“PROUD TO BE PRIDE”
LONDON GAY PRIDE 2010
SPECIAL PREVIEW
Ever since we forced open the doors on our closet and started strutting our stuff on a vibrant gay scene across the capital, London pride weekend has held some incredible & interesting memories for us. Not only have we fully thrown ourselves into the marching festivities on a number of occasions with gusto, such mass processions through the streets of the West End of London that have always been a central theme to Pride weekends, but we have also been drawn into post party celebrations more times than we can remember. Those days, when shouting that we were out & proud from the streets was much more of a taboo than it is today, plus the political aims for gay rights seemingly so much forthright then than now, it is true to say that times have certainly changed, with the gay community so much more an acceptable part of our larger society, meaning that, for us at least, the emphasis of the parade has changed into being much more a celebration of rather than a demand for gay liberation.
However, we look back on pride weekends in London during our informative days, proud of what the capital laid on, not least in the massive park based gatherings that gave people one huge spot to celebrate & let their hair down, whether it be dancing in their favourite club tents, indulging in a little sporting activity, having a laugh on funfair rides, or just sitting back & watching performances from a host of artists from a massive main stage. Amazing events at Brockwell Park in Brixton, Clapham Common, even Victoria Park in the east end & more latterly Finsbury Park in North London, hold very dear & fond memories for us, while many may remember the early days of Kennington Park or the acclamation of the organisers landing of Hyde Park, even if the sometime characteristic wet weather marred these events. Having been intrinsically involved in four of these memorable outdoor pride parties, working non-stop in various bar concessions, there was always something extra special about those times and pride weekends.
But despite the massive park style parties falling by the wayside, pride in London has become a gigantic event, as not only is it one day of celebration, but encompasses a whole host of happenings, some of which have already started, as the so-called “Pride Fortnight” actually got under way on Friday (18th June) and the build up to the big day itself, Saturday 3rd July, encompasses events across the mediums of music, theatre, dance, comedy, visual arts, sport, debate, film, fashion, participation and literature. Highlights have & will include Pride London’s involvement in T-Mobile's Big Dance, Paul L Martin's Cabaret at Battersea Barge and the final DVD launch of the L Word. Pride London as an organisation is also proud to support UK premieres, new writing and a 48 hour film festival, they are even hosting their own variety gala at Leicester Square Theatre, as well as participation events in one of London's best kept secret galleries “10 Gales”. And with lots of events emerging, not least what looks like an unmissable theatrical cabaret entitled “Confessions Of Dancefloor Whore” billed as a show “...where politics and pop culture clash, fusing comedy, burlesque, drag and new media performance to explore the contradictions and clichés of queer life...” at the Trafalgar Studio’s in Whitehall, you kind of get the gist about what the festival fortnight is about, with full details available at http://pridelondon.org/ and via their dedicated Facebook group page .
But, of course, everything leads to the big day itself when Pride London will be celebrating 40 years of the Gay Liberation Front (GLF) in London, which was seen by the government of the time as a revolutionary group of radicals, but were actually activists who brought LGBT rights out into the open, gaining its recognition as a political movement in the national press, although not always receiving favourable coverage, overt acts taking place in public places that included releasing mice, sounding horns & unveiling banners, as well as street theatre, radical drag & kiss-ins to get their aims & messages across. Founding members including Peter Tatchell who, along with several others went on demonstrate & fight for gay rights through the organisation “Outrage”, also saw the development of “Stonewall” that sought more passive lobbying, but are two of many organisations that we can be thankful for contributing towards the freedom & acceptance the gay community enjoys today. So, with the theme of “Paint the Town Ruby Red” Pride London wants you to “...put a flower in your hair, dust off those platforms and wear a frock with a fabulous hat...” and aims to bring back a slice of 1970 “...in all its disco glory...”, although while we love a good bit of disco (its in our name after all) whether we will extend to wearing a frock is left to question, but we may manage a flower or a hat!
Now, what is certain is that the parade through the streets of London’s west end will take place as planned, setting off, from Baker Street at 1pm and proceeding down the shopping heaven of Oxford Street & Regent Street, then swinging round through Piccadilly to Trafalgar Square, where the main thrust of celebrations, stage shows, speakers, stalls & other attractions will swing into action from 3 p.m., the festivities also stretching up to Leicester Square, all free of charge. However, if you have seen the recent announcement that the usual dance stage in Soho Square will now not take place (check http://pinknews.co.uk/2010/06/18/london-pride-in-soho-cancelled for the full story), there is much debate as to what sort of a part THE recognised gay area of the capital will play in pride. Naturally, many of the bars will be celebrating the day in style (we are duty bound behind the bar at Rupert St), but the very popular dance stage, which was to be hosted by The Orange group has been thrown into considerable doubt. However, fear not, as we will of course share with you the information on the fate of Soho’s celebrations at the news hit our desks.
