ScotsGay Issue 98 - ScotsGay Magazine

dùn eideann
EDINBURGH
So – you’ve survived the Xmas mayhem, the
big freeze and almost upon us is Feb – the month
of love! Feb brings us Valentine’s Day, and is also
LGBT History Month. LGBT History Month
celebrates the lives and achievements of the LGBT
community both past, present and future. For
more info on History Month events in your area,
check out www.lgbthistory.org.uk. You might just
discover a thing or two about yourself!
Sooo – back to the love-in. If you fancy
something a bit different this year, whether you’re
a loved up couple or a gaggle of friends, how
about some laughs on Valentine’s Day this year???
Fringe favourites (not to mention ScotsGay cover
stars) Topping & Butch are bringing their unique
blend of cabaret and stand up comedy to
Edinburgh for a very special one-off show in
support of Waverley Care, on Valentine’s Day - Sun
14th Feb. The show, which takes place in
Pleasance One at 8pm, will feature the awardwinning
duo’s satirical take on current affairs, life,
love and celebrity gossip. And as if that wasn’t
enough, they are also bringing some friends too!
Joining the duo will be singers Maria Tecce and
Katrina of Katrina & the Waves fame – you know
the one, ‘Walking on Sunshine’ la la …. Anyhoo it’s
only £10 a ticket, which is a total bargain for a
guaranteed night of side-splitting comedy. And it’s
supporting a local charity too! For more info or to
book tickets, contact Karen at Waverley Care on
0131-556 9710.
GHQ will also be hosting a Valentine’s Ball for
Star-Crossed Lovers!!! Hosted by my favourite
drag queen eeeeeever, the always-glam Ms. Cilla
Slack, entry is FREE and drinks from £1! So
whether you’ve found your Romeo or Juliet or are
still searching, here’s a place to celebrate love, lust
and all other matters of the heart!! On Sun 14th
Feb, from 11pm-3am.
For all those ladies looking for love, or just
some good lovin’, feast your eyes on the Furburger
beauties on Fri 12th Feb! At GHQ from 11pm-3am,
Dejaybird and Funkidiva promise the best of aural
Jodie Fleming
edinburgh@scotsgay.co.uk
stimulation in this Valentine’s special that’s sure to
get everyone in the mood for love.
And now for the news I know women from all
over Scotland have just been dying to hear – long
standing womens’ club night Velvet is back in
town!! And not only that; it’s in the coolest of
venues!! The all-new Velvet will be held at The
Speakeasy, which many of you will know is located
within the ancient caverns underneath Edinburgh’s
streets. Not only is it run by women, upmarket
and with cheap drinks, they also serve food and
offer ghost tours!! Clearly they can handle ghosts
and ghouls – let’s see what they make of the old
Velvet regulars!!! The first 3 dates for Velvet are
Sat 8th May which will be the launch party,
followed by Sat 19th Jun and then Sat 17th Jul.
Speaking of institutions, here’s what’s on at
Edinburgh’s longest running gay club, the one and
only CC Blooms, this month. We start off with
ELECTROsexual’s 1st Birthday Party on Fri 5th Feb.
I can hardly believe it's been a whole year since
Electrosexual burst on to the gay scene. To
celebrate twelve dirty months of electro madness,
join Lucky and his padawan DJ Kenwai, the
wonderful sexy CC's barstaff and a totally up for it
crowd. A note from the organisers – ‘Seen the
video for Black Eyed Peas - I Gotta Feeling? With
all the UV paint? That's what you can expect down
on level 2. We'll have glowsticks, paint, the works.
So wear your brightest raver gear and get yourself
dolled up... If it's not NEON it shouldn't BE ON!!’
And in a spirit of beautiful partnership, Chris Paton
and the sexy Habana boys will be handling the
warm up pre-club at Café Habana next door. And if
you’re not partied out by that time, join the gang
Priscillas from 5am for the afterclub!!
Also at CC Blooms, over Valentine’s Weekend
- Sat 13th and Sun 14th Feb, they are hosting a
variety of Valentine’s Treats to get you all loved up.
Look out for the posters around town and in the
club for more details. Think My Bloody Valentine
and you'll be not far off what's planned!!! The
Loveboat Cabaret will set sail on Sun 14th Feb,
featuring up and coming performers from
Edinburgh and Glasgow in the mood for love.
The show will take place in the decadent
surroundings of the Voodoo Rooms
Speakeasy, a haven for burlesque and cabaret
fans. This special show will delight with love
songs and lust! If you are looking for a place
to be entertained on Valentine’s night then this
could be the event for you. It will feature live
vocals, boylesque, burlesque and will be
hosted by Captain Anchor, a cruisey cruise
ship crooner. He will be joined by Lily de Lure,
Sparky Strange, and Chassy vanKlass. Entry is
free so no excuses not to come out and play!
And for more Priscillas news, here’s
more from the crew who are constantly
outdoing themselves with innovative new
ways to keep us entertained! Don’t forget the
great Hotscots Quiz! Hosted by Boozy Soozy
on the first Mon of each month (next date Mon
1st Feb), come and challenge if you dare!!!
And Sat 13th Feb – brings their very own
version of Blind Date, with a £50 prize for the
couple that wins!! Also that evening is the
‘love football’ tournament – not to be missed!
