Issue 117 - ScotsGay Magazine

scotsgay.co.uk 

Richard Fry was 

photographed by 

Steve U lathorne 

I SUE 117 

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Hamiltons 

FR E 

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A COMMUNITY MAGAZINE EDITED, PRINTED & PUBLISHED IN SCOTLAND SINCE 1994 

Fry 

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ISSUE 117 

£1.50 

WHERE SOLD 

Richard Fry 

Iain Heggie 

The Hamiltons 

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INSIDE 

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A CO MUNITY MAGAZIN EDITED PRINTED & PUBLISHED IN SCOTLAND SINCE 1994 

Richard Fry 

Iain Heggie 

The Hamiltons 

FREE 

INSIDE 

SGfringe 

ReviewsI sue 

The Hamiltons 

were photographed 

by Steve Ullathorne 

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ISSUE 3 of 3

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You but better. 

A weekend 

of furry fun! 

a taste of BearScots 

www.bearscots.org.uk 

glaschu 

GLASGOW 

As far as bars and clubs go, August is 

sometimes the quietest month of the year. In 

Edinburgh the Festival keeps everybody 

occupied while in Glasgow the heat means 

days in the park, sangria, and cider. With 

fewer gaylings heading out to the 

commercial scene during the summer 

months, things might be expected to chill 

out a little, but not this year! There really has 

been plenty going on! 

Ticking my culture box I had the 

unparalleled joy of attending one of now 

many exhibition launches to take place in 

the Virginia Gallery under Luke and Jack. 

The exhibition (‘John, I’m Only Dancing’) 

showcases the photographs of Michael 

James, that sneaky genius whose 

photographs always seem to catch people 

through the crowd, in the throes of intimate 

conversation at parties, clubnights and gay 

occasions. It’s one thing to see the man’s 

work on the old laptop screen, but to see his 

pictures mounted and in a gallery helps us 

to consider each piece for what it really is; 

often a simple observation of people 

having a great time. That is, after all 

what clubbing is all about, and 

very few of Scotland’s club 

photographers manage to capture 

the energy of the club without 

resorting to the old ‘pose and say 

cheese’ tactic. The gallery also features 

the artistic creations of Robin Burgess, 

an often abstract painter whose 

contribution has been largely inspired by 

the work of Michael James. Part of the 

charm of the exhibition is moving between 

the work of these two artists and seeing how 

Robin has developed the mood of Michael’s 

images to create striking original 

artworks. I would definitely 

recommend a trip to the gallery 

which is free and open until Sep 

12th under Luke and Jack on 

Virginia Street. As ever, the Luke and 

Jack staff team are welcoming and 

friendly. 

Across the street things have 

been bustling along nicely in 

Delmonicas, still the busiest of 

Glasgow’s gay bars with a strong 

lineup throughout the week oscillating 

between the ever-present DJ Darren 

whose quiz takes place each Thu, and 

Barbra La Bush the foul-mouthed 

‘Granny’ of Dels. This pair come together 

on Sun nights for the irrepressible 

karaoke night which is, let’s face it, an 

institution in Delmonicas. However be 

warned – few of the punters can carry a 

tune and it’s not in Darren or Babs’ 

nature to sugarcoat it if they think you 

were horrendous! This healthy dose of 

reality is the perfect balance to the 

dreamgirl that is Bella Houston. The 

poor confused dear looks after Dels’ 

clientele on Fri nights with a new Tue 

slot on its way. How Bella will choose 

to entertain the Tue night crowd, an 

increasingly busy night on the scene, 

remains to be seen but she really is 

very good at what she does. Bella 

brilliantly keeps the crowds laughing 

throughout the night without having to 

curse, swear or adopt a bullish tone. Hers 

is drag your granny could enjoy! Pair her 

up with the vicious Babs La Bush and you’ve 

got the makings of a wild night in Dels! 

Speaking of wild nights, every time I set 

foot in Milk, formerly Scene Glasgow, it 

seems to be rammed! Nobody’s quite sure 

what the difference between Milk and Scene 

is, but it seems to be appealing to the public 

ThomGlow 

glasgow@scotsgay.co.uk 

who have flocked to 

the biggest gay bar in 

Scotland in their 

droves this summer. 

In fact the whole of 

John Street seems to 

have become busier 

this year. With three 

Italian restaurants to 

choose from (Tony 

Macaroni, 

Mediterrano and 

Piazza Italia) gays 

fancying pizza and a 

drink in the sun in 

the John Street 

area are spoilt for 

choice. Let’s be honest though, contrary to 

popular belief portion size isn’t everything 

(ahem) and Piazza Italia is the better 

restaurant of the three, with Mediterrano a 

close second. Tony Macaroni have delightful 

waiting staff and are reasonably priced, but 

if I was hankering for some authentic Italian 

food I would jump the fence and stick to 

Piazza Italia, the mainstay of John Street 

dining which has seen new restaurants 

come and go around it but held strong for 

many years. 

John Street has 

also become the 

site of dramatic PR 

showdowns 

between 

competing 

teams for 

Bennets, Polo, 

C U Next Tuesday, 

Mansion 

House et al. If 

handing out 

flyers and 

making 

friendly 

conversation 

with potential 

customers is 

the traditional 

approach, it 

must be too 

old fashioned 

for the Polo Lounge’s Club X 

team which usually consists of 

half naked teenagers being 

flogged in the street by a 

dominatrix. I personally have no 

problem with half 

naked teenagers 

being flogged in 

the street by a 

dominatrix, but 

there are mumbles 

that the ‘full on’ 

approach is a little 

much for the 

quieter midweek 

nights out. I reject 

this argument on 

the basis that the full 

on approach is fun and 

can be sexy (there’s nothing quiet about 

some of Glasgow’s midweek nights) I 

can sympathise with the boys on the 

receiving end of their mistress’ lash 

and hope that come winter they are 

permitted to wear a little clothing. 

When Scene Glasgow first opened 

its doors two years ago there were 

criticisms of their ‘tops off’ policy 

for bar staff at weekends. A double 

standard seems to exist when people don’t 

like seeing bar staff serving shirtless, but 

are happy to watch kids take a lashing on 

GayScene 

the 

streets wearing next to nothing. 

Perhaps Scene paved the way for this new 

PR approach, and in many ways Glasgow is 

starting to liven up its take on club 

promotion. Had I not better things to do 

with my time I might set up a wee fold out 

chair on John Street, sit with a bag of 

popcorn and watch the feuds unfold as the 

teams go head to head. 

Across the road from 

John Street, Bennets has 

gone from strength to 

strength, and their 

official relaunch party 

was, quite frankly, 

jamming! DJ Leah took 

to the decks, Gay Men’s 

Health were there in 

force, Vanity von Glow 

hosted proceedings, 

and in a departure from 

male-pageant 

stereotype, Mr. 

Scotland took his shirt 

off. Ahem. The staff 

team have finally 

settled following the 

required reshuffle 

and are a genuinely 

chatty bunch who 

are as happy to 

serve you a drink as 

give you a cheery hello! There will be more 

to say about the club as they continue to 

make changes – already the place resembles 

the inside of a discoball and it is quite 

amazing what a duster, mop and tasteful 

sprucing up can do for a club. The guys 

have worked this summer and are reaping 

the rewards. I have not 

forgotten my 

promise in previous 

months to do a sit 

down interview with 

new General 

Manager Paul Stirrat 

and we can hopefully 

look forward to 

getting his take on 

what a gay 

community’s venues 

should provide next 

month. 

Well all in all it’s been a grand wee 

summer! If you want a chatter and a 

shimmy you can find me on a Tue night at 

Chambre69 for C U Next Tuesday. It’s a 

party, after all, and every cunt’s invited! By 

the time I next pick up my quill to write (or, 

since this isn’t the 1800’s, when I next open 

my laptop) it will be term time again for the 

student crew, the evenings will be getting 

darker and autumn shall be on our doorstep. 

Who knows what exciting writings shall take 

place in Sep! Until we find out, cheerio!

obar dheadhainn 

ABERDEEN 

Some pix from Aberdeen Pride 

and the Cheerz Event by 

www.aidan-jones.co.uk

dùn deagh 

DUNDEE 

Hey folks. It is with some shock and 

much sadness that I have to report the 

sudden passing of James “Jimmy” Grubb. 

A regular on the Dundee scene for many 

years, most of us will know him best from 

behind the bar in Charlie’s and then the 

Gauger, and it is only a few months since we 

were all wishing him and his partner Jackie 

well with their move to Turkey. Our thoughts 

are with Jackie, family and friends. 

Back on the Dundee scene, Bar Klozet 

has had a very successful opening month, 

attracting some big crowds with a great mix 

of events such as live music. The place is 

looking great, with a modern, more open 

and lighter feeling than its past incarnations. 

There is still some work in progress, most 

notably in the toilets, but this is all planned 

work. It is open 7 days a week, 11am- 

Midnight Mon-Sat and 12.30pm-Midnight 

Sun. Look out for a great wine list offering 

some of the best wines around at the 

moment, and the addition of a dart board to 

go with the pool table. 

Along the road in the Abode there is a 

new team in place behind the bar headed up 

by Allan. There is the usual karaoke with 

Ruby on a Fri and Sat, and some great 

events planned such as the Queer Quiz with 

Lexi Lush on Thu 25th Aug, and a comedy 

drag show with Lexi Lush and Ruby Rox on 

Sat 27th Aug. Look out for 50p house shots 

every day all day and other special offers, 

details at the bar. 

The Salty Dog are hosting an evening 

for the Women Out Wild on Sat 27th Aug, 

starting at 8pm. It will be women only for 

the night, and include karaoke/disco and a 

free VIP pass for discounted entry to Out 

afterwards. Entry is £5, and get in before 

9pm and get a free cocktail. Plans are also 

coming along for getting 

in guest DJ’s, with many 

of them playing in Ibiza at 

the moment it will 

probably be another 

month or so before the 

first of these. As with the 

Abode, the Salty also has 

50p house shots on offer 

all day every day, as well 

as other house specials at 

£1.85, and this month’s 

new creation behind the 

bar is a Pepper Bomb 

(sound familiar!?). Also 

look out for Salty Dog t-shirts going on sale, 

from what I hear about the slogans that are 

on them probably not the sort of thing to 

wear when visiting your granny! 

Brooks will be celebrating their first 

anniversary since Brian took the reins, so 

look out for some special plans to help 

celebrate this on Fri 2nd Sep. This is 

followed by a Back To Skool party on Sat 3rd 

Sep, with the usual range of bombs being 

joined by a limited edition Skool Bomb for 

the night. In the more distant future, Scarlet 

Diamonte and Cherry Bakewell will be back 

by popular demand, returning on 13th Oct. 

There are also plans afoot for tribute acts to 

come later in the year, so look out for more 

GayScene 

details of these in the coming months. Look 

out for all the usual drinks offers including a 

great offer on the Bacardi Cocktail bottles, 2 

for £3; very refreshing, although the air con 

does also do a good job of keeping the bar 

at a reasonable temperature on 

those hot evenings when the 

bar is packed out. Also look 

out for a change behind the bar 

with Debbie joining the team as 

Amanda moves on. 

Finally reports are just 

coming in from a very 

successful beach part themed 

Shorts and Shades night at 

Out. I was in earlier in the 

night and the guys and gals 

were putting in a lot of effort in 

getting the place ready, so a 

great night was guaranteed! 

However there is no resting, as they get 

ready for Freshers’ Week at the beginning of 

Sep when the club will be open every night 

right through to Sun 11th. There will be 

Freshers’ packs for the new students, as 

well as great drink offers for all including all 

drinks £1.50 on the Mon, Tue and Wed 

nights of that week. The first of the theme 

nights is also set to kick off, with a “Monster 

Ball” Lady Gaga themed night on Sat 17th 

Sep. For those with an adventurous enough 

fashion sense there will be £100 for best 

dressed and cash prizes for runner ups just 

remember to preserve the steak before 

making an outfit out of it though! 

 

speak to a real person 

 

Diversitay 

Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender Group 

a’ ghaidhealtach 

HIGH LANDS 

There was a big crowd at Inverness 

Highland Games in Jul and the Highland 

LGBT Forum ran an information stall which 

was very well attended by locals and tourists 

alike all the way from Austria to Arizona. 

Many positive comments were made saying 

how good it was to see a visible LGBT 

presence. Thanks go to Matthew for 

stopping the gazebo from flying away on a 

windy afternoon! The Forum also ran a stall 

at Aberdeen Pride in Aug and it was great to 

see such a successful day in the North of 

Scotland. 

Wed 31st Aug sees the start of a new 

LGBT running group called the Wednesday 

Gay 5K. Every Wed from 31st Aug, Morgan 

will be leading a jog of just over 3 miles for 

any members of the LGBT community and 

friends. Starts at 7pm sharp from just 

outside the main entrance of Inverness 

Leisure Centre. Look for the man in the 

captain’s hat! Over 16’s only. E-mail: 

morgan@tramstop.org 

Morgan will complete his Jog Leader 

qualification via Jog Scotland prior to the 

launch of the group. Inverness Leisure have 

kindly offered the group free use of 

changing and showering facilities on Wed 

nights for at least the first 12 weeks. Just 

bring 20p for locker use. Why not join the 

runners afterwards at the Maple Court Hotel 

for drink/bar nosh/social? 

Morgan also facilitates the Pink Castle 

Philosophy Club (second Tue of each 

month) and organises regular local walks in 

the summer months for LGBT folks and 

friends. 

Joanne 

MacKenzie-Winters 

highlands@scotsgay.co.uk 

Girlzone is back in Wetherspoons 

(Church Street, Inverness) on the first Sat of 

the month. A couple of new faces came 

along in Aug and it was great to meet them. 

Rev Peter Nimmo at the Old High St 

Stephen’s Church in Inverness organised a 

visit in August by the Rev Blair Robertson 

who is Convenor of Affirmation Scotland, 

which seeks ‘the affirmation and dignity of 

lesbian and gay Christians within the 

church’. Plans are underway for a seminar 

presenting an inclusive and accepting 

Christian approach to homosexuality; and 

exploring the spiritual and pastoral issues 

which affect people of faith who struggle 

with their sexuality and sexual identity. This 

will be hosted by the Highland LGBT Forum 

and facilitated by Ruairidh Macrae (Courage 

SCOTLAND) and Rev Nimmo. 

Good to see that Stonewall Scotland 

now has a Gaelic version of their ‘Some 

people are gay. Get over it!’ posters. 

The Equality Network is coming up to 

Inverness in Sep for a focus group as part of 

their Out to Access Project to improve 

awareness of the needs of disabled LGBT 

people and access to the services they use. 

The date/venue will be advertised on the 

events page on www.gay-ness.org.uk 

01382 20 26 20 

Mondays 7-9pm 

contact@diversitay.org.uk 

www.diversitay.org.uk #diversitaylgbt 

For the last 17 years Diversitay has provided a weekly 

confidential helpline for LGBT people, or their friends 

and families. Although the technology and our services 

have changed across the years, we are still here to 

listen to you, wherever you are, 

and however you choose to contact us. 

Registered Scottish Charity NO SC022425

F r i n g e 

Reviews 

Richard Fry 

Iain He gie 

The Hamiltons 

W 

ot g y o uk 

FR E 

INSIDE 

SGfringe 

ReviewsI sue 

The Hamiltons 


by Steve U lathorne 

SGfringe 

I SUE 3 of 3 

dùn eideann 

EDINBURGH 

Here we are, bang in the middle of 

another fantastic festival and so much 

choice available. We still have 2 weeks to 

take advantage of all-night-drinking, so fill 

yer boots folks! 5am licences in GHQ and 

CC’s, as well as extended licenses in all the 

bars. 

The biggest event coming up has to be 

Tackno’s 16th birthday! That’s right, 

Scotland’s longest-running gay night is 

almost legal! And for their 16th birthday, 

they will be showcasing all the best bits 

from the last 16 years. For this special 

evening, they will be returning to The 

Electric Circus (the venue that was Tackno’s 

home for almost 8 years) with the added 

thrill of private karaoke booths. You can 

pre-book a 2 hour session in a karaoke 

booth (for up to 6 people) free of charge 

with a Tackno ticket. Celebrate Tackno’s 

Greatest hits with the woman who made it 

all happen, DJ Trendy Wendy on the wheels 

of steel playing a treasure trove of tacky 

tunes, cheesy pop, delightful disco and 

kitsch classics. And join Fancy Nancy and 

her hostesses with the mostest with a 

glittering array of acts and entertainment. 

Advance tickets are available from The 

Street, Elbow and Electric Circus. 

Over at the Street, their free comedy is 

going down a hit! They are officially a 

Fringe venue, with a great line-up of 

comedians to titillate you from 4-7.30pm – 

including Dawn Whitness, all the way from 

Toronto. Catch some of this top notch 

humour along with some of the Street’s 

fantastic food menu! I’d recommend the 

nachos – they hold top position for best 

nachos in the city. And I’ve had a lot of 

JodieFleming-Stanley 

edinburgh@scotsgay.co.uk 

comparisons! 

Business is booming at Frenchies, as 

festival goers from all over the world 

descend on Edinburgh’s oldest and 

friendliest gay bar. Why not get yourself to 

facebook.com/frenchies.bar and let them 

know how much you love them! Better still, 

pop in and have a chin wag with their lovely, 

and it has to be said, rather attractive staff. 

At Priscillas, they are a hubbub of 

activity as always and have fantastic things 

planned for you this month! On Fri 19th Aug 

they are hosting their first ever Rat- 

Pack/Blues Night, with Jamie Lee Morley 

and Fiona Lynch. On Sat 20th Aug, drag 

queen extraordinaire Miss Scarlet Diamonte 

returns with her 80’s disco inferno theme - 

dust of your afro wigs and get those jump 

suits on! On Fri 26th Aug, Miss FiFi La Flo 

returns with a live cabaret show to mark the 

end of fest weekend. Sat 27th Aug brings a 

brand new, exclusive show all the way from 

London as Priscillas introduce The Dame 

Shirley Bassey Experience! A live vocal 

show like none before. Finishing the 

weekend off on Sun 

GayScene 

28th Aug, Lala 

Hotpants returns with her Sunday session 

karaoke. And all this for free, at the 

sparkliest venue in town – enjoy with a 

pitcher or vase of cocktails, or sample some 

of the brand new selection of wines on offer 

with the delicious House white/Rose for just 

£7.50! 

Up at Habana, there are the usual crazy 

goings-on, with festival tasters and daily 

entertainment. And fantastic news! Scene 

favourite, the cheeky Miss Coco Chanel, is 

back from living in Benidorm for 3 months 

only… and is treating us in Habana with 2 

shows. Get to Habz on Sat 20th and Sun 

21st Aug; a weekend that has been deemed 

‘the bitch is back’ – and is she ever!! 

The Newtown Bar’s Sundays are going 

really well, with every Sun featuring a 

plethora of fringe tasters and a fundraiser 

for Waverley care. Go along and enjoy a 

roast dinner – surely the only place to be on 

a Sunday Funday! 

Next door at CC Blooms, Edinburgh’s 

oldest and only free gay club, the next 

Electrosexual will be held on Fri 2nd Sep 

and is open til 5am, with residents Lucky 

Luciano, DJ krn and a special guest this 

month - Stuart Kane (of Distracted and 

Dirt.E Stopout fame). Lucky will be 

continuing with the new night Dirt.E Stopout 

at The Street on Sun 28th Aug, with a 

selection of DJs and a 3am finish! The 

music policy is dirty disco house, and drinks 

are as cheap as £2. 

Also at CC Blooms, Dejay Bird’s new 

night CAMP is going down a storm every 

Thu from 11pm, which does what it says on 

the tin – old and new Hi-nrg classic disco 

and camp numbers. Leave your inhibitions 

at the door!! 

Also a massive announcement! I can 

quench all the rumours, DRAMA 

is DEFINITELY returning to its Tue slot at 

Hawke + Hunter, from Tue 30th Aug. This 

themed extravaganza night is a huge hit with 

Edinburgh scene goers, and is guestlist 

only… no walking in off the street! You 

gotta plan for a night this good! The only 

way to get a FREE pass is to text DRAMA to 

88802. The usual music and promos will 

return, with drinks from £1.50 and 

crowdpleasing mixing from Lucky Luciano 

and DJ Bunny. And of course, open til 5am 

this month! 

For those of you who don’t know, we 

love a quiz in the Burgh. And the ultimate 

quizzing experience in the city has to be at 

The Regent bar. This month their World 

Famous Regent Bar Quiz will be held on Tue 

30th Aug, from 9pm sharp. This always gets 

really busy, so get there early to avoid 

disappointment. With a £50 food and drink 

bar voucher up for grabs, and free nibbles 

for every table, this is 6 rounds of quizzery 

that won’t be replicated anywhere else in the 

city! (although you will find various other 

great quizzes too at practically every venue). 

SGfringe.com 

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R e v i e w s 


“I was the 

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ISSUE 117 

£1.50 

WHERE SOLD 


A COMMUNITY MAGAZINE EDITED, PRINTED & PUBLISHED IN SCOTLAND SINCE 1994 

Richard Fry 

Iain Heggie 

The Hamiltons 

ISSUE 3 of 3 

The Hamiltons 


by Steve Ullathorne 

FREE 

INSIDE 

SGfringe 

ReviewsIssue 

SGfringe 

INSIDE 


“I was the 

victim of gay 

bashing” 

FREE 

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ScotsGay

SARAH ARCHER 

SGfringe.com 

Terry Finnegan Presents 

How far are we 

shaped by stories, 

including the ones 

we make up? 

Sex, royalty, 

duck-ghosts and 

fairy tales! 

Join Sarah for the 

hilarious journey 

of her lifetime, 

well so far anyway! 

theSpace @ Surgeon’s Hall (venue 53) 

Preview Aug 5–6: 21:35 (50mins) 

Tickets £5 Concessions £3.50 

Aug 8–20: 21:35 (50mins) 

Tickets £7 Concessions £5 

Aug 22–27: 18:05 (50mins) 

Tickets £7 Concessions £5 

www.saraharcher.co.uk 

Our team of critics have done us proud, 

with around 200 shows reviewed on our 

website sgfringe.com 

Trouble is, there’s not nearly enough 

space to run every review in this organ so... 

we’ve decided just to publish the good ones. 

That’s right, only shows that are worth seeing 

have found space within these pages. 

If you’re the kind of person that enjoys 

reading bad reviews, then look on-line. 

One big huge thank-you to Kate, Stephen, 

Andrew, Angus, Brett, Charlotte, Jodie, 

Joshua, Other Martin, Rex, Sophie amd Tony. 

And for the rest of my editorial - I hand 

over to Waverley Care... 

MartinWalker 

ScotsGayFringe@gmail.com 

LIZ MERENDINO SINGER + WARREN WILLS ACCOMPANIST 

HONG KONG • LONDON • PRAGUE • NYC • EDINBURGH 

SEASONS OF LIZ 

AUG. 4-28(not 16th) 

| 9:15pm(10:15pm) 

NEW TOWN THEATRE 

96 George Street, Edinburgh, EH2 3DH • Fringe Venue 7 

0131 226 0000 | 0131 220 0143 | www.universalartsfestival.com 

www.lizmerendino.com • www.warrenwillsmusic.com 

Fresh from performing at Paris Pride, 

Scotland’s lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender choir 

makes a triumphant return to the Fringe. An unmissable 

group exhibiting unbridled enthusiasm. 

SATURDAY 20th AUGUST 2011 

8.30pm (75mins) 

Greyfriars Kirk (Fringe Venue 131) 

Greyfriars Place, Edinburgh 

Scottish Charity No. SC036500 

event in support of 

With 

special guests 

LONDON GAY 

MEN’S CHORUS 

Far from Kansas 

Sponsored by 

TICKETS: £12 (£9 conc.) 

Available from: 

Fringe Box Office 

0131 226 0000 

Waverley Care Fundraising 

0131 556 9710 

#laffoffstigma – it’s a social media campaign – using Twitter and 

Facebook - which uses humour to raise awareness of the serious topic of HIV 

stigma. It incorporates a joke competition and there are £100 of Amazon 

vouchers up for grabs! All you have to do is visit www.laffoffstigma.com 

and either tweet a joke adding the tag #laff11 or click the “Enter on 

Facebook” button to login with your Facebook, Hotmail or Yahoo account and 

add your joke in the comment box. The winner will be judged at the end of 

August by Ryan Taylor, comedy programmer at the Pleasance. 

Ryan said – “We’re delighted to support Waverley Care with 

#laffoffstigma. It’s an unusual and exciting way to encourage people to stand 

up against HIV stigma. Using humour to tackle a serious subject is a great 

way of raising awareness and I’m hoping that Fringe-goers will be creative, 

imaginative and prolific in sending in their gags.” 

For those who prefer a more visual gag there is a YouTube channel – 

www.youtube.com/laffoffstigma and Waverley Care volunteers are 

encouraging people visiting Pleasance Courtyard to record their favourite 

joke as inspiration for the competition. Of course you don’t have to be at the 

Fringe to take part, entries are welcome from anywhere in the world and 

videos uploaded and tagged with #laff11 will be added to the laffoffstigma 

playlist on the website. But what if you’re all joked out? You can still show 

your support by adding the tag #laff11 to your tweets, your profile picture 

will then appear on the wall of support on the website. 

Stigma has a devastating impact on the lives of people living with HIV. 

People feel unable to talk about their HIV status because of the fear of being 

bullied or victimised in some way. People lose their jobs or have to withdraw 

from college; they are hounded out by neighbours and have to protect their 

children from physical and verbal bullying. No wonder so many people 

simply choose to keep their HIV a secret, even from their closest friends and 

sometimes, even, from their own family. 

Waverley Care hopes that the campaign will encourage people to 

challenge HIV stigma, wherever they come across it, and take a step towards 

a world where people living with HIV can speak openly about their condition, 

without the fear of being judged; where people understand the risks and 

make informed choices; where the letters HIV don’t generate fear. 

Jane Griffin 

Edinburgh Tonight with 

Joe Simmons & Lorraine Chase 

also starring 

Kate Copstick & Michael Topping 

Previews, Reviews, and a good old gossip with 

some famous and infamous! 

PLUS win tickets for shows 

Bucket-loads of fun and great guests - 

the perfect start to a night out inEdinburgh. 

5th - 27th August at 1650-1750 

SpaceCabaret @ 54 (V54) 

Carlton Hotel, Northbridge 

Tickets £10 & £8 (concessions) 

Box Office 08455576309 

boxoffice.cabaret@thespaceuk.com 

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comedy reviews 

Andrew Doyle’s Crash 

Course in Depravity 

Just the Tonic at The Store 

A reviewer previously described 

openly gay Andrew Doyle’s act as a 

crash course in depravity, with good 

reason on the basis of tonight. This is 

a bold, brash, confident hour by the 

solo stand-up Fringe newcomer. It’s 

not a set for everyone, but the show 

has ‘Depravity’ it the title – and you 

get what you pay for. 

Doyle doesn’t just resort to shock 

tactics to entertain this capacity 

audience however, though shocks, 

there are a few. This is intelligent 

stuff as he exposes the absurdity of 

Catholicism, sex, racism and 

homophobia. He occasionally 

deconstructs his own work in the 

style of an angry, queer version of 

Stewart Lee, but also reminds one of 

Jim Jeffries or Brendon Burns. Scott 

Capurro’s influence as director is 

often apparent, though this is a very 

different show to his. However, like 

Capurro’s shows, if you do not want 

to take part, don’t sit in the first few 

rows. 

On reflection, perhaps the point of 

the show is lost a little, as the more 

extreme physical elements inevitably 

linger longer in the memory. Doyle’s 

one of this country’s great comic 

wordsmiths, but here his actions are 

so much louder than his words. It 

seems churlish to be so picky about 

such a good, strong performance, 

but he is very close to producing a 

very rare five star stand up show – if 

he can get that balance right. 

That said, if you want to have a damn 

good laugh, by an up-and-coming 

star, you’ll see few shows that deliver 

this often – and this well. 

MARTIN WALKER 

Bob Downe: 

20 Golden Greats 

Gilded Balloon 

Mark Trevorrow brings his masterful 

creation back to the Fringe after a five 

year break and boy is he back with a 

bang. 

Bob Downe is now quite rightly a 

legend of the Fringe scene having 

more than 15 festivals under his belt. 

Beginning before the boom of the 

comedy section, he lead the field with 

his blend of comedy, music and 

campery. 

Does its still work in today’s Fringe? 

Yes it certainly does. What makes his 

show stand out is Mark’s complete 

conviction when playing the 

character so much so it’s hard to tell 

where Mark ends and Bob begins. 

The idea for this production is a look 

back at Bob’s 20 golden great 

records from his lounge singer 

infused collection with a smattering 

of quiz question with prizes on offer 

to the audience and some camp 

comedy helped along with an 

audience member who just happened 

to be called Gay (short for Gaynor no 

doubt). 

The non-stop energy of Bob ensures 

the hour flies passed without slowing 

even when his radio microphone ran 

out of battery and a member of the 

Gilded Balloon technical crew 

became part of the action it remained 

hilariously funny throughout. 

Bob completes the show with a slew 

of crowd pleasing numbers which 

had the capacity audience cheering 

him to end and even down to the café 

bar afterwards for a special meet and 

greet session with The Man Himself. 

This is one show that will enjoy a 

sell-out run in the festival so grab a 

ticket while you can! 

BRETT HERRIOT 

Briefs 


ScotsGay readers have no doubt 

already heard about this show – a 

troupe of attractive young men have 

descended upon Edinburgh in 

skimpy outfits with a selection of 

circus style ‘displays of flesh’. The 

result? – an entertaining evening that 

needs to review certain elements of 

its structure before being 

transformed into something grand. 

Visiting the Festival for the first time, 

these Australian beefcakes are an 

able bunch. Opening the show with a 

humorous boylesque routine, we are 

then treated to a succession of acts 

ranging from majestic aerial routines 

to plate spinning. Blah blah. 

Another highlight was the selected 

soundtrack – a series of pumping 

remixes of both contemporary pop 

and camp classics that had me 

wishing the venue allowed space to 

dance rather than remain seated as if 

at a school assembly we wished we 

all experienced aged eight. The work 

of personal heroine Roisin Murphy 

made an appearance in an aerial 

number of impressive quality and 

slick executions that had me 

mesmerized by its juxtaposition of 

elegance and the chiseled male form. 

The central reason as to why this 

show can’t earn the extra stars it has 

the potential to acquire is the ability 

of the MC. Although with charm, his 

anecdotes are essentially unfunny, 

unable to sustain the audience’s 

interest during the lengthy interludes 

between the separate acts 

(understandably long lasting due to 

the set change procedures required 

for installing apparatus for aerial 

displays and the like). Were he to 

tighten his routine, the sense of fun 

conjured by the various acts would 

flow completely through the night, 

rather than dipping and ascending as 

it did. This would ensure that the late 

night scheduling of the show would 

not affect the audience’s enjoyment 

– it must be noted that some 

audience members did leave yawning 

in the brief five-minute interval given. 

REX DE VIL 

Catie Wilkins: 

A Chip Off the Old Block 

Underbelly 

Rich subject matters for comedians – 

one’s parents, children, partners or 

other embarrassing relatives or 

spouses. If a comic is going to 

approach this area yet again, better 

that they come up with something 

original. 

Appearing in Edinburgh as a debut 

Fringe comedian, Wilkins explains 

that her pedant father turned his back 

on the Swinging Sixties, in favour of 

accountancy training for a 

supermarket. Meanwhile her mum is 

an over emotional time bomb, 

exploding unpredictably at irregular 

intervals. 

Fortunately this familiar family stuff is 

given a fresh kick by an energetic, 

infectious and compulsive 

performance – Wilkins is much 

slicker than a debut Fringe comedian 

should be. It was extremely wet the 

night I attended, the audience wasn’t 

exactly in the best of moods, but 

Wilkins very quickly lifted the room 

and cheered everybody up. 

She’s good. And speaking as 

someone who prefers his comedians 

edgy – which Wilkins palpably isn’t – 

I look forward to seeing her career 

develop. If she can win ME over with 

this sort of material, then she’s on to 

something. 

MARTIN WALKER 

Chris Martin: 

No. Not That One 

Underbelly 

This is Chris Martin’s debut hour at 

the Edinburgh Fringe, having 

previously played ten or fifteen 

minute club spots. He is charming, 

competent, and with the exception of 

a little (probably unintended) casual 

homophobia, pretty inoffensive. 

He’s a nice guy, and is the boyfriend 

that your mother would love. To be 

fair, your mother would probably go 

for his humour as well. The script is 

well structured, properly paced and 

very well executed. He’s an 

observational story teller – Martin 

could adequately cover for Michael 

McIntyre on TV, should he phone in 

sick. There are enough people out 

there, who see this as a compliment, 

to ensure his future success. 

It does take a particular kind of skill 

to make the mundane, like parking a 

car, funny. The reality is that it just 

isn’t enough for me. I did laugh more 

than once during this hour, but I left 

the theatre thinking, “so what?” 

MARTIN WALKER 

Craig Hill: 

Blown By a Fan…! 

Udderbelly’s Pasture 

Hill explodes on stage like a Molotov 

cocktail of camp, and as always the 

mostly middle class heterosexual 

audience love it. They just can’t get 

enough of this incredibly funny man 

who with every essence of his being 

personifies the stereotype of a sexhungry, 

promiscuous yet jolly gay. 

The audience listen with rapturous 

attention as Hill quips with them 

about the pretty generic topics of 

where they’re from (Dundee – bad 

hair and trainers); what they do; 

(mostly just ‘a big flaccid penis’ of 

admin related jobs) and lifestyles 

(although he presumes that an 

audience member is straight when 

she’s actually there with her 

girlfriend). Hill seemingly has 

knowledge of every little town in the 

UK, and no one can fault his 

seamless rapier wit that no one is 

safe from! 

I couldn’t help get the feeling though 

that the best bits of Hill’s 

performance were the parts where he 

regaled us with tales of previous 

shows or situations he’d found 

himself in. Like the Kilmarnock 

granny who’s allergic to teeth and 

Elaine Paige dirty granny dancing 

with an ill-fitting wrap around skirt. I 

feel if Hill’s show was more about 

him and less about the banal people 

who seemed too drunk or incapable 

of holding a cognisant conversation, 

it would be elevated to another level. 

The constant ‘what’s your lovely 

name’ which seems to be Hill’s introcatchphrase 

made me moan inside 

by the end of the show. I just wanted 

to hear more from Hill! 

This will be one of the fastest hours 

of your life, as Hill cuts through the 

audience like a cheese slicer through 

a block of cheddar! Oozing sex, Hill 

has the audience right where he 

wants them … those who don’t want 

him want to be him! 

JODIE FLEMING-STANLEY 

David Morgan: 

Triple Threat 

Just the Tonic @ The Tron 

Birmingham lad David Morgan 

brings his debut show to the Fringe 

and wins over his audience with 

comedy and pathos. 

David draws on his personal life story 

to give us stories about always being 

in the chorus of the many musical 

theatre productions he took part in 

during his childhood and teen years. 

He also takes swipes at the fact he is 

dyslexic and being very comfortable 

in his own skin as he admits he is 

happy to be an out and proud gay 

man. 

One of the endearing facts about 

David is his humour is never nasty 

and he includes his audience in 

comedy asides but it’s never at the 

expense of the audience themselves. 

The tone of the hour long show 

changes, as he recants the story of 

his coming out at school that had a 

mixed reaction especially from the 

headmaster who suggests to David’s 

mother that perhaps he shouldn’t be 

head boy any more due to his 

homosexuality. David goes on to tell 

us how his mother sprang to his 

defense ensuring that David got to be 

who he was on merit alone. 

The added pathos alongside the 

humour made for a refreshing 

comedy hour and one which 

deserved to be seen. Catch this cute 

boy in action while you can! 

BRETT HERRIOT 

DeAnne Smith: 

The Best DeAnne Smith 

DeAnne Smith Can Be 


DeAnne Smith is rather charming. 

