelled by a constant stream of<br />
visitors. <strong>The</strong> island remained<br />
fairly isolated until the arrival<br />
of a railroad to the mainland in<br />
1912. This was destroyed by a<br />
hurricane in 1935, and was<br />
deemed too expensive to<br />
rebuild. <strong>In</strong>stead, a highway was<br />
created in 1939 – an extension<br />
of the U.S Highway 1. Situated<br />
just 90 miles from Cuba, the<br />
island has also proved a regular<br />
stop-off for naval vessels, and –<br />
in more recent years – visiting<br />
cruise ships.<br />
Key West has also attracted its<br />
fair share of artists and writers<br />
– many looking to escape<br />
somewhere to work in peace,<br />
and others merely seeking a<br />
holiday home. Famously,<br />
Ernest Hemingway lived here<br />
in the 1920s and 30s –<br />
continuing to visit regularly<br />
until his suicide in 1961. Writer<br />
Tennesse Williams was one of<br />
the first gay men to succumb to<br />
the attractions of Key West,<br />
tempted in 1949 by the balmy<br />
climate and perhaps the<br />
endless influx of sailors. He<br />
was followed by countless<br />
other affluent gay men and<br />
artists – many of whom took<br />
over and restored bungalows<br />
and colonial-style houses on<br />
the island.<br />
Key West is proud of its<br />
distance from mainland<br />
U.S.A. <strong>In</strong>deed, in 1982, it<br />
fleetingly declared itself<br />
independent of the U.S, when<br />
it seceded itself as the ‘Conch<br />
Republic’ in reaction to a U.S.<br />
border control roadblock and<br />
checkpoint. <strong>The</strong><br />
demonstration lasted barely 24<br />
hours, but the islanders made<br />
their point and the blockade<br />
was abandoned. However, the<br />
notion of the ‘Conch Republic’<br />
stuck, and Key West continues<br />
to celebrate its ‘<strong>In</strong>dependence<br />
Day’ every 23 April.<br />
Many factors contribute to<br />
making Key West quite unlike<br />
anywhere else in the U.S.<br />
<strong>The</strong>re’s the Caribbean climate,<br />
and the ‘island mentality’<br />
fostered by its geographical<br />
isolation. <strong>The</strong> island was –<br />
until just a couple of decades<br />
ago – a major marijuana<br />
smuggling point into the U.S<br />
and something of the ‘anything<br />
goes’, laid-back vibe of those<br />
days persists. Due to Highway 1<br />
ending on the island, it’s a<br />
pilgrimage spot for motorcycle<br />
enthusiasts – and Harley<br />
Davidsons and bars ‘welcoming<br />
bikers’ are not uncommon. <strong>The</strong><br />
island is flat, and there are no<br />
high-rise buildings that could<br />
be battered by hurricanes.<br />
Wooden houses and pastelcoloured<br />
bungalows are<br />
common, with touches of art<br />
deco mingling with 50s<br />
simplicity. Palm trees and<br />
exotic flora abide. <strong>The</strong> average<br />
temperature in January is 21 C,<br />
rising to 31 C (average) in July<br />
– nudging towards 40 C on the<br />
hottest days of the year.<br />
Thanks to the large gay<br />
population and its popularity<br />
with creative types, the island<br />
boasts a tangible air of San<br />
Francisco-style bohemia. One<br />
1<br />
2<br />
2<br />
3<br />
PHOTO © DAVID HUDSON<br />
68 WWW.OUTMAG.CO.UK
Pictured:<br />
1. View from the Lighthouse<br />
2. Gay trolley tour<br />
3. Typical Key West architecture<br />
4. Bears at Key West Bear Fest<br />
5. Big Ruby’s Guesthouse<br />
6 Ernest Hemingway’s House<br />
7 Key West from the air<br />
4<br />
5<br />
6<br />
4<br />
7<br />
WWW.OUTMAG.CO.UK 69
TRAVEL<br />
<br />
suspects that there is little<br />
that would raise an eyebrow<br />
here. People are too busy<br />
minding their own business,<br />
enjoying the sunshine, or<br />
mixing their next margharita.<br />
And exactly how gay is Key<br />
West? That’s a debatable point.<br />
When a census was taken in<br />
2000, LGB residents living<br />
with partners were encouraged<br />
to register the fact that they<br />
lived in a same-sex household.<br />
By that poll, one in three men<br />
and one in four women were<br />
estimated to be gay. It’s<br />
possible that the figure used to<br />
be higher. HIV cut a huge<br />
swathe through this<br />
community in the 80s and 90s,<br />
and there remains a highly<br />
visible AIDS memorial on the<br />
eastern side of the island in<br />
memory of those lost. Today,<br />
estimates of one in three may<br />
be a little on the optimistic<br />
side. Fort Lauderdale, north of<br />
Miami, has emerged as another<br />
hugely popular destination for<br />
gay men wishing to set up<br />
home in a tropical climate,<br />
while Miami itself is also<br />
popular. Frequent visitors to<br />
Key West say that the gay<br />
