A little something to make me sweeter

All good things must come to an end. Some with a whimper - and some with a bang!

And so, all dressed for "an early preview of the afterlife", Hils, Crog, John-John, Paul, Mark and I trolled off to Islington Assembly Hall for One Night in Heaven, the traditional end-of-LGBT-History-Month gala hosted by Camden LGBT Forum on Saturday.



Oh, those fabulous balls we love to hold...

...and it was fabulous! What remnants there were of it. The "Whore of Hampstead" - drag queen Sandra - was advertised as our host again; she was nowhere to be seen (or heard!). Neither was the lovely Rosie Wilby; but we did have poetry from Trudy Howson. And, instead of the Gay Men's Chorus, we got some Ed Sheeran-wannabee with a guitar and a load of dull songs.

However...



Al Pillay was - as always - a sparkling, loud, and very entertaining opening act. Totally unconnected to her performance on Saturday,and just for the hell of it, here he/she is with her own inimitable take on the fairy tale The Snow Queen:

Lana's Story Land - The Snow Queen

Meth - the only member of the advertised "Family Fierce" to show up - was a wonder to behold. Her "performance art" interpretations of Adele's Hello (inter-cut with snippets of Miss Jackson and, of course, Lionel Richie's identically-titled signature tune) and Katy Perry's Roar were in turn bewildering and hilarious.

But, if truth be told, there was only one act we really wanted to see - the utterly wonderful Andy Bell (of Erasure), of course!!



He was everything we expected, and more. With a set that didn't just stick to the "obvious" - his opening rendition of Erasure's Always, was a remix version - he has so much energy as a performer, he left many in the audience (some decades younger than he) exhausted just watching him.





In between Sacred from 2014's Erasure album The Violet Flame and his finale of crowd-pleasers including Blue Savannah and Respect (with a troupe of "backing dancers"; all the evening's performers), he proudly announced (before singing it) he was back at the top of America's Billboard Dance Chart with this one - Dave Aude feat. Andy Bell and True Original:

Dave Aude feat. Andy Bell - True Original

Pumped up with adrenaline, we cheered and whooped for more, but alas! We were to be disappointed. Despite everyone who attended having been issued with tickets that said it closed at 1am, we had no more from the acts, no more brilliant party choons from DJs Jonathan Kemp and Sadie Frost (as we had when we arrived); nothing else but... the raffle prize draw. Then the bar closed. To say we were disappointed is a bit of an understatement - but, as we were ushered out of the hall, we still had Andy Bell's voice ringing in our ears...

"Give a little respect to-oo-oo me!"

Erasure - A Little Respect

You may not like the things we do; only idiots ignore the truth

There was no Goody Two Shoes, no Prince Charming, no Stand and Deliver. I sincerely hope no-one turned up hoping this was going to be a "Greatest Hits" concert...

Colleagues in the council and I were thrilled to land tickets for last night's final (of four at Islington Assembly Hall) performance by one of the greatest survivors of the Punk and post-Punk eras that made the cusp of the 1970s to the 1980s so exciting, none other than Adam Ant!



This was indeed a concert for the die-hard fans of the former Stuart Goddard, as he and his fantastic new band performed - as promised - the Ants' seminal (and pre-fame'n'fortune) album Dirk Wears White Sox in its entirety. Just as raw, and just as complex and in-yer-face as it ever was when it was released thirty-five years ago (gulp!).

As "Musky03" at Aural Sculptors (one of those very die-hards) put it:

I can't believe that it was all reproduced so well. These songs can be best described as quirky, but the band did a magnificent job on it, especially with the falsetto harmonies that feature frequently across the album... Nine Plan Failed and The Day I Met God were clear highlights, as was Zerox.

Part of the show was given over to acoustic performances of S.E.X. and Picasso (Visita El Planeta De Los Simios). A nod was given to the direction that the Ants took after Malcolm McLaren took the first band when Adam played Kings of the Wild Frontier and Dog Eat Dog. Aside from that only a cover of Dave Berry's Strange Effect and [Vampires] took the set beyond the 1970's Ants. This was manna from heaven... a perfect 1979 time capsule and yet sounding completely contemporary.

And I couldn't agree more!