However, as day turns to night, plenty of parties will swing into action, not least the “official” Pride London party which will take place at the fabulous Koko venue in Camden, being the first ever event organised by the Pride London charity for pride in London. “Liberation” will encompass a whole host of entertainers from fire eaters, stilt walking drag queens, dancers, acrobats and a surprise PA taking part in a fully choreographed show to entertain the crowd. The music will be delivered by top notch scene D.J.’s that will include The Freemasons, Wayne G, Stewart Who? & Andy Almighty, while the magnificent VIP area will be hosted by drag queen Dave Lynn and ticket holders will enjoy a great view from a glamorous balcony at the centre of the club. As the only official party on the night of 3rd July, 100% of profits will be returned to the charity to help fund next year's free pride event, with more details of this party available at http://pridelondon.org/ and tickets available via the site, as well as at outlets Prowler, Clone Zone & DV8 priced at £20 (£25 for VIP’s). Plus no party would be a party, without a pre-party and The Shadow Lounge is the destination on Thursday 1st July, when club night “Hola” will take centre stage, D.J.’s Laurent C & Terry Vietheer joined by Marron Bitch (aka Fidel – what a fab new name girl!), more details available at http://theshadowlounge.co.uk/.
But it goes without saying that Pride in London sees many of the big guns in the gAylist clubbing scene make their mark on the weekend and this year will be no different as not just Soho but Vauxhall & beyond swings into action, our best picks including the weekend kicking off in style with a special “Onyx” party at Area, then the night itself seeing the return of “The Best Of Brits” to Fire, but with the very un-British Seamus Haji headlining a breathtaking list of over 20 London, U.K. & internationally based D.J.’s, including Steve Pitron, The Sharp Boys, & Guy Williams, spread over across four rooms of fun, the weekend ending as it should with “Orange” who welcome back Boy George to the decks. Mind you, fetish alternative “Hard On!” will definitely pull a crowd, promoter Suzi Krueger going all pride on us, shifting the event from its usual slot of the last Saturday on the month, also swapping the music around between the two rooms & for one night only you can enter without membership, with free membership offers to new “Hard On!” recruits. However, the Pride weekend of clubbing looks set to be dominated by two biggies, “SuperMartXe” and “Beyond”, Logan & his team laying on an extra special pride party event at The Coronet in Elephant & Castle, the “Wizard Of Oz” themed SM event, thrown in conjunction with Jodie Harsh’s “Circus”, definitely being the hottest ticket in town, the gorge Hugo Sanchez flying in from Spain, flanked by Tony English & Mr Italian stallion Pagano & prolific PA Abigail Bailey, while the “Circus” room sports, Jodie, resident Kris Di Angelis & special guest Fat Tony. Then everyone will then converge on “Beyond”, which will surely be a roadblock event as “Liberation”, “Hard On!”, Best of Brits” & “SuperMartXe” party hedonists collide, so this audacious afterhours will be THE place to be & be seen this pride. But we also give a big thumbs up to new club night “Revolucion” which chooses Sunday 4th July to launch at stunning new club Opal (formerly The Rock) on Embankment, legendary D.J.’s Stevie B & Fat Tony going back-to-back on the decks, with plenty more besides. We will bring you full details of all these parties in upcoming Hot Dates posts out in the next few days, so keep your eyes peeled for those, not to mention the latest news on happenings across the pride weekend via our Recommendations & Extra Bites posts.