scene is smaller than it<br />
once was.<br />
Nevertheless, for a<br />
town of 25,000, Key<br />
West is pretty darn<br />
gay. For<br />
confirmation, take<br />
advantage of the<br />
gay trolley tour –<br />
a 60-minute<br />
excursion on an<br />
old-fashioned<br />
trolley with a<br />
guide that will give you the<br />
low-down on the island’s gay<br />
history.<br />
<strong>The</strong> majority of gay visitors<br />
will opt to stay at one of the<br />
various gay guesthouses. <strong>The</strong>se<br />
are typically small<br />
establishments of 20-40 rooms,<br />
situated around the obligatory<br />
pool and hot tubs. I stayed at<br />
Big Ruby’s Guesthouse,<br />
situated just off Duval Street –<br />
the island’s main thoroughfare.<br />
One of the most popular<br />
guesthouses on the island, you<br />
can expect a warm welcome, a<br />
legendary breakfast, a large<br />
communal Jacuzzi and pool.<br />
<strong>The</strong> island’s other main gay<br />
guesthouse is Island House,<br />
which is a bit more modern,<br />
and offers a range of<br />
guestrooms, sun deck, gym,<br />
pool, sauna and steam room.<br />
It’s open 24 hours a day, and<br />
non-residents can pay a daily<br />
admission charge if they wish<br />
to take advantage of the<br />
amenities.<br />
<strong>The</strong> bulk of the gay scene is<br />
clustered around the middle<br />
of the aforementioned Duval<br />
Street. Start your evening at<br />
the 8<strong>01</strong> Bourbon Street Bar<br />
(8<strong>01</strong> Duvall –<br />
8<strong>01</strong>Bourbon.com) or the<br />
more local-friendly<br />
Bobby’s Monkey Bar<br />
(900 Simonton –<br />
BobbysMonkeyBar.<br />
com). Enjoy the<br />
nightly cabaret<br />
shows upstairs at<br />
8<strong>01</strong>, featuring a<br />
rotating line-up of<br />
local drag talent, or<br />
move on for cruisier<br />
action at the adjoining leather<br />
club, Saloon One (8<strong>01</strong> Duval –<br />
rear entrance – 8<strong>01</strong>Bourbon.<br />
com). It’s the only cruise club<br />
in the world where I’ve seen<br />
a leather harness accessorised<br />
with flip-flops. Blame the<br />
tropical climate!<br />
<strong>The</strong>re’s more drag cabaret<br />
and dance tunes at Aqua (711<br />
Duvall – AquaKeyWest.com),<br />
while the biggest late-night<br />
destination is probably<br />
Bourbon Street Pub (724<br />
Duval – BourbonStPub.com),<br />
with its army of go-go’s and<br />
outdoor pool and hot tub.<br />
On Sundays, the Tea Dance at<br />
La Te Da (1125 Duval –<br />
LaTeDa.com) is something of<br />
an institution.<br />
For added fun, plan your trip<br />
around one of the island’s big<br />
gay festivals. Key West Pride<br />
will take place 6-10 June 2<strong>01</strong>2,<br />
while the annual Fantasy Fest<br />
– an Island-wide carnival for<br />
all – takes place 19-28 October.<br />
My visit coincided with the<br />
annual Key West Bear Fest,<br />
which although small by<br />
international bear event<br />
standards, attracted a good<br />
number of chunky daddies and<br />
furry fellas. <strong>The</strong> 2<strong>01</strong>2 event is<br />
planned for the end of<br />
September, but keep checking<br />
www.keywestbearfest.com for<br />
details.<br />
Away from the scene, if you<br />
can tear yourself away from<br />
your guesthouse pool, Key<br />
West offers a limited and<br />
laid-back selection of<br />
activities. Explore Ernest<br />
Hemingway’s House, which<br />
has been preserved as he left it<br />
and still houses a large<br />
community of polydactl cats – a<br />
rare breed with up to seven<br />
toes on its paws.<br />
Catch a ferry for a day<br />
excursion to the<br />
aforementioned Fort<br />
Jefferson – the ruins of which<br />
stand as a slightly eery white<br />
elephant to US military hubris<br />
(its impressive canons were<br />
never once fired). It’s situated a<br />
two-hour ferry ride from Key<br />
West. Alternatively, for a<br />
shorter excursion, book a place<br />
on the Blue Q snorkeling<br />
expedition – a gay-run<br />
catamaran trip that will take<br />
you out snorkeling to local<br />
sandbanks. If you’re lucky, you<br />
might get to see some local<br />
dolphins, and if not, you can<br />
always console yourself with a<br />
free drink from the cooler box.<br />
<strong>In</strong> a similar vein to watching<br />
the sun rise in Ibiza, watching<br />
the sun set in Key West is a<br />
vacation rite of passage, with<br />
many choosing to make their<br />
way to Mallory Square on the<br />
sea front – where you’ll find<br />
market stalls, street<br />
performers, and one of<br />
Mother’s Nature’s most aweinspiring<br />
sun sets – particularly<br />
so if the sky is dotted with<br />
some of the giant<br />
cumulonimbus clouds that<br />
