Stooshe To Play at L Fest 2015!

L Fest 2015 are proud to announce that STOOSHE have joined the festival’s already amazing line up! 

This trio of London lasses are a vocal sensation, breaking onto the music scene in 2012 with the emergence of their first single, ‘Love Me’. After being placed in the UK top 40 for over 16 weeks with their enormous hit ‘Black Heart,’ the song received a nomination for ‘Best British Single’ at the 2013 Brit Awards. 

The festival boasts an increasing level of excited attendees, all of which are counting down the days until L ­Day. If you’re looking for an event which hosts thriving music artists, classic cabaret, priceless comedy, fun sports, insightful workshops and of course, women, then this is without doubt the weekend for you. 

With a combination of all of this, including these feisty three, the exceptionally talented Lucy Spraggan alongside many other incredible acts and just three weeks to go till the festival, well, you’d be mad not to buy your a ticket here:  www.lfest.co.uk/tickets 

Lesbian Musician DJ Chillz Releases New Webisodes!

London-based lesbian DJ Chillz (who you may remember from THIS post) has released an-all new webisode documenting her life as a lesbian DJ!

The second episode in her web series entitled "Hustle of a Female DJ" is available RIGHT HERE!:

Listen to DJ Chillz' new mixtape by clicking HERE!

Smirnoff Supports Second Winter Pride UK Arts Awards

Hosted by Irish broadcasting personality Brendan Courtney, Smirnoff supports the second Winter Pride UK Arts Awards, which will culminate in one of the biggest parties of the winter season at Tobacco Dock in East London on Saturday 15 November 2014. 

Stephen Fry, winner of the inaugural Smirnoff Winter Pride UK Luminary of the Year said, "Winter Pride UK is a unique opportunity for up-and-coming artists and performers to showcase their creativity at a key LGBT artistic and cultural event - creative ventures of this kind are all-important for both the arts and LGBT communities."

Open to all artists and performers regardless of their sexuality, Winter Pride UK is a unique celebration of creativity and a dazzling display of the finest performance and visual arts. Held within an iconic London setting steeped in Victorian history, this significant event in the LGBT social calendar brings together leading industry figures, celebrities and enigmatic performers, for an elegant evening of recognition, diversity and outstanding artistic talent.

Jamie Young, Smirnoff Brand Manager, said, “We have supported the LGBT community for many years and are very proud to be partnering the second Winter Pride UK. We have a huge passion with our relationships within the community and with such a pivotal event like this there is no better way for us to show our support.”

The Winter Pride UK Arts Awards not only raises a considerable amount of money for notable charities, it promotes and rewards previously unrecognised artists, creating an important opportunity to embrace diversity and unashamed self-expression.

Simon Tarrant, Director of the Winter Pride UK Arts Awards elaborates, "Our theme this year #Artis... is targeted at artists and performers who want to make a difference. The Awards are open to all artists and performers regardless of their sexuality and we are challenging them to tell us what they think Art Is - to express themselves and create pieces that are adventurous, playful and provocative".

The Arts Awards judging panel is made up of arts industry professionals, comprising Royal and celebrity sculptor Frances Segelman, international musician and "Queen of Harps" Catrin Finch, and gallery director Andrew Lacey, who will host a post Winter Pride UK art exhibition at Lacey Contemporary in Notting Hill from 18-29 November 2014.

A Frost Festival will be unveiled in the vast, vaulted Great Gallery at Tobacco Dock featuring a spectacular exhibition of artworks from a group of international artists and the Arts Awards' Finalists, as well as live performances introducing the top talent from this year's Performance Awards. The Winter Pride UK Arts Awards will be presented by personalities from the world of arts, including Lucian Freud's muse and model Sue Tilley and Hermaphrodite celebrity artist XXXora.

LINE UP:

Kicking off Frost Festival proceedings in the Great Gallery are are the hostesses with the most-esses John Sizzle and Amantopet with what promises to be a drag extravaganza - sparkles, glitter and off the-scale-camp high jinx and hilarity.   

THE RETURN OF CLUB GHETTO:  Club Ghetto, the London venue that spawned many a legendary LGBT club night, returns for one night only.  They’ll be celebrating all things pop bringing back a selection of DJ’s from Don’t Call Me Babe (Tuesday), Miss Shapes (Thursdays) and Wig Out (Saturdays) to recreate the pop madness of this much loved venue.  Serving up the pop platter are Tommy Turntables (Wig Out, Miss Shapes, DCM Babe) Prince Nelly (Songs Of Praise, Wig Out) and some very special Ghetto Guests.

GIRLS ARENA:

Izzy Trixx ft. REDNPINK - exclusive live collaboration - For one night only the Girls Arena will host electrohouse DJ and producer Izzy Trixx (Mr Hudson, Maya Jane Coles, Charlie XCX) alongside pride favourites, grime, dubstep, electro duo REDNPINK (Pussy Parlour @ Glastonbury, Ed Sheeran, Misha B, Passing Clouds)

DJ Melody Kane (Radio 1 Xtra, SBTV  -  With a solid reputation thanks to her monthly mix-show on BBC Radio 1Xtra plus experience playing to crowds of 70,000 on line-ups featuring Snoop Dogg, A$AP Rocky, Ms Dynamite and more, Melody Kane - one of few females still spinning vinyl - promises to bring ferocious sounds set to fill the dancefloor ‘til the early hours.

DJ DANA (Brighton) - House, chart, RnB, hip hop and alternative spins, Brighton Pride regular, Brighton Club Revenge resident and one to watch, DJ Dana’s rise from the Manchester student scene has been rapid and well deserved. She’s our number one choice to open the Girls Arena this year!