[That bloody light blinded us for most of the evening]

This was a bizarre, noisy and utterly inspiring evening of rock musicianship at its very best. Accolades must go to the "backing line-up" - guitarists Tom Edwards, Will Crewdson and (original Ant) Leigh Gorman, Joe Holweger on bass, and the two that really captured the "original" Ants sound, drummers Andy Woodard and (the brilliantly be-wigged) Jola.

But it was, of course, the theatrical and bizarre antics and vocal stylings of the UK's favourite pin-up of the early 80s - he's now a bit (ahem) bigger, and, as The Times described him, reminiscent of "a superannuated version of Captain Jack Sparrow"; but he is sixty years old after all! - that made the evening so very, very special indeed.

Here's the live version from the Islington concert of the classic Kings of the Wild Frontier:

Adam Ant at Islington Assembly Hall Kings of the Wild Frontier

One of the mainstays of the Dirk Wears White Sox album, Tabletalk (complete with its very odd video):

Adam and the Ants - Tabletalk

And, just because I like to reminisce about those heady days when I first grew to adore Mr Ant and his boys, here's their first chart hit from 1981 - Dog Eat Dog:

Adam and the Ants - Dog Eat Dog [TOTP]

You may not like the things we do
Only idiots ignore the truth

It's easy to lay down and hide
Where's the warrior without his pride?

We're gonna move real good
We're gonna dress so fine
It's dog eat dog eat dog eat dog eat dog eat dog eat dog eat dog eat dog
Leapfrog the dog
And brush me, daddy-o

It's easy to lay down and hide
Where's the warrior without his pride?

You may not like the things we say
What's the difference, anyway?

We're gonna move real good
We're gonna dress so fine
It's dog eat dog eat dog eat dog eat dog eat dog eat dog eat dog eat dog
Leapfrog the dog
And brush me daddy-o

It makes me proud, so proud of you
I see innocence shining through

Adam Ant (born Stuart Leslie Goddard, 3rd November 1954)

A rather fab interview with Mr Ant in one of Islington's local papers, the Ham and High.

Magnificent balls

The Rainbow Flag flew proudly above Islington Town Hall, as the light faded and we waited in the pub opposite for the doors to open at the Assembly Hall on Friday - for the event of the season, the Big Bang Ball (the celebration party for Camden and Islington LGBT History Month)!



Opening the show, the London Gay Big Band were brilliant, and kept the party going with - ahem! - a swing...



Hils and History Boy took full advantage of the dance class.



The effervescent Mrs Moore was our MC for the evening - and had us once again in stitches with her impromptu banter, and in awe of her fab singing voice.



The DJ, Ian James, was gorgeous.



Rights campaigner Father Bernard Lynch, Trustee and Co-Chair of Camden LGBT Forum, addressed the audience with a straight-from-the-hip rallying cry about the importance of LGBT History Month.



Our headline act was the Lesbian New Romantic tribute band, the wittily-named Joanne Joanne, who weren't bad at all actually - even if some of the tracks they chose were somewhat obscure ("We don't do Rio" is their mantra, apparently). They did do this one, however, Girls on Film:

Joanne Joanne - Planet Earth

Everyone - including LGBT royalty such as the marvellous Al Pillay - seemed to be enjoying themselves, and considering it was a cold miserable day in February, around 120 people in attendance - many of them in the most outrageous Sci-Fi-theme costumes - was quite a good turnout methinks.

In all, as balls go, full and satisfying!

Steampunk, Tango and big wigs

Our gang (Hils, Madam Arcati, Crog, Jim and I) all made a fabulous effort dressing up for the grand "Steampunk"-themed LGBT History Month Ball last night!

And we had a great time - with a cheesy disco and pop DJ, lesbian Tango exhibition, dance classes and a motley crue of similarly attired gayers from Camden and Islington, in the fab Art Deco surroundings of the Islington Assembly Hall (part of the Town Hall, resplendent with its first ever rainbow flag on the roof), how could we not?

In addition to the mayhem, our cabaret for the evening was the marvellous drag queen Miss Hope Springs, described on her website thus:

"Ex Vegas showgirl turned lounge act cocktail pianist Miss Hope Springs is on tour in Europe after the Starlight Lounge at the Pink Pelican Casino, where she had been entertaining since the sixt... I mean seventies... was dynamited and turned into a parking lot.