form in the rainy season.<br />
With its laid-back<br />
atmosphere, balmy climate,<br />
romantic star-filled nights,<br />
and gay-friendly atmosphere,<br />
it would take a hard soul to<br />
resist Key West’s tropical<br />
charms. Check out, tune in,<br />
and don’t forget to pack your<br />
sun cream…<br />
For further information on <strong>The</strong><br />
Florida Keys and Key West, please<br />
visit www.fla-keys.com/gay<br />
EATING OUT<br />
, 700 Duval Street, Key West. A very popular and gayfriendly<br />
Duval Street restaurant. <br />
, 615 Duval Street, Key West. A fabulous, upmarket<br />
Italian restaurant. <br />
, 421 Caroline Street, Key West. A South American<br />
barbecue meat feast.<br />
, corner of Caroline and Margaret Streets –<br />
very gay-friendly diner. <br />
<br />
- Key West LGBT information<br />
- Big Ruby’s Guesthouse<br />
- Island House gay resort<br />
- Website for gay guesthouses<br />
Oasis, Coral Tree <strong>In</strong>n and Coconut Grove<br />
- Fantasy Fest<br />
70 WWW.OUTMAG.CO.UK
WWW.OUTMAG.CO.UK 71
72 WWW.OUTMAG.CO.UK<br />
PROPERTY
PROPERTY<br />
FITNESS<br />
WELLBEING<br />
LEGAL<br />
TRAVEL<br />
SERVICES<br />
WWW.OUTMAG.CO.UK 73
HEALTH / WELLBEING / ADVICE / FITNESS / NUTRITION / GYM<br />
WORLD AIDS DAY<br />
PAGE 74<br />
GROOMING<br />
PAGE 76<br />
BODY TALK<br />
PAGE 78<br />
Help me <strong>Out</strong>!<br />
Soren Stauffer-Kruse offers words<br />
of advice and guidance…<br />
HE’S ALWAYS HIGH<br />
Dear <strong>Out</strong>,<br />
I’ve met a great guy. Or at least I<br />
thought he was a great guy. My main<br />
problem is that he takes a lot of drugs.<br />
I admit that I dabble occasionally, and<br />
we were both high when we first met<br />
three months ago at a club. We spent<br />
the whole weekend together and have<br />
been seeing each other since. However,<br />
I now realise that he takes drugs a lot<br />
more than I do – from GHB, ketamine<br />
and cocaine to ecstasy and miaowmiaow.<br />
He doesn’t tend to touch them<br />
during the week, when he has to work,<br />
but he does often get drunk – and<br />
every weekend seems to be turning into<br />
a drug-fuelled bender. He also seems to<br />
need to be high, or drunk, to want sex.<br />
I’ve told him that he should cut back a<br />
bit, but he says that I’m acting “boring”<br />
and doesn’t want to discuss it. He says<br />
he works hard and is entitled to play<br />
hard. I don’t want to dump him, but I<br />
don’t know what to do.<br />
C<br />
Dear C,<br />
He may be a great guy but it sounds<br />
like he has a problem with drugs. <strong>The</strong><br />
fact that he is being defensive when<br />
you try to talk to him about cutting<br />
back, as well as needing drugs and<br />
alcohol to have sex suggest that his<br />
drug use is more than playing hard.<br />
<strong>The</strong> first step is for him to<br />
acknowledge this. <strong>The</strong> substances on<br />
your list can be very addictive and<br />
have detrimental effects on physical<br />
and mental health as well as possibly<br />
interfering with sexual functioning.<br />
Most of us sometimes use alcohol,<br />
food, sex, shopping – or drugs – to<br />
make ourselves feel better. <strong>The</strong> effect<br />
is short-lived and you end up feeling<br />
worse the next day when you wake up<br />
and look in the mirror or at your<br />
credit card receipts. It’s a quick fix<br />
and soon, feelings of stress, anxiety<br />
or whatever else may be underlying<br />
our behaviours re-emerge. Some of us<br />
try to drown out feelings of stress or<br />
low self-esteem by partying with<br />
alcohol and drugs. This masks the<br />
fact that we may find it difficult to<br />
identify feelings. Some struggle to<br />
find positive ways of making<br />
themselves feel better. Exercise, a<br />
healthy diet and someone to talk to<br />
are all good ways to address a work/<br />
life imbalance. <strong>The</strong>re can be a healthy<br />
middle ground between abstinence<br />
and addiction. Maybe you are able to<br />
dabble because you can manage that<br />
middle ground. It’s much harder to<br />
manage it when psychological factors<br />
such as stress or depression are<br />
underlying the use of substances. I<br />
have heard many gay men talk about<br />
a life of ‘working hard and playing<br />
hard’. That usually translates as: ‘I<br />
am so exhausted from working this<br />
hard that the only way for me to play<br />
is to obliterate my mind with drugs’.<br />
Whilst I understand that it can be fun<br />
to dabble, there is something wrong<br />
when you need drugs to have sex.<br />
So how do you get him hooked on<br />
you instead? Relationships are an<br />
opportunity to connect with another<br />