She is also fairly laddish, a touch self 

deprecating and a little manic too. 

Not exactly all things to all men, but 

she’s damn well trying. 

The fact that Smith appeals to all 

sorts is a testimony to her show and 

herself. Her comedy is polished and 

perfectly precise. A hair doesn’t fall 

out of place from her side swept 

haircut (what is it with lesbians and 

their fringes?), yet she makes the 

time to gently mock herself, referring 

to the fact she does look rather like 

the geeky hybrid love child of Justin 

Bieber and Harry Potter. 

Her punch lines are delivered swiftly 

yet it does seem as though she has 

perfected her routine a little too 

much, perhaps newcomer’s nerves at 

wanting to make everything perfect. 

But then comes the undoubtable 

highlight of her set; ‘Six and a Half 

Minutes of Bonus Hilarity’. Bruce the 

tech sets a timer and off she goes, 

chatting with the audience and 

finding herself amongst a self 

confessed polygamist and a young 

teen with daddy issues. Smith 

interacts so naturally and confidently 

with a small room of strangers it 

makes me think she should spend a 

little more of her set straying from 

her material. 

For the past hour, like HP himself, 

Smith has been casting a spell over 

the audience and is now about to 

sever the connection. This lady is a 

brilliant comedian, perceptive and 

original and as an audience member I 

do feel as though I have fallen for her 

charms. The break up is swift, but I 

have no doubt she’ll be entering into 

our lives once more, on a much 

bigger stage. 

SOPHIE ALEXANDER 

Diane Spencer: 

All Pervading Madness 

Gilded Balloon Teviot 

Spencer begins her hour of madness 

with a lively anecdotal skit about her 

mother being car-jacked by a ferret. 

Spencer projects a nice girl-nextdoor 

image, yet as she progresses to 

a tale of being fingered by a stranger 

on her 22nd birthday while dressed 

as Supergirl (an exact replica of my 

own experience on millenium NYE) 

we get the distinct impression that 

things are going to get messy! From 

there, Spencer regales us with tales 

of how to cope with Sunday morning 

sex when you can’t be arsed with 

foreplay ‘just check for last night’s 

deposit … he thinks I’m so into it, 

but he’s actually just moshing last 

night’s porridge’. 

Spencer is a natural as she brazenly 

slices through convention with edgy 

tales of ‘how not to get tea-bagged’, 

the man who wanted to put a ring on 

her finger (not of the metal variety) 

and having ‘a clitoris like a weeping 

purple grape’. In one short hour, she 

details her descent into a world of 

madness entailing ‘slapping a 

stripper on the vagina’ and how she 

very nearly ended up with ‘a tusk, a 

monacle and a mole ear-ring’. It’s 

easy to relate to Spencer with her 

coquettish yet flagrant charm, and as 

she fires her lightening bolts of 

humour at us it’s so funny because 

we know it’s all true! 

Spencer is cute, candid and seems 

entirely without reserve – all the 

ingredients for kick ass comedy. This 

is an hour of dark wit and sparkling 

humour that will spoil you for the rest 

of the fest. 


Edinburgh Tonight 

with Joe Simmons 

and Lorraine Chase 

Space Cabaret @54 

The chat show theme is something 

which is appearing more and more 

on the Fringe and this year, due to 

SGfringe.com 

Tommy Sheridan’s indisposition and 

following their success last year, the 

Edinburgh Tonight team return to the 

Fringe. 

The show is simply the chat show of 

yore very much in the vein of 

Parkinson and Wogan with the 

exception that the guests get a small 

window in which to show a little bit 

of their act followed by a chinwag 

with the hosts. 

The format from last year has been 

updated to include Joe’s onstage 

comedy partner, Michael Topping, 

(the best cabaret artist working in 

Britain today) at the piano to great 

comic effect. Also the delightful 

Lorraine Chase is added to the mix, 

which really gives the show a touch 

of celebrity glamour. Refreshingly, 

Lorraine comes across as being very 

grounded and gracious to the guests. 

Lorraine and Joe take microphone 

troubles in their stride as they 

introduce a mixture of acts taken 

from comedy, dance and cabaret. It 

was also a delight to hear Lorraine 

recall moments from her career but 

these never comes across as being 

showy but more memories from an 

interesting journey through life. 

If this is the best talk show on the 

Fringe, it’s because it comes a bonus. 

Each act who appears offers up a pair 

of tickets for their production to the 

assembled audience. The production 

is playing in the tea time slot of 

4.45pm and is a brilliant launch point 

for a night on the fringe. So get 

yourselves down to the Bridges for a 

real treat. 

BRETT HERRIOT 

Fiona O’Loughlin: Spirited 

(Tales From An Angel 

In A Bottle) 


I wasn’t sure quite what to expect 

from O’Loughlin, a pretty middleaged 

mother of 5. Then she spoke … 

and from the outset, I and the rest of 

the audience was mesmerised! It’s 

clear to see exactly why O’Loughlin 

has taken Oz by storm; as she is 

quite the celebrity in her own right 

over there. 

O’Loughlin unapologetically launches 

into a canded tale of her recovery 

from destructive alcoholism – a 

subject matter which could easily 

have come across as self-indulgent 

from a less skilled comic. 

O’Loughlin, with her I-don’t-give-afuck 

attitude, regales us with drunken 

escapades dancing on tables, getting 

naked and using the F-word in front 

of the Queen. She laughs gleefully at 

the ‘red flags’ she ignored – the 

neglect of her children (I used to fry 

garlic to make them think I’d cooked 

…. It lifted the mood of the house for 

a few minutes); the loss of friends 

and alienation from her husband. 

Candidly exploring her journey of 

transformation from the woman you 

couldn’t get rid of at parties; ‘grand 

mal hangovers’ and going to the AA 

because she loved the horrendous 

rock bottom stories …. there wasn’t 

one single point in O’Loughlin’s 

performance when I didn’t want it to 

go on forever! 

O’Loughlin is a two-faced, 

manipulative, hypochondriac bitch 

with an opinion on everything. She 

uses people for cigarettes, thinks 

everyone is a fuckwit and is basically 

a walking menopause. She’s me in 

30 years time and I fucking love her! 

I could listen to her all evening. This 

is a must-see show! 


Four Poofs and a Piano: 

Business as usual 

Pleasance Courtyard 

The four performers who make up 

the world’s most famous house band 

are back on the Fringe with a blast of 

a show. 

Starting with a lamenting song to 

former glories with one Mr Jonathan 

Ross, they take the audience on a 50 

minute romp through the ins and 

outs of life on the road of touring act, 

and little asides allowing each 

performer to have a moment to shine 

solo in the spotlight. 

The show has a deep adult sexual 

humour side which the audience 

indulge with abandonment and adds 

to the atmosphere. The boys’ skill 

has always been in the writing, or 

more to the point, rewriting of some 

of the pop world’s most iconic songs, 

In the firing line were Adele and 

Elaine Page to name but two. 

The show does fly past and I can’t 

help wondering if 50 minutes is long 

enough for the ticket price, but that 

aside it’s a blistering show 

concluding with perhaps the most 

unique homage to the great songs 

and performers of musical theatre 

I’ve ever seen. 

This is a must see show in the tea 

time slot on the Fringe this year! 

BRETT HERRIOT 

The Hamiltons: High-Jinks 

with the Hamiltons! 

Udderbelly 

The notorious Hamiltons returned to 

Edinburgh with the pop of a 

champagne cork (no surprise there!) 

and a flourish of lighting effects. 

Despite the show starting half an 

hour late and the audience having 

been stuck outside in the rain 

(welcome to Edinburgh!), spirits 

seemed to be high – and I’m not just 

referring to the gin coursing through 

Christine’s veins. The pre-set for the 

show had a vaguely nautical theme to 

it and included a slideshow of 

hilarious images of the pair, who then 

appeared from inside a black box in a 

sort of camp-magic sort of way. 

There were some minor technical 

issues with microphones and 

Christine’s clashing pink and orange 

attire was verging on visually 

offensive, but other than that the 

show seemed to run pretty smoothly. 

Whether it was intentional or not 

however, the couple used clipboards 

to keep a track of who their guests 

were which I felt distanced them 

from more professional chat-show 

hosts and distracted from the hilarity 

at times. 

The biggest downside to the show 

was that the bonkers Christine 

seemed to hugely overshadow a 

rather reserved Neil, almost 

preventing him from ever being 

involved – I felt that the elderly 

couple sitting in front of me who 

occasionally nattered about this and 

that (rude!) talked more than one of 

the stars of the show – it is clear that 

Christine wears the trousers, but I 

only wish a better balance had been 

created between the two performers. 

The brilliance of a chat-show such as 

this is that each performance will 

bring different guests and therefore a 

different atmosphere and quality to 

the overall experience. Admittedly, 

this makes my job as a reviewer 

challenging due to the fact that one 

show could be side-splittingly 

hilarious throughout and therefore in 

five-star territory but the next day 

could be awful. 

Nonetheless, this is a light-hearted 

fun show with some hilarious 

moments and an unexpected full 

audience participation ending. The 

Hamiltons are like Marmite – you 

either hate them to the point of 

fabricating rape allegations, or you 

embrace their ridiculousness and pay 

£11 to see them here at the Fringe – 

for what it’s worth I would rather opt 

for the latter…I can’t be done with 

the paperwork and legal fees. 

ANGUS WYATT 

Hannah Gadsby: 

Mrs. Chuckles 


Gadsby ambles on stage like she’s 

accidentally walked in off the street, 

making herself and an audience 

member a cup of tea. This sets the 

pace of the next hour, as Gadsby 

drifts into an incredulous 

observational narrative on the 

developmental aftermath of growing 

4 th –28 th AUGUST (NOT 15 th / 16 th ) 

6.20 PM 

JUST THE TONIC AT THE TRON 

@rosiewilby 

‘Her voice is glorious’ 

THE GUARDIAN 

‘A whole host 

of laughs. 

Rosie rocked it’ 

**** 

ONE4REVIEW 

Rosie Wilby www.rosiewilby.com 

sgfringe.com 

INTERVIEWS WITH 

Tom Allen Mitch Benn Jen Brister 

Scott Capurro & Andrew Doyle 

Milo McCabe Margaret Cho Paul Foot 

Richard Fry Hannah Gadsby Iain Heggie 

Neil & Christine Hamilton 

Zoe Lyons David Mills Heather Peace 

Puppetry of the Penis 

Worbey and Farrell 

Joe Simmons & Lorraine Chase 

Paul Sinha Vikki Stone Rosie Wilby 

PLUS OVER 200 FRINGE REVIEWS

much more at SGfringe.com 

up in a small town. Gadsby 

describes herself as ‘starting off with 

60%, often less ... like merging a 

bicycle onto the highway’ and the 

audience are loving it. As she hands 

round jammy dodgers and Tunnock’s 

teacakes, she talks about her 

fascination with first impressions and 

final words, ‘I’m bad at both!’ 

Gadsby has practically trademarked 

this brand of lackadaisical, almost 

accidental humour which is so 

intrinsically part of her persona. She 

amuses us with detailed glimpses 

into her childhood - ‘I didn’t meet a 

stranger til I was 7 years old’’, and 

how much of her youth was spent 

‘hanging out with 70 year olds for 

biscuits.’ She seamlessly drops in 

edgy humour, ‘masturbating into a 

bread roll’ and how her favourite 

words are ‘cunt and biscuits. But not 

necessarily in that order’. We’re 

regaled with lively tales of Gadsby’s 

travels to Vietnam, ‘they hadn’t seen 

the likes of me - a half man/half 

woman/big assed creature ...’ 

terrifying local kids with Donald Duck 

impressions and her attempts at 

becoming more socially evolved. 

The show starts and ends discussing 

the importance of one’s final spoken 

words, and there’s some fascinating 

research uncovered into both famous 

and ordinary people’s last words ... 

something which Gadsby has an 

affinity with, and by the end of the 

show she reveals what she hopes her 

final words will be. With great 

audience interaction, especially 

aimed at latecomers and people 

whose phones go off! (you know 

who you are, Jesus!) 

A fascinating glimpse into life in a 

small town; with a sociological 

overview of how butch lesbians are 

received around the globe! All the 

while kept light with some of the 

sharpest observational wit this fest. 

Gadsby is like a cross between a 

custard cream and a jaffa cake - 

comfortable, easy to enjoy yet with 

an edgy sting that will leave you 

wanting more. In the last week of the 

festival, Gadsby will be performing 

two daily shows at the Gilded - one at 

2pm and the current one at 4.45pm. 


Hypnotist, Titan Knight 

City Edinburgh Nightclub 

I was dreading this performance. I’ve 

never really approved of stage 

hypnotism, thinking it degrading to 

its subjects. Nor, if I’m honest, have I 

ever seriously believed it, thinking 

that the participants must be 

stooges. Never the less, I went to the 

City Edinburgh Nightclub with an 

open mind. Now it has been opened 

further. 

The show begins with a support act, 

Mark Sheppard. Cross dressing, 

genderless, and very cool – a couple 

of years back he supported Lady 

Gaga on tour. Think Gaga and you’ll 

get the idea of where he’s at. 

Then came Titan Knight, the main 

event. The lighting is spectacular, the 

video screen is enormous and the 

audience – they go bananas. 

I’m not going to tell you much about 

the following 90 minutes, the less 

you know, the more you’ll enjoy it. 

Needless to say, it didn’t degrade 

anybody, though the performance 

was at times very, very funny. I also 

now know for a fact that stage 

hypnotism is very real - no stooges 

were used throughout the evening. 

I’m a skeptic, I don’t believe in magic, 

or God, or Santa Clause. In Titan, I 

believe. 

MARTIN WALKER 

Jason Byrne: 

Cirque Du Byrne 

Venue 150@EICC 

Jason Byrne is one of comedy’s 

greats, and I found myself laughing 

so hard my face contorted into an 

ugly and uncontrollable grimace! 

Byrne starts off with an energetic 

Irish jig, and then breathlessly 

explains that ‘like everything Irish, it’s 

sore and miserable’, and ‘it vibrates 

right through yer balls’. 

Byrne speed balls from one topic to 

another, dropping pockets of humour 

that explode like grenades as he 

sends up the Irish ‘their job is to 

inject misery into other countries’; 

imitates Scottish people at a buffet 

and simulates sex between the holy 

spirit and the virgin Mary. 

There’s a definite homo-erotic feel to 

the performance, as Byrne and two 

teenage boys get up close and 

personal by squeezing all 3 of their 

bodies into a pair of Spanx. And the 

parting scene finds Byrne massaging 

then beating the testicles of 3 

teenage boys with glockenspiel sticks 

that gradually get bigger and bigger 

until they’re larger than a human 

head! 

Byrne is a veritable volcano of wit, 

overflowing and deadly with a cheeky 

vitriol that will have you guffawing 

well past the hour you’re there. 


Jen Brister is British(ish) 

Just the Tonic @ The Caves 

I did wonder what on earth was in 

store for this almost capacity 

audience, when the British National 

Anthem blares at the top of this 

show. An as yet unseen, Jen Brister, 

urges us all to stand to attention and 

sing. Thankfully nobody does, the 

music is cut, and the comedian gets 

down to the business at hand. 

Brister’s mother is Spanish, but her 

father’s English. The result is a 

stunningly attractive “sepia tinged” 

comic, who is forever being asked 

where she comes from “originally”. 

Or as she put it – where she “really, 

really” comes from. This question 

leads her to consider what it really 

means to be British(ish). 

To attempt to list the highlights of 

this show would be futile; the whole 

thing was so mightily impressive. 

Her stereotypically overbearing 

mother was given – or if we believe 

Brister – gave the comedian, many of 

the show’s best lines. The idea that 

her mum couldn’t pronounce 

‘Stephen’, her own son’s name, set 

the ball rolling. 

Brister also talks openly about being 

a lesbian. The routine around having 

to watch girl-on-girl porn with a 

room full of strangers was hilarious, 

but the point about women’s 

treatment in such films was well 

made. 

Brister’s timing was perfect and her 

mimicry spot on. Upper class 

English, working class Australian and 

of course, her mum’s Spanish were 

beautifully voiced. 

This was as near a perfect stand up 

performance as I have seen. On the 

basis of tonight, she would look very 

much at home on any stage, any 

size, anywhere. If Jen Brister is not 

appearing on Michael McIntyre’s 

Comedy Roadshow very, very soon, 

then perhaps Stewart Lee, the finest 

stand up on the planet, can find a 

space on his Comedy Vehicle’s red 

button. There is no greater accolade. 

MARTIN WALKER 

Josie Long: The Future 

is Another Place 

Pleasance Dome 

There is much more political comedy 

around since the ‘election’ of this 

Con/Dem coalition and it’s easy to 

see why. The hatchet job on pretty 

much everything that working people 

care about – cuts in schools, 

hospitals, libraries et al – demand a 

satirical response. The recent riots in 

England must also be addressed. 

Josie Long, once described as the 

queen of whimsy, has gone proper 

political. And so the familiar comic 

themes of being let down by New 

Labour and of-course, hating the 

Tories receive another Fringe airing 

tonight. The difference here is that 

whilst other comics have merely 

observed, Long has gotten herself 

involved. 

As a supporter of ‘UK Uncut’ she 

discussed the occupations of tax 

avoiding businesses during the half 

million strong demo in London in 

March. It’s now common knowledge 

that the police commanders lied to 

activists, but the protesters 

subsequent vindication in the courts 

has done nothing to dampen her 

anger over the event. And when Long 

is angry, she’s funny. 

She’s also appeared on political panel 

shows on TV, and most poignantly, 

corresponded with a member of the 

Black Panthers on death row. Whilst 

Long conveyed despair to the captive 

American, he in turn, replied with 

optimism – urging her to continue to 

stand up for her beliefs. 

Her skill is to make this ‘message 

comedy’ very funny, even for those in 

this capacity audience that disagree 

with her. And as a performance, it 

totally works. There are one or two 

digressions away from politics – her 

take on the Brontë Sisters gave us 

the Josie Long of old, but overall she 

delivered some of the very best 

political comedy I have seen. 

My only real quibble is that she kept 

apologizing for this new found anger, 

stating that the Con/Dem coalition 

has “made me a much worse 

comedian”. I wholeheartedly 

disagree. 

MARTIN WALKER 

Laurence Clark: 

Health Hazard 

Underbelly 

It is a hard task for anyone to do 

stand-up comedy, let alone for 

someone who does not perform 

comedy while standing up. Laurence 

Clark is back at the Festival once 

again with another funny yet 

informative comedy. Clark has gone 

down a slightly more cautious route 

than his other acts, such as “Spastic 

Fantastic” which was about attitudes 

an perceptions of disability. The 

privatisation of healthcare seemed to 

be quite a dry subject, though Clark – 

through the medium of PowerPoint 

presentation – makes this into a fun, 

enjoyable hour. 

During this one man show, Clark is 

able to provoke many different 

emotions from the audience. As 

Clark has cerebral palsy, he has a 

very intimate relationship with 

healthcare. He mentions how much 

more health insurance would cost in 

America just because of his 

impairment. He would have been 

charged so much more; this raises 

many questions about the ethics of 

privatised healthcare. Clark also, as 

in other shows, interviews members 

of the American public and manages 

to show us some quite thought 

stimulating responses from America. 

An all round great show with many 

laughs. 

JOSHUA HEPPLE 

Margaret Cho: 

Cho Dependant 

Assembly George Square 

With all the subtlety of a cheap bottle 

of red on a Friday night (just chuck it 

down your throat and enjoy yourself) 

Margaret Cho sashays onstage, 

confident that by the end of her 

show, the audience will be eating 

from the palm of her casually 

extended hand. 

Cho’s humour is energetic, ballsy and 

raucous. Hedonism is the dish of the 

day and as Cho journeys through a 

sample of her sexual exploits; 

complete with finite detail (think bush 

and lots of it) the audience cringe but 

crack up simultaneously. Cho talks 

frankly of topics often avoided by 

women and I feel her ‘asshole’ 

should get its own credit on her flyer. 

Whilst Cho has the room in stitches, 

she unites a queer friendly audience 

in her no bullshit attitude to same sex 

marriage and gay teen suicide. This 

more political and sensitive material 

is interspersed with her love/hate 

feelings on Sarah Palin; ‘I don’t like 

Sarah Palin’s politics at all, but, I 

wanna fuck her’. 

Cho uses her cultural heritage to elicit 

a few more, cheaper laughs. 

Extended impersonations of her 

Korean mother are amusing, but a 

little tired. Although Cho herself 

states that she is not as famous here, 

as she is in the US, she can still rely 

on her credentials enough to merely 

sneeze onstage and bring the house 

down. 

As with that cheap bottle of vino, Cho 

is to be enjoyed on a rare occasion 

but leaves a taste in your mouth you 

won’t be forgetting for some time. 


Mark Thomas: 

Extreme Rambling 

(Walking the Wall) 

The Bongo Club 

Based on Mark Thomas third book, 

this stand-up show comes to the 

Fringe following a successful sell-out 

UK tour. Thomas tells the story of 

his walk along the illegal Israeli 

separation barrier, which he argues 

suits neither side of this land dispute. 

The laughs come from the rich 

characters he portrays, rather than 

the situations, which are often rather 

grim. He depicts himself as a selfdeprecating 

‘Englishman abroad’ – a 

stereotype that he embraces with 

surprising relish for a man on the left. 

Exclaiming, “Sorry I’m English” in 

pseudo-Boris bumbling fashion 

seems to have genuinely got Thomas 

out of a few scrapes. Phil the hippy 

cameraman… the former cadet who 

constantly quotes Monty Python… 

the rich Zionist house builder who 

believed that Israel stretches as far as 

Iraq… and many others add to the 

tapestry of personalities. 

Ultimately though, the reality of the 

wall is what lingers in the memory, 

long after the show has ended. This 

wall, or fence, or barrier, has 

separated communities, schools, and 

even homes. It segregates the 

Palestinians and Israelis further. 

The story of Israeli settlers’ daily 

throwing stones at Palestinian 

children on the way to school was 

shocking, even for those familiar with 

the conflict. 

MARTIN WALKER 

Meryl O’Rourke: 

Bad Mother… 

Underbelly 

A one-woman show exploring how 

much of our personalities are shaped 

by the experiences of our parents. 

O’Rourke has a very sad and 

poignant story; her Jewish grandfather 

was killed in a concentration 

camp, and her mother – a half- 

German child at the time – witnessed 

him being taken away. This lead to 

her being a panicked, anxious, needy 

woman throughout O’Rourke’s life, 

affecting her social development and 

ability to be self-sufficient. 

It sounds like this could be a 

depressing show, however the genre 

is very aptly comedy as O’Rourke’s 

way of presenting this in a palatable 

manner to the audience is to lather 

the topic in humour. ‘As a relocation 

specialist, Hitler beats the couple of 

cunts on C4 – because of the Nazis, I 

live handy for Oxford Street’. 

O’Rourke gives us an insight into the 

individual lives of those blighted by 

the holocaust, as well as the 

reverberating effects on the lives of 

generations much further down. her 

natural humour; ‘clearly my mother 

was actually a parenting maverick … 

they thought she was crazy in the 

80’s when she thought pædophiles 

were everywhere, but actually …!’ 

O’Rourke’s comedy career is a 

product of her mother’s insane 

obsession with showbiz, which 

included her mother taking her on 

stalking escapades at a time when 

celebrities listed their addresses in 

the phone book. 

O’Rourke uses the visual cue of a 

washing line of family photos, and 

quips about how this will affect her 

own ability to parent her daughter. 

Already she feels she’s failed, like the 

time she turned up at the nursery in a 

PVC catsuit. She feels the biggest 

talents she have are things it would 

be inappropriate to pass down, like 

‘how to give a great blowjob – that’s 

just something I can’t share!’ 

Meryl O’Rourke has a natural wit that 

few possess. Her material barely 

seems scripted, and she throws in 

shockers like she’s never known the 

existence of a moral compass. She is 

aware of her potential to offend 

though, and apologises at several key 

points throughout the show which 

detracts a bit. In order to 

successfully deliver cutting edge 

black humour, it has to be done with 

conviction and without apology. This 

show could easily be a 5-star. 


Milo McCabe: Get Brown 


The hardest working comedians are 

the character comics. Whilst 

performing, every stand-up 

comedian is in character to some 

extent, as exaggerated versions of 

themselves. Milo McCabe, and his 

like, invent whole new personalities 

from scratch and then try and get 

funny with them. 

In ‘Get Brown’, McCabe performs as 

four unique characters - taking part 

in a spoof daytime television chat 

show. 

Philberto, the Portuguese warm up 

man, kicked off proceedings. McCabe 

has been performing as Philberto for 

years and the poor treatment this 

character receives tonight signposts 

the desire of McCabe to move on. 

Tyson Moon, son of 70’s Irish 

legendary comic Kenny Moon, was 

the first guest. Moon is as old school 

as his dad and the further McCabe 

pushed it – including some racist 

material – the funnier this character 

was. 

The second guest was camp 

Liverpudlian, Anthony Sixsmith, the 

new age drummer. Ripping the 

proverbial out of bad science healing 

therapies is always good for a laugh, 

and here it was intelligently done, if 

not very sympathetically. Finally there 

was Australian, Nobbo Johnson, the 

ex football player turned culture 

commentator. Imagine David 

Beckham on NewsNight Review and 

you’re there. 

The genius of McCabe is that each 

character is so unique, if they weren’t 

appearing in the same show, you 

might wonder if they were actually 

real. The script was strong and there 

was plenty of audience interaction, 

with running gags gluing the whole 

thing together. All in all, a very funny 

and very satisfying hour. 

MARTIN WALKER 

Mitch Benn 

The Stand 3 

Fresh from frequently being the 

funniest thing on BBC Radio 4’s The 

Now Show, the ‘country’s leading 

musical satirist’, Mitch Benn presents 

his first solo Fringe show in years. 

Benn has a rich Fringe history, 

originally appearing as one of the 

Improverts at Bedlam Theatre, whilst 

at Edinburgh University. He’s lost a 

LOT of weight in the last year or so 

and he’s looks terrific. Those of you 

attending the show expecting the 

Bear of old will be disappointed. 

Highlights? There are a-plenty. His 

tribute to the BBC, in the style of Bob 

Dylon, or if you prefer, Billy Joel, 

served to remind us what we’ll miss 

should the institution be diminished. 

You can buy the T-shirt here: 

www.mitchbenn.com/proudofthebbc 

The satirical tribute to Eurovision, 

which imagined each European 

country shouting racist insults at 

each other rather than singing, 

during the unfeasibly popular 

contest, hit the nail of the head 

beautifully. And his routine asking 

why members of the British National 

Party were so fat was hilarious. 

The very best bit for me was the 

brand new take on a number he has 

been performing with his band, ‘The 

Attractions’ for years. To rap the 

story to Macbeth to the tune of 

Eminem’s ‘My Name Is’ using only 

an iPhone app – which he programs 

as we watch – was genius. 

Sadly, in this short hour there was no 

time for other favourites, ‘Happy 

Birthday War’, ‘Everything Sounds 

Like Coldplay now’ or his skit on 

James Blunt – but wanting a show to 

last a lot longer is hardly a criticism, 

is it? 

MARTIN WALKER 

The Noise Next Door: 

Their Finest Hour 


Improvised comedy, like anything, is 

not everyone’s cup of tea, although 

credit must be given to the pure skill, 

inventiveness and genius of those 

who manage to pull it off 

successfully. The Noise Next Door 

are in this improvisation elite, and 

their show this year really is their 

finest hour. 

The pre-choreographed routines and 

song templates had the audience in 

stitches which is encouraging as 

these are some of the very few fixed 

features of the show which won’t 

change with each performance. 

Equally though, the excitement of 

improvised comedy such as this is 

that each performance will be 

different based on audience 

suggestions, and The Noise Next 

Door make the most of the bizarre 

suggestions thrown at them. The 

downside to this unpredictability is 

that during some of the more 

challenging and unusual scenes the 

performers have a tendency to break 

focus and laugh at themselves, 

although in one scene they go 

through intensive conditioning to 

beat this lack of control out of them! 

The only other negatives surrounding 

this show was that one or two 

sketches/songs perhaps went on a 

bit too long; and a couple of minor 

technical errors distracted from the 

astonishing talent being presented on 

stage. 

The five boys of The Noise Next Door 

are attractive, talented, quick-witted 

and quick-thinking, and I don’t doubt 

that they have an extremely 

promising future both here at the 

Fringe and out on the wider circuit. 

ANGUS WYATT 

Paul Foot: Still Life 

Underbelly 

Followers, or rather connoisseurs, of 

the openly gay Paul Foot will be 

familiar with the OCD like attention to 

detail on which his routines are 

based. ‘Still Life’ takes it to a whole 

new level – it seems to take an age 

for his back stage introductory 

announcement to conclude… even 

longer for him to talk us through 

what would happen when the show 

finally began. Everything had to be 

just right and there were many false 

starts. This is all, of course, part of 

the fun. 

More and more people have cottoned 

on to the humour of Foot. Those 

pockets of the audience that didn’t 

‘get it’ in previous years, were 

nowhere to be seen tonight. There’s a 

Pythonesque quality to his material – 

in that on paper, it really shouldn’t 

work. I doubt whether anyone but 

Paul understand why it does. 

Satisfyingly, we’ve seen a glimpse of 

how his humour might work on 

television. His appearance on 

Buzzcocks, alongside his friend, Noel 

Fielding, has proven that his act can 

translate to the small screen with 

relative ease. He also proved that he 

can improvise. That skill was tested 

successfully tonight when a sketch 

involving the audience and a stuffed 

animal, could have gone horribly 

wrong. 

If the execs at the BBC are reading 

this – give Paul Foot his own show. 

MARTIN WALKER 

Paul Sinha: 

Looking at the Stars 

The Stand 3 

Last August, Paul Sinha’s show 

‘Extreme White Vitriol’ discussed, 

amongst other things, the British 

National Party and argued for 

dialogue with the individuals who 

advocated racist or other 

objectionable views. Not a tactic 

shared by many on the left. 

Later that year, Sinha had the 

opportunity to meet Jim Davidson, 

something that he was 

understandably reluctant to do. Since 

the death of Bernard Manning, 

Davidson is the highest profile 

(allegedly) racist, (allegedly) 

homophobic and (truly) misogynistic 

comedian in Britain. Would Sinha be 

willing and able to follow the 

message of his last show – and meet 

him? 

This is one of many, very loosely 

connected stories that Sinha tells 

with the confident touch of a real 

professional. Unlike too many stand 

up shows this Fringe, the show 

doesn’t appear over-written and so it 

feels like a genuine performance, 

unique from the gigs on other nights. 

His delivery is a little slower than 

before, which allows the audience to 

keep up with the jokes. Not a line is 

wasted. 

To date this is the best stand-up I’ve 

seen this Fringe, from a comedian 

who should be on the television 

much more often. He says that he 

doesn’t have a face for TV, but he’s 

much better looking than Michael 

Hazen James McIntyre. 

MARTIN WALKER 

Puppetry of the Penis: 3D 


There are few words to describe the 

bizarre yet evidently talented 

performance presented in ‘Puppetry 

of the Penis’ and 3D really does add a 

whole new dimension to this show. I 

feel that on inventiveness, skill and 

braveness alone this show deserves 

high praise – I have never seen 

anything quite like this before (and 

probably never will again!) It was 

also evident that people love a bit of 

penis – this was a sell-out show and, 

to quote the woman who was 

queuing behind me, ‘everybody loves 

a good banana’. 

I never knew that the male genitalia 

could be made to represent a 

sombrero, or a burger or Ayers Rock 

– the possibilities seemed endless in 

this genital origami show (like 

normal origami but without the 

paper-cuts!) They even give 

instructions on how male audience 

members can perform some of their 

tricks at home – I definitely saw 

myself in a new light in the shower 

this morning! As a man, it was also 

reassuring to be told by the two 

performers that none of the tricks 

were painful, although some of them 

looked like they would cause at least 

minor discomfort! The show seemed 

pretty slick and rehearsed (it would 

have to be!) although the duo did 

lose their way in the running at one 

point. 

The advertising has been 

widespread, and the audiences are 

queuing in their hundreds, so it is 

undoubted that ‘Puppetry of the 

Penis: 3D’ will remain highly-popular 

at Fringe 2011. Although, one piece 

of advice for those going to see this 

show – sit in the middle of the 

auditorium for the full 3D effect, but 

stick to the back and don’t put your 

hand up…there are a couple of 

audience participation sections! A 

completely bizarre, not-at-all 

arousing but downright impressive 

show not to be missed (unless you 

are under 18). 

ANGUS WYATT 

Rosie’s Pop Dairy 

Just the Tonic @ The Tron 

Before Rosie Wilby became famous 

for being a stand-up comic, she was 

(less) well known as a 90’s Brit Pop 

singer – heading her own band. She 

had performed at Glastonbury and 

Ronnie Scott’s before jacking it all in 

and turning to comedy. This show is 

a pleasant and nostalgic look at 

Wilby’s life in the band, built around 

her self-penned pop diary which was 

published from 1996-2000 in 

‘Making Music’ magazine. 

Along the way she reads poems and 

letters from her old fans. She gives 

us the juicy details of the band 

members she slept with, and wanted 

to sleep with – but we don’t really get 

under her skin. This is still a comedy 

show after all, and we don’t have 

time for too many inner feelings. 

Wilby is an accomplished singer, 

lyricist, comedian and story teller. 

She sings five of her favourite songs 

from the era: “Everything is Wrong”, 

“You Amaze Me” (about her then 

girlfriend Stephanie), “I Want You” 

(about Jo, another woman that she 

fancied), “This Time” and “Reward” 

punctuate the funny stories. 

She does have a story to tell. I 

enjoyed it. Actually, I loved it. But I 

can’t help feeling there is more that 

she isn’t telling… 

MARTIN WALKER 

Ruby Wax: Losing It 

Udderbelly 

A comedy on the subject of mental 

illness seems like a paradox, and few 

others could deliver such a topic in 

as articulate, sensitive and yet 

heartily humourous manner as Ruby 

Wax. 

The pace of this show is a bipolar 

flurry; swinging between maniacal 

exhuberance and catatonic 

reflection. Wax presents us with a 

plethora of information on the 

phsyiology behind mental health, 

lathered in a candid portrait of her 

own experiences. 

Wax smothers her descent into a 

nervous breakdown hell with such 

descriptive humour that the audience 

leaves both better-informed and 

invigorated. We haven’t been 

emotionally drained, and 

there’s room for self-analysis. Envy, 

narcissism and regret – these are 

Wax’s triggers, and as she passes 

onto us her successful distraction 

techniques from the evils within, 

we’re left with the distinct impression 

that maybe we do all have a bit of the 

crazy … and maybe Wax really 

has discovered ‘the manual’. 

The let down for me was the Q&A 

session at the end. The success of 

this show, to me, is that removes 

stigma and ignorance around mental 

health in a very upbeat way - and 

I understand the aim of the Q&A is to 

reinforce this. However the dread 

that overcame me with the very real 

anticipation of fellow audience 

members emotionally whoring 

themselves was something very 

unpleasant to me. 

Definitely a must-see! Wax is candid, 

informed and has all the answers! 


Sarah Archer: 

Bumfluff and Brimstone 

theSpace @ The Surgeons Hall 

Sarah Archer is a likeable lesbian, 

who has just turned forty. Her 

routines focuses on her life, her exhusband, 

and events in her past that 

made her laugh. She also has a 

surreal edge, and it is these moments 

that are easily her best. 

There is some good stuff here. The 

gag regarding the duck on the golf 

course was great and the advice her 

father gave her about men and what 

they keep in the trousers, was very 

funny. She also did this brilliant Star 

Wars skit, using members of the 

audience. Sadly there was also some 

less good material. Her routine on 

expectant motherhood must only 

have served to scare the pregnant 

woman in the audience and the 

Disney musical satire was met with 

near silence. 

