London’s independent cultural spaces are dropping like flies. But we can start to fight back if we come together to inform, inspire and take action
Articles about Duckie in Sitges and Forest Fringe in the Guardian
Just a quick heads up on a couple of recent articles… I’ve written my first blog post for the Duckie website as Dr Duckie – I’ll be posting occasional pieces there reporting back on my PhD research in a more casual, less footnoted way than academic protocols allow. This first dispatch is a report on […]
DVD review: In Their Room by Travis Mathews
Travis Mathews’s three sexy documentaries about men at home in San Francisco, Berlin and London add up to a snapshot of queer life today
Jonny Woo tells all about his new venue The Glory, opening this week
Christmas is coming early! There’s so much bad news these days around queer and alternative venues facing the threat or reality of closure that it’s a bit of a thrill to be able to report a new one setting up shop – especially when it comes with a pedigree this strong. The Glory has been […]
Meet Ernst and Röbi, real-life stars of gay-rights docudrama The Circle
I’ve been a bit obsessed this year with the idea of a ‘backward turn’ in LGBTQ cinema – a spike in interest in stories about the past, expressed through attention to period dramas, documentaries about historic subjects and greater screen presence for older LGBTQ people. (Here’s the Guardian piece where I set the idea out.) […]
Death by luxury: the threat to culture and the power of coffins in the street
Lately, it seems that barely a week goes by without news of one of London’s seminal underground, alternative or queer venues being closed or threatened with closure…
Shame Chorus: turning shame into song
The London Gay Men’s Chorus, psychotherapist Susie Orbach, artist Jordan McKenzie and the Freud Museum are collaborating on Shame Chorus, a performance project that aims to use feelings of shame to creat “catharsis, community and liberation”. Interviews conducted by Orbach with members of the choir about their experiences of shame will form the basis of new songs […]
AHS Freak Show’s Paul – aka Mat Fraser – on being a sex object, Bradley Cooper and ‘crip confidence’
Known to fans of American Horror Story Freak Show as Paul the Illustrated Seal, Mat Fraser is on the crest of a career of unusual variety and distinction – and still describes himself as a “performing crip”.
Review: Molly Ringwald at the Pheasantry
After one of the numbers in her set at the Pheasantry last night, Molly Ringwald turned to her pianist and musical director Peter Smith, her eyes shining. “I really felt that!” she said in a tone of surprise. Here’s a thought: if the sensation of experiencing strong emotion while you sing is so novel it […]
Nine questions the property developer buying the RVT won’t answer
James Lindsay has confirmed that Austrian property development company Immovate “has invested in the RVT”. But Immovate, which specialises in residential and commercial renovations of historic properties, refuses to discuss its plans for one of London’s oldest and most iconic LGBTQ venues. Lindsay bought the Royal Vauxhall Tavern in 2005 in partnership with Paul Oxley. In September, Lindsay […]