person on an intimate level that is<br />
better than any high of any drug. I<br />
would suggest that you do not dump<br />
him yet, but be clear about your<br />
boundaries first. Know what is right<br />
for you and tell him. This is an<br />
opportunity for the two of you to<br />
connect on a deeper level. Rather<br />
than telling him that he has a drug<br />
problem, tell him that you want to get<br />
to know him more, find out who he<br />
really is, not relate through a haze of<br />
drugs and alcohol. Do something fun<br />
with him that isn’t taking drugs or<br />
drinking alcohol, something that<br />
relaxes both of you and gets you out<br />
of your regular pattern. Plan a<br />
weekend away that doesn’t involve<br />
partying. Have a walk, go for dinner<br />
and have sex and see if he isn’t able<br />
to have fun without being on a<br />
cocktail of drugs. If he really wants to<br />
be with you he will adjust his lifestyle<br />
and find out that you are much better<br />
than ecstasy.<br />
GET IN TOUCH<br />
Soren Stauffer-Kruse is a<br />
Chartered Counselling Psychologist<br />
and an expert in gay relationship and<br />
sexual issues. If you have a problem<br />
and are seeking advice, email<br />
editorial@outmag.co.uk<br />
We regret that Soren cannot enter<br />
into personal correspondence.<br />
VWWW.OUTMAG.CO.UK 75
WORLD AIDS DAY: 1 DECEMBER<br />
HIV AND ME<br />
MARIO FORGIONE REFLECTS ON 30 YEARS OF HIV,<br />
ADVANCES IN TREATMENT, AND WHY LIVING WITH THE<br />
VIRUS WILL INEVITABLY STILL TAKE ITS TOLL…<br />
HIV is 30 years old.<br />
It was in June 1981<br />
when a report was first<br />
published in the USA<br />
about a mysterious new<br />
illness that had resulted<br />
in the deaths of several<br />
men – all of whom<br />
happened to be gay.<br />
<strong>In</strong>itially, this new disease was<br />
dubbed GRID (Gay-Related<br />
Immune Deficiency),<br />
mistakenly suggesting an<br />
inherent link between<br />
homosexuality and the illness,<br />
and unwittingly feeding a<br />
stigma that, in certain circles,<br />
even today, is hard to shake off.<br />
As it turned out, HIV proved to<br />
be less discriminating as to<br />
whom it infected, and went on<br />
to infect tens of millions of<br />
people worldwide, regardless<br />
of race, gender and sexual<br />
orientation.<br />
I was diagnosed with HIV in<br />
2007. Although I went<br />
through some traumatic<br />
times, I am now on effective<br />
medication, with an<br />
undetectable viral load.<br />
Provided I stick to my<br />
treatment regime, there is the<br />
chance that I may never<br />
actually develop AIDS.<br />
Unfortunately, this was not<br />
always the case, as Garry Brough<br />
(who was Patient Representative<br />
at the clinic I attended) told me<br />
when I first met him. He was<br />
diagnosed with HIV in 1991,<br />
when the virus was still a death<br />
sentence and AZT the only<br />
treatment drug available. <strong>The</strong><br />
high dosages of the drug<br />
prescribed at the time resulted<br />
in side effects that were as<br />
difficult to manage as HIV itself.<br />
Patients were guinea pigs for<br />
new treatment regimes, and<br />
many continued to die. “Give it a<br />
go, have faith and hope for the<br />
best,” was the prevailing attitude<br />
Garry was lucky in that he<br />
didn’t need to rush into<br />
taking experimental<br />
treatments and he held out.<br />
Thousands did not have that<br />
option and died, all the while<br />
furthering research on how<br />
drugs might best work against<br />
HIV. Until 1995, HIV was the<br />
leading cause of death for<br />
Americans aged 25-44. <strong>The</strong>n<br />
the first protease inhibitor was<br />
approved, ushering in the era<br />
of Highly Active Antiretroviral<br />
<strong>The</strong>rapy (HAART). HIV infects<br />
and destroys the helper T-cells<br />
of the immune system,<br />
destroying them and leading to<br />
generalised failure of the<br />
immune system. <strong>The</strong>refore, the<br />
first aim of HAART was to<br />
reduce the amount of virus (or<br />
viral load) present in a patient’s<br />
blood. Put simply, the less HIV<br />
in your blood, the smaller the<br />
likelihood of the virus knocking<br />
out your immune system. As it<br />
turned out, an undetectable<br />
viral load has also proven to<br />
decrease the chances of passing<br />
on the virus, so these days the<br />
aim of HAART is not only to<br />
keep an individual healthy but<br />
also to dramatically reduce the<br />
chances of that person<br />
infecting another.Having<br />
another sexually-transmitted<br />
infection can cause the viral<br />
load to temporarily rise above<br />
undetectable levels, increasing<br />
the chance of transmission,<br />