And on Wed 24th Feb, the venue are holding a
special HotScots Fundraiser Quiz. The entry
fee is £10 for a team of 4, and up for grabs is
a fantastic £50 prize with extra spot prizes
throughout the night .The ticket price also
includes scran. Bargain!!! As if that wasn’t
enough, on Fri 26th Feb, fantastic diva Scarlett
Diamonte returns to the Priscillas stage for her
first show in 2010 – a show defo not to be
missed!! And to round Feb off nicely, on Sat
27th Feb there’s a Back to the 80's night with
DJ DazGlaz playing the best 80's tunes, and in
true Priscillas style, a fantastic 80's Show !!
Plenty to be getting on with there folks!!
If quizzes are your thing, then you will of
course already have heard of The World
Famous Regent Quiz. Held on the last Tue of
the month, Quiz Mistress Siobhan promises a
night of riveting entertainment and a true
challenge to the grey matter with this doozer
of a 6-parter!! With a fantastic £50 bar tab up
for grabs, entry is a meagre £1.50 per sheet
which includes yummy sweets n snacks for
every table. Get there early to guarantee a seat
as this quiz is constantly jammed and is just
getting busier and busier!! Next date is Tue
23rd Feb, from 9pm.
New club night Dare! launched at the end of
2009 and has been a resounding success. Dare! is
a monthly club playing current electronic music,
from MGMT, Mylo and Lindstrom to Grace Jones,
Giorgio Moroder and The Human League – all
served up by resident DJ Jon Pleased Wimmin.
With a fantastic music policy without boundary, it’s
sure to appeal to many with its mixed crowd and
relaxed surroundings of The Speakeasy... held
every last Sat of every month. Next dates: Sat 27th
Feb and Sat 27th Mar!
And now for a brand new club night – check
out Friday Funk at CC Blooms! Starting on Fri 26th
Feb, then the last Fri of every month, CC's
superstar DJ Shell La Belle funks things up on
Level 1. This sexy assed DJ has been spinning the
odd tune at CCs for a while now, but has stepped
up her game with this new monthly night and is
now drawing in the crowds. So get yer sexy on
down at CCs each last Fri of the month and let
them Funk Up Your Weekend! And CC Blooms are
also relaunching their Thu Karaoke, with a new
face on the first and last Thu of the month from
11pm. DJ Calverto steps out from behind his
downstairs DJ booth and puts on his Karaoke cap.
He promises to bring something a little different to
the usual Karaoke night... and... the boy can even
sing himself!
For lovers of alternative music, I’d just like to
give a wee heads up about the fantastic alt band
JUNE who had their first gig last month. Not only
are this band wonderfully talented and cool, they’re
also H.O.T.!!! You can catch them next on Mon 1st
Feb at Bannermans in the Cowgate, when they
support fabby London band NIXA and fellow local
band Wildtype!!! No excuses – get yer butts tae
Bannermans!!!
Now for all those folks who were concerned
about missing out on the LGLS Balls now that the
Switchboard is no longer running, fear not!! The
LGBT Centre for Health and Wellbeing have taken
over the organisation of this event and will
continue running this bi-annual extravaganza at the
Assembly Rooms. Now under the new name of
The Queer Ball, it will launch on Sat 20th Feb, for
all LGBT folks and friends with all the top names in
Scottish scene entertainment. The Queer Ball will
feature live music and a ceilidh with the fabulous
Shoogle Sisters; Lorna Thomas; Gill Hunter' and
Sandra MacBeth The dance space will be hosted
by DJ Trendy Wendy, and there will be
performances from festival faves the Sugar
Dandies, burlesque beauty Daiquiri Dusk and The
Gay Gordons. Featuring 2 Rooms and 3 Bars,
Stalls, Dressing Up and more!! For more info, see
www.webflers.co.uk/Flyer/7077
And now for the community bit! For those
interested in something more than pubbing,
clubbing on the scene, there’s a plethora of other
activities on offer. The LGBT Centre for Health and
Wellbeing are launching a load of fantastic courses
aiming to get the LGBT community active. Just the
ticket if – like me – you’ve let your fitness regime
slip slightly over the deep freeze!! And what better
than getting active whilst meeting new and like
minded people?? The fitness courses all launch
beginning to mid February and Yoga, Jogging,
Movement and Badminton. They are also kicking
off Edinburgh’s 2nd LGBT Arts Festival, after the
incredible success of last year’s month long event.
They have two courses starting early February.
The first is ‘Writing Our Histories’ in which the
wonderfully talented Ellen Galford and team Jo
Clifford and Sophia Walker facilitate three
workshops exploring drama, story and poetry.
These take place on Wed 3rd Feb, 17th Feb and
3rd Mar and if Ellen’s got anything to do with it, it’s
sure to be a fantastic and inspiring series of
events. The Centre is also running a photography
course starting Sat 6th Mar. For more info, call
0131-523 1100 or e-mail: james
@lgbthealth.org.uk
Finally, if you’ve not yet made a New Year’s
resolution and are looking for a fun and worthwhile
way to spend an evening or two a month, why not
try your hand at some youth work or events
management? LGBT Youth Scotland’s volunteer
armies continue to grow throughout the country
and there’s a multitude of new and exciting
opportunities for you to get involved in! If you
fancy giving something back to the community
whilst you develop new skills and enjoy meeting
some fantastic people, email: info
@lgbtyouth.org.uk or call one of the team on
0131-555 3940. You will not be disappointed!!