Archer hasn’t quite found her voice 

yet, some of her material is very 

strong, but her performance could do 

with a bit more direction. She has a 

tendency to tell members of the 

audience to stop laughing, so we do. 

She frequently laughs at her own 

jokes too, which can be irritating. 

However, on balance, you’d have to 

say that there is much to be enjoyed 

here. There are some terrific original 

ideas and some hearty belly laughs. 

As someone who has watched a lot 

of Stand-Up, I can see the potential. 

A bit of work with an experienced 

director will bring out the best in her. 

MARTIN WALKER 

Scott Capurro’s Position 

Gilded Ballon 

This is one of two shows Capurro 

has this Festival, and this one is a 

two-man chat show he presents with 

the amazing David Mills. Together, 

these two queens are invincible – 

with their acid humour and 

knowledge about everything on the 

planet! 

They introduce a different panel of 

guests every day, and when I was 

there it was Nicholas Parsons (I 

found him rather arrogant); Melvin 

Brown (maniacally laughed the whole 

way through his interview – he’s 

either the cheeriest or highest man 

alive!) and Dave Lynn (a.m.a.z.i.n.g. 

live singing drag queen – I want to 

see his show now!!) Capurro and 

Mills are stronger than the sum of 

their guests, although taking the 

entities of Mills and Capurro and 

knowledge of their existing chat 

show in London, I thought the result 

would be verbal carnage. However 

instead of a diatribe of abuse, the 

interviews were really well structured. 

Capurro and Mills clearly had a lot of 

respect and adoration for each of 

their guests, and this showed 

another dimension to both of their 

personalities. This is a professional 

yet funny show, which is more like a 

big group chat show as Capurro and 

Mills invite total audience interaction 

too. Capurro throws in a bit of 

controversy – ‘women can’t do 

comedy because they have feelings” 

yet it’s all so tongue in cheek that 

even a militant feminist can’t get too 

pissed off. Mills’ perspective on 

showbiz – ‘Iit’s not all cocaine and 

blowjobs from Paloma Faith … 

you’re lucky to get a titwank from 

Peaches Geldof’ 

A fantastic way to spend an hour, in 

the company of two amazing men 

who will have you in rapturous 

laughter! Capurro and Mills acidly 

take on the world, while showcasing 

the best of the fest. 


The Thinking Drinker’s 

Guide to Alcohol 


As the audience is seated, a voiceover 

dutifully warns us of the 

dangers of alcohol. Moments later, a 

hard rock soundtrack blares as 

McFarland and Sandham catapult 

into the room, distributing ice cold 

cans of Deuchars to the audience. 

Over the next hour, we are plyed with 

multiple shots of the finest vodka, 

Tequila, Tanqueray gin, Kraken rum 

and absinthe as trays are continually 

passed round. This is the backdrop 

to an educational narrative on each 

spirit, with information on how it was 

discovered and its sociological 

context. 

The purpose of the show is not to get 

the audience pissed. By providing 

small amounts of the finest of spirits, 

McFarland and Sandham are aiming 

to educate the audience into ‘drinking 

less but drinking better’. We’re given 

a comprehensive education on how 

alcohol has influenced society for the 

last 4000 years; from the first 

Scottish beer recipe of ‘hemlock, 

nightshade and cowdung’; to ‘the 

Ancient Greeks who shunned sober 

people’, and ‘why Allah banned 

alcohol for Muslims’. McFarland and 

Sandham revel in their very own 

brand of ‘info-tainment’, complete 

with props a-plenty and an affinity for 

the stage that has the audience 

laughing throughout. There’s the 

opportunity for audience interaction, 

which is rewarded with small gifts 

too. McFarland and Sandham 

explore the positive effects of alcohol 

through cultural references like Van 

Gogh and Picasso, while looking at 

negative historical examples of how 

alcohol has been the downfall of 

whole civilizations. 

I love the original concept of this 

show. In giving out gallons of free 

booze combined with the narrative, 

they educate without patronising. 

McFarland and Sandham are huge 

and loveable personalities, with their 

broad Cockney accents and suited 

and booted exterior, the audience 

can’t help laugh as they tell us to ‘get 

your laughin’ gear round that!’ And 

we do! I’ll never look at a Tequila shot 

in the same way again …! 


Tom Allen’s Afternoon Tea 


A sumptuously pleasant hour with 

Tom Allen and his artful-dodgermeets-Harvey-Nicks 

decadent 

demeanour. 

Allen interacts with his audience on 

everything from the London riots to 

religion, interspersed with tales of his 

antics like throwing a disabled man’s 

bag down the stairs and legging it. 

Mincing through the hour with his 

customary Victorian upper class 

jargon, he introduces three guests to 

the audience, plying them with tea 

and cupcakes. First up was the uber 

hot Zoe Lyons, discussing the 

resurgence of political comedy and 

slankets and clowns. That’s my kinda 

juxtaposition right there! Next up was 

Rosalind Hanson of Shameless/This 

is England fame. A very bizarre and 

surreal character who could barely 

(a) stay awake; or (b) keep up with 

such highbrow questions as ‘did you 

hear about the riots in Nottingham, 

where you’re from?’ And finally Tom 

Clark, who talked rather glibly about 

gender stereotyping and the innate 

facism in Disney. Allen facilitated 

seamless and pleasant conversation 

with his own brand of camp humour 

thrown in. 

Tom Allen is like a Siamese cat. A 

little bit posh, a little bit cosy but he’ll 

rip your face off without a second 

thought … verbally of course! Quickwitted, 

intelligent humour that will 

leave you wanting more than 

afternoon tea. 


Totally Tom 

Underbelly 

I shamelessly chose to go see ‘Totally 

Tom’ based on one YouTube video, a 

few reviews and some rather 

attractive advertising. However, I 

have now been enlightened as to the 

ways of this crazy comedy duo and I 

have to admit, I am highly 

impressed. Not just handsome 

chaps, the two Toms have created a 

highly witty and hilarious sketch 

show featuring everything from 

‘Bratwurst’ – an entertaining ‘Skins 

meets Schindlers list’ style soap – to 

a re-creation of Oscar-winner ‘The 

King’s Speech’ but with a gay twist – 

some of these really have to be seen 

to be believed! 

There was a brilliant balance between 

the two stars and neither outshone 

the other, each taking their turn to be 

the main character in each sketch, 

and each performing with vibrancy, 

energy and unparalleled talent. The 

show is clearly well written and 

extremely well rehearsed – this was 

only their second show, yet there was 

not a single noticeable mistake. The 

audience seemed entertained 

throughout, although perhaps 

enjoyed some sketches more than 

others. It would be impossible for me 

to pick a favourite sketch, although 

Queen Jumanji and the mocking of 

Shakespearean asides deserve a 

special mention for their sidesplitting 

qualities. 

My one query which hangs over this 

show is that it carries a 14+ rating, 

yet a myriad of expletives feature 

including the ever-despised ‘C-word’ 

– perhaps the producers would 

consider revising this to guard a 

great show against any unnecessary 

audience complaints. Regardless, 

Totally Tom is a comedy hit and will 

no doubt draw critical praise during 

its Fringe run – and hey, if you’re 

somehow not massively 

overwhelmed by their comedy, at 

least go for the view – these boys 

know how to brighten up the gloomy 

Underbelly venue! 

ANGUS WYATT 

Vikki Stone: 

Big Neon Letters 


An hour of late night comedy that 

epitomises exactly what the Fringe is 

all about! From her platform behind 

her keyboard, she regales us with 

hilarious anecdotal skits of her life so 

far along with her future aspirations. 

Most of it’s slapstick, with the 

occasional heart melter that’s soon 

pulled back with a dark or edgy 

shocker befitting the show’s late 

night billing! 

Much of Stone’s performance is 

communicated by the medium of 

song, as she decimates the classics 

with parotic replacement lyrics that 

will forever stay with you! Searing 

one-liners are shot at us in a fast 

paced hour which will have you 

clinging to the edge of your seat in 

laughter, together with a screen of 

Stone’s memories as a visual 

accompaniment. 

Disney and thrush, Abba and 

incontinence, dildos and Gordon the 

Gopher - these are just a few of the 

topics close to her heart, as she 

muses on Pierce Brosnan and 

wonders about the big neon letters 

that this performance would imply 

she’ll be seeing real soon. Stone’s 

brand of bad (read as incredibly 

good!) is accompanied by an 

incredibly talented drummer and a 

guitarist; the trio making up a motley 

crew of mayhem that will have you 

pissing yourself into the next 

morning. 


Who Are The Jocks? 


When I initially read the title of 

this show, my initial thoughts were 

that it was based on the 

colloquial term for Scottish people. 

This is actually a reference to the 

words uttered by the Columbine High 

School killers, just prior to them 

gunning down their fellow school 

mates after years of bullying. I had 

also assumed that this year’s comedy 

show would be like Scott Capurro’s 

others - topical humour that cuts 

right through the morality bone, but 

with a same-y feel to previous years. 

How wrong was I! 

In some ways, it’s the same Capurro 

we know and love. Goading us, 

pushing us, shitting over every 

ember of moral fibre that ever existed 

and then taking it down a notch or 

two from there. There’s no topic too 

raw as Capurro describes a sex act 

with Jesus,‘bit too toothy, that blow 

job, you Jewish whore … what a 

shame you only got nailed 

once’ . And as he leers at a 17 year 

old virgin in the audience, ‘I’ll cut you 

up and jack off over your corpse … 

there’ll be no witnesses’. And then 

there’s this whole other dimension as 

Capurro’s material, and indeed 

demeanor, is poignantly shaped by 

the death of his mother. He talks 

candidly about viewing his mother’s 

dead body; the comedy slippers the 

funeral home gave her – like ‘Carry 

on Dying’‘, the funeral, and then the 

dull ache of living without this person 

who was such a huge influence on 

his life (as well as his cocaine dealer). 

This performance is the evolution of 

Capurro. He was always great – he 

was always the best way to spend an 

hour! He would always leave you 

with Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness 

for the next 48 hours after making 

your body spasm with laughter. 

Adding this emotional element to the 

performance has elevated it to 

another level, and although Capurro 

peppers the passing of his mother 

his own brand of bad, we’re still left 

empathising with this little-boy-lostcome-aids-ridden-pædophile-veganserial-killer! 


Worbey and Farrell: 

Well Strung! 

Underbelly 

Roll up for an hour of musical 

mischief. These two lads will have 

you laughing – and co-operating. 

Here we have four hands on one 

piano, playing music of many genres, 

classical and many other favourites. 

You can also make sure they are 

behaving themselves at the piano by 

watching their ultra-dexterous hands 

on the big screen. 

Don’t be worried about being on the 

front row here. You will be welltreated 

and you may even get a very 

pleasant surprise! I particularly 

enjoyed their very creative use of the 

time spent playing Beethoven’s Für 

Elise. There are plenty of jokes and 

playful sparring between the pair. Get 

along and forget all your cares and 

enjoy the skill and repartee of these 

two lovely guys. 

TONY CHALLIS 

Zoe Lyons: Clownbusting 


Turning 40 soon, and outwardly 

reflecting on what she has 

accomplished so far, Zoe Lyons sets 

herself up as an underachiever who 

is content staying at home, watching 

Come Dine With Me in her Snuggie 

(a blanket with sleeves don’t cha 

know). For such a self-proclaimed 

underachiever, Lyons is certainly 

doing a-ok at the moment; with a 

successful Edinburgh show and 

permanent panel show appearances 

on the Beeb. 

Lyons material is fairly safe, she 

skips through jokes about nudist 

beaches, airports and drug 

smuggling, raising solid laughs all 

round. When Lyons is at her best 

however, is when she crosses that 

line between playing it safe and 

daring to be a little riskier. Her 

scathing condemnation of the ‘high 

achieving youth’ offering her life 

advice, is delivered in such a 

ferocious manner with excellent use 

of comedic tone and timing, Lyons 

should perhaps focus a little more on 

this more cutting type of narrative. 

The best thing about Lyons is her 

widespread appeal and what it stands 

for. She goes down well with the 

Michael McIntyre type; a sort of 

middle England, funny but not 

outrageous type of humour. This for 

a 39-year old lesbian from Glasgow 

is the highest of achievements, and it 

seems despite the premise of her 

show, Lyons is coolly aware of this. 


comedy reviews 

Want to read about the shows 

that we didn’t like? 

www.SGfringe.com

THE HAMILTONS 


“The Edinburgh Festival is Viagra 

for the soul,” says Christine Hamilton, 

taking another celebratory sip of 

Prosecco. I’ve met Christine and Neil 

for a post-show drink in the Abattoir 

Bar next to the Udderbelly, a 

preposterous outdoor tent shaped like 

an inverted purple cow which, this year, 

is the venue for the popular chat show 

High Jinks with the Hamiltons! The 

sound of the rain thrashing against the 

temporary, plastic roof is ominous to 

say the least, but this couple are 

determined to enjoy themselves. 

“You can have too much of 

sunshine,” says Neil. “At least up here 

in Edinburgh we’ll never get skin 

cancer.” 

“I’ve already grown galoshes and 

the flippers are on their way,” says 

Christine. 

“I think I’m developing gills,” adds 

Neil. 

Hearing them banter with each 

other like this, it’s easy to make the 

assumption that their onstage roles are 

simply an extension of their married 

life. “Oh, I’m very much bossed about 

and henpecked,” says Neil, feigning a 

grimace towards his wife. “We’re a bit 

like Laurel and Hardy, you see. And I’m 

definitely Stan Laurel.” 

“What rubbish,” says Christine, 

laughing. “Our relationship on stage is 

a rough reflection of the truth. The 

thing is that Neil likes to pander to the 

image of the henpecked husband. 

People ask us what the secret to a 

happy marriage is, and he always 

replies ‘I do as I’m told’. If only he 

did.” 

It’s certainly true that Neil has a 

restrained, mischievous quality. His 

preferred response to most questions 

is a sly quip. He enjoys being silly, 

which seems to both delight and 

infuriate Christine in equal measure. 

By contrast, Christine has a vivacity 

that is quite contagious. “I tend to run 

up to people like an overenthusiastic 

Labrador and slobber all over them,” 

Interview by 

Andrew Doyle 

she says. “Neil’s a bit quieter.” I look 

over to Neil for a reaction. “It would be 

difficult not to be,” he sighs. 

“A lot of people think we’re 

bonkers,” says Christine. “But 

honestly, nobody could be more 

normal than we are.” At this moment, I 

feel I have to point out that the charge 

of eccentricity isn’t too unfair. After all, 

the Hamiltons have made the 

astonishing transition from 

Conservative politics to the world of 

showbiz. Most notably, they’ve both 

performed in The Rocky Horror Show, 

in which Neil danced down a staircase 

in six-inch stilettos, a Basque, and 

fishnet tights. And although we can be 

sure there have been many 

Conservative MPs over the years who 

have indulged in similar acts, there 

can’t be many who have done so for a 

paying audience. 

I take their point, of course. The 

eccentricity is part of their profile, a 

kind of trademark for their brand, and 

Christine accepts that they have, to a 

degree, embraced the image. “But it’s 

just fun,” she tells me. “Where does 

fun cross the line into eccentricity? I 

don’t know.” 

“Eventually I became the 

victim of a gay bashing 

expedition myself... one of 

them broke my nose.” 

-Neil Hamilton 

Perhaps that line was crossed in 

2009, when Christine Hamilton 

changed her name by deed poll to 

“British Battleaxe” in order to help 

promote their friend’s website The 

Legal Deed Poll Service. “I know that I 

play on this image as a battleaxe, but 

I’m a pussycat really. I haven’t 

changed my name on my passport or 

anything like that, but British Battleaxe 

is my legal name. It’s fun. And Neil 

likes being Mrs British Battleaxe. Don’t 

you, Neil?” 

There follows a conspicuous 

silence from Neil. I suddenly feel as 

though I might be the victim of a 

ridiculous joke. Can all this really be 

true, I ask them? Neil leans in 

conspiratorially. “Would we deceive 

you?”, he says, the ghost of an impish 

smile forming on his lips. It’s as 

though he’s performing a knowing 

caricature of the dissembling politician. 

Sir Humphrey Appleby from Yes 

Minister springs immediately to mind. 

As a former Conservative MP, Neil 

is keenly aware of the need to maintain 

an untarnished public profile to ensure 

political success. He was a whip for 

Margaret Thatcher’s government, a 

“master of the black arts” as he 

describes it, and was eventually forced 

to resign in the wake of the “Cash for 

Questions” scandal. But these days he 

can enjoy the luxury of having no direct 

political affiliations, which is especially 

useful when it comes to writing his 

political columns for the Sunday 

Express. “I’m now in the fortunate 

position of being against them all,” he 

tells me. “I stand outside the 

established parties as a journalist. I 

have all the answers and I bear no 

responsibility.” 

Still very much ideologically to the 

right, Neil nevertheless has a lot of fun 

playing with the public’s perceptions of 

stuffy, staid Conservatism. It’s a 

fascinating dichotomy, at once 

embodying and satirising his own 

persona. Some would call it 

inconsistent. Others would say it 

reveals a healthy degree of selfawareness. 

In any case, after years of 

media scrutiny, neither Neil nor 

Christine feel any need to be dishonest. 

“I’ve always said it’s much easier to 

just be yourself,” says Christine. “It’s 

hard work being somebody else. Why 

not just be true to your own nature? 

That way, life’s a ball.” It’s a sentiment 

that could easily have been written by 

any gay activist, and when I ask the 

Hamiltons about the perceived 

homophobia in the Conservative party 

of Thatcher’s era they are quick to 

dissociate themselves from any such 

views. 

“I understand that people make that 

association”, says Christine, “but it 

certainly couldn’t be more wrong in our 

case. One of the great things about 

Edinburgh and our new showbiz life is 

that we meet such a wide spectrum of 

people. And if you asked me now who 

my ten closest friends were, probably 

half would be gay. And my absolute 

best friend is a lesbian”. 

It’s at this moment that Neil comes 

out with the most unexpected of 

comments. “I was the victim of a gay 

bashing.” For a moment I thought I 

must have misheard. Or maybe the 

Prosecco has gone to my head. 

Neil begins to tell me about a close 

friend of his, Harvey Proctor, former 

MP for Billericay, who was “hounded 

out of politics because he had a 

dalliance with a nineteen-year-old rent 

boy. Because the age of consent in 

those days was twenty-one, he was, 

strictly speaking, committing an 

offence.” Christine interjects to point 

out that this was a case of entrapment. 

The rent boy in question had been paid 

by the People newspaper. 

“The entrapment was disgusting,” 

Neil continues. “Harvey didn’t have any 

means to earn a living once he’d 

ceased being an MP. So a few of us 

clubbed together and helped him set up 

a shop selling luxury shirts. We raised 

the capital for him. Eventually I 

became the victim of a gay bashing 

expedition myself. This was in 1992. 

We happened to be in the shop one day 

when a couple of young hooligans 

came in, started messing about, 

making unpleasant comments to 

Harvey, calling him a poof and the rest 

of it. I told them to leave and one of 

them broke my nose. You’ll notice that 

my nose has a kink to the right now. It 

used to lean the other way.” 

“I’m so happy to have left 

the boring old world of 

politics for the real world of 

showbiz and entertainment.” 

- Christine Hamilton 

“It was terrifying,” says Christine. 

“There was Neil in a pool of blood, 

Harvey had been floored, and this one 

fellow has his hand up to hit me, but 

for some reason he drew back. 

Probably because I was a woman. It 

was extraordinary. If I’d have been a 

man I would have had it too. Anyway, 

they ran off, and I just went thundering 

and yelling after them, anything I could 

think of.” 

“Gallant Christine came to the 

rescue,” says Neil, beaming with pride. 

I have to admit to them, this wasn’t 

the story I had expected to hear. After 

all, Neil had been part of the 

government that had resisted gay 

equality and introduced the infamous 

Section 28. At the same time, Neil was 

prepared to go out of his way to 

support a maligned gay friend and 

found himself beaten up in the process. 

He’s also undeniably charming. Such 

contradictions seem somehow 

appropriate for a man who was at the 

heart of Thatcher’s Britain but now likes 

to flounce around on stage in 

outlandish garb. I cannot help but 

wonder how anyone can possibly 

sustain such seemingly antithetical 

lifestyles. 

In addition to his showbiz 

commitments, Neil is a practising 

Hi Jinks With 

The Hamiltons 

is performed daily 

during the fringe at 

12:45pm at 

Udderbelly Briso 

Square 

lawyer, works with Internet companies, 

and is the chairman of a recruitment 

firm. “People can be so blinkered,” 

says Neil. “They put you in one 

department and can’t imagine you 

outside it. When I first qualified for the 

bar, a hundred years ago, I’d already 

fought a parliamentary election, and 

some found it to be an asset that I 

could do other things, that I’d had a life 

outside the narrow confines of the law. 

But it was an absolute block on ever 

getting a seat in chambers because 

people thought I wouldn’t be serious 

enough about it, because I wasn’t 

going to devote all my energies to 

boosting the income of clerks who 

were going to get a percentage of every 

fee you earn. There are so many 

unimaginative and literal-minded 

people. They go through life staring at 

their desk and can’t see beyond it, 

don’t conceive that other people can be 

versatile. In many cases these other 

pursuits don’t detract from your job. If 

anything they can enhance it.” 

I still find it difficult to reconcile 

Neil’s traditionalism with his new career 

path. I wonder whether the influence 

of Christine has allowed him to open 

up. She’s such a vibrant character, and 

has no time for what she describes as 

“boring old farts”. She tells me about 

their Midnight show in 2009 when, on 

one particularly memorable night, 

virtually everyone on stage was naked. 

Their guests included the stars of 

Puppetry of the Penis, The Boys in the 

Buff and The Naked Comedy 

Showcase. It’s the kind of line-up that 

would surely have had Margaret 

Thatcher fall into an apoplectic rage. 

Or at least tut audibly. 

So are these risqué acts really to 

the Hamiltons’ taste? “We love it,” 

insists Christine. “I’m so happy to 

have left the boring old world of politics 

for the real world of showbiz and 

entertainment.” 

“We’re likeable people,” says Neil. 

“Despite the best efforts of many to 

convey the opposite impression. In our 

show we try to be the feel-good factor 

made flesh”. Christine congratulates 

him on the slogan. “We should use 

that,” she says. As an ex-politician, 

Neil is adept at soundbites. So there 

are transferable skills, after all. 

The Hamiltons are grateful for the 

rise of reality television. Christine was 

one of the first contestants on I’m A 

Celebrity, Get Me Out of Here! and a 

finalist last year on Celebrity 

Masterchef. She believes that through 

such appearances she has been able to 

convey her true personality, untainted 

by media hostility. Neil explains: “If 

you read something in the newspaper 

you are experiencing reality which has 

been refracted through the prism of the 

journalist’s prejudices and whatever 

message he wants to convey. So it’s 

never going to be absolutely true. By 

appearing on reality television, we’ve 

been able to sidestep the jaundiced 

impression given by journalists with 

axes to grind.” 

By way of illustration, Christine 

tells me a story about a visit they once 

had from a photographer for the Daily 

Express. “I’ll never forget it. This was 

years ago, when we were still not 

massively popular in certain quarters. 

After the shoot, he said to us, ‘I had no 

idea what to expect from you two. But 

all I can say is that there is only thing 

that people should do with the 

Hamiltons – and that’s meet them’. It 

was one of the nicest things that 

anyone had ever said to us.” 

“So my message to the world is 

form an orderly queue,” says Neil. 

Judging from the success of their chat 

show, people are already taking heed.


Q&A 

IAINHEGGIE 

Tell us about ‘Love Songs for a Timewaster’ 

I did an experimental show 18 months ago in Glasgow and London. Wide 

Asleep. The unstated narrative of some of the songs in that show was the basis 

for Love Songs. I’ve been increasingly brooding on why the pursuit of love 

consumes us even while our intellects are shouting that the whole thing is a 

preposterous waste of time. I wanted to find a way to reach a ‘positive’ ending 

without the couple being the end result. Or that for adults the love pursuit should 

be relegated to a kind of lesser mission. 

How long did it take to write? 

The lyrics were written spasmodically over two years. Apart from a joke from 

Wide Asleep the script was much brooded on but written in a couple of days. 

Since then adjustments have almost entirely been small additions. The Fringe 

version is a truncated version for the slot time. We would like to use it as a 

platform to take the show on to a fuller development with a quite different ending. 

Is writing song lyrics a departure for you? 

I started two years ago and wrote lyrics with no specific aim in view. It was only 

when the question of what do I DO with this stuff that the idea of a play with 

songs began to occur to me. I felt like Id got out of prison. At last I’d found 

something I could do quickly. Its got more interesting as Ive gone on. And the 

number of drafts of each song has gradually increased. 

How did you hook up with John Kielty 

(from Edinburgh rock band The Martians)? 

John was in a revival of Wholly Healthy Glasgow in the 90’s. I cast him nine 

years ago when I directed The Beauty Queen Of Leenane at the Tron in 

Glasgow. I was looking for a composer 18 months ago when I met a mutual 

friend who told me that John wrote music. I contacted him and I sent him all the 

lyrics that I thought could find their way into the show. He wrote music for eight 

songs. Five have made their way into this version of Love Songs. 

You’ve been away from the Edinburgh Fringe for six years. Why so long? 

The fringe is very hard work and full of pitfalls. The publicity about the fringe is 

that it is very exciting but for the show makers it is gets harder and harder to get 

noticed. Reading Stewart Lee’s biography last week you see charted the rise of 

publicity and the end of artists making money, no matter how successful their 

shows. 

Do you consider yourself a writer of actor first? 

I performed before I wrote. My writing career took off and it took over for twenty 

years. But I am not and never have been a dedicated writer in the David 

Harrower mould. I like drama, whatever the medium and I like all the roles 

except producing because I am incapable of a) multi-tasking and b) 

understanding money. 

Which piece of your own work is your favourite? 

Liz Lochead has said in the past that she thinks Wiping My Mother’s Arse is her 

favourite Scottish play since the war. I don’t know about that but it is my 

favourite. It is also my biggest heartache. In spite of selling out in its original 

production at the Traverse its never been produced since. But theatre has 

changed so much since 2000 and plays are not being funded as they once were. 

But I would love it to be produced again and see it on in Glasgow and London. 

Who inspires you? 

Playwriting the Americans, particularly Albee, Williams and Mamet and now Sam 

Shepard. I like Irish plays and Chekov, particularly Ivanov. 

In a nutshell, what’s the difference between Glasgow and Edinburgh? 

Edinburgh is the most middle class city in Britain, Glasgow the least, after 

Liverpool. And a castle. But I don’t know Edinburgh outside of theatre. I’ve got a 

fantasy that I could turn over all the dismal clichés about Edinburgh. But I 

haven’t done enough research to do it with conviction. 

Any other Festival shows you plan to see? 

I usually pick up Fringe shows when they transfer. In less frenzied 

environments.I would love to see the new David Harrower if it wasn’t sold out. 

The Howdens are to die for. 

Love Songs for a Timewaster 


6.45pm 

until 29th August 

CABARET 

Ladyboys of Bangkok 

Meadows Theatre Big Top 

The Fringe stalwarts return to their 

Festival home on the Meadows with 

a brand new production from 

director Robert Gandey titled Fur 

Coats and French Knickers. 

It’s well over a decade since the 

Ladyboys debuted on the Fringe and 

each year the show tries to change 

itself. As is the usual, the first five 

minutes have the audience 

disbelieving that what they are 

actually seeing is indeed a group of 

males performing as females. 

What follows is nearly two hours of 

sparkles, colour and comedy as we 

parade through the hits of Rhianna, 

Taio Cruz, Shakira, and Katy Perry 

and for me far too many numbers by 

Lady Gaga. With lots of audience 

participation and comedy digs at the 

likes of Jordan and Peter Andre. This 

all leads to an over the top finale of 

New York New York in a Liza Minnelli 

explosion of glitter, feathers and 

sequins that has to be been seen to 

be believed. Concluding the show is a 

special Scottish Encore which had 

the audience in the massive pavilion 

on their feet to the end. 

The Ladyboys have become such 

stalwarts as it’s so obvious they 

enjoy what they do on stage and this 

alone will keep the massive cross 

section of an audience returning to 

the pavilion year on year. This for 

many people is a must see 

production of the Festival diary and I 

can see why it is. 

BRETT HERRIOT 

My Judy Journals 

The Jazz Bar 

Following a sell out season at the 

famous Butterfly Club during the 

2010 Melbourne Midsummer 

Festival, Rachel Juhasz brings her 

emotional one woman 

autobiographical cabaret to the 

Edinburgh Fringe. 

Rachel is a self confessed massive 

Judy Garland fan and can recount 

several moments of her life that are 

symbolised by many of Judy’s most 

famous songs. This isn’t a show 

about Judy Garland and nor does she 

try to physically imitate Judy in 

anyway. What she does do is open 

her heart and her teenage and early 

adult journals to allow us to see how 

she first found love, accepted it, 

watched it flicker out and ultimately 

watch as she had to let the man she 

loved get away from her. At various 

points she launches into song in a 

classy jazz voice very reminiscent of 

Ms Garland. Despite suffering from a 

bout of summer flu she succeeds in 

getting the audience into her grasp 

aided by the talented Jonathan 

Harvey (no not the British writer) at 

the onstage grand piano. 

Such Garland standards like “You 

made Me Love You”, “Embraceable 

You” and “ The Man That Got Away” 

feature in the sit list and she also 

resists the temptation to sing one 

song you may have heard called 

“Over the Rainbow”. 

At the end of the hour in her 

company you can help but feel 

completely entertained and hoping 

she really did get the happy ending at 

the end of the rainbow she so 

deserves. Catch this one in the home 

of the Edinburgh jazz scene during 

her limited engagement during the 

Festival. 

BRETT HERRIOT 

DANCE 

In the Dust 

Zoo Southside 

With an all-male strong cast of 8, 

‘2Faced Dance Company’ brings a 

stunning and captivating 

contemporary dance piece with an 

electrifying vibe. The performance 

was structured into three routines 

each by a different choreographer, 

and although collectively the 

performance was inspiring and 

beautifully executed, I did feel that the 

middle phase felt stylistically out of 

place. 

Thematically however, it took its 

starting point from the emotion and 

spirit expressed by the Olympic Oath, 

Olympic Anthem and National 

Anthems, which complemented the 

sense of unity, evolution and athletic 

nature of both ballet and breakdance; 

from which the performance drew 

inspiration. Their movements were 

strong and controlled, yet they 

created the illusion of melting into 

one another as they repeatedly 

intertwine and break apart, filling the 

space and travelling effortlessly to a 

tribal pulse. 

These animalistic qualities were 

strengthened by the earthy costume 

colours, and the low lighting 

heightened their athletic stature and 

complemented the minimalistic 

aesthetic. At times, when they moved 

in unison, the synchronicity wasn’t as 

fluid, and the choreography was 

most striking when they were 

physically clustered and also the total 

stage picture was more interesting to 

watch when the movement took on 

the pattern of dispersal and 

retraction, always maintaining pace 

and captivating the audience. 

It was inspiring, original and 

evocative, with raw talent and an 

incredibly slick tempo. I would pay to 

see this show again, It is a company 

to keep an eye on, but for now see 

this show! 

CHARLOTTE MONK-CHIPMAN 

Pinocchio: 

A Fantasy of Pleasures 

New Town Theatre 

Austin McCormick’s bilingual 

operatic dance remix of Carlo 

Collodi’s classic delivers a mash-up 

of genres frequently seen fused on 

the Fringe stage, but rarely this well. 

Pinocchio, the wooden boy, sets off 

for his first day at school, but an 

amorous encounter with an 

enchanting Blue Fairy, leads him 

astray. Burlesque, S&M and gay and 

straight sex form the backdrop to 

‘Pleasure Island’, a decadent Venetian 

Carnival and depraved paradise, 

where Pinocchio is made to perform 

for spectators like a slave. 

Baroque choreography, eclectic 

music, Pop Culture, Opera, 

burlesque, ballet, gender-bending, 

high fashion, and sumptuous design 

ensure that this feast for the eyes 

succeeds in entertainment that’s both 

highbrow and accessible. Cuttingedge, 

yet extravagantly classical. This 

will be enjoyed by most, though a 

basic grasp of the Pinocchio story 

will deliver the best results. 

Seen during a preview on the second 

day of the Fringe run, there were 

sadly one or two sound problems. 

Also, as other audience members 

later commented, there were “some 

interesting lighting decisions”. One 

doesn’t usually come to the theatre 

needing a torch. Finally, the full stage, 

and therefore much of the action, 

couldn’t be seen by many in the 

audience in seats not near the central 

aisle. 

However this was a Preview and 

these quibbles will be addressed. 

And when they are, Pinocchio: A 

Fantasy of Pleasures will doubtless 

be a five star show. 

MARTIN WALKER 

MUSICALS 

11 

Augustine’s 

Musical theatre is often labelled as 

mushy and over sentimental and 

camp. There are however moments 

of dramatic musical theatre which 

really define the genre. 11 is one of 

these moments. 

The base of the musical is the fact we 

are now ten years on since the tragic 

events in New York on September 

11th which started a whole new war 

across the world. War is not a new 

thing and this musical looks to 

examine what makes a person cross 

the line from patriotism to terrorism. 

Using a clever flash back technique, it 

lets the audience look at the 

similarities and differences between 

World Wars I and II plus the war for 

equality for coloured people in the 

60’s right up to 9/11. What really 

stands out is that in war there are no 

victors just victims, the numbers of 

which continue to rise as we enjoy 

the world’s biggest arts festival. 

The 6 strong ensemble company play 

various roles to great effect especially 

Steven McIntyre who completely 

compels and engrosses the audience 

as does Darren Niven during an 

emotional letter reading scene that 

even had me crying. 

The score is refreshingly light and 

damn powerful and really adds to the 

excellence of the overall production. 

The show also use a large visual 

display of chilling pictures from both 

World Wars right up to rolling news 

footage of not only 9/11 but 7/7 too, 

for me the most chilling picture used 

is of an empty Nazi Gas Chamber 

which is an image that continues to 

transcend time. 

This production really does 

showcase the best of Scottish talent 

both on and off the stage and is 

without a doubt a massive hit of the 

Musicals and Opera section at this 

year’s Fringe. Book your ticket for 

this production while there are still 

some left. 

BRETT HERRIOT 

FRESHER the Musical 


With widespread publicity and 

boastful reminders of its 2010 Best 

New Musical award, Fresher created 

quite an expectation for potential 

audiences – but I am happy to say 

that this was an expectation which it 

lived up to. Within minutes of its 

opening, this hilarious and highly 

realistic portrayal of the start of 

university life had justified every 

award it had won and potentially 

began the nominations for this year’s 

awards. The score was incredible, the 

characters believable and the energy 

maintained throughout. Having 

relatively recently experienced what it 

is to be a Fresher, I felt I was able to 

connect with the characters who 

were excellently portrayed by five 

young, promising and highly talented 

actors. It would be difficult to pick a 

stand-out performer of the show, but 

in terms of character believability, 

convincingness and all-round 

aptitude I would have to say that 

Alexis Gerred, who plays Tuc Harris 

wins it for me; although the vocal 

talents of James Darch as Basil 

Wood are hard to beat. Likewise, 

singling out specific musical 

numbers is a challenge, but ‘Best 

Years of Your Life’ is stunning both 

musically and vocally and provides a 

great close to the show. 

Sally Torode has taken a great 

concept in creating the storyline for 

Fresher, but its real genius lies in the 

hilarious lyrics and brilliant musical 

score both by Mark Aspinall. The 

only disappointment however was 

that this show is deserving of a fuller 

band, more vocal depth and a larger 

venue – the Queen Dome, three-piece 

band and occasionally slightly empty 

vocals didn’t really do the original 

score and overall show complete 

justice. Don’t get me wrong, this is 

an incredible show and one 

deserving of several awards, but 

there were just a few minor qualities 

missing in this particular 

performance which prevent me from 

giving it a full five star review. 