which is why condoms will<br />
always be the first barrier of<br />
defence; but knowing an HIV+<br />
“With a vaccine proving as<br />
elusive as ever, HIV is still<br />
winning. It’s simple as that.”<br />
person’s viral load can help you<br />
make an informed choice on<br />
the sexual activities you want<br />
to indulge in – remembering<br />
that condoms also reduce the<br />
chances of catching other STIs.<br />
I wish there were more<br />
people like Garry, to remind<br />
the rest of us how the<br />
epidemic started, and how in<br />
the 80s and 90s people died<br />
needlessly, and often alone,<br />
even in the so-called<br />
developed world. <strong>The</strong> younger<br />
generation tends to take things<br />
for granted. <strong>The</strong>y never knew<br />
those who passed away in<br />
previous decades, nor do they<br />
see people dying of AIDS every<br />
day, which is why I believe<br />
there is so much complacency<br />
around the issue of HIV. <strong>In</strong> this<br />
new age of naïve ignorance,<br />
regardless of what they state in<br />
their online profiles, many<br />
people practise bareback sex.<br />
Often they don’t find out until<br />
it’s too late how devastating the<br />
virus can be, if not on a<br />
physical level, then definitely<br />
on a psychological level.<br />
HIV changes you.<br />
Eventually, taking medication<br />
for the rest of your life will<br />
become second nature, but it’s<br />
never an ideal situation. And<br />
medication won’t prepare or<br />
equip you with the tools to deal<br />
with the rejection you will<br />
experience in relation to your<br />
status; a major factor that fuels<br />
depression among the HIV<br />
community. You may also<br />
experience discrimination<br />
because – even in this supposed<br />
age of equality and respect –<br />
the average gay person has a<br />
problem with HIV, mainly due<br />
to lack of knowledge on the<br />
subject.<br />
Ignorance can be just as<br />
dangerous an enemy as HIV<br />
itself, and at a time when even<br />
the healthiest looking man can<br />
be harbouring the virus, we<br />
must continue to raise<br />
awareness and educate the<br />
masses… or sometimes, even<br />
just our next sexual partner.<br />
When I look from the past<br />
to the present – and then to<br />
the foreseeable future – I<br />
realise that HIV isn’t<br />
disappearing any time soon.<br />
With a vaccine proving as<br />
elusive as ever, HIV is still<br />
winning. It’s simple as that. It<br />
is down to everyone, regardless<br />
of their HIV status, to take<br />
responsibility for their health<br />
and ask the right questions.<br />
Other than that, just like when<br />
it began 30 years ago, all we<br />
have left is hope, faith and our<br />
love for life and each other.<br />
76 WWW.OUTMAG.CO.UK
WORLD AIDS DAY: 1 DECEMBER<br />
KEEP AWARE<br />
Charli Scouler of NAT (National AIDS<br />
Trust) explains the results of research<br />
recently carried out by the organisation,<br />
and why many gay men still need<br />
to educate themselves about HIV<br />
infection…<br />
World AIDS Day<br />
is an important<br />
opportunity to raise<br />
awareness and<br />
encourage people to<br />
learn the facts about<br />
HIV. This is<br />
particularly relevant<br />
to gay men as not only<br />
do one in 20 gay men<br />
have HIV, but last<br />
year also saw the highest-ever number of new HIV diagnoses<br />
among gay and bisexual men – a clear reminder of the need for<br />
better education, awareness, targeted prevention and testing<br />
efforts.<br />
One area where knowledge is particularly lacking among gay<br />
men is the early indicators of HIV infection. Research from NAT,<br />
conducted among more than 8,000 gay men in partnership with<br />
Gaydar, showed that 60% of gay men incorrectly believe there are<br />
no symptoms of early HIV infection.<br />
<strong>In</strong> fact, between 70-90% of people experience symptoms –<br />
most commonly a combination of sore throat, rash and fever –<br />
soon after HIV infection, but fewer than one in 10 respondents<br />
were aware of this. This lack of knowledge is extremely worrying,<br />
as spotting the signs of recent HIV infection presents one of the<br />
best opportunities to get diagnosed early. Lack of awareness of<br />
these facts increases risk to your own health and to the health of<br />
your sexual partners.<br />
Despite a clear lack of knowledge around the indicators of<br />
early HIV infection, it was positive to see that 65% of gay men<br />
surveyed were aware that someone with HIV will be highly<br />
infectious in the first few weeks after infection. This suggests<br />
that if knowledge of HIV symptoms were improved amongst gay<br />