Having recently become single after her husband Irving ran off with his gym buddy Carlos, Hope is searching for that elusive trio - no... not her musicians, but love, happiness and success.

Currently living in her Winnebago, Miss Hope Springs is available for private parties, weddings and bar mitzvahs."

She was unfortunate in the fact that much of her audience at the Ball were mainly busy chatting at the bar (and some chatting right at the front of the stage - how rude!). But she growled magnificently through three hilarious numbers, before leaving us. Here's the "lady" herself...

Miss Hope Springs - Trog

It was a superb evening, and a fitting way to round off the events of LGBT History Month, which finishes at the end of February!

We are off to Brighton today for a few days, so "normal service" here at Dolores Delargo Towers may well be subject to further disruption...

Writing for people like me?

"I read Stephen King and at fourteen I found a friend in ‘Carrie’. She wasn’t like me. I wasn’t like her. I didn’t have a religious maniac for a mother. I didn’t have the power of telekinesis - though for a time I rather wished I did. But like Carrie, I was bullied at school. And like her, I had a secret."

Paul Burston appeared in what looked like a very "official" position last night, as he ventured North of the river for a change, and took pride of place in the opulent surroundings of Islington's Council Chamber.

The occasion was a special LGBT History Month "mini-Polari" event, focussing on gay literature, and what indeed that particular label means today - is there really one genre that appeals to "people like me"? Or you?

As Paul went on to say:

"I’ve always been seen as a gay writer. And whenever people ask me if I’m happy with that, I always tell them that I don’t mind, provided that when I go into a bookshop like Foyles or Waterstone’s, my books are in the general fiction section and not just the gay and lesbian section. Or to put it another way, I’m happy for my books to be read by ‘people like me’. But I don’t want them to be read only by ‘people like me’.

When you write, the question of ‘people like me’ takes on a whole new meaning. A writer doesn’t only write for himself. He also writes for his readers. I don’t mean that I write with a specific reader in mind. But I write knowing - or at least hoping - that there will be readers, and that those readers will be as diverse as possible.

With apologies to Jane Austen, it is a truth universally acknowledged by publishers that books by and about heterosexuals are somehow universal in their appeal, while books by and about homosexuals are only ever for the gays. Like many gay authors, I live in hope of proving the publishers wrong. I live in the hope that readers will go where you take them, and that people who love books aren’t only interested in reading about people like themselves.

If readers are willing to surrender to stories about vampires, goblins and serial killers, why should they run from the idea of same sex love? Should it matter whether they’re gay or straight, male or female, black or white?

Way back in the 80s I fell in love with a book called ‘The Color Purple’ by Alice Walker. One of my favourite books of last year was ‘Red Dust Road’ by Jackie Kay. My enjoyment of these books wasn’t hindered by the fact that I am not and have never been a black woman."

This was indeed a fascinating talk - with quotes from such disparate writers as Edmund White, Jean Genet and (my fave) Queens by Pickles, to boot - that engendered a healthy discussion and lots of questions afterwards, as the (unfortunately very small) audience explored his ideas, and picked Paul's brains on the subject.

We debated whether it is right that "erotica" and erotic themes are placed side-by-side (in lists such as on Amazon) with works that just happen to be by a gay author or have a gay theme to their story; and talked about the inevitable struggles gay writers have to go through in this world where Twitter and online forms of authorship (blogs and the like) are increasingly popular.

Paul concluded the debate on that final point, saying that in his opinion, the next few years could prove to be the most exciting for "niche" genres in literature - gay writing especially.

For in the era of Kindles and iPads the major publishers, who in the past had the ultimate control over the market and were responsible for pigeon-holing gay authors and even ignoring their books altogether, have been slow in responding to a new wave of self-published success stories. Nowadays, you do not necessarily need the backing of a big publishing house to become acclaimed or successful, just good writing skills and the guts to go ahead and do it.

In effect, it might become easier rather than harder in the future for us to find stories that are about "people like me".

Great stuff - and you could win a prize, too!

The Polari First Book Prize is for a first book which explores the queer experience and is open to any work of poetry, prose, fiction or non-fiction by a writer born or resident in the UK, published in English within the past twelve months.

Self-published works in both print and digital formats are eligible for submission.

Works must be submitted to The Polari First Book Prize by the publisher.