Regardless, Fresher is one of the 

best musicals I have seen in my three 

years of coming to the Fringe and I 

fully intend to download the cast 

recording which is apparently now 

available on iTunes. All I hope is that 

this already amazing cast can rouse 

that extra 10% in vocal richness in 

order to give it what it needs to walk 

away with another handful of awards 

and critical acclaim. 

ANGUS WYATT 

From the Fire 

Zoo Roxy 

Following a sell out and critically 

acclaimed workshop run in New 

York, From the Fire makes its 

European premiere at the Edinburgh 

Fringe Festival. 

From the Fire is a deeply powerful 

and dramatic oratorio which 

remembers the Triangle Shirtwaist 

Fire of 1911. This fire saw the deaths 

of 146 immigrant girls from the 

mostly Jewish and Italian 

communities. The fire came a year 

after the Uprising of the 20,000 - the 

first significant strike by women in 

history. Up until that point women 

did not have the vote and were 

woefully underpaid and vastly over 

worked compared to their male 

counterparts. This is also taken into 

the story as well as the social change 

created following the fire. It’s the 

echo of the deaths of these women 

which continues to reverberate 

around the world today. 

You may think this is quite a heavy 

production to be seeing at breakfast 

time but I felt totally engaged with the 

subject matter as we were 

transported back through time 

thanks to innovative projections, 

clever chorography and tight 

direction from Cecillia Rubino. The 

production is anchored by Musical 

Director Kris Kukul at the piano 

accompanied by Mastaka Odaka on 

double bass and banjo. The score 

which is based on a combination of 

poetry and new written lyrics is both 

evocative of the period as well as 

appealing to today’s audience. The 

show has lots of compassion but is 

never mawkish, the cast work 

cohesively together as an ensemble 

despite issues with the sound and it’s 

obvious that they believe in what they 

are performing. 

The production has a very limited run 

in the Festival of ten performances 

only and I assure you that it’s a 

production which will live long in the 

memory. 

BRETT HERRIOT 

Scene of the Titans 

C Chambers St 

This little gem of a musical playing at 

C+2 shows exactly why new writing 

based on a TRUE story works so well 

on the musical stage and why we 

must encourage these writers to try 

their ideas on the fringe as well as 

developing their productions for the 

west end and beyond. 

The story of the Titans, Ireland’s first 

gay friendly rugby team, as they take 

on the challenge of the Bingham Cup 

is both inspired and at times 

emotional to watch. The Bingham 

Cup itself was born of tragedy in 

order to do honour to an act of 

bravery which still transcends human 

thought to this day. 

The lead character of Terry, 

performed wonderfully by Luke Hier, 

leads us through various flashbacks 

of the teams formation introducing 

us to a wealth of characters including 

cute boyfriend Colin, played by Sam 

Fowles, the boy with a crush, Cillian 

played by Ashton Montgomery and 

the rest of the team including drag 

queen manager Sophia who is played 

by Dario Cacioppo and Randy Grab 

on Alternate performances. 

Terry’s Journey is at times perceived 

to be naïve as the initial impetus for 

setting up the team is to win the 

heart of the boy Colin, however it 

becomes so much more as he 

discovers that life and love do so 

often hurt irrespective of sexuality. 

What impressed me most about the 

production is the fact that the team 

are gay is normalised, which is 

especially humbling given the 

pressure religion still holds over 

Ireland. 

Luke Hier’s performance is simply 

outstanding as his deep eyes 

convince you of the pain, the hope 

and love his character faces as he 

comes to terms with himself and the 

world around him. Great direction of 

the piece by Kate Andrews given the 

constraints of the venue is to be 

applauded as is the pre-taped music 

of Adam Robbie, which pleasing 

allows the cast to perform without 

microphones so we can hear the 

emotional raw edge of the many 

voices which at times blend into a 

wonderful a capella moments. 

Choreography by Sarah Jane Dooley 

further enhances the experience. 

There is also some wonderful casting 

ideas involved in the show where 

females play males to great effect. 

This show is one which proves that a 

captain’s love for his men, a mother’s 

love for her son as they set out on 

the journey to Dublin, reaffirms the 

power of musical theatre. 

This really is the one of the must see 

productions of the 2011 Fringe 

season. 

BRETT HERRIOT 

Showstopper! 

The Improvised Musical 


Showstopper returns to the Gilded 

Balloon for its fourth year in a row 

and grows ever more popular thanks 

to the amazing talents on stage. 

The key to understanding 

Showstopper! is that the show 

doesn’t exist until the audience arrive 

and start giving ideas to the narrator 

played by Showstopper! co-founder 

Dylan Emery. At the performance I 

attended the audience came up with 

“Bumbleland”, the bees versus the 

wasps and the search for the truth 

beyond the cupcake tree. Once the 

idea is establish the talented cast 

begin the hour long musical with the 

narrator interrupting and either 

enhancing the direction of the 

musical or altering it completely. 

Small things like a microphone failing 

are quickly written in with the object 

being that by the end of the hour 

there is brand spanking new musical 

ready to be delivered to a theatre 

producer known only as Cameron. 

I was genuinely stunned by the 

excellent improvisational skills of 

everyone involved; being able to 

produce both ballads and huge 

musical numbers off the cuff is a 

unique talent. Credit also goes to a 

very gifted lighting operator as he too 

works hard creating off the cuff 

lighting states and special effects. 

The production works so well 

because it uses a cast of wellestablished 

professional musical 

theatre improverts. One who shone 

for me was Pippa Evans playing the 

warlock; her voice was resonant 

throughout. 

The hard thing about reviewing such 

a show is that it is so unique; the 

musical I saw will never be seen 

again! I thoroughly recommend 

going along and experiencing the 

musical magic of Showstopper! The 

Improvised Musical. 

BRETT HERRIOT 

Sunday in The Park 

With George 

C Venues 

Inspired by the famous painting ‘A 

Sunday Afternoon On The Island Of 

La Grande Jatte’ by Georges Seurat, 

and performed by the Royal Scottish 

Academy of Music and Drama, this 

classic Sondheim musical premiered 

at C Venues with limited success. It 

was unfortunate that due to technical 

difficulties, the opening night was 

delayed by 20 minutes, and even as 

we were admitted to the auditorium, I 

was unsure whether the opening 

sequence was Brechtian, or a 

continuation of the technical 

disruptions. This caused confusion 

later in the plot, where the lighting 

display at an art gallery fails and I 

was left wondering whether the 

actors were making slick use of adlib. 

Perhaps it was these circumstances 

which affected the energy of the 

show, as I felt that it was slow at 

times, and lacking something. It 

certainly was not an absence of 

talent, the cast were undoubtedly 

talented musical theatre performers 

which shone though in confident 

solos but I felt their strength lay in 

the ensemble numbers which 

showcased effortless beautiful 

harmonies, especially in the title song 

which was a powerful opening and 

closing number. 

The costume was fitting to the two 

periods, which was important to 

distinguish the time jump in the 

second half, but even with the visual 

aids, I found it confusing how the 

actor who played George in 1884, 

wore a costume very similar to his 

modern outfit, and also played a 

character with the same name. It was 

also a close match to the original 

painting, and a replica of this 

dominated the scenery. Selected 

props were cardboard cutouts, such 

as the parasols, and even the dogs, 

which were painted using a similar 

brushstroke to Seurat. This was a 

clever aesthetic choice to tie in the 

actors blocking with the subjects in 

the painting, and was particularly 

effective in the still tableau of the 

aforementioned painting, with the 

exception of the spare soldier which 

was intended to be a comic tool, but 

it didn’t seem to add anything to the 

show. 

The leading lady who played ‘Dot’ 

stole the show for me, but I was 

unconvinced by the characterisation 

of ‘George’ who as the artist ironically 

lacked depth. A common criticism of 

Musicals is the lesser acting ability, 

and sadly this let it down across the 

board, as it was not as strong but 

elements of comedy were mastered 

neatly, and the singing was to a very 

high standard. I think the company 

could have been more adventurous 

with their revival of this show, but it 

was a confident performance, if a bit 

dull. 


Wasted Love 

C Chambers Street 

One Academy productions are really 

hitting a home run with this 

wonderfully beautiful production 

being staged at C Venues. 

The story leads us through an 

emotional therapy support group 

meeting where we encounter four 

males and four females affected by 

he bad side of love and question why 

they can’t find the kind of love they 

so desire. 

The entire company sing with 

passion and desire and there isn’t a 

standout performer as they all shine 

in equal measure, many showing 

multiple talents by playing various 

instruments. The show is anchored 

by Musical Director Gavin Whitworth 

at the piano but also pleasingly taking 

a full character part within the show 

itself. 

This is without a doubt a delight of a 

comedy musical. 

BRETT HERRIOT

theatre reviews 

RICHARD FRY 

SGfringe.com 

SGfringe.com 

The Ballad of Unbeatable 

Hearts 


It is always great to start the day with 

someone whose love of language is 

as vast as his love of what he has to 

say and of what he is doing. Richard 

Fry will make you leave feeling how 

precious your life is, as well as 

having made you laugh out loud at 

least the statutory five times needed 

for a top comedy. 

To top that, he makes essential points 

about what still needs to be achieved 

for gays and lesbians, not just in law 

but in minds and hearts. As he says, 

“450 species practise homosexuality, 

and only one practises homophobia. 

So who’s the freak of nature now?” 

Good party quote that! 

Richard takes on the role of a father 

of a gay son in this one man show 

and tells us two stories, one of a 

triumphant fulfilled life of his son and 

one a tragic short one. There is 

tremendous vitality and variety here, 

and he had the audience in the palm 

of his hand when I was there. If you 

are intrigued to know what a 

Fruitmaster might be – well, make a 

little list and then go along and find 

out! 

This is one not to be missed by 

anyone with an unbeatable beating 

heart. 

TONY CHALLIS 

Belt Up’s The Boy James 

C Soco 

Enter a child’s special, secret, 

reserved attic playroom. Sit on one 

of his chairs or cushions, talk with a 

friend there, play games with 

him…but wait – there is a man… a 

man who drinks... who has the same 

name. 

Enjoy this delightful world while you 

can, though, for things soon darken, 

and the desperate attempt to retain 

innocence, to continue the games 

and adventures, is inevitably 

doomed, and a world of change, 

trauma and loss suddenly arrives. 

This drama is inspired by the life of J 

M Barrie, he of Peter Pan fame. 

Rarely is the deep intensity of the 

desire to avoid change, to stop the 

clock, conveyed so thoroughly and 

so heartbreakingly in theatre. After 

the playful interaction with the boy 

James, you feel part of his fierce fight 

to hold on to what he has – or had. (I 

read once of butch, moustachioed 

early 20th Century soldiers watching 

Peter Pan with tears rolling down 

their cheeks.) 

The impersonation of the boy James 

by Jethro Compton is appropriate to 

an almost uncanny degree, and you 

believe in him implicitly. Lucy Fawcett 

as the girl who has clearly had her 

heart slain is flawless. Dan Wood 

conveys the man James with 

complete conviction. 

This is one to see if you want 

something unlike anything you have 

ever seen, which will take you into its 

own special world and which will not 

leave you unchanged. Enter the 

child’s playroom for the most grownup 

of dramas. 

TONY CHALLIS 

The Big Bite Sized 

Breakfast 


360 Degree Vision are back with five 

fresh mini plays condensed into one 

seamless 60-minute show. Served 

with fresh coffee, croissants and 

strawberries, this was a sell out last 

year and is drawing huge crowds 

once again. There are three different 

‘menus’ on offer, which means you 

can see this show on any three 

consecutive days and enjoy fifteen 

different mini-plays. These plays 

may be bite-sized, but the subject 

matter is by no means small as they 

tackle original and not-oft seen 

issues. They’ve gone all out to find 

the most originally random yet 

deliciously enjoyable topics. 

I attended menu one, and was 

treated to five flawless productions of 

various genre. ‘Rehearsal’ features a 

‘relationsihp chameleon’ practising a 

speech to win back his love. However 

things don’t go exactly to plan when 

they do come face to face. ‘Keeping 

Annabelle’ is a spoof kidnap plot, 

where the wrong victim is taken. The 

victim is most perturbed, ‘this is the 

worst kind of rejection I’ve ever had!’ 

and refuses to leave the basement. A 

poignant theme is tackled in ‘Stolen”, 

which confronts the issue of 

kleptomania. When the protagonist 

works her way up from stealing ties, 

to expensive pens, and ultimately to 

someone’s baby, the disturbing 

reasons behind this are revealed. ‘A 

Taste of Heaven’ is the humorous tale 

of an Iraqi warrior and his 

unintentional adventures on ‘an antigravity 

horse … travelling at warp 

speed’, which wins him awards for 

bravery. And my personal favourite, 

‘Match Point’ – spoofing the internal 

dilemmas faced by two Wimbledon 

aces, the ball boy and the umpire. 

Five well-produced and superbly 

acted pieces, by a fantastically 

adaptable and convincing cast of four 

who really brought these themes 

alive. I’m super keen to see the other 

two menus, as you will be too! Book 

now as this is heading toward 

another sell-out! 


Blood Brothers 

C Too 

As an avid lover of Blood Brothers 

the musical (which I can’t even 

remember how many times I’ve seen 

on the West End…) I was looking 

forward to seeing this theatre 

production at the Fringe – and I was 

not disappointed. 

My first observation was that the 

theatre production has many 

different changes to the storyline as 

the musical. Blood Brothers is about 

two brothers who grow up together, 

unaware of the true proximity of their 

relationship. Because of this, there 

are disastrous consequences. 

Set mainly in the seventies and 

eighties, this performance looks at 

inequalities of wealth and where the 

power lies in society. Performed by 

very talented actors, who manage to 

keep the audience in suspense, for 

the duration of the performance, this 

adaption of Blood Brothers manages 

to show the true emotions of the 

characters just as well as that of 

other stage shows in the West End. 

The brothers mature throughout the 

show. We see them at the ages of 

seven fourteen and finally twentyfive. 

Neither of the brothers face any 

difficulty in acting out these changes 

in such a short space of time. 

A very good performance of Blood 

Brothers with excellent actors that 

manage to show the true emotion 

that is needed in such a heartbreaking 

play. 

JOSHUA HEPPLE 

Bluebeard: A Fairytale for 

Adults 

Underbelly 

Admittedly when reading the blurb ‘A 

Fairytale for Adults’ one cannot help 

but fear that some other moron in 

face paint on the Royal Mile has 

crafted a show to have Angela Carter 

turning in her untimely grave. Forget 

this – Milk Presents Theatre 

Company, a collection of graduates 

from London’s Central School of 

Speech and Drama, have approached 

the idea with maturity and style, and 

an awareness that has ensured an 

original and exciting examination of 

the latent messages that are 

embedded in the fairytale narratives 

with which we consider ourselves 

familiar. 

Although heavily constructed to 

generate all the effects of the 

production (including both lighting 

and sound) the set harbors a organic 

and playful air that harmonizes 

handsomely with the Perrault folktale 

upon which the performance is 

based and uses as a medium for its 

points analysis. A bike rigged up with 

a generator powers a dim light for 

moments of haunting tension, an 

overhead projector combined with 

coloured gels and even dishes of 

water and dye is employed with 

innovation complementing both the 

moments of humour and poignancy 

that infuse the show. Despite the 

success of the visual direction, I 

must admit that the employment of 

sound was for me the highlight, not 

necessarily in the variety of amusing 

cabaret style compositions that were 

supplemented with wit and irony – 

the discordant guitar twangs of the 

opening scene and electronic pulses 

of both archaic and contemporary 

contraptions conjured a world not 

too far from something PJ Harvey 

may inhabit, an appropriate setting 

for this classic tale of seduction and 

slaughter. 

When another audience member is 

singing along to a number satirising 

gender constructs and the 

heterosexual family ideal in the 

venue’s male toilet after a 

performance, you know you’re on to 

a winner. With focus and funding 

Milk Presents Theatre Company are 

sure to have a prosperous and 

exciting future. 

REX DE VIL 

Clockwork Orange 


This stunning production involves 

acting of a high order along with 

impressive athleticism and dancing 

ability. The story of droog Alex is told 

at a fast pace, and we see him 

dominating his group, acting out 

violence, loving his dear Ludwig van, 

being incarcerated, treated and 

apparently cured – but is he still fully 

human? You will have to go see. 

The dynamic acting blows you away, 

as scene after scene flows along. If I 

have one criticism it is the pace at 

times. When violence is about to take 

place, a pregnant pause can really 

heighten the effect – also when Alex 

(a brilliant and virtuoso central 

performance here) is about to be 

“cured” by a form of torture, the slow 

determination of his oppressors will 

always increase the sense of horror. 

But these are fairly small quibbles 

with a show where the whole cast 

seem to delight in their skills, and 

where the audience is gripped by the 

scruff of the neck from the first 

moment. 

This is a show you really must add to 

your list! 

TONY CHALLIS 

Cock and Bull Story 


This is great fun and also 

heartbreaking. Travis (who hates to 

be called Rupert) is training for his 

big fight. His best mate, Jacko, is 

helping him prepare. It is very clear 

that Jacko can hardly keep his hands 

off any part of Travis, but also mocks 

him for his lack of success with girls. 

Despite this, they both indulge in a lot 

of homophobic language, and the 

ned Jacko boasts of his 

queerbashing successes. 

The dynamism of the two actors and 

the lively persistence with which they 

interrogate each other keeps this 

moving at a brisk pace. Jacko (Matt 

Robertson) has to maintain a frantic 

front, probably he can hardly admit 

even to himself his deepest feelings – 

and cannot react when Travis (Matt 

Robertson) strips nude before 

putting on his fight gear. But there 

are moments of near despair on the 

part of each. 

There is much banter about the use 

of condoms, and talk about sharing a 

flat in London when Travis is 

successful – and enjoying loads of 

birds down there. Hmm. As I said, 

hilarious but deeply sad. 

The two actors maintain a manic 

pace and perform with tremendous 

energy. Enjoy watching these two 

splendid actors – while not forgetting 

the culture of the “boy tribe” which 

can still make guys like this miss out 

on what they most want. 

Writer Richard Crowe is London 

Olympics 2012 Creative 

Programmer. Which is very 

interesting indeed. 

TONY CHALLIS 

Confessions of a Mormon 

Boy 

Hill Street 

This one contains all advertised – 

Mormon childhood, marriage, 

children – while all along fighting his 

gay identity, then excommunication, 

hardship, prostitution, drugs. All told 

with great verve and energy, and with 

very engaging humour. It is 

impossible not to warm to this man – 

no wonder his clients were so 

generous. 

The story of his desire to be straight, 

to follow what he had all his life he 

had been told was the “right way” 

was affecting. The later gay life was 

told exuberantly – whatever this guy 

does, he does thoroughly, it is clear. 

He held the audience rapt 

throughout, which was quite an 

achievement as he overran to 95 

minutes when I saw him – he 

courteously saw us out, but you felt 

time was pressing. Steven Fales 

clearly loves performing, and he gave 

of his all throughout, but his show is 

long for one of its type with no 

interval, and it may be even sharper if 

he could bring himself to shave a few 

minutes of it. 

But don’t let this put you off. This is a 

hugely enjoyable show, and the 

larger the audience and the bigger 

the audience response the better 

things will be. I would suggest you 

go along and decide to act American 

for the evening! 

TONY CHALLIS 

The Curse of the Devil’s 

Verse 

C Soco 

Rob and Lucy are not seeing eye to 

eye. Lucy has given up her job to 

write. Rob has been sneaking a look 

at her writing, and is feeling less than 

pleased and hard done by. Lucy feels 

unappreciated and that Rob is failing 

to communicate and keeping himself 

locked in. Cue Rob storms off to the 

pub, where he stumbles unawares 

into Poetry Night. A mysterious 

figure engages him in conversation 

and gives him a special drink. And… 

he is cursed… he speaks entirely in 

rhyming couplets. Not a happy 

fate… he gets beaten up and loses 

his job… but he learns a good deal, 

and a young guy I spoke to about the 

show after said he thought he had 

picked up some valuable points. 

This is a very entertaining and quickwitted 

show indeed, less heavy than 

my words above may make it seem. 

There is very good comic business, 

and the pub scenes and a group 

scene with drink are very skilfully 

done. Joseph Sentance as Rob is 

very dynamic and engaging; Anjli 

Mohindra as Lucy is firm and very 

strongly in character. Nic Harvey 

(writer and director) can be proud of 

this very fast-moving drama. 

The central relationship is lively but 

could be individualised more. Also 

the fantasy element could be taken 

further, become more Faustian and 

still very funny. Maybe Lucy could be 

brought into the fantasy – she is the 

creative one to begin with, but she 

seems very solid and always has her 

feet firmly on the ground. 

That said, this remains a highly 

entertaining and memorable hour, the 

kind of show that with a large and 

responsive audience will have you 

laughing out loud. Strongly 

recommended. 

TONY CHALLIS 

Devotion 

The Spaces@ Surgeon’s Hall 

This is a show with a difference. We 

begin with guitar music from 

Fernando Alonso – excellently played. 

Then Maria, the bullfighter’s 

girlfriend, (Violeta Orgaz) tells us how 

she opposes bullfighting, but is 

drawn to the bullfighter himself and 

wants to understand him. Next the 

bullfighter himself (Diego Hidalgo) 

appears with his devoted assistant, 

friend and dresser (Ruben Martin- 

Vegue). There is no doubting dresser 

Juan’s love of his job and of his 

friend, but the avoidance of stated 

desire is more subtle here than in 

another show I saw this year which 

parallels this one in some ways. Juan 

warns his friend of the danger of 

women, and how they can detract 

from a bullfighter’s commitment. 

These two make a stunning pair, and, 

yes, there is male nudity – beautiful 

bodies do not a drama make, but 

these two are special. The pace here 

is slow and requires patience, and at 

times almost as in a Noh drama 

small movements on Juan’s part are 

significant, and small smiles. 

If you are pleased by a stylised 

drama, one where the eye is 

ravished, and where you can relax 

and enjoy an easy pace, you will find 

this satisfying. 

TONY CHALLIS 

Dust 


The radio crackles into life; it’s the 

morning news, Margaret Thatcher is 

dead and so begins the play called 

Dust. 

Dust is a political drama that takes us 

into the life of Arthur Scargill, the 

firebrand leader of the NUM who 

took the miners out on strike in 1974 

and again in 1984, and the one man 

Maggie openly hated. It also takes a 

look at Arthur James Cook, another 

mine union leader whose general 

strike in 1927 brought about his 

premature death at the age of 47 just 

a few short years later. The play has 

been commissioned to mark the 30th 

anniversary of Scargill’s election to 

the post of president of the union. It 

is a fictional play using real life 

characters with the intention of 

showing what the average miner 

went through at the face of the strike 

alongside Scargill’s fight against 

Thatcher that ultimately didn’t 

succeed. 

Michael Strobel takes on the role of 

Scargill to great aplomb as a man so 

many years past his prime but still 

scared and flawed by the battle that 

ensued during the 80’s. Stewart 

Howson plays Lawrence, the bitter 

miner who fought hard and lost 

everything in the miner’s strike before 

selling out and taking the 

compensation offered by the 

government. It’s his excellent 

portrayal that drives the play on. 

This really is an exceptionally well 

directed and crafted piece of theatre 

which gets the mind working and 

reflecting on a period in recent 

history which saw the destruction of 

an entire industry which left us with 

sad fact that despite having many, 

many years of coal supplies under 

our very feet, The UK imports 90% of 

its coal. This is one play worth 

watching. 

BRETT HERIOT 

Elegy 

Whitespace 

The audience sit around a large 

rectangle covered in piles of 

discarded clothes – and a chair. The 

performer emerges from these and 

tells a tale of broken and discarded 

lives. He tells of gay asylum seekers, 

and of those who are unable to 

escape today’s Iraq and the death 

squads there. 

There are haunting events of terrible 

brutality. The actor, Jamie Bradley, 

conveys all of this is a very measured 

way, with a degree of calmness, and 

his is a consummate piece of acting, 

a joy to behold. There are vivid 

moments of connection, and the 

panic of a forbidden kiss. 

Immediately after the performance I 

was asked how I had enjoyed it – and 

I had; it had poetic beauty, grace and 

great skill. Yet it dealt with lethal 

homophobia, with appalling violence, 

with acts performed by those “whose 

hearts are dead”, as we were told. 

I thought of hearing Toni Morrison, 

years back, speaking of her novel 

Beloved and saying she felt a kind of 

guilt making a thing of beauty which 

gave much pleasure out of the 

terrible experience of slavery. 

The essence, though, is in the title: it 

is an elegy, performed in 

commemoration of the treasured 

dead, and honouring them by 

attention to detail and by the vivid 

portraying of their tribulations. It is 

also a superbly crafted and involving 

piece of drama, wonderfully 

performed; satisfying, shocking and 

angering all at the same time. 

TONY CHALLIS 

Eunuchs in My Wardrobe 


Enter and be greeted by a tall elegant 

man with salt and pepper hair and a 

little less than European garb. He 

begins to talk to you about saris, with 

examples from the display behind 

him – and this man clearly loves 

saris. And why not, given the 

gorgeous garments he is showing 

you? He proceeds to tell you of his 

life – his dual experience of India and 

Britain, including the detested 

Eastbourne. And the problems of 

school. And the fact that not only is 

he bi-racial but also bisexual – and 

that he was first caught and thrashed 

for being caught with a boy, and then 

caught, thrashed and further insulted 

when found with a girl. Not the best 

of both worlds there. 

His fascination with the hijra, the 

“inbetweeners” in India who were not 

to be spoken of in the household of 

his childhood, comes over strongly. 

This is a very entertaining and warm 

show, and Silas Carson has a strong 

and positive rapport with his 

audience. Go along and be taken in 

the warm glow of his world; escape 

grey, grey Edinburgh for the 

wonderful colours of saris and of the 

hijra and of India. 

TONY CHALLIS 

Funny as a Crutch 

Augustine’s 

All the way from New York comes a 

show that looks at stigma 

surrounding disability. This play has 

ten different scenarios which each 

look at disability in a different 

context. In response to these various 

scenarios, a very well thought out 

choice for costume was made; all the 

actors were dressed neutrally in 

black which allowed them to adapt to 

each different situation. It was 

attention to detail like this that made 

the performance believable and easy 

to become immersed in. Performed 

by around twelve different teenage 

actors, Funny As A Crutch challenges 

the audience to think about different 

challenges that face disabled people. 

Although these young actors gave a 

very sound performance, the 

American sense of humour may be 

quite hard to understand by the 

Scots. As a disabled rights activist, I 

felt that the issues that were raised 

were very worthwhile although as 

there were many different scenes, 

with very little correlation, this 

performance did not have the time to 

go into detail and make people really 

think about these critical issues. My 

favourite scene was where someone 

was applying for a job and, during 

the interview, a joker was running 

around distracting the interviewer. 

The joker resembled stigma 

surrounding disability and the 

interviewer was preoccupied by the 

actions of the joker that was meant to 

portray disability instead of focusing 

on the individual. 

A very good performance that is 

performed by an excellent cast 

raising many different issues. 

JOSHUA HEPPLE 

Tell us about your latest Edinburgh 

Fringe show 

It’s called The Ballad of the Unbeatable 

Hearts, and is about gay suicide - but 

also about the importance of life. It’s 

dark and sad but fun and uplifting too. 

How many Fringe shows is that now? 

That’s five one-man shows in the last 

four years. I started late so I’ve got a 

lot of ground to cover. 

Do you consider your plays political? 

It’s funny because I never saw myself 

or my shows as political, I thought I 

was just telling stories about things 

that I care about. Then I started getting 

referred to as a political playwright and 

I guess the Amnesty Award nomination 

consolidated that. I don’t shy away 

from being political; if you have a voice 

you should use it, especially if it can 

help other people. 

How did you get into poetry/rhyme? 

I’m a failed musician. I was always 

writing songs on my guitar, hundreds 

of them but in the end I had to admit 

that I wasn’t a very good guitar player 

so I gave it up but continued to write 

lyrics which evolved into my one man 

shows. 

GLASGOW ACTORS PRESENTS 

LOVE 

SONGS 

for a Timewaster 

written and performed by Iain Heggie with friends 

FUNNY AND INSPIRING 

NEW MUSICAL PLAY 

“ 

I wouldn’t go out with anyone 

that went out with me 

Gilded Balloon Teviot 

 

BOX OFFICE: 0131 622 6552 

Tickets on line at www.gildedballoon.co.uk 

” 

The Ballad of the 

Unbeatable Hearts 

is performed daily 

during the fringe at 

12.15pm at 

The Gilded Balloon 




www.iainheggie.com 

twitter.com/iainheggie 

from the writer of 

KING OF SCOTLAND 

Fringe First winner 

“electrifyingly written” (Guardian) 

“very unfair and extremely funny” (Daily Mail) 

TOBACCO MERCHANTS LAWYER 

reviews 

“a brilliant satire” (Scotsman) 

“the laughs keep coming” (Guardian) 

 

 

 

Which play are you most proud of? 

Well, Bully got me started and enabled 

me to travel the world, it’s also the 

most personal and it actually signifies a 

turning point in my life. It’s where I 

turned a massive negative into a 

positive and I haven’t looked back 

since. I wouldn’t say it’s my 

favourite play but it is the one I’m 

most proud of for personal as well 

as creative reasons. 

What other Fringe shows are you 

seeing/have seen? 

Tonight Sandy Grierson Will 

Lecture, Dance and Box at Assembly 

is fantastic, very inventive and full of 

charm and wit. Lynn Ruth Miller is 

the oldest stand up I’ve seen, she’s 

78, and one of the funniest. 

Catherine Semark is also a very 

funny lady, check her out plus 

Richard Marsh is doing a very good 

turn at versed storytelling in Skittles 

in the Pleasance Courtyard. 

Do you like Edinburgh? 

I love Edinburgh. It’s a total joy to 

come back here every year, I always 

make sure I room with the natives 

so I discover some of the local 

haunts off the main Festival drag. 

Are there enough gay role models? 

There can never be enough gay role 

models. There are a lot of gay 

fictional characters in soaps, 

dramas and films which is great but 

we need more real people. Straight 

kids need to see them as much as 

gay kids. I find it confusing and 

disappointing that confident, 

successful people in positions of 

influence still live a life in the closet 

when they could be helping so many. 

Is there an LGBT Community? 

That’s a difficult question to answer. I 

think community is the wrong word to 

use, there’s definitely a scene, of 

course. I think the trouble lies in the 

fact that the group tries to include too 

many disparate subgroups. Gay men 

and transsexuals are inherently 

different but they’ve been lumped 

together under the LGBT umbrella. 

Their needs aren’t the same. People 

within both these subgroups are 

reluctant to pull together because of 

the inclusion of each other. The 

‘community’ tries to reach out to too 

many people which is a nice aim but it 

doesn’t lead to a cohesive unit. 

The people who have had 

the most profound effect on 

my life are the nasty ones. 

The bullies and the bastard 

ex-boyfriends. 

Who are your biggest influences? 

The people who have had the most 

profound effect on my life are the nasty 

ones. The bullies and the bastard exboyfriends. 

I can honestly say with my 

hand on my heart that I wouldn’t be 

doing what I am today if it wasn’t for 

them. They’ve had a massive 

negative influence on me but I 

managed to turn it into a massive 

positive. That’s a brilliant achievement 

and one that now takes me all over the 

world doing some pretty exciting things 

so thanks, guys, I couldn’t have done it 

without you.

is said to have spoken at the end of 

his life. 

Kevin Williamson, who is known as 

Edinburgh’s own rebel poet, 

performs a variety of Burns’ poems 

here – some well known, like A Man’s 

a Man and the Address of Beelzebub, 

but also many that are lesser known, 

with underground, republican and 

anti-war themes. Many were written 

anonymously – especially when 

working as an Excise Officer, Burns 

had to be very careful what was 

ascribed to him, and at that time antigovernment 

writing could bring 

down on you the most severe of 

punishments – you might lose your 

head. 

As Kevin Williamson makes clear, 

Burns, born in 1759, lived through 

very turbulent times. Britain was at 

war and in turmoil for much of his 

life. He was only 17 when the 

American Declaration of 

Independence was written, and as 

Wiliamson says, he was the first 

major European poet to support the 

Americans – not a safe option! 

The poem written on a banknote will 

have resonance today, given how 

bankers are viewed just now. And 

there are some of those four- letter 

word poems. Kevin Williamson 

seemed to relish having all those 

fucks resonating around the National 

Library of Scotland. There was the 

poem about letting the poor man 

mowe – mowe being a traditional 

Scots word for….and there were lots 

of mowes. 

All ScotsGay readers interested in the 

radical history of Scotland, and 

indeed anyone who fancies hearing 

some seditious and up-them poetry, 

would do well to get along to this. 

The filmed material is also good, and 

Kevin Williamson provides a valuable 

background to his reading. A very 

stimulating hour indeed! 

TONY CHALLIS 

Scary Gorgeous 

Bedlam 

Two girls play four characters that are 

in two relationships. I have never 

seen actresses be able to portray so 

much emotion in their performance, 

yet remain together. Scary Gorgeous 

looks like a friendship between two 

girls called Helen and Abbi, and then 

quickly changes to scenes about a 

relationship between Sarah and 

Aiden. The two actresses effortlessly 

change between their two roles that 

are very different. 

Another great feature about Scary 

Gorgeous is that there is a live band 

on-stage that are mainly used to 

portray emotion between the two 

relationships. However, they also 

become part of the plot when Helen 

and Abbi set up their own band. This 

band allows us to hear the girls’ great 

voices while they are rehearsing for a 

gig in their newly-established band. 

This play examined sexuality and 

promiscuity in a very explicit yet 

dignified way. This is something 

which is not easy to achieve. It also 

looks at the need to fit in as one of 

the characters becomes very 

defensive about her lack of sexual 

history. This results in disastrous 

consequences when the girl are put 

to the test and have to very quickly 

change characters in two very 

different and very emotional scenes. 

They do not fail to impress the 

audience. 

As usual, Bedlam Theatre has put on 

another excellent production. A show 

like Scary Gorgeous is exactly what 

the Fringe should be about. This is 

Fringe theatre at its best. 

JOSH HEPPLE 

7 Day Drunk 


Melding documentary footage, live 

music and dance, elaborate costume 

and audience participation, Bryony 

Kimmings shared her 7 day 

experiment which asked the question 

‘is alcohol really linked to an artist’s 

creativity and confidence? 

The performance stemmed from this 

week’s investigation alone, during 

which she maintained an intoxicated 

state, and put her artistic capabilities 

to the test. The result is a very 

entertaining, and unpredictable show, 

which playfully conveyed a serious 

message about alcoholism and its 

damaging effects on an emotional, 

psychological and physical level. She 

succeeded in encouraging everyone 

to lose their inhibitions by making 

herself vulnerable, getting an 

audience member drunk; in the name 

of science, encouraging a select few 

singletons to make out, and finally 

got everyone onstage dancing. 

Kimmings is an engaging storyteller, 

erratic, colourful, energetic and 

comical personality. She makes you 

want to watch her, and I’d 

recommend doing just that. 


Shakespeare for Breakfast 


There’s a reason this show sells out 

every year, and 2011 s contribution 

‘Macbeth: The High School Years’ is 

another literary master-stroke. e the 

teenage years of Macbeth – or 

‘MaccyB’ as his girlfriend calls him. 

Felicity Russell excels as cheerleader 

Beth, who pushes her boyfriend 

Macbeth to pursue the esteemed role 

of ’head boy’ so that she can be ‘the 

most important person in the 

school’. To claim the title, the pair 

must humiliate and alienate their 

closest friends – resulting in a powercrazed 

Macbeth and a ‘gaga’ Beth. 

Less actual Shakespearean content 

than in previous years, yet the 

content that does exist is tempered 

with genius. ‘Macbeth will be totes 

against this – he’s full of the milk of 

human kindness. Whereas i’m 

lactose intolerant’, drawls Beth. 