men, they would be likely to take the necessary action to reduce<br />
the risk of passing it on to others.<br />
It is important that if you experience a combination of sore<br />
throat, fever and rash, you go and get tested for HIV as soon as<br />
possible. <strong>The</strong> worst thing you can do is wait until the symptoms<br />
disappear and then forget about it, as the symptoms will go away<br />
and someone with HIV may then live for many years without any<br />
further indicators that they are HIV-positive until their immune<br />
system is severely compromised several years later.<br />
<strong>The</strong> signs of recent HIV infection are just one aspect of HIV<br />
information that many people still unaware of, but there are also<br />
common myths and misconceptions that people still believe. NAT<br />
has been working to raise awareness and educate the public about<br />
all aspects of HIV by launching www.HIVaware.org.uk, a brand<br />
new website aimed at everyone which provides all the information<br />
you need to know about HIV. We’ve also revamped our web<br />
information for people living with HIV, making it more userfriendly<br />
and interactive. Check it at www.lifewithHIV.org.uk.<br />
Log on to both websites today and tell us what you think.<br />
BE A CLEVER<br />
DICK!<br />
We preview THT’s new Clever Dick/<br />
Smart Arse campaign…<br />
<strong>The</strong> Terrence Higgins Trust (THT) has launched a new<br />
campaign to coincide with World AIDS Day. <strong>The</strong> new ‘Clever<br />
Dick /Smart Arse’ campaign has been designed to encourage gay<br />
men to talk about HIV prevention, and it features “real men”<br />
speaking out about why they use condoms to protect themselves.<br />
<strong>The</strong> England-wide campaign is urging gay and bisexual men to<br />
use condoms during sex. <strong>The</strong>re are now more men with HIV on<br />
the gay scene than ever before, one in four of whom remain<br />
undiagnosed and therefore more likely to pass the virus on. To<br />
combat rising rates, THT is calling for gay businesses and<br />
individuals to help halt the spread of HIV on the scene by placing<br />
a renewed focus on condom use.<br />
To create the ‘Clever Dick / Smart Arse’ campaign, THT<br />
invited eight gay men from across England to take part in a<br />
photoshoot and talk about why they use condoms when<br />
having sex. Men came from all areas of the gay community – from a<br />
Soho bar manager to a rugby player with the Kings Cross Steelers –<br />
to lend their voices to the campaign, which will run via print and<br />
online press advertisements, posters in gay venues, and on 100,000<br />
condom packs to be distributed across the scene.<br />
Other areas of the campaign include an online<br />
SexScore survey at www.clever-dick.org, where gay and<br />
bisexual men can receive tailored information on how<br />
risky their sex lives are, along with advice on how to stay safe. All<br />
men who complete the survey can choose to be entered into a<br />
prize draw to win an iPad 2 and one of ten pairs of Monkee Jeans.<br />
Ben Tunstall, Head of Health Promotion at THT, said: “At<br />
THT, we’ve been talking about condoms for almost 30 years. But<br />
our oldest message is also our most important: when you’re<br />
having sex, condoms are the best way to guard against HIV.<br />
“How much do you know about the guy you just picked up?<br />
How confident are you that you know his HIV status? With the<br />
vast majority of new infections passed on by people who don’t<br />
know they have it, the chances are he may not know himself.<br />
Thirty years on from the start of the epidemic, condoms are still<br />
the best way to protect not just your health, but also your peace of<br />
mind. We want everyone on the gay scene to<br />
get behind this campaign – putting up<br />
posters in venues, picking up our<br />
condom packs, or just<br />
talking to their<br />
mates about safer<br />
sex – and help us<br />
reduce the<br />
spread of HIV in<br />
our community.”<br />
www.tht.org.uk<br />
- THT website<br />
www.freedomsshop.nhs.uk<br />
- Buy<br />
reduced price<br />
condoms<br />
www.myhiv.org.<br />
uk - <strong>In</strong>formation for<br />
anyone living with<br />
HIV<br />
78 WWW.OUTMAG.CO.UK
WWW.OUTMAG.CO.UK 79
GROOMING<br />
METAL GURU<br />
David Hudson reviews Nickel Spa London, 27 Short’s Gardens<br />
London WC2H 9AP. 020 7240 4048 www.nickelspalondon.co.uk<br />
that I’m sure I nodded off on a<br />
couple of occasions – which<br />
demonstrates that the<br />
treatment was certainly<br />
relaxing.<br />
Of all the men’s treatment<br />
rooms in London, Nickel Spa<br />
– which launched in Covent<br />
Garden back in 2006 – is one<br />
of the best known. This is<br />