In the case of self-published works, works must be submitted with a one-page/A4 size letter of support describing why and how the project has been self-published.

The winner of the 2011 Polari First Book Prize was James Maker, for his memoir 'Autofellatio' (BIGFib), which began life as an e-book.

This year’s Prize is for books published between Feb 1, 2011 and Feb 1, 2012.

LGBT History Month continues throughout February 2012.

Flags, Closets, Salons, Dukes, Gods - and Steampunk!

Tomorrow marks the start of LGBT History Month, which continues throughout February.

That's yours truly at the back of the above photo - as co-Chair of the LGBT Forum, celebrating the arrival of the very first Rainbow Flag in its history to grace the flagpole above Islington Town Hall!

As ever, London has a fair smattering of events to mark the month, not least the on-going Joe Orton exhibition Malicious Damage. I am particularly looking forward to:

• The Vinyl Closet this Friday (3rd Feb) - a third outing of the entertaining history evening that uncovers portrayals of LGBT lives in popular music, organised as a fundraiser by the Lesbian and Gay Humanists. Visit the website (and notice where the links to the reviews of their previous shows point!)
• Our regular monthly highlight, "London's peerless literary salon" Polari on Monday 6th, with readings from Tiffany Murray, Faarea Masud, Catherine Hall, Jack Scott, Vicky Ryder and Max Wallis. Islington should be hosting a local "mini-Polari" as well, if arrangements are ever finalised...
• On Tuesday, a special lecture on Philippe I, duc d'Orléans (the flamboyant bejewelled brother of Louis XIV, known as "Monsieur") at the Wallace Collection (a museum I have never been to, so double the excitement!)
• Antinous, Last God of the Ancient World (on Thursday 9th at the marvellous Petrie Museum of Egyptian Archaeology), a "lavishly illustrated lecture" on the legendary youth whose death drove his lover the Emperor Hadrian to create a god-cult in his name.

There are of course many other events that we have yet to decide whether we will go to, including a history of gay people who helped win WW2, Olga Niewert's tribute to Klaus Nomi, a new performance play by La John-Joseph called Boy in a Dress, and a gay history tour of the fabulous Eltham Palace, but we'll see how the month pans out.

The closing gala ball on 24th February at Islington's Art Deco Assembly Hall is taking enough planning/shopping as it is - its dressing-up theme being "Steampunk", a currently trendy style that fascinates me (admirably described by one wit as "What happens when Goths discover brown"). And we all know how much I like dressing-up...

Just Glue Some Gears On It and Call It Steampunk

All this, and the beloved other half Madam Arcati's birthday, too! How will we cope?

---

In the United Kingdom LGBT History Month is observed during February to coincide with the celebration of the 2005 abolition of Section 28. Visit the official website.

Soul Mama

“The only time I'm really happy is when I'm on that stage, in front of my audience. Then, I'm the happiest woman in the world!"

The legendary Gwen McCrae certainly made herself and a lot of people (including me!) very happy last night, as she gave a captivating and sassy performance at Islington Assembly Hall. I bid for, and got, free tickets (as a member of staff), but unfortunately no-one else was able to go with me. So off I trotted on my own

Support act the Aussie funksters Electric Empire warmed proceedings up nicely with a fine set of jazzy numbers, but it was the diva herself we'd all come to see - when she finally took to the stage...



Looking fabulous for 67 in her sparkly sequinned jacket and mad "Tina" hair, the lady captivated right from the opening bars. Her voice is marvellous! All her crowd-pleasing hits (and more) were here - Funky Sensation, Rockin' Chair (in a medley with her ex-husband George's mega-hit Rock Your Baby), Girlfriend's Boyfriend, All This Love That I'm Giving, 90% Of Me Is You and of course the fantabulosa disco-tastic Keep The Fire Burning, which got all of us in the audience singing and dancing along!

It was all over far too soon, but I had a brilliant time. It has re-opened my ears to a long-neglected era of funky soul music, the predecessor of disco, when talent really mattered (unlike today, when a screech and a wibble will do as long as you look ok on TV).

Let us instead celebrate real music - here is Miss McCrae herself, giving it all she's got!

Gwen McCrae - Rockin Chair, Keep The Fire Burning, 90% Of Me

Gwen McCrae official website

More Gwen McCrae music on her MySpace page