Macbeth seeks guidance from two 

Goths with sock puppets, and of 

course is ultimately restored. This is 

a family-friendly show, served with 

coffee and jumbo croissants. There 

is enough literary reference contained 

to keep fans of the Bard happy, while 

remaining totally accessible to those 

who just want something a bit 

different to start the day off with. 


Simon Callow’s Tuesday at 

Tesco’s 

Assembly Hall 

Simon Callow’s impersonation of a 

late-middle-aged transsexual in this 

one-man (plus mute pianist) show is 

very precisely observed. When he 

turns round and does a little dance 

he appears exactly as a larger woman 

of that age, in every finger, which 

cannot be said of many female 

impersonators. He takes us into the 

experience of Pauline, who visits her 

aged father every Tuesday, takes care 

of his washing etc and takes him 

shopping to Tesco. 

We begin by hearing how Pauline 

feels every brick is looking at her as 

she walks towards her father’s place. 

Going back here is much more 

difficult than being where she now 

lives. The father shows little 

appreciation, and continually 

bemoans the change from Paul to 

Pauline. There are many 

embarrassing moments at Tesco, 

and we are made to feel with Pauline. 

It is very good that a large audience 

has this sympathetic experience, and 

it is to be hoped that Callow is 

successfully significantly chipping 

away at prejudice here. 

I did find the set bemusing, but it 

seemed explained at the end – 

though I found the ending stock and 

unnecessary. And I still can’t work 

out the pianist! 

Then there is Tesco. Tesco, Tesco, 

Tesco…every little helps, even. I 

suppose this does give the play a 

popular connection, and all the 

audience can relate to such a visit as 

now one is rarely more than a 

hundred yards from a store. It could 

have been Monday at Mumbos or 

Thursday at Thorline’s – but no doubt 

that would lack the popular 

identification. 

Pauline and her Dad speak in voices 

of very different class registers, 

though Pauline occasionally shows 

what she must earlier have sounded 

like. I found myself wondering at 

what point Pauline removed herself 

from her class origins and what 

effect this had on the family 

relationship before the gender 

change. But that was not the subject 

here. 

TONY CHALLIS 

The Strange Undoing of 

Prudencia Hart 

Traverse at Ghillie Dhu 

Written by David Greig, ‘The Strange 

Undoing of Prudencia Hart’ provides 

a striking celebration of Border 

Ballads, full of both satirical wit and 

moments of heart wrenching beauty. 

Prudencia Hart is a high-strung 

academic, who after becoming 

caught in a snowy Kelso takes a 

journey of self-discovery and 

emotional awakening via a series of 

enchanting encounters, comic 

characters and Katy Perry karaoke. 

Combining stirring folk music and 

balladry with the contemporary Greig 

has recognized the power of creating 

a hybrid of both old and new, and 

combining this with an innovative 

use of the Ghillie Dhu bar space by 

director Wils Wilson the magic of the 

afternoon performance is continually 

sustained – the snow our heroine 

finds herself stranded by is conjured 

buy the audience’s torn napkins, the 

ice cold air invoked by the chiming of 

glasses, and the venue’s bar 

transforming from car to lecture hall. 

A violin solo in the second half of the 

performance had me in shivers as 

the humour of Greig’s satirical ballad 

retreated for moments of haunting 

poignancy. The music is a definite 

highlight, with each member of the 

cast having not only a confident 

singing voice but also skills 

branching a variety of instruments, 

from bagpipes to guitar, drums to 

recorders, complementing the folk 

inspired soundtrack and even coming 

together to create a mesmerizing 

discordant reworking of a Kylie 

Minogue track at the end. What with 

such an intricate script and 

impassioned soundtrack one does 

consider whether the company has 

considered a radio translation of the 

piece. Either way enjoyment is 

ensured – grab a ticket now. 

REX DE VIL 

Strip Search 

The Space@ North Bridge 

It’s just not fair that one guy should 

have such looks, such a body – and 

be such a brilliant actor. 

Damola Onadeko plays ‘Squaddie’, a 

stripper who tells his life story as he 

strips. As the layers are removed we 

learn more about him and get closer 

to the real ‘Squaddie’. We learn about 

his tough childhood, the troubles he 

gets into, his time selling sex, his 

time in the army and his service in 

Iraq and the brutal reality of that. We 

learn about his deepest connection, 

and about what turns this beautiful 

guy off sex. By the time the last 

layers come off they hardly matter 

because of the way we now know 

him. 

This is a very sharply written show, 

and Peter Scott-Presland’s script 

keeps you fully engaged throughout. 

Peter’s enthusiasm for gay theatre 

dates back to the days of Gay 

Sweatshop in the 70’s and this script 

shows a great depth of awareness of 

what goes on inside gay guys’ heads 

and what it sometimes takes to own 

up to who you really are in a 

homophobic society. 

But – the play is fast, entertaining, 

witty and involving, and you won’t 

want to take your eyes off ‘Squaddie’ 

for a moment – or let your attention 

lapse from his revealing and intimate 

words. 

So don’t be fooled by the title or the 

publicity. This is a complex, 

intelligent and quite brilliant piece of 

proper theatre. A definite ‘Must See’. 

TONY CHALLIS 

The Table 


What is emerging as the most talked 

about theatre pieces at the Fringe, 

Blind Summit deserve every bit of 

praise and recognition for ‘The Table’, 

and more. As ‘puppetry innovators’, 

they challenge expectations of the 

artform, and deliver an exquisite 

display of object manipulation in all 

three sections of the show, each 

demonstrating a different style of 

puppetry. 

They begin by animating a Bunraku 

style puppet with a head constructed 

from recycled cardboard; an 

aesthetic favoured by the company, 

and it suited the gruff voice used by 

one of the three operators, whom 

manipulated the head. The puppet 

gives a mini-masterclass on how he 

is operated, and the effect is not only 

hilarious but it never breaks the 

illusion whilst they play around with 

eyeline, breath and gravity (or fixed 

point, as the puppet described). They 

manage to breathe life into the 

puppet with impeccable detail, as a 

plain old folding trestle table 

becomes a stage and home to the 

puppet for ‘40 years’ stimulating the 

audience’s imagination with this 

visually stunning show. 

Phase 2 and 3 are more abstract, 

focusing on the spectacle rather than 

character, and I can recognise the 

influence of French puppeteer Phillipe 

Genty, in the incredibly witty 

animation which simply uses A4 

sheets of paper pulled from a 

briefcase and announces itself as 

‘French Puppetry’. 

‘The Table’ is an incredibly exciting 

and awe-inspiring show and I was 

truly on the edge of my seat 

throughout. It will continue sell out 

so beg, borrow or steal a ticket if you 

have to, just cue early to get a good 

seat, as the show is so detailed and 

précised, I imagine the effect would 

be deconstructed the further back in 

the auditorium you are. 


Teechers 


Dulwich College & James Allen’s 

Girls’ School join together under the 

Young Pleasance program to present 

John Godber’s play Teechers. 

The play takes us through the year in 

the life of Whitehall school and Mr 

Nixon the new drama teacher as he 

takes on the task of teaching an inner 

city school that is beset by problems 

from a government that doesn’t care, 

parents who are glad their kids are 

out there hair and pupils who know 

there facing an uncertain future filled 

with hopelessness. 

The play was debuted at the fringe in 

1987 and this production pays 

testament to that by setting the show 

in the 1980’s with rundown of 80’s 

pop chart hits as the musical 

background, although this does slip 

on a couple of occasions with tracks 

that aren’t actually 80’s. However 

instead of using three actors to 

portray the nearly twenty characters 

this production as an ensemble of 

over twenty-four actors sharing the 

characters. This at times can be a 

little confusing as we jump from 

actor to actor playing the same role 

to various effects. That said the two 

actors who performed the title role of 

Mr Nixon who is actually Mr Harrison 

do so to great effect. 

The production is excellently directed 

with moments of tableaux, slow 

motion and a twist on Michael 

Jackson’s Thriller being used to great 

effect. The cast whose age range 

spans from 15 to 17 do themseves 

justice and there are a couple who 

will go on to forge careers in the 

theatre industry, such was their 

intensity of performance. 

This is an excellent piece of lunch 

time comedy drama and it’s nice to 

see Pleasance not only hosting a 

major venue but producing excellent 

home grown productions within it 

too. 

BRETT HERRIOT 

Ten Plagues 

Traverse 

This is a stunningly different and very 

absorbing show. The day I saw it 

Marc Almond seemed to need a little 

time to warm up, but when he did the 

whole thing was riveting. 

The libretto is by Mark Ravenhill and 

the music is by Conor Mitchell. 

The setting is ostensibly London in 

1665, the year of the Plague. One 

third of the population dying in a 

season. There is also reference to the 

Ten Plagues of the Old Testament. 

And evident concern with a more 

recent event, the spread of AIDS in 

the 1980s. This is made clear in the 

visuals which surround and follow 

Almond at times - young men with 

much to offer, but what is offered is 

not always accepted. 

One of the stronger emotions 

expressed is a kind of guilt – 

amongst all the fear of the plague, 

those who have it are shunned – and 

Almond is seen to reject a young 

man who shows him a lesion. There 

are numbers that take you deeply 

into the world of the 17th Century 

plague – the idea of a curfew for the 

well, so that the sick could take the 

air by night - and how then do they 

interact? And the pit – into which 

bodies are cast, and the idea of 

running to the pit and jumping in if 

sick, to be with the bodies there. 

All pretty dark stuff, but all sung and 

performed with passion, and there is 

the ending, of survival, a new day 

and new life, but forever changed by 

the experience. 

TONY CHALLIS 


theatre reviews 

Gogol’s ‘The Portrait’ 

Quaker Meeting House 

This was one of those really pleasant 

surprises. A group of about twenty 

very young people have put on a 

really impressive show here. 

The story is a classic Russian tale of 

an artist who is persuaded - after 

buying a portrait of a moneylender - 

that financial success is all, and 

becomes a society painter, until he 

sees the work of an old friend who 

has remained true to his art, and he 

then begins an orgy of artistic 

destruction. This is just the core 

story – there are a number of 

subsidiary ones, and here the story 

has been “straightened out” to make 

it more dramatically accessible 

without missing anything out. 

There is a lot of humour here and the 

cast are very versatile and winning. 

They use many musical instruments 

– brass, xylophone and much else – 

and have some songs of their very 

own. The set is brilliant, with its use 

of tiers of windows, and when the 

monstrous usurer appears on stage 

– this must be the biggest puppet on 

the Fringe! –swathed in demonic 

smoke. 

This is a most enjoyable and 

entertaining hour, and it is to be 

hoped that some of the cast at least 

go on to develop their evident skills. 

TONY CHALLIS 

Good Death 

The Space at Venue 45 

This is an intense and diverse 

production with a large cast which 

investigates the issue of assisted 

dying and the ability to choose how 

you die – and the many fears people 

have regarding this. 

The early part involves the trial of Dr 

Jack Kevorkian aka Doctor Death 

who helped patients die and 

challenged the law in the USA and 

was imprisoned. An English element 

comes in with the section on “Jean’s 

Way,” a book written about a 

woman’s assisted death written by 

the husband who helped her. Later, 

we explore the lives and attitudes of 

various patients in a hospice, with an 

eccentric and comic administrator. 

Tectonic are the people who were 

behind The Laramie Project, the 

verbatim piece about Matthew 

Shepard who was viciously killed in 

Wyoming a decade ago. Again, they 

have researched their material very 

thoroughly and present a wealth of 

information in an accessible and 

dramatic way, with engagement and 

some humour. The problems of 

religious intransigence are not 

overlooked, but there is a direction in 

which things weigh. 

This may seem a tough course for 

some, but it is an issue of relevance 

and importance to all of us in the 

end, and you could hardly wish for a 

more digestible way to go into the 

matter and see what the debate is 

about. The great variety of arresting 

characters keep you involved 

throughout this substantial work. It is 

very much both entertaining and 

informative. 

TONY CHALLIS 

Hex 

Hill Street Theatre 

Strangetown Company’s new work, 

‘Hex’ starts conventionally enough – 

with an entertaining tête à tête 

between Gwen (Sarah MacGillivray) 

and her husband, Toby (Ben Clifford). 

As they argue over the merits of 

mystics, mediums, psychics and 

other charlatans, it becomes clear 

that something odd is happening in 

their home. Gwen’s trying to find a 

way to fix it, she’s a true believer; 

indeed, she embraces any idea that is 

vaguely supernatural. Toby is a 

skeptic, who appears to be losing his 

patience with the array of fakes that 

Gwen invites into their front room. 

Tonight their visitors are Siobhan 

(Beth Godfrey) and 6 (Coleen 

Garrett). They practice orthodox 

superdimensional 

retrotranscendental quasi-quantum 

thaumaturgy – apparently. They 

claim to be magicians. They say that 

they can help the couple with their, as 

yet unknown, problem. 

To give any more away would be 

remiss. Suffice to say that the major 

comic twists delivered in this highly 

original work by Tim Primrose and 

Sam Siggs are inspired. Their script 

is rich with layered ideas, callbacks 

and brilliant one-liners. You will be 

pressed to find a funnier play at the 

Fringe. Indeed, the audience laughed 

longer and louder than many shows 

I’ve seen this year listed under 

‘Comedy’ in the Fringe Programme. 

It’s also strikingly intelligent. I really 

didn’t want ‘Hex’ to end. 

There is a lot of talk about 

discovering hidden gems this Fringe. 

I can’t claim ‘Hex’ as mine, as the 

play performed to a full house the 

night I was there. And it’s already 

been endorsed by SF/Fantasy legend 

Neil Gaiman. 

Just go and see it. 

MARTIN WALKER 

Hotel Medea 

Summerhall 

Undoubtedly you’ve heard the 

rumours of a six-hour show at this 

year’s Fringe, and here it is – Hotel 

Medea, a Brazilian/UK collaboration 

inspired by the myth of the 

murderous sorcerer Medea. Lasting 

from midnight till dawn, this 

production has its moments however 

fails to maintain them. 

One could not help but think that the 

novelty of an overnight performance 

was what fueled this production, with 

consideration of content coming 

second. Luckily the opportunity to 

pay a reduced price for a ticket giving 

access to the first part of the evening 

is available and this is something I 

would defiantly recommend, as here 

lies the strongest and most engaging 

moments of the evening. Relaying 

the story of Jason’s taking of the 

Golden Fleece this initial segment will 

be sure to get you sweaty, as 

audience members are 

choreographed dance moves to 

supplement elements of the plot. 

Admittedly skeptical reading the 

blurb ‘with live DJ’ the soundtrack for 

the opening section actually turned 

out to be my highlight of the night, a 

merging of pounding tribalistic beats 

and contemporary samples. Spatial 

decisions and choices regarding 

costume recalled at times the work of 

filmmaker Derek Jarman, and the 

focus and energy of the actors was 

impressive and successful in 

ensuring the interaction and 

engagement of the mostly youngadult 

audience members. 

Unfortunately, despite the constant 

interactive relationship with the 

audience, the impact and quality of 

the company’s interpretation was not 

sustained for the following two 

segments of the production, this not 

solely due to the inevitable tiredness 

of lasting the early hours. For all the 

epic and magical details of the 

original tale relayed effectively in part 

I, the ensuing two parts failed to 

match this, containing half hearted 

choreography, a lacking employment 

of video and media devices and 

various overworked motifs and ideas. 

With the initial part of the evening 

worthy of a full star rating, forget the 

full experience. Book for Part I to 

save disappointment and a reversed 

body clock. 

REX DE VIL 

The Infection Monologues 

The Space on North Bridge 

Eight young people sit in a row facing 

the audience. The guy on our far left 

tells his brief story of how he was 

told that he was HIV positive. The girl 

next to him then tells her story – but 

it does not just go on like this. We 

move to the very androgynous guy 

far right. The cast of five boys and 

three girls tell a variety of stories and 

some jokes; some get up and 

interact. They are a young cast who 

bring a lot of emotion to some of the 

scenes. A large variety of reactions 

and feelings about their status and 

how they should behave are aired. A 

death is mourned. 

The format is deeply American, 

school of “Kennedy’s Children”, but 

not that deep. It is supposed to 

“explore the reality of HIV in 2011”, 

but it explores only a limited field 

because no one gets to say enough 

to develop as a character and be 

more than the briefest case study. It 

deals essentially with first reactions 

and forms of defensiveness, but 

hardly compares with the complexity 

of living and relating of positive 

people I know, nor does it treat the 

subject with the depth some people 

were treating it to twenty years ago. 

In some ways the show feels really 

80’s! 

But, despite that, the young cast 

perform with enthusiasm – the 

strident Jack (Scott Cocks), the witty 

Marie (Rachael Solomon), the 

passionate Steve (Kane Nicholls),the 

put-upon and conflicted Liz (Charise 

Sullivan), and the so vulnerably 

enthusiastic Pete (Matthew Ryan) – 

(an individualised story that could 

maybe be developed as a separate 

play) – deserve special mention. The 

cast clearly had a strong effect on the 

audience, and if the watchers did not 

know a lot about the subject and 

learned from the show that is 

extremely valuableat any time. 

TONY CHALLIS 

An Instinct for Kindness 


If ever a show is truly deserving of a 

5 star review and classic praise 

phrase, it is this one-man show by 

Chris Larner. In an empty room with 

just a chair, he beautifully and 

creatively shares the story of his exwife’s 

struggle with multiple sclerosis 

and the arduous journey to terminate 

her life at Switzerland’s Dignitas 

Clinic. The result is nothing short of 

perfection, and a privilege to witness 

this stunning portrayal of tragic and 

profound truth. 

The performance is honest, simple 

and elegantly written, with an 

impeccable balance between laughter 

and emotionally touching moments. 

These moments are modestly 

administered, sitting long enough to 

impact, but he does not milk them. I 

was hanging onto his every word, 

gesture and expression as he creates 

such a vivid picture of his wife 

Allyson without costume or makeup. 

The effect is haunting and more 

effective than I could ever imagine a 

man acting as a woman could be, 

and the room wept unashamedly. 


Kafka and Son 


This one-man show is derived from 

Franz Kafka’s letter to his father 

written at age 36 when he still felt 

overbearingly oppressed by him. The 

father defends himself…or maybe 

the writer is quite capable of 

imagining the defence, and speaking 

as the oppressor is like an extra 

punishment. 

The description of various aspects of 

Kafka’s life – childhood, mealtimes, 

relationships with women, work – are 

all seen in the context of the father’s 

views and expectations. The dialogue 

flows fast and furious, and the 

attention is well caught. Effective as 

the set and performance were, a 

greater variation in colour and tone 

may have improved this further. 

The set is sparse but very effective – 

cages into which birds or Kafka may 

be put – and which at time the actor 

confines himself to – and lots of 

black bird feathers – plus a white 

one. The name Kafka in Czech 

translates as Jackdaw. Kafka writes 

with one of these feathers. 

Alan Nashman is a very 

accomplished Canadian actor who 

produces a work that is fierce and 

passionate as well as funny and 

chilling. If you have an interest in or 

are intrigued by one of the great 

writers of the 20th Century, an 

enigmatic figure who wanted all his 

work destroyed at his death, whose 

work is dark but also often darkly 

comic and even satirical, then get 

along to this performance. 

TONY CHALLIS 

Looser Women 


Based on real life stories, this 

verbatim comedy is risqué to say the 

least. With sex as its driving force, 

this comedy show is tongue in cheek 

(and every other metaphorical 

orifice). The comedy trio retell 

interviews with an array of people, at 

various ages, and expose hilarious 

sexual encounters, and twist the 

more mundane frivolities into wildly 

funny recollections. It was in these 

sketches that they were at their 

funniest, and it was only in the 

moments when the trio spoke 

directly to the audience, that the 

experience became too personal for 

some audience members; as a 

handful of women walked out! 

However, I did not find their approach 

to be aggressive or imposing, quite 

the opposite. So it is advisable to 

enter the show with an open-mind 

and a pinch of sexual liberation. 

Although it was scripted with cue 

cards and presented in the chat show 

style, it didn’t feel contrived and often 

they wouldwhip out ad hoc one 

liners, so they were laughing with 

us.It was raw comedy, and I never 

feltcompelled to laugh; as sometimes 

happens with comedians, and I think 

this is due to the truth behind the 

anecdotes. I found myself laughing 

constantly, as the pace was swift and 

Karen Dunbar in particular brought 

such energy to the show, that it was 

difficult to resist getting swept up in 

the hilarity. My one criticism is that 

sometimes Dunbar’s delivery was 

sometimes too fast, that a few punch 

lines slipped away, but perhaps this 

is just because my ears are not 

attuned to a rapid Scottish accent. 

This is a really fun late night show, 

and gives its daytime TV counterpart 

the two fingers. Step aside Coleen 

Nolan, the ‘Looser Women’ perform 

after the watershed, and their 

comedy is tighter. 


My Big Gay Italian 

Wedding 


Let yourself go as you walk in. Roll 

with it and be transported. Enjoy. 

You will be offered a plate of crisps 

as you enter Angela’s house. Refusal 

not countenanced. 

Angela (Amy Anzel) has a gay son, 

Anthony (Daniel Joseph Serra), who 

announces he is engaged to be 

married – to a man. Angela has 

coped with all the boyfriends over the 

years, but this? She agrees, but on 

certain conditions: she wants her 

favourite Catholic priest to officiate. 

Catholic priest to officiate? Problem. 

And the other guy’s parents? 

Problem. 

Anthony’s many female friends 

gather round and solutions appear to 

be found. However, the other guy, 

Andrew (David O’Mahoney), has a 

very jealous ex who just may wreck 

things. Thus the path of true love 

does not run smooth, as the man 

said. 

Everything is played larger than life 

and loudly, the audience are called on 

at some points, and when the 

wedding organiser arrives, things 

take off into the stratosphere. The 

audience loved this when I was there, 

and I do think that it could be the 

most fun I have yet had on this year’s 

Fringe. 

This play, with music and dance, has 

been selling out off-Broadway in New 

York for four years. I can quite see 

why. Although at one level it deals 

with inequality and prejudice, it does 

so in a bath of warm affection, and it 

easily beats the laugh out loud five 

times rule – very easily. 

Come along and meet the campest 

Catholic priest on the Fringe, the ex 

from hell, the collapsible inebriate 

mother-in – law and many others. 

You’ll guffaw your way down the 

stairs after. 

TONY CHALLIS 

The Overcoat 


Akaky McKaky is born old – or at 

least middle aged. We follow his 

unfortunate yet hilarious and very 

unprivileged life. Not, as in the 

original classic Gogol story of this 

name, in the St Petersburg of 200 

years ago, but in modern Scotland, 

from the 70’s to today. Arkaky works 

in a bank, and we see how changes 

in work practices and bosses, his 

attempts at work romance, and his 

lifelong attachment to an old coat, 

impact upon him. 

This is a fast-paced high-octane 

comedy where, apart from Billy Mack 

as Arkaky, the cast move between 

roles with dizzying speed and great 

effectiveness. It is a roller-coaster 

ride which is hugely enjoyable. 

Moreover, it has an edge – it is 

politically and socially very astute; 

listen to the end and to the final line, 

which is the key. 

This is part of a Finnish contribution 

to this year’s Fringe. The show has 

been a great hit in Scandinavia, and 

this English language version has 

been written by Sami Keski-Vahala 

and directed by the famous Finnish 

director Esa Leskinen, with a Scottish 

cast. 

This is a great show for waking you 

up at the beginning of your day, and 

for combining reminding you of the 

kind of world you are living in, at the 

same time as providing excellent 

laugh-aloud entertainment. Quite an 

achievement! 

TONY CHALLIS 

The Questionnaire 

The Spaces on the Mile 

What is happiness? Why are we 

here? These philosophical 

interrogatives, among with many 

others, are posed to the audience of 

The Questionnaire. An engaging 

performance from Christopher Birks 

as Jack, a typical arrogant young 

man, who is confused, angry, and 

looking for answers about society 

and why it makes him unhappy. He 

finds himself placed in a space which 

he cannot escape from and hears a 

voice (Robert Neumark-Jones) 

questioning him about life. To begin 

with, Jack does not co-operate and 

he does not want to think about these 

issues – like many other people do 

not want to. As the voice pushes 

Jack further, we can then see much 

of the subconscious anger within 

him and society as a whole. Not 

many acts at the Fringe can provoke 

so much thought and contemplation 

from such a small cast and 

minimalistic production – so for that 

it must be credited. 

The Questionnaire resembled 1984 in 

many ways, such as the divide of 

power between the interrogator and 

random members or society. The 

voice, who remained relatively static 

as a bodiless presence from above, 

resembled many authoritarian 

characters such as Big Brother. The 

relationship between the voice and 

Jack is engaging and sinister from 

the beginning; this develops in an 

intense, unpredictable way leading to 

a conclusion which perhaps presents 

more questions than were initially 

presented. 

JOSH HEPPLE 

Rachael’s Café 

Jekyll & Hyde 

You won’t find it in the Fringe 

programme, but this terrific piece of 

Free Fringe theatre by Lucy Danser is 

well worth a look. It tells the real life 

story of US Midwest Christian Eric 

Laverne, who becomes Rachael 

Jones, and buys a café. 

It’s a beautifully written one person 

piece, as the tale of this sensitive and 

strong pre-op transsexual woman is 

played out. It is in turns humourous 

and poignant, with a moral code that 

says, ‘everyone is equal’. When 

Rachael states at the top of the play 

that, “this isn’t a GLBT café, everyone 

is welcome here. No exceptions…” 

the tone is set. 

Of course no man, or woman, is an 

island. When Eric became Rachael 

she already had a wife and three 

children. How Rachael’s family came 

to terms with her transition - and 

Rachael’s response to their varied 

reactions, becomes the focus of the 

piece. 

Rachael is convincingly portrayed by 

the charismatic actor Graham Elwell, 

in a challenging role that demands 

subtlety of emotion and utter 

conviction – the part could easily 

have been overplayed in less 

competent hands. And it’s hard to 

believe that this is Lucy Danser’s first 

play – a young woman with a fine 

writing career ahead of her. 

Notable mention must also go to 

Joyce Terry, the most persistent 

show promoter on the Fringe. And 

that really is saying something. 

MARTIN WALKER 

Remember This 

Bedlam 

It would seem that at this year’s 

Festival the setting of an attic is 

providing some the best moments of 

theatre. None more so that with 

Edinburgh University’s Theatre 

Companies production of Remember 

This. 

Written by Edinburgh University 

graduates Florence Vincent and Lizzie 

Bourne the play tells the intriguing 

and emotional story of Nick and 

Helen and Nick’s sister Isabell. 

Nick and Helen are to all intents and 

purposes a normal couple looking 

back at the last ten years of their lives 

together. Beginning with Nick looking 

through some old slides of memories 

past. Memories are essentially at the 

core of the story as that is exactly 

what photographs are a memory 

locked in time forever; sadly life can’t 

be locked in time and must go on. 

We discover how the couple met, 

their first dates, their wedding day 

and starting a family together. It’s 

only with the introduction of Nick’s 

sister Isabella 20 minutes into the 

play that it dawned on me who 

exactly Helen was with in the context 

of the play. Daisy Badger gives a 

performance which is quite ethereal 

and beautiful to watch and she and 

Paul Brotherson character of Nick get 

to share a conversation which could 

have been but never happened and 

from Nick’s point of view should have 

been. It’s with Emma Friedman 

Cohen in the role of Isabell that 

brings the story to an emotional and 

heart rending conclusion that 

brought a tear. 

My biggest praise of the production 

must go to Paul Brotherson as “Nick” 

his performance completely 

captivates and moves the audience 

with his honesty and emotional depth 

which despite him looking younger 

that the character should be makes it 

completely believable. I also have to 

say I agree with “Helen” he really 

does have a very nice bum too! 

This is one piece of theatre with real 

heart, and deserves to be seen by as 

wide an audience as possible. 

Emotional, Honest and so very real, 

this is what excellent drama is all 

about! 

BRETT HERRIOT 

Robert Burns: Not in my 

Name 

National Library of Scotland 

“If I must write, let it be Sedition, or 

Blasphemy, or something else 

beginning with B.” So Robert Burns 

Sophie Alexander Tony Challis Jodie Fleming-Stanley Joshua Hepple Brett Herriot 

Charlotte Monk-Chipman Martin Powell Rex de Vil Martin Walker Angus Wyatt 

SGfringe.com Reviews Team

Scott Capurro and Andrew Doyle on the road and on Twitter. They’ve got 140 characters 

each to complain about their venues, bitch about the audiences and generally gripe. 

TwitterTwatter 

The views expressed in this conversation are homophobic, racist 

and misogynist and as such, should not be read by anyone. 

scottcapurro Scott Capurro 

For fucksake, some blond #Nazi 

Polish cunt in the front row in 

#LeicesterSquare tonite she’d 

not crack a cunting smile. Why 

do I bother? 

22 July 

andrewdoyle_com Andrew Doyle 

Can’t think why she’d react like 

that. You’re so charming and 

demure. Did you ask her what 

her problem was? 

22 July 


Her problem was being a her. 

#Women have feelings, so 

they’re not funny. My @mom 

was HILARIOUS, but then 

#Catholics laugh cuz they’re 

drunk. 

22 July 


Mmm. I think the mystery as to 

why she took against you is 

solved. 

22 July 


There’s no mystery. I chose this 

act and this life. But this Polish 

bitch really hated #fags. At least 

we had something in common. 

22 July 


Something about you tends to 

bring out people’s latent 

#homophobia. I can’t put my 

finger on what it is exactly… 

23 July 


I’m not the kind of #gay they 

want. I’m not a moon-faced Irish 

drunk with one joke and no 

friends on #BBC1 on Saturday 

nights. 

23 July 


This is the internet. Libel still 

counts. Or maybe not since you’ll 

never be on his show anyway. 

23 July 


Don’t get me wrong. I #love 

him. But gay men express 

themselves differently. That’s all I 

want the audience to know. 

23 July 


People like their gays a certain 

way. Especially their 

#comedygays. 

23 July 


The more #self-harming the 

better. If you’re not a big, lisping, 

sibilant #victim people aren’t so 

interested. Where are you, btw? 

23 July 


Staying in a terrible hotel in 

#Oxford. It’s like Hades. Actual 

#blood on the walls. Towels are 

like chain mail. I’ve lost a layer of 

skin. 

24 July 


Can’t complain. #Charity gig 

2nite, so all for a good cause. I 

mention this only to remind you 

that I’m an infinitely better 

person than you. 

24 July 


Was the #blood there before you 

arrived? I know what you’re like. 

24 July 


I am sexually very normal. 

24 july 


You mean you only fuck to 

procreate? Will you EVER use a 

#condom? 

24 july 


I can’t. I’m a Catholic. Sex for 

me must be conventional. I 

never do it standing up. And I 

only indulge in #bestiality if it’s 

#consensual. 

24 July 


Why do you do charity gigs? 

They treat a comic like garbage 

when we’re free. 

24 July 


#Bad experience, by any 

chance? 

24 July 


After some AIDSy thing, a 

misguided cunt spouted: “I’m for 

#AIDS”. If only she knew - so 

am I, but out of bitterness, not 

charity. 

24 July 


I’m fat. So… How are the 

rewrites on your show going? 

24 July 


Not bad. I’ve taken on board 

everything you said. You’re a 

good director. In spite of all the 

#abuse I have to put up with. 

24 July 


Why not ask that bloated 

disappointment @StewartLee to 

help you? You’ve been #rimming 

him for approval for years. 

July 24 


You’re a #whore. When you 

asked me to direct your show I 

knew it was just so you could put 

my name on your poster. 

24 July 


You think I’m using you, is that 

it? 

24 July 


What’s wrong with that? That’s 

totally hot. I mean to be used at 

my age, to be objectified, that’s 

great. Btw I’m #stoned. 

24 July 


I’ll bet @TrevorNunn doesn’t 

behave like this. But I can’t 

afford him. 

24 July 


Apparently he’ll fuck anything. So 

you’ve got a chance. Next time. 

24 July 


BTW: Am I really gonna be 50 

telling dick jokes? @jimmycarr 

likes the money, but it’s not why 

he does it. He just wants to be 

right all the time. 

25 July 


Why not? The #QueenMother 

was telling dick jokes right into 

her 140th year. 

25 July 


And that was with a fake 

stomach, fake hips, and fake 

teeth. She was only half-human. 

Like #Robocop, but with angermanagement 

issues. 

25 July 


That #old #bitch #kraut killed 

our #Diana. 

25 July 


I know she did. There’s a photo 

of her on the #internet 

somewhere that proves it. 

25 July 


She’s next to that #Mercedes, on 

all fours, chiffon blouse rolled up 

to the elbows, sucking out the 

brake fluid with her own mouth. 

25 July 


Say what you like about the 

#QueenMother, but she wasn’t 

afraid to get her hands dirty. Or 

her holes. 

25 July 


If Diana had been #Jewish, the 

#fascist cunt would’ve eaten her. 

Sounds like we’re about to break 

into song. 

25 July 


When Diana died, I was also in a 

tunnel. It was dark. And oddly 

shiny. 

25 July 


Explain. Immediately. 

25 July 


I was #footfucking a footloose 

kind of guy in #Edinburgh. Talk 

about an end to a fringe. 

25 July 


Update: I’m backstage - like 

there’s ever a backstage - in 

#Soho and @tom_stade just 

walked in with a different pair of 

sunglasses. 

26 July 


I hear he’s got a big one. Now 

THAT’S unfair. He’s already 

funny. And hot. And hung? Who 

is he - #Jesus? 

26 July 


Just done a gig to ten people in 

a venue that strongly resembles 

@Fritzl’s basement. Who says 

there’s no glamour in stand up? 

27 July 


Were there #handcuffs on the 

radiator and children’s toys 

everywhere? Did your dignity 

survive? 

27 July 


Or are you crawling on the floor, 

mumbling, and bleeding from 

your #ass? Are you sure it wasn’t 

a sauna in #Derry? 

27 July 


Don’t tar me with your brush. If I 

HAVE been to saunas it’s only 

because perspiration is good for 

the complexion. 

27 July 


I also like to meet new people in 

a moist environment. 

27 July 


You and #Silverfish, which is 

actually a good drag name for 

you. 

27 July 


GREAT show in #Windsor last 

night. It’s cuz those middle class 

bitches love the gay. They 

pretend we’re friends cuz I don’t 

wanna #penetrate them. 

28 July 


@JeremyKyle lives in Windsor. 

You should have invited him 

along. He loves to sneer at the 

dysfunctional. 

28 July 


Kyle prides himself on his ability 

to outwit his audience. A bit like 

you, really. 

28 July 


Although Kyle only ever seems to 

have guests who have all the 

intellectual capabilities of the 

average #barnacle. 

28 July 


First #bestiality, then #Fritzl, and 

now #Kyle? Why are you 

lowering the bar? 

28 July 


I can’t help it. I’m doing a show 

about depravity. It’s all I can 

think about. Wait till I get on to 

@Enya. 

28 July 


I was heckled tonight by an 

audience member who took 

offence. She called me a #cunt 

and told me to get off the stage. 

29 July 


Hot. Did you know her 

beforehand? 

29 July 


Huh? No. Turns out she’s a 

columnist for the 

#NewStatesman. Should I use 

that on my #Edinburgh poster? 

29 July 


I think a picture of her #cunt on 

your poster would be great. 

29 July 


She won’t recognize herself cuz 

cunts are like the #Chinese, 

right? They smell funny and have 

small dicks. Wait, I’m confused. 

29 July 


Leave the #Japanese alone. 

Haven’t they got enough to deal 

with at the moment, now that 

they’ve gone all #radioactive 

again? 

29 July 


Japs look good in lime. That ain’t 

easy. Neither is operating those 

big #nuclear reactors with their 

tiny fingers. A nukin’ was 

inevitable. 

29 July 


FFS! You can’t say that. 

29 July 


I could if I blacked up and cut off 

my cock, because those pretty 

black girls on the fringe get away 

with anything. Even having no 

punchlines. 