primarily because it’s one of<br />
the few London spas catering<br />
exclusively for men. Given its<br />
prime WC2 location – just a<br />
five-minute walk from Old<br />
Compton Street – it’s had a<br />
huge gay following ever since<br />
it opened, and it has continued<br />
to prosper whilst other spas<br />
have come and gone.<br />
Nickel is both a skincare<br />
range and spa. It has outlets<br />
in London, New York and<br />
Paris. I was fortunate enough<br />
to enjoy treatment at the<br />
flagship New York branch back<br />
in July, and can confirm that it<br />
operates along very similar<br />
lines to the London branch<br />
– even down to the décor. <strong>The</strong><br />
colour scheme is all cool blues,<br />
to reflect the skincare product<br />
packaging, with clean white<br />
walls and pale wood floors.<br />
Upstairs, you’ll find the<br />
reception area and grooming<br />
store, which stocks the<br />
complete Nickel range as well<br />
as selected products from<br />
other bespoke beauty brands.<br />
Upstairs also offers manicure<br />
and pedicure stations. <strong>The</strong>se<br />
are tucked away in a side room,<br />
primarily because the staff<br />
appreciate that most men don’t<br />
want their nails being fussed<br />
over in front of large windows<br />
overlooking the street!<br />
Downstairs, for further<br />
privacy, are the six treatment<br />
rooms. Nickel offers a wide<br />
range of treatments, ranging<br />
from a large selection of<br />
massages and aromatherapy<br />
treatments through to<br />
microdemabrasion and facials.<br />
<strong>The</strong>y also offer waxing, IPL<br />
hair removal and both<br />
‘overground’ and<br />
‘underground’ waxing (above<br />
or below the waist area!). <strong>The</strong>y<br />
can also offer anti-wrinkle<br />
injections and dermal fillers<br />
for those wanting to hold back<br />
the years more aggressively!<br />
I opted to try the<br />
signature Nickel Complete<br />
Fitness Facial – 60 minutes<br />
of serious pampering for £70.<br />
My therapist led me to a<br />
treatment room and left me<br />
alone to strip down to my<br />
trousers and lie on the<br />
treatment bed. He then<br />
returned and asked me<br />
questions about my skin and<br />
beauty regime, which he<br />
considered to be good, except<br />
for making a recommendation<br />
that I try to use a clay mask<br />
once a week to help suck the<br />
dirt from my pores. <strong>The</strong>n he<br />
set about working on my face<br />
– which involved cleansing,<br />
steaming and blackhead<br />
extraction. I’m pleased to<br />
report that on this particular<br />
occasion I didn’t have too<br />
much gunk that needed to be<br />
squeezed out! After the<br />
extraction, an exfoliant mask<br />
was applied and then cleansed,<br />
followed by copious amounts<br />
of moisturising. I was also<br />
treated to plenty of neck and<br />
scalp massage… to the extent<br />
<strong>The</strong> hour seemed to fly<br />
past, and I emerged from the<br />
treatment room positively<br />
glowing – at least according<br />
to the friend who I then met<br />
for coffee. I was very pleased<br />
with the result, and before<br />
seeing me on my way, my<br />
therapist gave me an envelope<br />
of treatment sachets, so I could<br />
try some of the creams and<br />
potions he’d used in the<br />
privacy of my own home.<br />
If you have any queries<br />
about Nickel Spa, do check out<br />
its website. Not only does it<br />
carry an exhaustive list of its<br />
treatments and prices,<br />
including some good package<br />
deals, but it’s got an online<br />
store selling its full range of<br />
grooming products, and all the<br />
information you could possibly<br />
need about booking. It also has<br />
a helpful section on DOs and<br />
DON’Ts aimed at anyone who<br />
has never visited a spa – or<br />
Nickel – before. This includes<br />
advice on what to wear when<br />
having a massage (“What to<br />
wear, or not to wear, is a<br />
surprisingly big concern when<br />
it comes to spa treatments”),<br />
through to the friendly<br />
warning that “Do you do<br />
‘specials’?” is not on the menu.<br />
So, don’t ask. But should an<br />
awkward situation, ahem,<br />
naturally ‘arise’ then there’s no<br />
need to panic. <strong>The</strong>se things<br />
happen. Think about your tax<br />
return, mother-in-law or<br />
Margaret Thatcher and all<br />
should return to normal!”<br />
Finally, fans of Nickel, if<br />
they haven’t already done so,<br />
should ‘Like’ its Facebook page<br />
(Nickel Spa London). Each<br />
month, the team randomly pick<br />
a Facebook fan to receive free<br />
treatment, and they also send<br />
out regular messages about<br />
discounts.<br />