Right, that’s our preview take on this year’s London pride, which should prove to be not just a weekend of feverish entertainment, celebration & activity, but encompasses over two weeks of partying, unrivalled by any in the whole gay yearly calendar. And to the doubters that say that Madrid is ten times bigger & better and Cologne is one of Europe’s best pride events, (both which fall on the same weekend as ours), with the host of club nights, parties, & festivals taking place in London, pride in the capital looks like very much holding its own this year. Yes there are question marks over the Soho issue on the day, but be rest assured that, come rain or shine, London will be awash with brightly coloured, energetic party goers, entertainers, scene workers, & 10’s of thousands of people from all walks of gay life, converging on the capital to make this a pride to remember. So, make sure you book your place on the ride that will be Pride London and be “proud to be pride”. (DISCO MATT)
LONDON GAY PRIDE 2010
SPECIAL PREVIEW
Ever since we forced open the doors on our closet and started strutting our stuff on a vibrant gay scene across the capital, London pride weekend has held some incredible & interesting memories for us. Not only have we fully thrown ourselves into the marching festivities on a number of occasions with gusto, such mass processions through the streets of the West End of London that have always been a central theme to Pride weekends, but we have also been drawn into post party celebrations more times than we can remember. Those days, when shouting that we were out & proud from the streets was much more of a taboo than it is today, plus the political aims for gay rights seemingly so much forthright then than now, it is true to say that times have certainly changed, with the gay community so much more an acceptable part of our larger society, meaning that, for us at least, the emphasis of the parade has changed into being much more a celebration of rather than a demand for gay liberation.
However, we look back on pride weekends in London during our informative days, proud of what the capital laid on, not least in the massive park based gatherings that gave people one huge spot to celebrate & let their hair down, whether it be dancing in their favourite club tents, indulging in a little sporting activity, having a laugh on funfair rides, or just sitting back & watching performances from a host of artists from a massive main stage. Amazing events at Brockwell Park in Brixton, Clapham Common, even Victoria Park in the east end & more latterly Finsbury Park in North London, hold very dear & fond memories for us, while many may remember the early days of Kennington Park or the acclamation of the organisers landing of Hyde Park, even if the sometime characteristic wet weather marred these events. Having been intrinsically involved in four of these memorable outdoor pride parties, working non-stop in various bar concessions, there was always something extra special about those times and pride weekends.
But despite the massive park style parties falling by the wayside, pride in London has become a gigantic event, as not only is it one day of celebration, but encompasses a whole host of happenings, some of which have already started, as the so-called “Pride Fortnight” actually got under way on Friday (18th June) and the build up to the big day itself, Saturday 3rd July, encompasses events across the mediums of music, theatre, dance, comedy, visual arts, sport, debate, film, fashion, participation and literature. Highlights have & will include Pride London’s involvement in T-Mobile's Big Dance, Paul L Martin's Cabaret at Battersea Barge and the final DVD launch of the L Word. Pride London as an organisation is also proud to support UK premieres, new writing and a 48 hour film festival, they are even hosting their own variety gala at Leicester Square Theatre, as well as participation events in one of London's best kept secret galleries “10 Gales”. And with lots of events emerging, not least what looks like an unmissable theatrical cabaret entitled “Confessions Of Dancefloor Whore” billed as a show “...where politics and pop culture clash, fusing comedy, burlesque, drag and new media performance to explore the contradictions and clichés of queer life...” at the Trafalgar Studio’s in Whitehall, you kind of get the gist about what the festival fortnight is about, with full details available at http://pridelondon.org/ and via their dedicated Facebook group page .
But, of course, everything leads to the big day itself when Pride London will be celebrating 40 years of the Gay Liberation Front (GLF) in London, which was seen by the government of the time as a revolutionary group of radicals, but were actually activists who brought LGBT rights out into the open, gaining its recognition as a political movement in the national press, although not always receiving favourable coverage, overt acts taking place in public places that included releasing mice, sounding horns & unveiling banners, as well as street theatre, radical drag & kiss-ins to get their aims & messages across. Founding members including Peter Tatchell who, along with several others went on demonstrate & fight for gay rights through the organisation “Outrage”, also saw the development of “Stonewall” that sought more passive lobbying, but are two of many organisations that we can be thankful for contributing towards the freedom & acceptance the gay community enjoys today. So, with the theme of “Paint the Town Ruby Red” Pride London wants you to “...put a flower in your hair, dust off those platforms and wear a frock with a fabulous hat...” and aims to bring back a slice of 1970 “...in all its disco glory...”, although while we love a good bit of disco (its in our name after all) whether we will extend to wearing a frock is left to question, but we may manage a flower or a hat!
Now, what is certain is that the parade through the streets of London’s west end will take place as planned, setting off, from Baker Street at 1pm and proceeding down the shopping heaven of Oxford Street & Regent Street, then swinging round through Piccadilly to Trafalgar Square, where the main thrust of celebrations, stage shows, speakers, stalls & other attractions will swing into action from 3 p.m., the festivities also stretching up to Leicester Square, all free of charge. However, if you have seen the recent announcement that the usual dance stage in Soho Square will now not take place (check http://pinknews.co.uk/2010/06/18/london-pride-in-soho-cancelled for the full story), there is much debate as to what sort of a part THE recognised gay area of the capital will play in pride. Naturally, many of the bars will be celebrating the day in style (we are duty bound behind the bar at Rupert St), but the very popular dance stage, which was to be hosted by The Orange group has been thrown into considerable doubt. However, fear not, as we will of course share with you the information on the fate of Soho’s celebrations at the news hit our desks.