29 July 


Which pretty black girls do you 

mean? 

29 July 


My point exactly. At least they 

work for less. 

29 July 


Last #Edinburgh preview 

tonight. Frantically rewriting. 

Getting headaches. 

30 July 


You convinced me to do 

#Edinburgh. I’m blaming you if 

this ranting show eats it. 

30 July 


You’re the one who decided to 

write a show about your dead 

mum. Why did you choose such 

a morbid subject ffs? 

30 July 


Because I knew it would sell 

tickets. No, because it’s the way I 

deal with stress – through 

#masturbation, also known as 

stand up comedy. 

30 July 


You’re really milking this dead 

mother thingy. I lost two rabbits 

to #myxomatosis last year, but 

I’m not writing a show about it. 

30 July 


Don’t take that literally. I’m not 

suggesting that you’ve actually 

attempted to milk your dead 

mother. That’s a step too far, 

even for you. 

30 July 


You killed your rabbits? That 

might be a good show, set to 

modern dance. 

30 July 


But my mother is set in a jar and 

no amount of singin’ sopranos is 

gonna bring her back. 

30 July 


My #sister (read: stoned 

Californian hippie) thinks mom’s 

a blade of grass. 

30 July 


If there is such a thing as 

#reincarnation I want to come 

back as a #Manx cat. I’ve always 

fancied going to the Isle of Man. 

30 July 


No tail? So you’re a flat assed big 

eared whinger? Isn’t 

@ChrisEvans enough? 

30 July 


There’s a thought. Can I come 

back as @ChrisEvans? As a 

#Catholic, I’m fairly self-hating. 

30 July 


Come back as him? I thought 

he’d made a come back already? 

Do you REALLY wanna have 

ginger pubes and a hunched 

back? 

30 July 


Just arrived at Edinburgh 

Waverley. See you in CC Bloom’s 

tonight? 

2 hours ago 


CC Blooms is fucking apocalyptic. 

It’s like a Petri Dish. People stare 

at you like you’re a #serialkiller. 

2 hours ago 


I rather like it. 

2 hours ago 


That’s because you’re an 

alcoholic and you can’t keep your 

hands off the local spazzes. God 

you’re a bug chaser. You appear 

clean, but inside... 

1 hour ago 


You like the locals cuz they’re 

mildly threatening but they won’t 

call u. So u can just #bareback 

them in a cemetery and never 

see them again. 

1 hour ago 


I can’t believe you’re bringing 

that up. That was years ago, and 

it was an accident. 

46 minutes ago 


Yes, you slipped into a hole. And 

into the #grave, too. Ah the 

#irony. Did he bleed, or was that 

your tears, @Vampira? 



I’d like to take this opportunity to 

formally dissociate myself from 

anything you have ever, or ever 

will, say. EVER. 



That’s it, just walk around from 

your responsibility as a carrier. 

(Sung with a boozy tone) He 

sells #T-cells down by the grave 

sight... 



Don’t talk to me about #unsafe 

sex. The fact that you are still 

alive is a statistical impossibility. 



I take Vitamin C. And I’m 

#white. I’m not the target 

audience of #AIDS. Don’t forget 

that, next time you’re riding a 

#chocolate pony. 

3 minutes ago 


Thank God all our friends are 

straight and won’t be reading 

this. 

5 seconds ago

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complicated: love not required although 

mutual respect is a must. 

One off is good, so is longer term 

fuck buddy. I’m mostly active but 

can be versatile if that‘s what really 

works for you. Safer fun only - no 

barebacking. And a kiss or cuddle 

can be just as good as (or better 

than) anything else - so there are a 

lot of options. What have you got 

to lose by replying and seeing if 

our needs/desires are compatible? 

Other than your virginity which is 

soon gone with this poof! Box 


Cheap Inspector Taggart 

Off on his annual Iberian holiday, 

Taggart falls victim to Spanish 

practices as his luggage fails to arrive. 

But all is not lost as Taggart 

takes it out on several airline employees 

before heading to London 

to assist the Met with the looting 

and pillaging. Would you like to 

see what the Trolley Dollies saw? 

Or what he brought back from 

Luton? Then get in touch. Box 


Fife Area 

I’m a slim 58 year old in the Fife 

area, looking for similar age. If you 

would like regular and discreet fun: 

contact me ASAP for lots of fun. 

Stay over very possible. Box 


27 Year Old Arse Eater Seeks Fit 

Dude 16-35 

I’m a slim, fit, good-looking 27 

year old lad, have my own place in 

the Edinburgh area. I love licking 

lads’ holes. I’m into rimming, 

sucking and kissing. I am looking 

for a fit, sexy, hoodie, cocky dude 

16-35 to use me regularly as their 

sex slave. I want to be used especially 

to eat arse, take farts, suck 

cock and suck clean warm, sweaty 

feet. I really love younger hoodie 

type lads, so if you’re 16-25 then 

you will definitely be my FIRST 

choice. You can use me and humiliate 

me on a regular basis or have 

me as your submissive boyfriend - 

in which case I will remove this ad 

straight away. I will lick your arsehole 

all day and suck you all day. I 

love rimming a lad. Note that I do 

not do anal. If you fit the criteria, 

text me 07957 210946 and I will 

send you my pic and meet up with 

you ASAP. Box SG11707. 

Ginger Minger Seeks Young, 

Smooth Guy 

Small (5’6”), fat (15st), old (53), 

balding red hair and beard, very 

hairy body, looking for fun and 

friendship with young (16-22) guy. 

You: No piercings (self mutilation 

is not good or clever), preferably a 

full head of hair (no shaved heads - 

why do you want to be bald at your 

age?), smooth chest (shaved is 

good, naturally smooth is better), 

no facial hair, not anorexic (I like a 

bit of plump - although slim is OK). 

I’m probably far too picky - but 

then I bet most suitable guys are 

too! I can accommodate (Edinburgh) 

or will travel. Box SG11708. 

Visit Middle East (Palestine, October 

2011) 

Gay guy, 40, fit, London based, 

seeking travel buddy(ies) to Palestine 

October 2011 for alternative 

trip / olive picking (Bethlehem 

based hotel). Please E-mail: tiocfaidh_28@yahoo.com 

or Write: 


Glasgow 

Sporty, attractive, young (33 )looking, 

SA, SL, 6ft athletic build, 

OHAC, honest, caring, casual 

dressed, can travel and accommodate. 

Hobbies: gym, footie, driving, 

eating out, cinema, pubs, clubs. 

16-40, bi, gay. ALAWP. Tel: 07503 

379678. Box SG11717. 

Black Ninja 

Rough and dirty sex. Big men only. 

Need you desperate. Box 


21 Year Old Prisoner 

Likes martial arts, movies, travel, 

seeks penfriends to perk me up. 

ALA. Prefer 16-23 year olds. Bi or 

gay. Photos appreciated. Box 


Aberdeen Latino Needs Top Men 

Latino bottom (43) looking for WE 

top men for regular meets. Safe 

fun. Own place. Also friendship. 


Lanarkshire - Glasgow Area 

Guy, tall, slim, SA, SL, GSOH, mid 

40’s, passive, seeks active top for 

regular fun and friendship. Can accommodate. 

Bi guys welcome. 

Discretion assured. Box SG11721. 

Aberdeenshire Servant Dealt With 

48 years old, attractive and tidy 

servant in Aberdeenshire seeks 

master to administer a close and 

personal OTK, followed by a prolonged 

strapping and caning as 

perhaps a stimulation towards a 

long hot night of oral and anal misbehaviour. 

Leather boots and 

gloves to be worn by both parties 

during the caning which will be severe. 

Where we go from there is 

anyone’s guess, but I reckon by all 

probabilities at this stage we stand 

a good chance of meeting regularly 

for such pleasures. Box SG11724. 

Genuine Appeal 

Slim, youthful, 60 year old, clean 

shaven, smart appearance, still got 

cute arse for age, WLTM visit, mature 

gay male for friendship, discreet 

safe sexy fun, like O&A, can 

travel. Box SG11725. 

Mature Student 

Edinburgh mature student, 54, 

WLTM younger student(s) in the 

city for fun and friendship. Easy 

going. Non scene. Non smoker. 

Discretion assured. Box SG11726. 

Glasgow Mature Bi 

Looking for fun or possible no 

strings relationship in Glasgow 

area. Can accommodate or travel 

around Glasgow. Box SG11727. 

Aspergers? 

Sick of all the courtship rituals? 

50’s guy with mild Aspergers, likes 

the company of 16-26 year olds. 

Get in touch if you’d like to meet 

and discuss what to do next. Box 


Slim Guys For Fun In Fife 

Slim/medium guys any age wanted 

for N/S fun in Fife by versatile guy 

who can accommodate. All kinds 

of guys welcome: bi, married, etc. 

ALA. Box SG11729. 

Older For Younger 

Are you under 25, fed up with the 

scene, prefer older guys irrespective 

of what your peers say? Well 

this guy may be just what you’re 

after. I am a chubby silver daddy 

bear type. Box SG11730. 

BISEXUAL 

Bi Curious? 

There has to be a first time for 

everything! Aged 16-21? Get in 

touch? Considerate, experienced, 

versatile, older guy will talk you 

through things at your own pace 

before getting down to some safe 

fun. Your limits respected. Total 

discretion assured. Live in Edinburgh 

and can accommodate but 

may travel if required. Box 


Retired Hippy 

55,looking for some love and affection 

from women and men of all 

ages. Box SG11702. 

Spanish Man 

- Aberdeen Friendship 

Spanish passive man, 44, looking 

for friendship with men and 

women in the Aberdeen area. Genuine 

friendship. Black people welcome. 


Straight Slim Bi-curious Guy 

Early 40’s, smooth tight body only 

hair head and trimmed landing 

strip, WLTM girls, bi girls, guys for 

fun and friendship. I’m genuine. 

Clean. Can accommodate. Box 


TRANS 

Sugar And Spice 

Slim TV, hot body, nice legs, in her 

30’s, seeks sugar daddy male to 

spoil her. You must be in your 60’s 

or 70’s. ALA. North Lanarkshire. 


STRAIGHT 

Silver Bear 

Edinburgh based 50something guy 

seeks morally relaxed women of all 

ages for fun and friendship. Box 


60something Male Seeks Assistance 

With Unreliable Erection 

Illness has reduced functionality, 

possibly temporarily, would you 

help to prove that this is correct? 

Alternative methods of satisfaction 

guaranteed! Box SG11709. 

FRIENDS 

ABROAD 

We do not provide box numbers 

to advertisers outwith the UK. Instead, 

their personal contact details 

will be published both in the 

magazine and online. 

INTERGAY 

Penpal contacts with gay men all 

over the world. Over 120 subscribers 

in 30 countries. To join is 

free: send your ad. Only subscribers 

get the booklet with all 

data and addresses by enclosing 

£5. INTERGAY, Voorstraat 12-A, 

4033 AD Lienden, Netherlands. 

JOBS WANTED 

Edinburgh 

Experienced cleaner, trained 

masseur, looking for work in Edinburgh. 

Deep cleaning, shopping, 

everyday household tasks undertaken. 

Trained in Swedish massage 

techniques. Tel: 07954 619132 

JOBS OFFERED 

Cash For Your Body 

Photogenic guys can earn £150 

cash posing for Mike Arlen who 

has had 15 glossy magazines published 

called Mike Arlen’s Guys. 

Send snapshots of your magnificent 

body to him: Mike Arlen, 

Wetherby Studios, 23 Wetherby 

Mansions, Earls Court Square, 

London. SW5 9BH or Phone: 020- 

7373 1107. E-mail: 

mikearlen@btopenworld.com [0] 

SERVICES 

Uniform Dating - Free Membership 

For Every ScotsGay Reader 

Fancy a date in uniform? Here’s 

your chance! With thousands of 

registered firemen, nurses, pilots, 

military, police officers and singles 

from other professional uniformed 

services, Uniform Dating offers the 

most unique online dating experience. 

It is now open to those who 

are not in uniform. Uniform Dating 

has been made available to readers 

of the ScotsGay Magazine, with 

thousands of registered members 

just waiting to be contacted. And, 

thanks to this offer, membership of 

this fantastic website is absolutely 

FREE. To take advantage of 5 day’s 

free membership, visit Web: 

www.uniformdating.com and create 

your free profile. Then in the 

‘Upgrade’ area, enter the promotional 

code: SGM. 

[0] 

CAFFMOS 

Contacts and friendships for men 

over sixty. The organisation for the 

more mature gentleman and his 

admirers. Write to: CAFFMOS, PO 

Box 2087, Blackpool. FY4 1WL. Or 

phone Blackpool (01253) 318327 

for info. [0] 

Erotic Videos 

For all your mucky movies: 

www.filthonline.co.uk [0] 

Limited Companies 

Only £90 for your own Limited 

Company. PLCs, Guarantee, Charitable 

and Unlimited Companies 

also available. Freephone 0800 

526421. E-mail: info 

@cosunformations.co.uk. Web: 

www.cosunformations.co.uk [0] 

Proofreading And Tuition 

In English (including TEFL), 

French, Latin, Greek and Gaelic, 

Typing Services, Historical and Genealogical 

Research. Charles S 

Coventry, 303/3 Colinton Road, Edinburgh. 

EH13 0NR. Tel: 0131-441 

7898. E-mail: 

charlie.coventry@yahoo.co.uk. [0] 

TD MONTHLY 

A contact ads publication for gay 

and bisexual men, 18+, who enjoy 

all forms of male-to-male discipline! 

Contacts, Stories, CP Pictures, 

CP Videos & DVDs, News, 

CP Clubs and Events. SAE for details 

or E-mail. Write: TD Monthly, 

PO Box 310, Manchester. M15 

6WT. E-mail: tdmonthlymagazine 

@btinternet.com. Web: www. 

tdmonthly.net [0] 

BACK RUBS 

Advertising Pays 

ScotsGay charges just £20 a 

month for an ad here with your 

picture! E-mail: 

backrubsads@scotsgay.co.uk or 

Tel: 0131-539 0666. 

Massage For Men - Edinburgh 

Are you in need of an affirming, 

masculine, stress busting chill out 

guys? Experience the blissful 

pleasure and benefits of a deeply 

relaxing, holistic, sensual, tantric, 

nurturing full body pampering 

massage in a private city centre 

sanctuary. I use a broad range of 

techniques that can be selectively 

blended to meet individual need. 

Excellent rate of £20 (one hour 

session) for all clients, provided by 

a qualified, experienced (15 years) 

gay therapist who is friendly, respectful 

and caring. Contact Jim 

on 07503 446534. [120] 

Black Bottom Glasgow 

Young black muscular guy, 28 

years old, new on the scene, offers 

an escorting service. In/out calls. 

Very clean, very discreet. Call me 

for a good time. JAMES 07833 

781881. [115] 

Black Massage Therapist 

Edinburgh 

I perform this massage toatally 

nude, rubbing against you. I massage 

the thick muscles of your 

bum and the sensitive muscles of 

the inner thighs and you can touch 

me at anytime. I use my chin, elbows 

and chest to perform tantric 

maneuvers all over your body giving 

a happy ending if required. 

In/out calls. 33 years old, 13st 

12lb. Chris 07740 066600. £80. 

Web: http://gaydar.co.uk/ 

holisticfingers [116] 

Edinburgh 

- Tantric Indian Hot Oil Massage 

Intimate full body massage with 

hot oils with unique classic original 

sensual techniques, 

healing,therapeutic, 

awakening. discreet experienced 

masseur, city centre, free parking, 

In/Out. Competitive price. Tel: 

07551 321545. [113] 

Edinburgh 

Due to demand, I am now offering 

a new 15 minutes massage service 

for those in a rush! Young experienced 

24 year old slim male offering 

special massage in a cosy flat 

near the city centre. Males and females 

of all sizes welcome. No 

rush service guaranteed. Discretion 

assured so don’t be shy. Treat 

yourself. Call Jamie on: 07818 

856448. [113] 

Edinburgh - Jack’s Erotic Massage 

07985 980 732 Qualified in 

Swedish massage to industry standard. 

Free parking right outside 

(on Easter Road), fresh towels and 

plenty of time to chat and shower. 

Discretion assured. RATES: 

£50/80/120. Here’s what my 

clients said about me recently: I 

HAVE had massages all over the 

world + have to say what a fantastic 

+ unique experience it was. 

Jack is a wonderful masseur. —- 

TIME WITH Jack is a beautiful, 

erotic + amazing experience. It’s 

unlike anything I’ve ever experienced. 

—- THE BEST massage 

I’ve ever had. —- JACK MADE me 

feel relaxed immediately, was so 

horny + unhurried. —- I WAS a bit 

nervous, but Jack’s charming ways 

+ nature put me at ease. Really 

lovely, sensual, sexual, horny guy. 

—- BEST MASSEUR I have ever 

had. Jack’s a really nice friendly 

guy who enjoys his work, and it 

shows. One of the few guys who 

can read your mind + body. His 

ability to bring you close to orgasm 

+ back so many times is 

marvellous. [116] 

Massagalicious 

Top 2 Toe sensual hot cream body 

massage. Showering facilities 

available. Available 9am-10pm, 7 

days. Based West End, Glasgow. 

Discretion assured and expected. 

6’1”, 28”w, passive/versatile 28 

year old. WWW: http://www. 

massagalicious.co.uk/ Tel: 07838 

217109. [113] 

Massage 4 Men 

Feel the benefits of a massage in a 

warm, friendly and relaxed atmosphere 

with relaxing music and candles 

- unwind in comfort. My fee is 

£30 for a full hour - fresh towels 

(and shower facilities if required). I 

operate from home in the south 

side of Edinburgh conveniently located 

in EH8 - a 10 minute bus or 

5 minute taxi ride from the city 

centre. E-mail: 

Massage_4_men@live.co.uk 

Please call or text if you require 

more information - David 07747 

552968. If I should miss your call 

please leave a message with a contact 

number and I will get back to 

you. (Genuine calls only and NO 

withheld numbers please!) I respect 

your privacy and discretion 

is 100% assured. This advert is of 

a non sexual nature. [114] 

Nude Slow And Sensual Massage 

Muscular and fit black young guy 

in Glasgow, for nude, slow and hot 

oil massage. Can accommodate for 

fun times together. Hung, friendly 

corporate and private escort. In/out 

calls are available. Happy ending 

assured. Free parking. Call Michael 

on 07504 396338. [116] 

Male/Male Massage 

Come and enjoy a relaxing and envigorating 

full body oil massage 

with qualified therapist. Shower 

available. Perth/Fife area. Give me 

a call on 07940 488254. [116] 

Massage For Guys - Edinburgh 

Experience a full body Swedish 

Massage using deep tissue manipulation 

using sensual Tantric techniques 

- guaranteed to make you 

feel relaxed. Offered by fully qualified 

and friendly guy based in Edinburgh 

near Holy Corner. Sessions 

last just over an hour. No out calls. 

Reasonable rates 

- £30 (£15) for students. Phone 

07983 422652 or E-mail: Massagefor-Men-Edinburgh@hotmail.co.uk 

[113] 

Professional Domination 

Experienced Master, 33, offers all 

forms of BDSM. Fully equipped 

dungeon in Glasgow city centre. 

Can accommmodate. 

Out/overnight calls. Subs also 

available for use. Contact Master 

James for details: 07766 717767. 

[113] 

WHERE TO STAY 

Advertising Pays 

ScotsGay charges just £60 a year 

for an ad here! E-mail: 

wheretostayads@scotsgay.co.uk or 

Tel: 0131-539 0666. 

18 Barony Street - Edinburgh 

Live the life,stay in the village. 

Clean spacious comfortable rooms 

(shared bathrooms) from £25 

pp/pn. Tel: 07949 157219. E-mail: 

alananrayesbanb18baronyst 

@hotmail.co.uk You can also find 

us on facebook/eighteenbaronyst 

edinburgh and Twitter. [128] 

All New, All Gay Guesthouses - 

Edinburgh 

Two great locations. Exclusively 

gay. Easy walk to nightlife. Stylish 

rooms, all with TV and video (tapes 

available). Shared and private 

bathrooms. Breakfast available till 

noon. Non-smoking houses. Easy 

parking. Room rates: £29-£49 per 

night. Call 0131-558 1382 or Fax 

0131-556 8279. Web: 

www.gayscotland.com/alvahouse 

[117] 

Moffat - Dumfriesshire 

Comfortable Bed and Breakfast. All 

rooms en-suite with TV and DVD 

and free WiFi in all rooms. Massage 

available. Tel: 01683 221905. 

E-mail: Mcleancamm1956 

@btinternet.com [124] 

Penzance - Cornwall 

Small, gay-friendly, period hotel 

situated with own parking in town 

centre. Rooms available en-suite. 

Web: www.cliffhotelpz.co.uk Tel: 

Penzance (01736) 368888. 

www.massagengrooming.com 

Full range of holistic health 

and beauty treatments, 

by qualified, experienced 

male therapists, at 

competative prices. 


Men 

Bisexual 

Other 

T. 0 1 4 1 2 3 7 3 1 5 8 

M . 0 7 7 7 2 2 9 9 7 5 5 

E . n a t u r a l a r t s @ h o t m a i l . c o . u k 

‘FresHH’ Beauty 

Skin Therapies 

Fully accredited non-surgical aesthetics nurse 

practitioner administering 

wrinkle reduction injections and dermal fillers. 

Operating from established salons in Edinburgh 

and Falkirk. Home visits also catered for. 

Please visit website for full details 

www.freshhskintherapies.com 

Or contact Brian on 07868 614543 

Photo with Ad 

Commercial Ad 

Back Rubs Ad 

6 Issue Sub (UK) 

ScotsGay Magazine 

PO Box 666 

Edinburgh EH7 5YW 

Personal Ad: FREE! 

Women 

Trans 

with Phone No. 

with Photo 

Postal Subscriptions to ScotsGay 

6 Issue Sub (Overseas) 

12 Issue Sub (UK) 

12 Issue Sub (Overseas) 

SG117

YOUTH 

NATIONAL: 

QUEER ATTITUDE: 

Edinburgh based website for young LGBT 

people everywhere. 

www.queerattitude.com 

QUEER YOUTH: 

UK National organisation run by and for young 

people providing a united voice for all lesbian, 

gay, bisexual, asexual, pansexual, intersex, 

transgender, transsexual, queer and curious 

youth. Online 24/7 providing peer support 

through forums, campaigning for equal rights, 

running regional groups across the UK and 

much more! Queer Youth Scotland usually 

meets monthly in either Glasgow, Dundee or 

Edinburgh. 

www.queeryouth.org.uk 

ABERDEEN: 

Zone Youth: LGBT group for people aged under 

26. Meets 2nd Sat of each month Noon-3pm. 

Tel: 0845 2412151. 

E-mail: youth.aberdeen@tht.org.uk 

BORDERS: 

Tutti Frutti: Youth group meets Wed eve in 

Galashiels. Tel: 0131-555 3940. 

DUNDEE: 

Allsorts: Meets everyTue 6-8pm. Tel: 0131-555 

3940. Text: 07781 481788. 

E-mail: info@lgbtyouth.org.uk 

Different Visions Celebrate (DV8): 

Youth group for young people 25 and under 

who have issues with their sexuality or with the 

sexuality of a member of their family. Drop In 

Service 9-5pm at Eighteen And Under, 1 Victoria 

Road, Dundee. Offers a safe and friendly 

environment to meet and discuss issues 

affecting the LGBT community and our families. 

Tel: Shaun on Dundee (01382) 206222. 

E-mail: shauntaylor498@hotmail.co.uk 

DUMFRIES & GALLOWAY: 

LGBT Youth D&G: Groups, volunteering and 

support for LGBT people under 26 from 

Dumfries and Galloway. Write: 88b High Street, 

Dumfries. DG1 2RP. Tel: Dumfries (01387) 

255058. Text: 07785 274147. 

E-mail: DandG@lgbtyouth.org.uk 

www.lgbtyouth.org.uk 

EDINBURGH: 

LGBT Youth Scotland: The Citadel, 39/40 

Commercial Street, Edinburgh. EH6 6JD. 

Provides services and opportunities for LGBT 

young people (13-25) in Edinburgh, the 

Lothians, Fife, Borders, Tayside and Dumfries & 

Galloway. The groups include drop-ins at their 

Edinburgh offices for under-18's (Wed) and for 

over 18's (Thu). They also have a range of 

different opportunities to get involved with, 

including volunteering and projects involving 

video and arts work, and they offer training 

services. Nationally, they run regular events for 

young people to get involved in local and 

national decision-making, and to make new pals 

and have a laugh. Office Tel: 0131-555 3940 

(Mon-Fri 9.30am-5pm). 



GLASGOW: 

LGBT Youth Scotland Youth Programmes: 

Glasgow Head Office, 38 Queen Street, 

Glasgow. G1 3Dx. Tel: 0141-548 8121. 

Vivid Youth: For young LGBT people aged 13- 

25. Group for 13-18 year olds: Tue 7-9.30pm. 

Group for 18-25 year olds: Thu 7-9.30pm. 

Contact for venue details.Tel: 0141-548 8121. 



HAMILTON: 

Skittles LGBT Youth Group: For 16-25 year 

olds. Meets Mon 6.30-10pm. Tel: Graham on 

Hamilton (01698) 456680 during office hours. 

E-mail: graham.kane@yls.org.uk 

MORAY: 

Big Deal: For under 26 year olds. Tel: 0845 

2412151. 

E-mail: andi.watson@tht.org.uk 

PERTH: 

LGBT Youth Group: Last Wed of each month. 

Tel: 0141-548 8121. Text: 07781 481788. 


7NB. A free sexual health screening and 

counselling service for gay and bisexual men. 

Clinics run Tue, Wed & Thu 5-8pm. Tel: 0141- 

211 8628 for appointment.. 

www.sandyford.org/sexual-orientation/ 

men-who-have-sex-withmen/steve-retson-project.aspx 

TERRENCE HIGGINS TRUST SCOTLAND - 

NATIONAL OFFICE - GLASGOW: 

134 Douglas Street, Glasgow. G2 4HF. HIV 

prevention and support services in Lanarkshire, 

Ayrshire & Arran, Argyll & Bute, the Glasgow 

area and Western Central Scotland. Support & 

Advocacy Service provides a full range of 

welfare rights advice and representation as well 

as community support for people living with 

blood borne viruses. Also provides a range of 

health promotion services for gay and bisexual 

men throughout the West of Scotland. Contact 

for further details. Volunteers welcome! Tel: 

0141-332 3838. 

Fax: 0141-332 3755. Helpline: THT Direct 0845 

1221200 Mon-Fri 10am-10pm, Sat-Sun Noon- 

6pm. 

E-mail: info.scotland@tht.org.uk 

www.tht.org.uk 

TERRENCE HIGGINS TRUST SCOTLAND - 

ABERDEEN OFFICE: 

246 George Street, Aberdeen. AB25 1HN. HIV 

prevention and support services in Grampian 

including Community Support, Group Support 

and LGBT groups. Also provides a range of 

health promotion services for Gay and Bisexual 

men throughout Grampian. Please contact for 

further details. Volunteers welcome! Tel: 0845 

2412151. Helpline: THT Direct 0845 1221200 

Mon-Fri 10am-10pm, Sat-Sun Noon-6pm. 

E-mail: info.aberdeen@tht.org.uk 

www.tht.org.uk and www. thtscotlandhighlandservices.blogspot.com 

TOGETHER: 

Social/support/information group for gay and 

bisexual men living with HIV. Meets 2nd and last 

Tue of each month from 7-9pm (new members 

invited from 6.30pm). Tel: Criz on 0141-552 

0112. 

E-mail: together@gmh.org.uk 

www.gmh.org.uk/together 

WAVERLEY CARE: 

3 Mansfield Place, Edinburgh. EH3 6NB. 

Scotland's leading charity providing care and 

support to people affected by HIV and Hepatitis 

C. Whether someone is living with HIV or 

Hepatitis C or are the partner or family member 

of someone affected by these conditions, 

Waverley Care has services that can support 

them and provide up to date, accurate 

information and resources. Services include: 

Short-term Residential Intensive Support, 

Support Services for all, including specialist 

services for gay men, Community Support and 

Outreach Services (including Advocacy and 

Information, Arts Project, Befriending/Buddying, 

Care at Home, Spiritual and Pastoral Care, 

Complementary Therapies, Counselling, Health 

Promotion), Prevention and Awareness Raising. 

Tel: Neil - Gay Men's Support Worker on 07962 

909730 or Tel: 0131-558 1425 Mon-Fri 9-5pm 

or Tel: 0131-441 6989 24hrs, 7 days per week. 

To become a Buddy with Waverley Care, Tel: 

Kelly McKnight on 07929 132675 or 0131-312 

9953 or Annette Wilson on 0131-441 2791. 

E-mail: info@waverleycare.org 

www.waverleycare.org 

WAVERLEY CARE ARGYLL & BUTE: 

The Renfield Centre, 260 Bath Street, Glasgow. 

G2 4JP. Tel: 0141-333 9393. 

WAVERLEY CARE HIGHLAND: 

34 Waterloo Place, Inverness. IV1 1NB.Tel: 

Inverness (01463) 711585 

OLDER GAYS 

CAFFMOS: 

Nationwide Social and Contacts Club for the 

older gay gentleman and his admirers, both 

young and old. Scottish group next meets from 

1-4pm at Café Habana in Edinburgh on Sun 

21st Aug & Sun 25th Sep. Write: PO Box 2087, 

Blackpool. FY4 1WL. Tel: Blackpool (01253) 

318327. 

E-mail: Caffmos2@aol.com 

Edward (Scottish Contact): 

E-mail: ebsc18624@blueyonder.co.uk 

www.caffmoscommunity.com 

HIGHLAND RAINBOW FOLK: 

Independent working group which raises 

awareness of issues facing older LGBT people. 

Monthly meetings in Inverness. Tel: Suzy on 

07791 874583. 

Email: highlandrainbowfolk@gmail.com 

www.spanglefishcom/highlandrainbowfolk 

LGBT AGE: 

New support service for LGBT people over 50 

years old in Edinburgh and the Lothians, which 

will offer befriending, social events, information 

and advocacy. Please help spread the word to 

any older LGBT people you know. Anyone 

interested in using the service or volunteering, 

call Garry on 0131-652 3282. 

E-mail: garry@lgbthealth.org.uk 

www.lgbthealth.org.uk/content/lgbt-age 

PRIME TIME (EDINBURGH): 

Informal social group for men over 40. Meets in 

GMH, 10 Union Street, from 2-4.30pm every 

2nd Sun (from 21st Aug). Tel: John on 0131- 

556 1309 or Steve on 0131-558 9444. 

E-mail: j.thompson39@btinternet.com 

PRIME TIME (GLASGOW): 

Social group for gay and bisexual men 40+. 

Meets twice a month in central Glasgow from 

3pm. Tel: Criz on 0141-552 0112. 

E-mail: criz@gmh.org.uk 

ORDER OF 

PERPETUAL 

INDULGENCE 

The Sisters and Brothers of the OPI are part of a 

world wide order of queer men and women of 

all sexualities which is open to all who feel the 

habit. Its tenets are: The expiation of stigmatic 

guilt and the promulgation of universal joy 

through habitual manifestation and perpetual 

perpetration. www.thesisters.org.uk 

OPI CONVENT OF DUNN EIDEANN: 

The Edinburgh convent. Write: Mistress of 

Communications, c/o PO Box 666, Edinburgh. 

EH7 5YW. 

E-mail: opi@drink.demon.co.uk 

OPI CONVENT OF MORAVIA: 

The North Eastern convent. Write: Sister Bobby 

OPI, Cairnglass, St Combs, Fraserburgh. AB43 

8UT. Tel: Inverallochy (01346) 583145. 

E-mail: circushighschool@gmail.com 

OUTDOOR PURSUITS 

FREEDOM CLUB: 

UK and Europe Wide LGBT Caravan and 

Camping Club. Aims to provide a means 

whereby gay people can meet up for weekends, 

weeks or even longer rallies throughout the UK 

and sometimes into Ireland and Europe. Tel: 

Eddie on Cheltenham (01242) 526826. 

E-mail: enquiry@freedomclub.co.uk 

www.freedomclub.co..uk 

GAY BIRDERS CLUB: 

For LGBT Birdwatchers. Write: Gay Birders 

Club, GeeBeeCee, BCM-Mono, London. WC1N 

3xx. 

Tel: Annie on 0131-552 6333. 

E-mail: info@gbc-online.org.uk 

www.gbc-online.org.uk 

GAY CARAVAN & CAMPING CLUB: 

For men and women. 

Tel: Ian on 07977 317872. 

E-mail: info@gaycaravanclub.com 

www.gaycaravanclub.com 

GAY OUTDOOR CLUB: 

Holds regular events including walking, skiing, 

cycling, climbing, mountain-biking, kayaking, 

mountaineering, camping, youth-hostelling, 

badminton, running and swimming. For more 

information, vist website or send an A5 sae to 

BM GOC, London. WC1N 3xx. Or Tel: 0844 

8700462. 

www.goc.org.uk 

E-mail: info@goc.org.uk 

GLASGOW GAY RAMBLERS GROUP: 

Leisurely walks in the countryside. Bring 

sensible footwear/clothing and packed lunch. 

2nd Sat of each month. Meet at Mitchell Library, 

Berkeley Street. No membership - just turn up. 

Cars normally shared. Tel: Robert on 0141-950 

1081. 

E-mail: robert@gocscotland.org 

OUT DOOR LADS: 

A UK-Wide, web-based organisation, offering a 

wide range of activities: from camping, 

hostelling, hill-walking and indoor climbing, to 

the more extreme activities like gorge 

scrambling, ice climbing, technical mountain 

biking and many more. There's something for 

everyone, no matter what your interest. Core 

membership is Gay and Bi-sexual lads, aged 

18-35, but OutdoorLads does not discriminate 

on any grounds including age, sexuality, 

disability or sex, and welcomes anyone who 

agrees with the group's aims and objectives. 

www.outdoorlads.com 

TARTAN TRAVELLERS: 

Scottish based club for all LGBT fans of 

caravanning, camping and motorhoming. 

Arranges meets, social events and more. Tel: 

Craig on 07972 881155. 

PARENTS 

GAY DADS SCOTLAND: 

Support group for gay fathers. Meets on last 

Thu of each month in a private room in 

Edinburgh LGBT Centre, 58a Broughton Street. 

Gay dads from all over Scotland welcome. Tel: 

07791 188742. 

E-mail: info@gaydadsscotland.org.uk 

www.gaydadsscotland.org.uk 

PARENTS' ENQUIRY SCOTLAND: 

Coming out? Information and support for 

parents of LGBT people. Helpline and admin: 

Tel: 0131-556 6047 before 10pm. Write: c/o 

ScotsGay Magazine, PO Box 666, Edinburgh. 

EH7 5YW. 

E-mail: parentsenquiry@hotmail.com 

www.parentsenquiryscotland.org 

RAINBOW FAMILIES: 

Friendly group is for anyone looking to meet 

other LGBT parents, share experiences and get 

advice from the group’s health visitor. Regular 

outings organized. Toys provided! Meets 2nd 

Sat of each month from 10am-Noon at the 

LGBT Centre for Health & Wellbeing, 9 Howe 

Street, Edinburgh. Te;: 0131-523 1100 for more 

information. 

E-mail: admin@lgbthealth.org.uk 

POLITICAL 

LIBERAL PARTY LESBIAN AND GAY 

CAMPAIGN: 

Tel: 0151-259 5935 (Telephone Answering 

Machine). Write: 41 Sutton Street, Liverpool, 

L13 7EG. 

E-mail: libgay@libparty.demon.co.uk 

www.liberal.org.uk 

SCOTTISH LIBERAL DEMOCRATS FOR LGBT 

EQUALITY: 

Tel: 0131-337 2314. Write: 4 Clifton Terrace, 

Edinburgh. EH12 5DR. 