www.nickelspalondon.co.uk<br />
80 WWW.OUTMAG.CO.UK
FITNESS<br />
My body<br />
Nico Modestine –<br />
Dancer and fitness<br />
instructor<br />
WHEN DID YOU START<br />
QWORKING OUT?<br />
I’ve always been a sporty geek,<br />
into languages and psychology,<br />
but constantly challenging myself<br />
at the gym, in a dojo [a type of<br />
martial arts school], or dancing in<br />
a studio. I started doing Tae Kwon<br />
Do, capoeira and other martial<br />
arts when still quite young and I<br />
always envied my idols such as<br />
Jean-Claude Van Damme or Bruce<br />
Lee, who were a lot more skilful<br />
than I was with their beautiful<br />
sculpted bodies. It was only in<br />
2006, when I moved away from<br />
my native island of Martinique to<br />
study in the South of France, that<br />
I developed a deeper interest in<br />
fitness and started working out at<br />
university.<br />
WHAT’S YOUR TYPICAL GYM<br />
QROUTINE?<br />
Just at the moment I have planned<br />
eight weeks of strength-training<br />
to achieve a maximum result in<br />
muscle hypertrophy (muscle<br />
growth). I do try to keep my<br />
workouts fun and varied, so I<br />
include lots of circuit training and<br />
plyometrics. I also pole dance 2-3<br />
times a week and use it essentially<br />
to increase my core stability and<br />
flexibility, which I believe to be<br />
fundamental as a dancer. At the<br />
gym, I usually workout 5-6 times a<br />
week, unceasingly stimulating my<br />
muscles with a great variety of<br />
exercises. I tend to workout<br />
Monday to Saturday, and I usually<br />
superset opposing muscle groups<br />
(with no rest between sets) as it<br />
gives you that nice skin-splitting<br />
pump and boost!<br />
WHAT SORT OF WEIGHTS DO<br />
QYOU LIFT NOW?<br />
Resistance machines are excellent<br />
for beginners in order to slowly<br />
increase strength and coordination,<br />
however, I mainly use<br />
heavy weights and free weights.<br />
<strong>The</strong>y are, for obvious reasons, a<br />
better way to improve posture and<br />
balance but each exercise has to<br />
be performed with the right<br />
technique to avoid unnecessary<br />
injury. To help me train, I read<br />
many articles on the internet<br />
concerning nutrition and training.<br />
PHOTO © DAVID HUDSON – WITH THANKS TO SWEATBOX, SOHO<br />
DO YOU TAKE NUTRITIONAL<br />
QSUPPLEMENTS?<br />
I keep a strict diet and avoid the<br />
usual evils (alcohol, takeouts,<br />
pastries, candy, etc). As they say; if<br />
it doesn’t grow, walk, fly or swim,<br />
don’t eat it. Processed foods are<br />
full of the things that you need to<br />
stay away from – trans fats,<br />
colouring and sweeteners. My<br />
partner in crime – and probably<br />
one the best pre-workout<br />
supplements on the market at the<br />
moment – is the USN Muscle Fuel<br />
Anabolic, which is packed with<br />
seven different forms of proteins<br />
and fast and slow-acting carbs. It’s<br />
perfect if you have a mass-gaining<br />
plan. I also like to use intraworkout<br />
drinks to minimise the<br />
onset of muscle soreness the next<br />
day, in order to be consistently<br />
effective at the gym. I may feel<br />
less motivated one day or want to<br />
work harder, so I use a pretraining<br />
igniter called N.O Xplode<br />
as it increases mental alertness,<br />
focus, strength, power or<br />
resistance to muscle fatigue.<br />
DO YOU HAVE ANY ADVICE<br />
QOR TIPS?<br />
Educate and discipline yourself!<br />
Always make technique and form<br />
prevail in order to slowly but<br />
surely achieve your targets. Pride<br />
will only push you to lifting<br />
beyond your abilities, risking<br />
injury and compromising your<br />
goals. Nutrition is also essential in<br />
your plan, so stay firm and walk<br />
away from your daily doughnut!<br />
Try out new activities and you’ll<br />
be surprised that losing weight<br />
can also be fun.<br />
HOW TO GET A<br />
BODY LIKE<br />
NICO<br />
1. Plyometric is a<br />
type of training<br />
designed to produce<br />
fast, powerful<br />
moments, generally<br />
for the purpose of<br />
improving<br />
performances in<br />
sports. Such<br />
exercises are<br />
designed to increase<br />
the speed or force of<br />
muscular<br />
contractions.<br />
2. USN Muscle Fuel<br />
Anabolic offers a<br />
generous helping of<br />
protein, amino acids,<br />
creatine and lactose<br />
enzymes (to aid milk<br />
protein absorption).<br />
3. Dancing is an<br />
excellent cardiovascular<br />
activity,<br />
strengthening core<br />
stability and burning<br />
fat. Think about<br />
joining a dance class<br />
to aid your flexibility<br />
and complement<br />
your gym work.<br />
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