However, as day turns to night, plenty of parties will swing into action, not least the “official” Pride London party which will take place at the fabulous Koko venue in Camden, being the first ever event organised by the Pride London charity for pride in London. “Liberation” will encompass a whole host of entertainers from fire eaters, stilt walking drag queens, dancers, acrobats and a surprise PA taking part in a fully choreographed show to entertain the crowd. The music will be delivered by top notch scene D.J.’s that will include The Freemasons, Wayne G, Stewart Who? & Andy Almighty, while the magnificent VIP area will be hosted by drag queen Dave Lynn and ticket holders will enjoy a great view from a glamorous balcony at the centre of the club. As the only official party on the night of 3rd July, 100% of profits will be returned to the charity to help fund next year's free pride event, with more details of this party available at http://pridelondon.org/ and tickets available via the site, as well as at outlets Prowler, Clone Zone & DV8 priced at £20 (£25 for VIP’s). Plus no party would be a party, without a pre-party and The Shadow Lounge is the destination on Thursday 1st July, when club night “Hola” will take centre stage, D.J.’s Laurent C & Terry Vietheer joined by Marron Bitch (aka Fidel – what a fab new name girl!), more details available at http://theshadowlounge.co.uk/.
But it goes without saying that Pride in London sees many of the big guns in the gAylist clubbing scene make their mark on the weekend and this year will be no different as not just Soho but Vauxhall & beyond swings into action, our best picks including the weekend kicking off in style with a special “Onyx” party at Area, then the night itself seeing the return of “The Best Of Brits” to Fire, but with the very un-British Seamus Haji headlining a breathtaking list of over 20 London, U.K. & internationally based D.J.’s, including Steve Pitron, The Sharp Boys, & Guy Williams, spread over across four rooms of fun, the weekend ending as it should with “Orange” who welcome back Boy George to the decks. Mind you, fetish alternative “Hard On!” will definitely pull a crowd, promoter Suzi Krueger going all pride on us, shifting the event from its usual slot of the last Saturday on the month, also swapping the music around between the two rooms & for one night only you can enter without membership, with free membership offers to new “Hard On!” recruits. However, the Pride weekend of clubbing looks set to be dominated by two biggies, “SuperMartXe” and “Beyond”, Logan & his team laying on an extra special pride party event at The Coronet in Elephant & Castle, the “Wizard Of Oz” themed SM event, thrown in conjunction with Jodie Harsh’s “Circus”, definitely being the hottest ticket in town, the gorge Hugo Sanchez flying in from Spain, flanked by Tony English & Mr Italian stallion Pagano & prolific PA Abigail Bailey, while the “Circus” room sports, Jodie, resident Kris Di Angelis & special guest Fat Tony. Then everyone will then converge on “Beyond”, which will surely be a roadblock event as “Liberation”, “Hard On!”, Best of Brits” & “SuperMartXe” party hedonists collide, so this audacious afterhours will be THE place to be & be seen this pride. But we also give a big thumbs up to new club night “Revolucion” which chooses Sunday 4th July to launch at stunning new club Opal (formerly The Rock) on Embankment, legendary D.J.’s Stevie B & Fat Tony going back-to-back on the decks, with plenty more besides. We will bring you full details of all these parties in upcoming Hot Dates posts out in the next few days, so keep your eyes peeled for those, not to mention the latest news on happenings across the pride weekend via our Recommendations & Extra Bites posts.
Right, that’s our preview take on this year’s London pride, which should prove to be not just a weekend of feverish entertainment, celebration & activity, but encompasses over two weeks of partying, unrivalled by any in the whole gay yearly calendar. And to the doubters that say that Madrid is ten times bigger & better and Cologne is one of Europe’s best pride events, (both which fall on the same weekend as ours), with the host of club nights, parties, & festivals taking place in London, pride in the capital looks like very much holding its own this year. Yes there are question marks over the Soho issue on the day, but be rest assured that, come rain or shine, London will be awash with brightly coloured, energetic party goers, entertainers, scene workers, & 10’s of thousands of people from all walks of gay life, converging on the capital to make this a pride to remember. So, make sure you book your place on the ride that will be Pride London and be “proud to be pride”. (DISCO MATT)
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