E-mail: hq@scotlibdems.org.uk 

www.scotlibdems.org.uk 

www.twitter.com/scotlibdems 

PRISONERS 

FREE MAGAZINES FOR PRISONERS: 

Copies of ScotsGay are sent free of charge to 

prisoners in UK prisons and institutions. Please 

contact us if you wish to be added to the mailing 

list. 

BENT BARS PROJECT: 

Letter writing programme that connects lebian, 

gay, bisexual, transgender, transsexual, intersex, 

queer and gender non-conforming 

communities across prison walls. 

E-mail: bent.bars.project@gmail.com www.core.org/bentbars 

REAL ALE 

LESBIAN AND GAY 

REAL ALE DRINKERS: 

The Edinburgh group of CAMRA's Task Group 

for LGBT real ale and cider fans. Meets in The 

Regent on the 1st Mon of each month from 

9pm to sample the brewers' art - Aug 2nd Mon 

(to avoid GBBF). Tel: Karen on 0131-557 8790. 

E-mail: lagrad@drink.demon.co.uk 

www.lagrad-edinburgh.org.uk 

and www.lagrad.org.uk 

RESIDENTIAL EVENTS 

EDWARD CARPENTER COMMUNITY OF GAY 

MEN: 

Committed to principles of caring, trusting, 

personal growth, sharing, and creativity aimed 

at nurturing 'community' as an alternative to the 

commercial scene. Organises Gay Men's 

Weeks and shorter events each year in SW 

Scotland, the English Lake District and other 

venues across the UK. Write: Edward Carpenter 

Community, BM ECC, London. WC1N 3xx. Tel: 

08703 215121. 

E-mail: contact_ecc 

@edwardcarpentercommunity.org.uk 

www.gaycommunity.org.uk 

THE FINDHORN FOUNDATION: 

Spiritual community, ecovillage and education 

centre. Offers regular residential workshops and 

retreats for gay men and lesbians at Findhorn in 

the North East of Scotland, and at its retreat 

house on the peaceful island of Iona. Tel: 

Findhorn (01309) 690311. 

E-mail:enquiries@findhorn.org 

http://bit.ly/findhorn-lgbt for all Findhorn 

Foundation gay and lesbian workshops, or 

http://www.findhorn.org/ for information about 

all the Foundation’s activities. 

SPORTS 

CALEDONIAN THEBANS RFC: 

Caledonian Thebans Rugby Football Club is 

Scotland's first gay/bi friendly rugby club. Offers 

gay/bi/trans men the chance to learn the game 

and play rugby in a safe and supportive 

environment. Welcomes new players (+18) at 

any level or experience and new supporters to 

the club. If you're interested in playing or 

supporting gay rugby in Scotland, please get in 

touch. Come along and get fit! Tel: 07758 

668784 or Text "thebans" to 60300. 

E-mail: membership@thebans-rfc.co.uk 

www.thebans-rfc.co.uk 

EDINBURGH CUESTARS: 

Meets fortnightly on Tue (next 10th May) in 

Shandon Snooker Club from 7-10pm. Looking 

for new members who have an interest in Cue 

sports and like to meet new people in a new 

environment 

E-mail: darren.girdwood@yahoo.co.uk 

EDINBURGH GAY MEN’S VOLLEYBALL: 

Looking to start up a gay volleyball team (and 

for people who have had experience and 

exposure to competitive volleyball) to take to 

both local and international competitions. If 

there is enough interest, an open day will take 

place to meet and play volleyball to get an idea 

of what your levels are and hopefully form a 

team based on this. Everybody welcome 

irrespective of sexuality. 

E-mail: edinburghgayvolleyball@live.com 

EDINBURGH LGBT RUNNING GROUP: 

Meets 6.15pm prompt Wed at the Jawbones, 

The Meadows. Everybody made welcome from 

complete beginners to the more experienced. 

Get in contact so that we can expect you, in 

case we need to make changes to time or 

venue. Tel: Robert on 07738 939836. 

E-mail: robert.cole@gocscotland.org 

GAY FOOTBALL SUPPORTERS NETWORK: 

Write: GFSN Membership Secretary, PO Box 

7424, Milton Keynes. MK8 9WQ. Tel: Barry on 

Milton Keynes (01908) 564085. Scottish 

Contact: Kevin Rowe - Tel/Text: 07808 263173 

or 

E-mail: kevrowe72@yahoo.co.uk 

www.gfsn.org.uk 

GLASGOW FRONTRUNNERS: 

Running group for the LGBT community and 

our friends. All abilities welcome. Meets at 7pm 

every Thu at the Arc Leisure Centre in Glasgow 

Caledonian University for a run. Social stuff after 

the run as well. Join our Facebook group. 

Tel/text: 07919 894317 (Simon). 

E-mail: secretary@glasgowfrontrunners.org 

www.GlasgowFrontrunners.org 

GLASGOW GAY AND LESBIAN BADMINTON 

CLUB: 

Meets each Thu from 8-10pm. Come along and 

have fun and enjoy meeting the other members 

for a friendly game. All welcome. Tel: Paul on 

07708 514676 (6-11pm). 

GRANITE CITY STORMERS FC: 

Gay football team meeting regularly to play, train 

and for social events. Based in Aberdeen and 

open to people of all ages, experience and 

ability. Always on the lookout for new members 

and volunteers, so if you can help out with 

organising training, fundraising, coaching, 

arranging kick abouts or socials or contributing 

in any way, please get in touch! 

E-mail: robleadbetter@hotmail.co.uk 

HOTSCOTS: 

Scotland's very first LGBT group for football 

players and fans alike. Currently organises 

regular socials and kick-abouts every Thu eve at 

Saughton and kick abouts every Fri eve at World 

of Soccer and would love to hear from anyone 

anywhere in Scotland who would like to take 

part. Now competing in the UK national gay 

league. However, all ability levels are welcome, 

and the social side is just as important as the 

playing - so what are you waiting for? Text 

"Football" to 80800 for more information (texts 

cost 25p) or 

E-mail: mail@hotscotsfc.com 

www.hotscotsfc.com 

LGBT ACTIVE: 

First Steps Fitness: Mon 6.30-7.30pm at 

Inverleith Park. Free beginners fitness group for 

anyone that wants to get off the sofa and 

improve their health and fitness.. Tel: 0131-523 

1100. 


RACQUETEERS BADMINTON GROUP: 

Edinburgh based gay and lesbian badminton 

club meets Thu 7-9pm at Meadowbank 

Stadium. Spaces are limited but seeking more 

full time and part-time players. Plays all year 

round. 

E-mail: info@theracqueteers.co.uk 

SALTIRE THISTLE FC: 

LGBT-friendly football team based in Glasgow 

open to all from Scotland. Training on Wed at 

Glasgow Green, open kickabouts on Fri at 

Crownpoint and matches most Sun in different 

venues across the West. All abilities and skills 

are welcome plus those who want to watch and 

support. Regular social events organised too. 

E-mail: contact@saltirethistle.com 

www.clubwebsite.co.uk/saltirethistle 

TEAM SCOTLAND BADMINTON CLUB: 

Glasgow based gay and lesbian badminton club 

meets Sun Noon-2pm at National Badminton 

Academy, Scotstoun for competitive games. 

International tournaments and matches against 

clubs in London and Europe are held annually. 

Sorry - no beginners. Tel: Raymond on 0141- 

778 9220. 

STUDENTS 

Many Universities and Colleges have Lesbian, 

Gay, Bisexual and Transgendered Societies. 

Contact these via your Student Union or 

Student Association. ScotsGay also links to a 

number of LGBT Soc websites from our own 

web page at www.scotsgay.co.uk Many LGBT 

Socs are open to non-students living in the area. 

Tel: NUS Scotland LGBT Officer on 0131-556 

6598. Fax: 0131-557 5679. Write: Nathan 

Sparling, LGBT Officer, NUS Scotland, 29 Forth 

Street, Edinburgh. EH1 3LE. 

E-mail: lgbt@nus-scotland.org.uk or mail@nusscotland.org.uk 

TRANSGENDER 

NATIONAL: 

Transmen Scotland: 

A national support group for all female to male 

transgender people. Meets 2nd Sat of each 

month from 7-9pm at LGBT Centre for Health 

and Wellbeing, 9 Howe Street, Edinburgh. For 

further info Tel/Text 07948 735179 or 

E-mail: admin@transmenscotland.org.uk 

www.transmenscotland.org.uk 

ABERDEEN: 

NEST Support: 

Contact Nicola on 07523 279546. 

E-mail: nestsupport@gmail.com 

www.nestsupport.co.uk 

BUCHLYVIE: 

TV/TS Group: 

Meets last Sat of each month at 5pm. Tel: Kira 

on 07808 564626 (Mon-Thu 6-9pm), Gladys or 

Michelle on Buchlyvie (01360) 850516 or 

07743 936157. 

E-mail: gladyspaterson2@yahoo.co.uk 

DUNDEE: 

Diversitay: T With Biscuits: 

New Trans Group meets monthly. For more 

information, Tel: Diversitay on Dundee (01382) 

202620 (Mon 7-9pm). 

EDINBURGH: 

Edinburgh Trans Women: 

Support group for transsexual women. Meets 

1st Sat of each month 7.30-9.30pm in LGBT 

Centre for Health and Wellbeing, 9 Howe Street. 

E-mail: info 

@edinburghtranswomen.org.uk 

www.edinburghtranswomen.org.uk 

Polygender Scotland: 

Provides support and friendship to all people 

who identify as genderqueer, androgyne, third 

gender, polygender or any other gender other 

than male or female. Meets 2nd Thu of each 

month (contact for details of venue). Tel: Kelli 

Neil on 0131-523 1100. 

E-mail: admin@androgyny.org.uk 

www.androgyny.org.uk 

T-Time: 

Informal social for all transgender people, their 

partners, family and friends, held the 3rd Sat of 

each month from 1-5pm at LGBT Centre for 

Health and Wellbeing, 9 Howe Street. A friendly, 

safe and relaxed environment where there's 

also space to change. Tel: 0131-523 1100. 


GLASGOW: 

Crosslynx Transgender Group: 

Meets 2nd Wed of each month from 7.30-9pm 

(contact for details of venue). Tel: Crosslynx 

Helpline on 0141-847 0787 (Mon 7.30- 

9.30pm). 

www.crosslynx.org.uk 

Sandyford Trans Women's Support Group: 

Meets twice a month. Further details and 

support from group member on 07758 462988 

or contact Sandyford Community Access Coordinator 

on 0141-232 8417. 

E-mail: colinmackillop@nhs.net 

INVERNESS: 

Swans Of Scotland: 

Meets last Thu of each month from 7-9pm at 

Beaufort Hotel, 11 Culduthel Road. 

E-mail: swansofscotland@gmail.com 

www.spanglefish.com/SwansofScotland 

STIRLING: 

Central Scotland Transgender Group: 

Meets 2nd Sat of each month 7-10pm. Tel: 

Sarah Whyte on 07748 484703. 

E-mail: sarah_m_whyte@yahoo.co.uk 

WORKPLACE 

EIS LGBT NETWORK: 

Write: National Officer (Education and Equality), 

46 Moray Place, Edinburgh. EH3 6BH. 

Tel: 0131-225 6244. 

E-mail: enquiriesn@eis.org.uk 

FIRE BRIGADES UNION 

LGBT SUPPORT GROUP: 

For firefighters and control staff. Write: c/o Pat 

Carberry, FBU, 68 Coombe Road, Kingston 

upon Thames, Surrey. KT2 7SE. Tel: 07725 

602524 or 020-8541 1765. 

E-mail: PCarberry@fbu.org.uk 

www.fbulgbt.org.uk 

GAY POLICE ASSOCIATION 

IN SCOTLAND: 

Membership is open to all police officers and 

police staff, serving or retired. Tel: 07092 

700213 . 

www.gpascotland.com 

GMB SCOTLAND EQUAL RIGHTS GROUP: 

Write: Regional Equal Rights Officer, GMB 

Scotland, Fountain House, 1/3 Woodside 

Crescent, Glasgow. G3 7UJ. Tel: 0141-352 

8109. 

E-mail: louise.gilmour@gmb.org.uk 

PUBLIC AND COMMERCIAL SERVICES UNION 

(PCS) PROUD GROUP 

Scottish Rep : Dave McNeilly 

c/o PCS, Equalities Committee 

160 Falcon Road, 

London. SW11 2LN. 

Tel: 07896 471891 

E-mail: pcsproud@live.co.uk 

www.pcsproud.org.uk 

UNISON: 

Glasgow City LGBT Group. Meets pay day Tue 

at 5pm in Glasgow City Unison Offices, 4th 

Floor, 18 Albion Street. 

All LGBT members welcome. 

project across the Greater Glasgow and Clyde 

Health Board Area for gay and bisexual men. 

Wide ranging volunteering opportunities which 

provide services including support, scene work, 

peer education and training, provision of 

condoms, lube and Safer Sex info. 

E-mail: glasgow@gmh.org.uk 

www.gmh.org.uk 

GAY MEN'S HEALTH TAYSIDE: 

Exists to promote the sexual and holistic health 

of gay and bi men living in Angus, Dundee and 

Perth & Kinross (including men who have sex 

with men but who do not identify as gay or bi), 

reduce the spread of HIV within those 

communities and challenge the discrimination, 

health inequalities and social exclusion that can 

be faced by gay and bi men, including HIV 

positive gay and bi men, and those affected by 

HIV. Tel: Dundee (01382) 424070. Fax: Dundee 

(01382) 424090. 

E-mail: 

info@gaymenshealthtayside.com 

www.gaymenshealthtayside.com 

HEALTHY GAY SCOTLAND: 

A national HIV prevention & sexual health 

promotion programme for gay and bisexual 

men. Offers a range of services including info 

on its website, campaigns and resources and a 

free condoms by post scheme. Tel: 0131-558 

3713. 

www.healthygayscotland.com 

HIV-AIDS CARERS AND FAMILIES SERVICE 

PROVIDER SCOTLAND: 

10 Elderpark Workspace, 100 Elderpark Street, 

Glasgow. G51 3TR. Mon-Fri 10am-5pm. 

Telephone Support Service: 07778 117900 

Mon-Fri 7pm-10pm. Tel: 0141-445 8797. 

E-mail: hiv-aids_carers@lineone.net 

www.hiv-aids-carers.org.uk 

HIV SCOTLAND: 

Suite 2, 27 Beaverhall Road, Edinburgh. EH7 

4JE. Tel: 0131-558 3713. Fax: 0131-558 9887. 

The independent voice for HIV in Scotland, this 

charity is a policy and strategic body and runs 

Healthy Gay Scotland and Black Minority Ethnicrelated 

HIV work. 

E-mail: info@hivscotland.com 

www.hivscotland.com 

THE JANEK LATOSINSKI 

CHARITABLE TRUST: 

Provides free complementary therapies and 

psychotherapy to all people living with HIV in 

Glasgow and the West of Scotland. 

E-mail: austen@tjlct.org.uk 

www.tjlct.org.uk 

LANARKSHIRE 

HIV, AIDS AND HEPATITIS CENTRE: 

Monklands Hospital, Airdrie. One stop shop for 

HIV testing, treatment and support. 

Appointments available Mon 9am-5pm (eve 

available by request). Tel: Airdrie (01236) 

712247. Support group for HIV Positive men 

also available. 

LGBT BIPOLAR SELF HELP GROUP: 

For LGBT people with bipolar disorder, and their 

carers, family and friends. Meets 7-9pm on 1st 

Tue of each month at Terrence Higgins Trust, 

Rothesay House, 134 Douglas Street, Glasgow. 

No need for referral, just come along on the 

night. Tel: Aileen on 0141-560 2050. 

E-mail: aileenb@bipolarscotland.org.uk 

LGBT CENTRE FOR 

HEALTH & WELLBEING: 

9 Howe Street, Edinburgh. EH3 6TE. This 

unique Centre exists to improve the physical, 

mental and social wellbeing of LGBT people 

living in, working in and travelling to Edinburgh. 

Runs events, workshops and courses 

promoting healthy lifestyles,including the LGBT 

Headspace programme focusing on improved 

mental health and the LGBT Age programme 

offering services to those over 50. The Centre 

also provides a wide range of information on 

health and LGBT topics, offers one to one 

support services and supports community 

groups. Tel: 0131-523 1100. 


www.lgbthealth.org.uk 

POSITIVE HELP: 

13a Great King Street, Edinburgh. EH3 6QW. 

Practical help for people who are infected or 

affected by HIV and AIDS in Edinburgh, their 

families and carers. 

Tel: 0131-558 1122. 

Fax: 0131-558 3636. 

E-mail: office@positivehelpedinburgh.co.uk 

www.positivehelpedinburgh.uk 

POSITIVE MIxTURE : 

A self help group offering support and 

assistance for individuals with HIV/AIDS in the 

Grampian area. Contact THT, 246 George Street, 

Aberdeen. AB25 1HN. 

E-mail: info.aberdeen@tht.org.uk 

ROAM OUTREACH: 

Part of the Harm Reduction Team within Lothian 

NHS. Offers a confidential and anonymous 

service for men who have sex with men, 

including male sex workers throughout 

Edinburgh and the Lothians. Provides a wide 

range of services including sexual health and 

safer sex advice, information and advice on 

drug use, personal safety, police and legal 

advice, including operating in the Remote 

Reporting Scheme. A great deal of their work is 

done on an outreach basis in Public Sex 

Environments and venues as well as on-line as 

part of the SNN group. They run an 'Out of 

Hours' Testing Service Mon 5-7.30pm at "The 

Exchange", Lady Lawson Street, Edinburgh 

where you can have a full SEXUAL HEALTH 

check up including Hep A & B vaccinations. No 

appointments necessary. For further 

information or to receive condom and lube 

supplies contact Vaughan, Peter or Del on Tel: 

0131-537 8300 or 07774 628227. 

E-mail: enquiries@roam-outreach.com 

www.roam-outreach.com 

SANDYFORD: 

2-6 Sandyford Place, Glasgow. G3 7NB. 

Glasgow's main sexual, reproductive and 

emotional health centre. Free web access and 

health library with large LGBT lending collection. 

Specialist services for gay men (See separate 

ScotsGay Listing for Steve Retson Project) and 

lesbians (See separate ScotsGay listing for 

Sandyford under Women). Self-referal sexual 

health service with open access clinic each 

weekday with registration from 8.30-10am or 

book on 0141-211 8130. 

E-mail: helpsandyford@ggc.scot.nhs.uk 

www.sandyford.org 

SEXUAL HEALTH LINE: 

Freephone 0800 567123. 24 hours. Confidential 

advice and information. Minicom: Freephone 

0800 521361. 

www.nhs.uk/worthtalkingabout 

STEVE RETSON PROJECT: 

Sandyford, 2-6 Sandyford Place, Glasgow. G3 

Tel: 07512 231904. PO Box 5735, Inverness. 

IV1 9DB. 

E-mail: forum@gay-ness.org.uk 

www.gay-ness.org.uk 

Highland LGBT Social Group: 

Regular events and discos in Inverness. 

E-mail: forum@gay-ness.org.uk 

www.gay-ness.org.uk/events.html 

Inverness, Highlands and Islands LGBT 

Group: 

4 King Brude Gardens, Muirtown, Inverness, 

IV3 8TT. New Group. Te;: 07833 456341. 

E-mail:invernessandhighlandslgbtgroup 

@hotmail.co.uk 

www.gay-ness.org.uk/events.html 

MORAY: 

LGBT Moray 

Social networking group for LGBT people in 

Moray. 1st Tue & 4th Thu of each month: Get 

together at The Muckle Cross Pub, 34 High 

Street, Elgin from 7.30pm. 2nd Wed of each 

month: Get together at Scribbles Coffee/Pizza 

House, 154 High Street, Elgin from 11am. 3rd 

Sat of each month: Get together at Time Out 

Café, 79 High Street, Forres from 10.30am. For 

all meetings, look for rainbow coloured bag and 

VW camper money box on table. For further 

info or to be met in advance: Tel: 07598 

418638. 

E-mail: lgbtmoray@gmail.co.uk 

OBAN: 

Gateway Group: 

Meets last Sat of each month, 2-4pm. Tel: 

Katrina on 07760 701308. 

E-mail: 

katrina.mitchell@waverleycare.org 

STIRLING: 

Stirling Gay Men's Social Group 

Meets monthly from Sep-Jun (generally 3rd Fri) 

in private houses. 

E-mail: mensgroup@talktalk.net 

WOMEN'S LISTINGS 

ABERDEEN: 

Granite Sisters: 

Aberdeen based group for older lesbians 

throughout Scotland. There are no social events 

planned for the near future and the website is 

the main link at this time for gay women to gain 

information, etc. Although under construction at 

the moment it will be completed ASAP. 

E-mail: 13@clara.co.uk www.13.clara.co.uk 

EDINBURGH: 

AD Group: 

Social group exclusively for lesbians over 40 

who have come to terms with their sexuality as 

lesbians. Meets monthly to discuss activities 

which range from cinema vists to days out and 

about. 

E-mail: adgroup40@gmail.com 

Amazing Gracies Women’s Football Club: 

Meets Wed 7-8pm at Gracemount Leisure 

Centre, 22 Gracemount Drive. 

www.amazinggraciesfc.webs.com 

Ladybird Book Group: 

Friendly and social lesbian book group meets 

2nd Tue of each month from 7.45pm in Café 

Nom De Plume. Newcomers welcome. Contact 

for more information and details of books 

coming up this year. 

E-mail: Carol_Purcell@hotmail.com 

Rubyfruits Edinburgh: 

For lesbians and bi women. Meets Wed eve 

anytime after 7.30pm in Café Nom De Plume, 

60 Broughton Street. Widen your social circle, 

network, plan weekend/eve activities (eg 

walking, cinema, exhibitions) and maybe meet 

that special somebody. 

E-mail: rubyfruitsedinburgh@yahoo.com 

www.rubyfruitsedinburgh.webs.com 

Women’s Group: 

New group offering the chance to meet other 

women in a relaxed environment. Chat and 

information on health and wellbeing issues, as 

well as activities in and out the Centre. 2nd & 

4th Fri of each monthfrom 2-4.30pm at the 

LGBT Centre for Health & Wellbeing, 9 Howe 

Street. Tel: Alison on 0131-652 3283. 

E-mail: alison@lgbthealth.org.uk 

GLASGOW: 

Sandyford: 2-6 Sandyford Place, Glasgow. G3 

7NB. Sandyford provides sexual, reproductive 

and emotional health services for all lesbian and 

bisexual women. Tel: 0141-211 8130 for further 

information on sexual and reproductive services 

or Tel: 0141-211 6700 for counselling services. 

All services available at a range of locations 

throughout NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde 

area. 

www.sandyford.org 

Glasgow Women's Library: 

15 Berkeley Street, Glasgow. G3 7BW. Tel/Fax: 

0141-248 9969. Provides a library, archive, is an 

Accredited Museum and also houses the UK’s 

national Lesbian Archives. Range of events, 

courses and other activities delivered through 

their learning programmes, along with an Adult 

Literacy and Numeracy Project and Black and 

Minority Ethnic Women’s Project. Check 

website for more info. 

E-mail: info@womenslibrary.org.uk 

www.womenslibrary.org.uk 

OLGA - Older Lesbians Get Around: 

Meets monthly. Tel: 07813 268938. 

INVERNESS: 

GirlZone: 

Friendly, informal social group for LBT and 

friends - all welcome. Meets 1st Sat and 3rd Fri 

of each month.Tel: Joanne on 07792 223687 

for details and venue. 

E-mail: girlzone@gay-ness.org.uk 

www.gay-ness.org.uk 

Highland Lesbian Group: 

A friendly lesbian social group which offers 

support and information. Organises fundraisers 

for Womankind Worldwide: 

E-mail: High_Les@bigfoot.com 

www.freewebs.com/highlandlesbiangroup 

www.womankind.org.uk 

NATIONAL: 

CAMERADERIE LESBIAN PHOTOGRAPHY 

GROUP: 

Meets monthly in and around the 

Tayside/Dundee/Aberdeenshire area, weather 

permitting. 

E-mail: spamdd7@yahoo.com 

LESBIAN INFORMATION SERVICE: 

www.lesbianinformationservice.org 

OUT-SKIRTS: 

A monthly e-newsletter for lesbian and bi 

women in Tayside, Fife and beyond. 

E-mail: ionafiesta@yahoo.co.uk 

SCOTTISH NETWORK FOR LESBIAN 

STRENGTH: 

To further lesbian issues, follow a lesbian 

agenda and foster lesbian visibility. 

E-mail: High_Les@bigfoot.com 

www.freewebs.com/highlandlesbiangroup 

YOUNG LESBIANS: 

See our Youth Groups listings. 

BISEXUALS 

BISCOTLAND: 

Support and social network for people who are 

bisexual or questioning their sexuality. Also 

organises training and activist activities in 

support of bisexual visibility and pride. Informal 

'safe space' meetings are held on 1st Wed of 

each month in Glasgow (Contact for venue 

details) and 3rd Wed of each month in 

Edinburgh (8pm in the LGBT Centre for Health 

& Wellbeing, 9 Howe Street). Meetings (open to 

all bi or questioning people) are usually followed 

by social gatherings which are open to partners 

or friends. Information line: 07963 960321. 

E-mail: info@biscotland.org 

www.biscotland.org 

ABUSE 

BROKEN RAINBOW LGBT DOMESTIC 

VIOLENCE SERVICE (UK): 

Works to change the situation for LGBT people 

facing domestic violence. Runs a helpline for 

lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people, 

their family, friends, and agencies to support 

LGBT people around domestic violence. Mon & 

Thu 2-8pm, Wed 10am-5pm. Tel: 0300 999 

5428. 

E-mail: mail@broken-rainbow.org.uk 

www.broken-rainbow.org.uk 

MEN AGAINST SExUAL ABUSE: 

1-2-1 counselling for adult male survivors of 

childhood sexual abuse, male rape, male 

domestic abuse and under 18's. Tel: 07896 

839415.. 

E-mail: masacounseling@aol.com 

www.masa-listens.com 

RAPE AND ABUSE LINE: 

For male and female survivors. Female Support 

Workers answer Freephone 0808 8000123 

most evenings and Male Support Workers 

answer Freephone 0808 8000122 on selected 

evenings. the Helpline hours are advised on 

both answering services. Callers are welcome to 

phone either line. Write: PO Box 10, Dingwall. 

IV15 9HA. 

www.rapeandabuseline.co.uk 

RAPE CRISIS SCOTLAND HELPLINE: 

Scotland-wide telephone service providing 

support to women and men experiencing 

sexual violence, as well as their friends and 

families. Tel: Freephone 0808 8010302 (6pm- 

Midnight). Minicom available. 

www.rapecrisisscotland.org.uk 

THRIVE: 

Counselling service for male survivors of 

childhood sexual abuse. Write: Sandyford 

Counselling & Support Services, 2-6 Sandyford 

Place, Glasgow. G3 7NB. Tel: 0141-211 8133 or 

0141-211 6700. 

E-mail: thrive@ggc.scot.nhs.uk 

ATHEISTS AND 

HUMANISTS 

GAY AND LESBIAN HUMANIST ASSOCIATION: 

GALHA is a membership organisation 

promoting a gay-friendly Humanist outlook and 

LGBT rights as human rights. Membership is 

open to supporters worldwide. Write: GALHA, 1 

Gower Street, London. WC1E 6HD. 

E-mail: membership@galha.org 

www.galha.org 

PINK TRIANGLE TRUST: 

PTT is a gay Humanist charity which can 

arrange non-religious ceremonies of love and 

commitment for lesbian and gay couples at very 

reasonable rates in most parts of Scotland. 

Sponsors of LGBT History Month. Write: 34 

Spring Lane, Kenilworth, Warwickshire. CV8 

2HB. Tel: Kenilworth (01926) 858450. 

E-mail: ceremonies@pinktriangle.org.uk 

www.pinktriangle.org.uk 

Lively Blog at 

www.pinktriangle.org.uk/ptt/blog.html 

Internet Magazine at 

www.gayandlesbianhumanist.org 

BDSM 

SM GAYS: 

www.smgays.org 

BEARS 

BEARSCOTS: 

The national group for bears, big boys, their 

friends and admirers. Glasgow Bear Weekend 

(1st weekend of each month): Revolver Bears, 

Revolver Bar, Fri 9pm-1am. Edinburgh Bear 

Weekend (2nd weekend of each month): Bear 

Sauna, Steamworks, Sat 2-8pm. Bears In The 

Basement, New Town Bar, Sat 10pm-2am. 

Check website for details of events around 

Scotland. E-mail: info@bearscots.org.uk 

www.bearscots.org.uk 

BELIEVERS 

AFFIRMATION SCOTLAND: 

Network in the Church of Scotland of lesbian, 

gay, bisexual and transgender Christians, their 

friends and supporters. Formed in 2006 in 

response to the issue of ministers and deacons 

being able to conduct ceremonies to mark civil 

partnerships without fear of censure. Write: 

Monica Stewart, 37 Main Street, Invergowrie. 

DD2 5AB. E-mail: 

monicastewart@btinternet.com 

www.affirmationscotland.org.uk 

AL-JANNAH: 

Online social community for LGBT Muslims, 

Non-Muslims, South Asians. Based in Scotland. 

New gay Desi networking: meet members in 

your area, chat and upload photographs - 

Hindus, Sikhs and other Asians/Non-Muslims 

welcome. E-mail: admin@al-jannah.co.uk 

www.al-jannah.co.uk 

AUGUSTINE UNITED CHURCH: 

41 George IV Bridge, Edinburgh. EH1 1EL. 

Meets Sun 11am - LGBT people especially 

welcome. Last Wed of each month: 

Transcendence (welcome space to support and 

explore transgender spirituality) - 7pm. Last Sat 

of each month: Our Tribe (LGBT worship) - 7pm 

Tel: 07957 543359. 

E-mail: ourtribe.auc@gmail.com 

www.augustine.org.uk 

EDINBURGH QUAKER LESBIAN AND GAY 

FELLOWSHIP: 

Meets on the 2nd Wed of each month at 7pm in 

the Glasite Meeting House, 33 Barony Street. 

Members of the LGBT Community and their 

friends are most welcome. Tel: 07543 975590. 

E-mail: edinburgh.qlgf@gmail.com 

EVANGELICAL FELLOWSHIP FOR LESBIAN & 

GAY CHRISTIANS: 

Lesbian, gay or bisexual? From an Evangelical 

tradition? So are we. Tel: Andrew on Mid Calder 

(01506) 499926. Write: c/o 123 Byron Road, 

Chelmsford. CM2 6HJ. 

E-mail: info@eflgc.org.uk 

www.eflgc.org.uk 

METROPOLITAN COMMUNITY CHURCH IN 

GLASGOW: 

A church of the LGBT communities welcoming 

all people. Meets for worship Sun 3pm at Ibrox 

Parish Church, 67 Clifford Street. Tel or Text: 

07972 139128. 

E-mail: info@mccinglasgow.co.uk 

www.mccinglasgow.co.uk 

QUAKER LESBIAN AND GAY FELLOWSHIP: 

A welcoming and supportive national group for 

people of all sexual orientations and their 

friends. Write: Ruth (SG), 46 The Avenue, 

Starbeck, Harrogate. HG1 4QD. 

E-mail: qlgfcontact@btclick.com 

www.qlgf.org.uk 

QUEST: 

Organisation for lesbian and gay Catholics. 

Monthly meetings are held in different regional 

groups throughout Britain. Scottish meetings 

held in Glasgow. Quest Linkline - The Helpline 

for Gay and Lesbian Catholics - Tel: (Freephone) 

0808 808 0234. Write: BM Box 2585, LONDON. 

WC1N 3xx. 

E-mail: quest@questgaycatholic.org.uk 

www.questgaycatholic.org.uk 

ROMAN CATHOLIC CAUCUS OF THE LESBIAN 

& GAY CHRISTIAN MOVEMENT: 

Write: RC Caucus, PO Box 24632, London. E9 

6xF. Tel: 020-7226 0847. 

E-mail: lgcm_rccaucus@hotmail.com 

SGI-UK (SCOTLAND): 

Buddhist organisation established in more than 

190 countries throughout the world. Their belief 

and practice direct people to respect that which 

is of ultimate value: life itself. Through their faith 

and practice, members transform their inner 

lives and develop the qualities needed to bring 

about personal fulfillment and contribute to the 

positive development of society. SGI-UK has 

participated in Pride events throughout the 

world and is now known as Rainbow activities. 

www.sgi-uk.org 

UNITARIANS IN EDINBURGH: 

An inclusive community of diverse beliefs which 

supports the pursuit of individual spirituality and 

humanism. Meets at St Mark’s, 7 Castle Terrace 

at 11am on Sun and for Mindfulness @ 

Lunchtime at 12.15pm on Tue. Relationship 

blessings conducted. 

E-mail: minister@edinburgh-unitarians.org.uk 

www.edinburgh-unitarians.co.uk 

CULTURAL 

EDINBURGH GAY MEN'S CHORUS: 

Brings together individuals interested in singing 

a fun repertoire, including pop, rock and songs 

from the shows and movies. Now is a great 

time to get involved, whether you're a closet 

shower singer or have some experience. 

Rehearses Tue eve in Central Edinburgh. For full 

details and to sign-up: 

www.egmc.co.uk 

FILM CLUB: 

Meets every other Fri, 6.30-9.30pm at LGBT 

Centre for Health and Wellbeing, 9 Howe Street, 

Edinburgh. A wide selection of documentaries, 

short films and full-length movies with an LGBT 

twist will be screened for your viewing pleasure, 

from old classics to arty new ones. All 

screenings subject to a small donation. 

E-mail: clazzle333@hotmail.com 

GAY GORDONS EDINBURGH: 

Scotland's first LGBTQ Scottish country dance 

group with a good mix of women and men. 

Meets Mon 7.30-9.30pm at St Stephen’s 

Centre, Stockbridge. 

E-mail: info@gaygordonsedinburgh.co.uk 

www.gaygordonsedinburgh.co.uk 

GLASGAY!: 

Scotland's annual celebration of queer culture. 

Next dates: 21st Oct - 12th Nov 2011 

(provisional). Q! Gallery is Glasgay's new yearround 

gallery dedicated to queer art and artists. 

Mon-Sat 11am-5pm. The Stud!o is an adjacent 

performance/research/workshop and holistic 

arts space. The Q! Gallery, 87-91 Saltmarket, 

Glasgow. G1 5LE. Tel/Fax: 0141-552 7575.Text: 

07762 722460. 

E-mail: info@glasgay.co.uk 

www.glasgay.co.uk 

INTERNATIONAL KILT APPRECIATION 

SOCIETY (IKAS): 

Contact and social group for guys interested in 

viewing/wearing kilts. Regular newsletter. Write: 

Mervyn Tacy, 'Ziveli', 20 Ordsall Park Road, 

Retford. DN22 7PA. Please enclose sae. 

Tel: 01777 708270. 

E-mail: IKILTas@aol.com 

www.freewebs.com/ikas 

LGBT HISTORY MONTH SCOTLAND: 

Increasing the awareness of LGBT people’s 

lives, histories and experiences. The website 

provides listings for cultural opportunities, 

events, news items, and resources. If you would 

like to be involved, volunteer or add information, 

contact LGBT History Month, 39-40 Commerce 

Street, Edinburgh. EH6 6HD. 

www.lgbthistory.org.uk 

LOUD & PROUD: 

Scotland's original choir for LGBT singers is 

made up of approximately 45 singers and holds 

regular concerts in the Central Belt. The 

repertoire, which is sung a capella in varying 

numbers of parts, includes simple rounds, 

popular music, traditional music, light classics, 

festive and seasonal songs, lesbian/gay 

anthems, and show tunes. Meets weekly for 

rehearsals in Edinburgh. 

E-mail: info@loudandproudchoir.org 

www.loudandproudchoir.org 

HELPLINES 

ABUSED MEN IN SCOTLAND: 

Tel: Dunfermline (01383) 624411 

Support for men surviving domestic abuse. 

Office: Dunfermline (01383) 736108. 

E-mail: info@abusedmeninscotland.org 

www.abusedmeninscotland.org 

BREATHING SPACE: 

Tel: FreePhone 0800 838587 

Mon-Thu 6pm-2am, Fri 6pm-Mon 6am (24 

hours at weekends). 

www.breathingspacescotland.co.uk 

CROSSLYNx NATIONAL 

TV/TS/TG HELPLINE: 

Tel: 0141-847 0787 

Mon 7.30-9.30pm. 

www.crosslynx.org.uk 

CUMBRIA AND THE BORDERS 

GAY HELPLINE: 

Tel: Bassenthwaite Lake (01768) 776244 

Nightly 6-9pm. 

DIVERSITAY LGBT SWITCHBOARD: 

Tel: Dundee (01382) 202620 

Mon 7-9pm. 

Write: PO Box 53, Dundee. DD1 3YG. 

E-mail: contact@diversitay.org.uk 

www.diversitay.org.uk 

twitter.com/diversitaylgbt 

HATE CRIME REPORTING: 

Tel: 0141-847 0647 or 

Stirling (01786) 469483 


LOTHIAN LGBT HELPLINE: 

Tel: 0131-556 4049 

Wed 12.30-7pm. 

STRATHCLYDE 

LESBIAN AND GAY SWITCHBOARD: 

Tel: 0141-847 0447 


E-mail: info@sgls.co.uk 

www.sgls.co.uk 

STRATHCLYDE LESBIAN LINE: 

Tel: 0141-847 0547 

Wed 7.30-10pm. 

www.sgls.co.uk/services1 

THT DIRECT: 

Tel: 0845 1221200 

Mon-Fri10am-10pm,Sat-SunNoon-6pm. 

LONDON SWITCHBOARD: 

Tel: 020-7837 7324 

FAx: 020-7837 7300 

Daily 10am-11pm. 

E-mail: admin@llgs.org.uk 

www.llgs.org.uk 

www.turingnetwork.org.uk 

PUBLICATIONS 

SCOTSGAY: 

Monthly magazine edited, printed and published 

in Scotland since 1994. All of the words from 

the magazine can be found on our website as 

well as interactive Meet Market and our Listings 

which are frequently updated. Sample copy 

available by phoning 0906 1100256 (calls cost 

no more than £2). Tel: 0845 1208062 (+44 131- 

539 0666). Fax: 0131-539 2999. Write: PO Box 

666, Edinburgh. EH7 5YW. 

E-mail: publisher@scotsgay.co.uk 

www.scotsgay.co.uk 

LOCK UP YOUR DAUGHTERS: 

Queer alternative DIY magazine for women. 

E-mail: info@ 

lockupyourdaughtersmagazine.co.uk 

www.lockupyourdaughtersmagazine.co.uk 

NATIONAL 

ORGANISATIONS 

OUTRIGHT SCOTLAND: 

Scotland's oldest lesbian, gay, bisexual and 

transgender rights organisation. It was founded 

in 1969 as the Scottish Minorities Group, later 

became the Scottish Homosexual Rights Group 

and changed its name to OUTRIGHT 

SCOTLAND in December 1992. Currently 

hibernating. 

EQUALITY NETWORK: 

Working for lesbian, gay, bisexual and 

transgender equality in Scotland. Write: 30 

Bernard Street, Edinburgh. EH6 6PR. Tel: 07020 

933952. Fax: 07020 933954. Weekly e-mail and 

quarterly paper newsletters on LGBT equality 

campaigns and developments. Regular 

conferences, forums, and other events. E-mail 

or write to join the network. 

E-mail: en@equality-network.org 

www.equality-network.org and 

twitter.com/LGBTScotland 

LESBIAN ARCHIVE : 

The UK's largest and most significant collection 

of materials relating to lesbian lives. The 

collections are based at Glasgow Women’s 

Library, 15 Berkeley Street, Glasgow. G3 7BW. 

Tel/Fax: 0141-248 9969. 

E-mail: info@womenslibrary.org.uk 

www.womenslibrary.org.uk 

NATIONAL LGBT FORUM: 

Active events calendar for LGBT and other 

equality events in Scotland. Comprehensive 

directory of LGBT organisations. Free 

registration to add campaigns and events to the 

Community pages. 

www.scottishLGBT.org 

PRIDE SCOTIA: 

Now busily organising Pride Scotia 2012 which 

will be held in Edinburgh in 2012. Tel: 0131- 

556 9471. 

Write: 58a Broughton Street,Edinburgh.EH1 

3SA. 

E-mail: edinburgh@pride-scotia.org 

www.pride-scotia.org 

STONEWALL SCOTLAND: 

Campaigns for equality and justice for gay, 

lesbian, bisexual and transgender people living 

in Scotland. Write: 9 Howe Street, Edinburgh. 

EH3 6TE. Tel: 0131-557 3679. 

E-mail: info@stonewallscotland.org.uk 

www.stonewallscotland.org.uk 

LOCAL 

ORGANISATIONS 

AYRSHIRE: 

Ayrshire Social & Sexuality Support Group: 

Meets 3rd Wed of each month at 7pm in Irvine. 

Details of venue from David Bingham on 0141- 

332 3838 (Mon-Fri 9am-5pm). 

E-mail: david.bingham@tht.org.uk 

BORDERS: 

Borders Bisexual Lesbian And Gay Group 

(BBLAGG): 

Organises social and recreational events for 

LGBT adults living in the Scottish Borders. 

Events include: pub nights, men’s film nights, 

hillwalks, barbeques and an annual visit to 

Ireland to take part in North West Pride. Tel: 

Alastair Lings on Galashiels (01896) 757861 or 

07763 850087. 

E-mail: alastairlings@yahoo.co.uk 

www.facebook.com/group.php?gid= 

120233614684563 

Scottish Borders LGBT Equality Forum: 

Aims to provide advice and act as a consulting 

body to all community planning partner 

organisations, develop a range of social and 

recreational activities, and provide a befriending 

service to LGBT people. Write: PO Box 14120, 

Selkirk. TD7 5WE. 

www.borderslgbt.org.uk 

CAMPBELTOWN: 

Kintyre Embrace: 

Meets first Wed of each month, 7-9pm. Tel: 

Katrina on 07760 701308. 

E-mail: 

katrina.mitchell@waverleycare.org 

DUMBARTON: 

Clyde Valley LGBT Group: 

Tel: Fiona-Marie or Sandra on 07519 474797. 

DUMFRIES & GALLOWAY: 

Dumfries & Galloway LGBT Centre: 

Runs services including groups, social events, 

drop-ins, support and volunteering for young 

people and adults. 88b High Street, Dumfries. 

DG1 2BJ. Tel: Dumfries (01387) 255058. Text: 

07785 274147. 

E-mail: DandG@lgbtyouth.org.uk 

DUNDEE: 

Diversitay LGBT Group: 

Offers support to LGBT people living in Tayside 

and North East Fife. Bi monthly newsletter “Out 

Now” available from PO Box 53, Dundee, DD1 

3YG. Tel: Dundee (01382) 202620. 

E-mail: contact@diversitay.org.uk 

www.diversitay.org.uk and 

twitter.com/diversitaylgbt 

DUNFERMLINE: 

FifeFLAGS: 

Fife Free Lesbian and Gay Society. Provides a 

welcoming and safe meeting space and drop-in 

centre near the town centre for the LGBT 

community, our friends, family and supporters. 

Regular social group meets on the 2nd and 4th 

Sun of the month from 7.30-11pm. Generally 

has a nice friendly mixed group most nights 

across the age range so come along and meet 

new friends. Internet access, mini pool table or 

just hang out and chill over coffee and biscuits. 

Safer sex information and supplies available as 

part of the Fife Health Board condom 

distribution scheme. Tel: Dunfermline (01383) 

738517. 

E-mail: Info@FifeFLAGS.org.uk 

www.fifeflags.org.uk 

EDINBURGH: 

Couple Counselling Lothian: 

Scotland’s oldest and largest relationship 

counselling agency promotes the wellbeing and 

longevity of same sex relationships. 65 years 

experience of serving clients in Edinburgh and 

the Lothians. Tel: 0131-556 1527. 

E-mail: admin@cclothian.org.uk 

www.cclothian.org.uk 

Edinburgh LGBT Centre: 

Owned and managed by Lesbian Gay and 

Bisexual Community Project Limited, which is 

registered as a Scottish Charity and as a 

Scottish Company. Bought in 1974 by the 

Scottish Minorities Group, it is the only LGBTowned 

LGBT Centre in the UK and is also the 

oldest LGBT Centre outwith the USA. Write: 

Edinburgh LGBT Centre, 58a/60 Broughton 

Street, Edinburgh. EH1 3SA. Tel: 0131-556 

9471. Meeting Room Booking Tel: 07817 

533337. 

E-mail: edinburghlgbtcentre 

@drink.demon.co.uk 

Icebreakers: 

Social group for guys and gals who want to 

make friendships and feel more at ease in the 

company of other gay people. Takes place from 

7.30-9.30pm in The Regent on 2nd Wed of 

each month. If you're recently out or new to 

Edinburgh or just feel a bit cut off and want a 

break, come along. 

GLASGOW: 

Icebreakers Group: 

For lesbians, gays and bisexuals new to the 

scene. Details from Strathclyde Switchboard. 

Pride Glasgow: 

Tel: 0141-416 2300. 

E-mail: pride@prideglasgow.co.uk 

www.prideglasgow.co.uk 

Spectrum: 

Group for gay and bisexual men from Black and 

Minority Ethnic (BME) communities. Meets on 

1st Tue of each month at 6.30pm. Tel: 0141-552 

0112. 

E-mail: spectrum@gmh.org.uk 

INVERCLYDE: 

Clyde Men: 

Social/support/information group for gay and 

bisexual men. Meets monthly in central 

Greenock location. Tel: Criz on 0141-552 0112. 

E-mail: criz@gmh.org.uk 

INVERNESS: 

Highland Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, 

Transgender Forum: 

LUVVIES THEATRE COMPANY: 

Edinburgh based LGBT theatre company, which 

aims to give LGBT people the opportunity to act, 

direct, produce or organise theatre or take part 

in any aspect of the creative process. No 

previous experience is necessary. 

Tel: 07854 836605. 

E-mail: info@theluvvies.org 

www.theluvvies.org 

OURSTORY SCOTLAND: 

A charity which works to collect, archive and 

present the life stories and experiences of the 

LGBT Community in Scotland. If you have a 

story to tell or experiences to share, or would 

like to find out more about their upcoming 

programme of events, then please contact 

them. 

Write: OurStory Scotland, Archives and Special 

Collections, The Mitchell Library, North Street, 

Glasgow. G3 7DN. 

E-mail: info@ourstoryscotland.org.uk 

www.ourstoryscotland.org.uk 

PINK CASTLE PHILOSOPHY CLUB: 

Meets 2nd Tue of each month at 7.30pm in 

Riverside Lounge, Glen Mhor Hotel, 8-15 Ness 

Bank, Inverness. IV2 4SG. Tel: Morgan on 

07745 930383. 

E-mail: morgan@tramstop.org 

www.pinkcastle.eu 

REMEMBER WHEN PROJECT: 

Documenting the collective history of 

Edinburgh's LGBT communities, recording lifestories 

and personal memories across the 

generations, and celebrating our rich and varied 

contributions to the quality of life in the city. The 

culmination of this work was an exhibition 

entitled 'Rainbow City: Stories from Lesbian, 

Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Edinburgh' held 

at the City Art Centre, Edinburgh in 2006. Write: 

Remember When Project, c/o The Living 

Memory Association, The Reminiscence Centre, 

101 St Leonards Street, Edinburgh, EH8 9QY. 

Tel: 0131-667 0761, and leave a message, 

stating clearly that it is for Remember When. 

E-mail: miles@livingmemory.org.uk 

SCOTTISH BORDERS GAY FILM GROUP: 

Meets monthly during autumn through to the 

spring, and views video/DVDs with a gay theme 

or character. For more details please contact 

Alastair on Galashiels (01896) 757861 or 

E-mail: alastairlings@yahoo.co.uk 

FETISH 

MSC SCOTLAND: 

A club for men interested in Leather, Rubber, 

Uniform. Meets in Edinburgh from 10pm 

downstairs in the New Town Bar on 3rd Sat of 

each month. Write: PO Box 28, Edinburgh. EH3 

5JL. 

E-mail: president@msc-scotland.net 

www.msc-scotland.net 

HEALTH AND 

ABILITIES 

AL-ANON: 

Fellowship of relatives and friends of alcoholics 

who share their experience, strength and hope 

in order to solve their common problem. 

Anyone affected by another person’s drinking is 

welcome. LGBT & Friends Group meets 6.45- 

7.45pm at Edinburgh LGBT Centre, 58a/60 

Broughton Street. Tel: Catherine on 07940 

473150. 

www.al-anonuk.org.uk 

ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS: 

Whilst AA runs the f ollowing LGBT meetings in 

Edinburgh and Glasgow, please note that it is a 

non restrictive organisation and LGBT people 

are welcome at any meeting. 

AA Edinburgh: Tue 8pm (Edinburgh Peace And 

Justice Resource Centre, St John’s Church, 

Princes Street). Please note that the last 

meeting of the month is open to non AA 

members. 

AA Glasgow: Tue 7.30pm (Spoon Café, 46 

Trongate), Thu 7.30pm (Nye Bevan House, 20 

India Street), Fri 7.30pm (The Ogilvie Centre, 25 

Rose Street). 

AA National: Helpline: 0845 7697555 (24 

hours). Northern Service Office: 0141-226 

2214. 

www.alcoholicsanonymous.org.uk 

ALZHEIMER'S SOCIETY 

LGBT SUPPORT GROUP: 

Trained and skilled volunteers able to offer 

understanding and a listening ear to LGBT 

people affected by Alzheimer’s disease or any 

other form of dementia.To contact: Tel the 

Alzheimer's Helpline on 0845 300 0336 

or write to Alzheimer's Society LGBT Support 

Group, Alzheimer's Society, Devon House, 58 

Saint Katharine's Way, London. E1W 1Jx. or 

E-mail: gaycarers@alzheimers.org.uk 

www.alzheimers.org.uk 

/Gay_Carers/index.htm 

BODY POSITIVE (TAYSIDE): 

13 Main Street, Dundee. DD3 7EY. A charity that 

exists to empower HIV and HepC positive 

people and those affected thereby to eliminate 

the stigma and isolation they experience. Tel: 

Dundee (01382) 226860. Fax: Dundee (01382) 

322606. Tue-Thu (Drop In) Noon-3.30pm. 

E-mail: admin@bodypositivetayside.org 

www.bodypositivetayside.org 

BROWNLEE CENTRE (GLASGOW): 

Gartnavel General Hospital, 1053 Great Western 

Road, Glasgow. G12 0YN. Confidential 

information, advice, counselling and direct 

access testing for HIV and Hepatitis.The Centre 

provides ongoing medical and social care plus 

psychological and emotional support for people 

living with HIV infection and one to one 

counselling for people at risk of HIV. Tel: 0141- 

211 1089. Fax: 0141-211 1097. Mon-Thu 

9am-5pm, Tue 5-7pm, Fri 9am-4.30pm. 

BROWNLEE COMMUNITY TEAM: 

Gartnavel General Hospital, 1053 Great Western 

Road, Glasgow. G12 0YN. Social work service 

for people with HIV/AIDS providing intensive 

community based support. General advice and 

information on community care and housing 

needs also provided. 

Tel: 0141-211 1090. 

GAY MEN'S HEALTH EDINBURGH: 

10 Union Street, Edinburgh. EH1 3LU. A 

community led Lothian wide project for gay and 

bisexual men. Wide ranging volunteering 

opportunities which provide services including 

support and counselling, scene work, peer 

education and training, provision of condoms, 

lube and Safer Sex information. 

Tel: 0131-558 9444. 

E-mail: info@gmh.org.uk www.gmh.org.uk 

GAY MEN'S HEALTH GLASGOW: 

Unit 9, The Adelphi Centre, Gorbals, Glasgow. 

G5 0PQ. Tel: 0141-552 0112. A community led 

ScotsGay Listings are Free 

GROUPS

VENUES & EMPORIA 

*denotes ScotsGay available 

ABERDEEN 

CHAPLINS* 

20 Adelphi. Sun & Thu 9pm- 

2am, Fri-Sat 9pm-3am. New 

LGBT and Straight friendly venue 

in old My Club premises. 

CHEERZ BAR & CLUB* 

11 Hadden Street. Lively gay bar 

and club with entertainment and 

more. 

MARKET ARMS* 

13 Hadden Street. LGBT friendly 

pub with karaoke 5 nights a 

week. 

WELLMAN’S HEALTH STUDIO* 

218 Holburn Street. Tel: (01224) 

211441. Mon-Fri Noon-10pm, 

Sat Noon-9pm, Sun 2-9pm. 8- 

man Jacuzzi, sauna, steamroom, 

café. Free Internet access. 

Massage available. 

E-mail: rod@ 

wellmans-health-studio.co.uk 

www.wellmans-healthstudio.co.uk 

DUMFRIES 

DUMFRIES LGBT CENTRE* 

88b High Street. Tel: (01387) 

255058. Text: 07781 481788. 

Drop-in: Mon 3.30-5.30pm. 

E-mail: 

DandG@lgbtyouth.org.uk 

www.lgbtcentredg.co.uk 

STICKY 

Sky Bar, The Venue, 6/7 Church 

Place.Tel: (01387) 263623. 

Infoline: (01387) 739888. 9pm- 

2am. Last Fri of each month. 

Club night. 

www.clubsticky.co.uk 

DUNDEE 

ABODE* 

22 St Andrew’s Street. Tel: 

Dundee (01382) 223923. 

Mon-Sat 11am-Midnight, Sun 

12.30pm-Midnight. New LGBT 

friendly bar and eaterie. 

www.bebo.com/theabodebar 

BAR CLOZET* 

73-75 Seagate. Tel: Dundee 

(01382) 690403. Sun 12.30- 

Midnight, Mon-Sat 11am- 

Midnight. Formerly The Gauger. 

Karaoke Thu, Fri, Sun. Pool 

table. 

BROOKS BAR* 

2 St Andrew’s Lane. Wed-Thu 

7pm-Midnight, Fri-Sun 3pm- 

Midnight. New gay bar. 

JOCKS HEALTH CLUB/SAUNA* 

11 Princes Street. Tel: (01382) 

451986. Noon-10pm. Sauna, 

gym, steamroom, lockers, 

lounge, cabins. 

E-mail: ask@jockssauna.co.uk 

www.jockssauna.co.uk 

OUT* 

124 Seagate. Tel: (01382) 

200660. Wed-Sun 11pm- 

2.30am. Good atmosphere, very 

popular disco with wide 

selection of sounds and the 

occasional act/PA. 

THE SALTY DOG* 

9 Crichton Street. Sun-Tue 4pm- 

Midnight, Wed-Thu 

2pm-Midnight, Fri-Sat 11am- 

Midnight. Cosy little bar. Newly 

opened. 

EDINBURGH 

During August, many venues in 

Edinburgh have extended 

opening hours. Phone venue to 

check. 

ADULT CONCEPTIONS* 

8 Drummond Street. Tel: 0131- 

557 9413. Fax: 0131-557 8336. 

Sun Noon-9pm, Mon-Sat 10am- 

9pm. Fem 2 Dom is at 25 Easter 

Road. Tel: 0131-623 6969. 

Licensed sex shops. 

THE AULD HOOSE* 

23-25 St Leonards Street. 

Tel: 0131-668 2934. Sun 

12.30pm-1am, Mon-Sat Noon- 

1am. Everybody-friendly real ale 

bar. Food served: Mon-Sat 

Noon-9.30pm, Sun 12.30-8pm. 

E-mail: liz@theauldhoose.co.uk 

www.theauldhoose.co.uk 

BLUE MOON CAFÉ* 

1 Barony Street/36 Broughton 

Street. Tel: 0131-556 2788 (Bar) 

or 0131-557 0911 (Office). Sat- 

Sun 10am-11pm, Mon-Fri 

11am-11pm. Food served until 

10pm. Popular LGBT café. 

www.bluemooncafe.co.uk 

BOBBIE'S BOOKSHOP* 

220 Morrison Street. Tel: 0131- 

538 7069. Mon-Sat 10am-1pm, 

2-5.30pm. Sells a selection of 

gay magazines. 

BOOTY* 

GHQ, 4 Picardy Place. Tel: 0131- 

550 1780. Info Line: 07736 

936650. Sun 11pm-3am. Club 

night. 

E-mail: 

dale@lushmarketing.com 

www.club-booty.com 

CAFÉ HABANA* 

22 Greenside Place. Tel: 0131- 

558 1270. 1pm-1am. Friendly 

pre-club bar popular with locals 

and visitors. Free WiFi 

Internet. 

E-mail: 

cafehabanaEH1@mac.com 

www.cafehabanaEH1.com 

CAFÉ NOM DE PLUME* 

60 Broughton Street. Tel: 0131- 

478 1372. Café/bar at the LGBT 

Centre. Meals, snacks, drinks. 

Free WiFi. Dogs welcome. 

Outdoor smoking area. 

E-mail: info@theregentbar.co.uk 

C.C. BLOOM'S* 

23-24 Greenside Place. 

Tel: 0131-556 9331. Sun 9pm- 

3am, Mon-Thu 8pm-3am, 

Fri-Sat 6pm-3am. Two funky 

floors! Disco every night from 

11pm. 

E-mail: ccblooms@tiscali.co.uk 

www.bebo.com/ 

CCBloomsNightClub 

DARE 

SpeakEasy, 28 Blair Street. Tel: 

0131-220 6176. 11pm-3am. 

Last Sat of each month. Club 

night with DJ Jon Pleased. 

www.thecabaretvoltaire.com 

DV8 

Spiders Web Basement, 258 

Morrison Street. Tel: 0131-228 

1949. 8pm-1am. Last Fri of each 

month. Fetish club. 

http://dv8fetishclub.co.uk 

EDINBURGH LGBT CENTRE* 

58a and 60 Broughton Street. 

Houses Café Nom De Plume and 

Pride Scotia. Free WiFi Internet 

access (sponsored by 

ScotsGay). Bought in 1974 by 

the Scottish Minorities Group, it 

is the only LGBT-owned LGBT 

Centre in the UK and is also the 

oldest LGBT Centre outwith the 

USA. Tel: 0131-556 9471. 

Meeting Room Booking Tel: 

07817 533337. 

E-mail: edinburghlgbtcentre 

@drink.demon.co.uk 

ELBOW* 

133-135 East Claremont Street. 

Tel: 0131-556 5662. 11am-1am. 

Breakfast until 6pm at 

weekends, Lunch 11.30am- 

6pm, Dinner 6pm-10pm. Bar 

and restaurant. 

www.elbowedinburgh.co.uk 

ELECTRO-SEXUAL* 

C.C. Bloom’s, 23-24 Greenside 

Place. Tel: 0131-556 9331. 

11pm-3am. First Fri of each 

month. Club night. 

www.facebook.com/ 

electroedinburgh 

FRENCHIES BAR* 

87-89 Rose Street Lane North. 

Tel: 0131-225 6967. Edinburgh’s 

oldest gay pub now open after 

tasteful refurbishment. 

E-mail: 

frenchies.bar@hotmail.co.uk 

www.frenchies-bar.com 

GHQ* 

4 Picardy Place. Tel: 0131-550 

1780. Tue-Sun 5pm-3am. 

Stylish bar and club catering for 

the capital's fashionable gay 

crowd. 

www.socialanimal.co.uk/ 

Edinburgh/GHQ 

LGBT CENTRE FOR HEALTH & 

WELLBEING* 

9 Howe Street. Tel: 0131-523 

1100. LGBT community centre 

in the heart of the New Town 

offering a range of events, 

courses and activities. Also 

provides meeting space for 

community groups. See website 

for listings. 

E-mail:admin@lgbthealth.org.uk 

www.lgbthealth.org 

LUVELY 

Liquid Room, 9c Victoria Street. 

Tel: 0131-225 2564. Info Line: 

0131-657 4633. 10.30pm-3am. 

1st Sat of each month. Club 

night. 

www.luvely.com 

NEW TOWN BAR* 

26B Dublin Street. Tel: 0131- 

538 7775. Sun 12.30pm-1am, 

Mon-Thu Noon-1am, Fri-Sat 

Noon-2am. Food: Mon-Fri Noon- 

3pm. Popular and busy gay bar. 

Free WiFi Internet access. 

E-mail: alanemerson 

@newtownbar.co.uk 

www.newtownbar.co.uk 

No EIGHTEEN* 

18 Albert Place, Leith Walk. Tel: 

0131-553 3222. Mon-Thu 

Noon-10pm, Fri-Sun Noon- 

11pm. The UK's first VAT 

registered gay sauna! £10 (£8 

concessions), £5 after 8pm. 

www.number18sauna.com 

PLANET* 

6 Baxter's Place. Tel: 0131-556 

5551. 1pm-1am. Popular and 

busy gay bar with friendly staff. 

Karaoke Sun-Thu from 9pm. 

Nightly DJ. 

E-mail: 

planetgaybar@googlemail.com 

PRISCILLA'S CABARET BAR* 

17 Albert Place, Leith Walk. Tel: 

0131-554 8962. Sun 2pm-1am, 

Mon-Fri Noon-1am, Sat 5-10am 

and 4pm-1am. Friendly bar 

putting the fun back into coming 

out! 

E-mail: 

debrakeith11@yahoo.co.uk 

Q-STORE 

5 Barony Street. Tel/Fax: 0131- 

477 4756. Sun 1-5pm, Mon-Fri 

11am-7pm, Sat 11am-6pm. 

Scotland's only licensed gay 

store. Not just feelthy pictures - 

lifestyle too! 

THE REGENT* 

2 Montrose Terrace. Tel: 0131- 

661 8198. Sun 12.30pm-1am, 

Mon-Sat 11am-1am. 

Edinburgh’s Gay Real Ale Pub. 

CAMRA's Lesbian & Gay Real 

Ale Drinkers meet here on the 

1st Mon of the month (2nd Mon 

in Aug) from 9pm. 

E-mail: info@theregentbar.co.uk 

www.lagrad-edinburgh.org.uk 

SATURDAY NIGHT BEAVER 

SpeakEasy, 36 Blair Street. Tel: 

0131-220 6176. 10.30pm-3am. 

Successor to Velvet. 3rd Sat of 

each month. A girls night out. 

For gay and bi women and 

LGBTI friendly friends. DJ 

Trendy Wendy and guests, 

eclectic genre spanning music. 

£3 before 11pm, thereafter 

£5/£4 conc with ID. Affordable 

drinks. 

STEAMWORKS* 

5 Broughton Market. Tel: 0131- 

477 3567. Daily 11am-11pm. 

Stylish sauna forming part of 

busy gay hotel and sauna 

complex in centre of gay quarter. 

State-of-the-art facilities 

including large spa pool, sauna 

cabin, large steam room, video 

room, labyrinth with themed 

areas, café lounge, free Internet 

access, tanning booth. 

www.steamworks-sauna.co.uk 

THE STREET* 

2 Picardy Place. Tel: 0131-556 

4272. Sun 12.30pm-1am, Mon- 

Sat Noon-1 am. Small but 

perfectly formed bar run by 

Louise and Trendy Wendy. 

www.thestreetbar.co.uk 

TACKNO 

The Voodoo Rooms, 19a West 

Register Street. Tel: 0131-556 

7060. 10pm-5am. One off club 

nights with Trendy Wendy and 

guests - see website for dates. 

www.tackno.com 

WORD POWER* 

43-45 West Nicolson Street. Tel: 

0131-662 9112. Sun Noon-5pm, 

Mon-Sat 10am-6pm. 

Independent radical bookshop. 

E-mail: books@wordpower.co.uk 

www.word-power.co.uk 

GLASGOW 

AMBASSADORS RAINBOW* 

41b York Street. Tel: 0141-237 

3011. Mon-Thu Noon-Midnight, 

Fri-Sun Noon-2am. Sauna. Mon: 

Buddies Day (2 for 1), Wed: 

Towel Free Day, Fri: TVs, CDs 

and Admirers Day, Sun: £5 entry. 

www.ambassadorsrainbow.com 


ambassadors.rainbow 

BABYLON* 

28 Bath Street. Tel: 0141-332 

1377. Noon-8pm. New men only 

sauna. Entry from £5. Free 

Sunday breakfasts. 

E-mail: 

babylon@babylonleisure.co.uk 

www.babylonleisure.co.uk 

BENNETS* 

80-90 Glassford Street. Tel: 

0141-552 5761. Wed-Mon 

11.30pm-3am. Scotland's oldest 

gay disco. 

E-mail: 

bennetsniteclub@gmail.com 

www.bebo.com/bennetsniteclub 


bennetsniteclub 

CCA* 

350 Sauchiehall Street. Tel: 

0141-352 4900. Fax: 0141-332 

3226. Café Tel: 0141-332 7959. 

Sales & Info: The Centre for 

Contemporary Arts. 6 

performance and exhibition 

spaces, café, bar. ScotsGay 

available in bar. 

E-mail: gen@cca-glasgow.com 

www.cca-glasgow.com 

COURT BAR* 

69 Hutcheson Street. Tel: 0141- 

552 2463. Sun Noon-Midnight, 

Mon-Sat 8am-Midnight. Intimate 

bar. Straight friendly. 

DELMONICA'S BAR* 

68 Virginia Street. Tel: 0141-552 

4803. Noon-Midnight. DJs 

nightly from 9pm. Thu: Quiz. 

Sun: Karaoke. 


GlasgowCityCentre/Delmonicas 

FHQ* 

10 John Street. Tel: 0141-553 

5851. Mon-Wed 5pm-Midnight, 

Thu 9pm-3am, Fri 5pm-2am, 

Sat-Sun Noon-2am. Female only 

bar and club. 

E-mail: fhq@g1group.com 


GlasgowCityCentre/FHQ 

LIQUID LOVE 

Mansion House, The 

Glasshouse, 20 Glassford Street. 

Tel: 0141-553 4888. Thu 

1130pm-3am. Club night. 

E-mail: 

liquidloveglasgow@yahoo.co.uk 

LUKE & JACK* 


5699. Mon-Sat 10.30am- 

6.30pm, Sun Noon-5.30pm. 

Scotland’s newest LGBT shop - 

locally owned and independent. 

Sells aromas, toys, lubes, 

magazines and books, 

underwear, T-shirts, gifts, etc. 

E-mail: hello@lukeandjack.co.uk 

www.lukeandjack.co.uk 

MERCHANT PRIDE 

20 Candleriggs. Tel: 0141-564 

1285. Sun 12.30pm-Midnight, 

Mon-Fri 4pm-Midnight, Sat 

Noon-Midnight. Bar in the heart 

of the Merchant City. 

MILK* 

17 John Street. Mon-Fri 4pm- 

Midnight, Sat-Sun 3pm- 

Midnight. Gay bar (formerly 

Scene). 

http://moojuice.co/ 

MODA* 


2553. Mon-Thu 5pm-1am, Fri- 

Sun 5pm-3am. Fashionable 

pub/club. 


GlasgowCityCentre/Moda 

THE PIPEWORKS* 

5-10 Metropole Lane. Tel: 0141- 

552 5502. Mon-Thu 

11.30am-11pm, Fri 11.30am- 

Sat 6am, Sat Noon- Sun 11pm. 

Men's Health and Leisure Club. 

Usual facilities. £13 (£10 

concession). 

www.thepipeworks.com 

PLUSH 

Orbis Nightclub, 10-36 Bell 

Street. Tel: 0141-552 1212. Tue 

11pm-3am. Club night. 

www.orbisglasgow.com 

POLO LOUNGE* 

84 Wilson Street. Tel: 0141-553 

1221. Mon-Thu 5pm-1am, Fri- 

Sun 5pm-3am. Long established 

pub/club. Young crowd. Club 

open Fri-Sun, £5 after 11pm. 


GlasgowCityCentre/ 

Polo_Lounge 

RELAX CENTRAL* 

3rd Floor, 27 Union Street. Tel: 

0141-221 0415. Sun Noon- 

8.30pm, Mon-Sat 

11.30am-10pm. Established gay 

sauna. Entry £8. 

E-mail: relaxcentral@ymail.com 

www.relaxcentral.co.uk 

REVOLVER BAR* 

6a John Street. Tel: 0141-553 

2456. Mon-Fri Noon-Midnight, 

Sat-Sun 1pm-Midnight. 

A refreshing antidote to the 

current gay scene. Free WiFi. 

www.revolverglasgow.com 

SILKS AND SECRETS* 

308 Argyle Street. Tel: 0141-572 

1017. Fax: 0141-221 0959. Sun 

Noon-5pm, Mon-Sat 10am- 

6pm. Clothes and toys catering 

for gay, transvestite and fetish 

tastes. 

www.silksandsecrets.com 

SPEAKEASY* 

10 John Street. Tel: 0141-553 

5851. Mon-Wed 5pm-Midnight, 

Thu 5pm-3am, Fri 5pm-2am, 

Sat-Sun Noon-2am. 

Fresh alternative to the gay 

scene. Food served until 9pm. 

E-mail: 

speakeasy@g1group.com 


GlasgowCityCentre/Speakeasy 

TRON THEATRE CAFÉ BAR* 

Chisholm Street. Tel: 0141-552 

8587. Fax: 0141-552 6657. Sun 

11am-Late, Mon-Sat 10am-Late. 

Friendly theatre bar. Mixed. Good 

food. 

www.tron.co.uk 

VIOLATE 

Violate Club Line: 09099 108174 

(75p per min at all times) or 

07939 723387. BDSM Runs 

regular clubs at the Big Joint in 

South Street, Glasgow on the 

first Sat of the month. 

www.violate.co.uk 

THE WATERLOO* 

306 Argyle Street. Tel: 0141-248 

7216. Sun 12.30pm-Midnight, 

Mon-Sat Noon-Midnight. 

Popular, crowded, down to earth 

drinking shop. Scotland's oldest 

gay bar. Busy, busy, busy! 

www.waterloobar.co.uk 

WEDNESDAYS 

The Tunnel, 84 Mitchell Street. 

Tel: 0141-204 1000. 1st Wed of 

each month. 11.30pm-3am. 

Club night. 

www.tunnelglasgow.co.uk 

INVERURIE 

VALLURE CAFE & WINE BAR* 

Garioch Centre. Tel: Inverurie 

(01467) 622966. New gay 

friendly establishment. 

E-mail: info@vallure.co.uk 

www.vallure.co.uk 

STIRLING 

ALBION BAR* 

51 Barnton Street. Tel: (01786) 

461252. Mixed bar. Bar meals 

available. 

E-mail: cj@albionbar.com 

www.albionbar.com 

STORNOWAY 

AN LANNTAIR* 

Kenneth Street. Tel: (01851) 

703307. Mon-Sat 8.30am-Late. 

LGBT friendly arts centre with 

bar and restaurant. Real ale. 

E-mail: info@lanntair.com 

www.lanntair.com 


a monthly magazine for 

LGBT folk and friends. 

ISSN: 1357-0595. Unless otherwise stated 

© Pageprint Ltd, August 2011. PO Box 

666, Edinburgh. EH7 5YW. Non profit use 

of material in the magazine, will normally 

be permitted free of charge, but you must 

contact us first for permission. 

Views expressed in ScotsGay don't 

necessarily reflect the views of ScotsGay. 

People featured in ScotsGay may identify 

as lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, straight, 

some, all, or none of the above. 

Editorial: 0131-539 0666 

editorial@scotsgay.co.uk 

Advertising: 07850 576106 

advertising@scotsgay.co.uk 

Editor John Hein 

Fringe Martin Walker 

Advertising Martin Mann 

Design Holly Wodehouse 

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Issue 117 - ScotsGay Magazine

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