R’N’B VAULT:

Bootylicious: London’s longest-running and respected urban LGBT night hosts it’s own area – get ready for some booty-shaking!

Misfits: Mischief and mayhem from East Bloc’s Wednesday night party arriving for the evening with Mark Ashley Dupe on the decks, bringing a serious boogie down and scandalous behaviour as always...

EAST BLOC:  

Old Street’s premiere underground haven bring four of their most popular nights to Tobacco Dock with DJs including Tom Stephan, Borja Pena, Dave Kendrick and Chris Camplin (Gay Little Brother) 

Dish:  Offering up a mouth-watering selection of underground house and techno to a loyal following of delicious dishes. Gay, lesbian, butch , camp, trans, cross dressing , gym bunnies, twinks , bears, leather queens or straight - everybody is welcome. As their slogan says... come hungry.. leave happy!

Handsome:  Gives a nod to the gay clubs of the 80s and 90s - classic US house and a positive, uplifting energy define this night.

BLOCHEADS - a house and techno meltdown from dusk 'till dawn: pumpin' beats and relentless sounds mark this night out with its loyal crowd of blocheads that make it one of the busiest gay parties in east London. 

Choice Cuts: The best cuts from choice DJ's and a late night session of quality house for those who like it hard, pumpin' and deep -from those who love to serve it. Gigantic tunes and fresh meat: this is Choice Cuts.

BEAR PIT: 

Hosted by PLUS cabaret from: BEARFEST with DJs...

Done and Dusted (Tonker)

The Done & Dusted formula is simple – they play music to make your body move. You can expect lots of energy with plenty of old skool classics mixed wih their latest upfront secret weapons.  Their goal – “to have you dancing non-stop and by the end of the night you should be totally Done & Dusted!"

Ben Jamin & Ross Jones (The Kings Arms) – Soho’s premiere den for bears bring their resident DJ’s along to the Winter Pride party. 

To enter the Arts Awards visit the Winter Pride UK website: www.winterprideuk.com

For tickets to the Arts Awards & Frost Festival go to: BUY TICKETS 

Hot Salt Beef: The NEW Community/Dating Site for the Jewish LGBT Community!

HotSaltBeef, an exclusive and completely inclusive social networking site for Jewish LGBT (JLGBT) people, was launched on Sunday 6th April 2014.

After noticing a gap in the market for a networking site that integrates the social, cultural and community aspects of Jewish life specifically aimed at JLGBT people, Founder Allan Davis took a leap of faith and created HotSaltBeef — a social networking platform for JLGBT people where they can celebrate the things that connect them at their core, build a local and global online community, make business connections and perhaps even find love.

Hot Salt Beef is woven into the fabric of being Jewish. Who doesn’t like a Hot Salt Beef Sandwich? It’s something every Jewish person instantly associates with — it brings back memories of comfort, familiarity, belonging… and well, food.

Food forms a big part of Jewish culture. All the major Jewish festival revolve around the family sitting together for a big meal… It’s what brings us together.

And therein lays the philosophy behind HotSaltBeef: Family, safety, connection, community, conversation, comfort, love and belonging.

Being an exclusive social networking site for JLGBT people may seem like a shortcoming at first, but the truth is there are certain things that are so uniquely Jewish that we need a space where we can connect and converse comfortably without having to provide a ‘backstory’… We sometimes want to 'kibbitz' (gossip) in a chat room and 'kvetch' (complain) about the rising house prices, without feeling the need to explain what we are actually doing.

Apart from that, because of our displacement throughout history, Jewish people have an almost genetic urge to build communities and find a ‘place called home’.

HotSaltBeef has the potential to provide that sense of togetherness and 'home-coming' online… And that’s why HotSaltBeef is ‘keeping kosher’.

Instead of having a single focus — being a dating site only — HotSaltBeef is more like the bakery in a Jewish neighborhood… a place where you get your bagels, perhaps bump into your lawyer or doctor and if you like, flirt with the 'Shaineh maidel' (beautiful young lady) behind the counter. The dating element is still there but the focus is much more on community building — it is not about ‘sex’ or about posting photos of your tuchas (or any other revealing bits) for the world to see.

‘HotSaltBeef and Mustard’ is the newsletter and blog section, bringing news and views from around the world. The aim is to involve members from across the globe to contribute with their reviews, travel tips, fresh and relevant news events and historical insights to strengthen the fabric of our online community.

In terms of future developments, HotSaltBeef will soon include a Business Directory for members to promote their own business or to recommend a business that may interest the community, and also host a classifieds section to sell anything from rare Barbara Streisand CDs to advertising holidays.

While the site is still in its teething-phase, membership is limited to ‘invitation only’ and the first 500 members who sign up will receive a FREE membership.

For more information about signing up, visit http://hotsaltbeef.com/

For more information contact Allan Davis:

email: allan@hotsaltbeef.com

Allan Davis, the Founder and creator of HotSaltBeef has been an out and proud Jewish gay man for over 30 years. His Gay and Jewish bits come in equal parts. Born in London in the 1960’s Allan had a very Jewish upbringing and education. He ‘came out’ in 1983, when the world was a very different place for LGBT people: being Out & Proud still raised eyebrows and marriage and having children wasn’t even an option. Thirty years later and the world is… well, almost as good as a Hot Salt Beef Sandwich. Allan’s only worry now is to convince his father to pay for a big wedding!

London UK To Host 2014 Winter Pride!

London, UK: The first ever Winter Pride UK is coming to London’s Tobacco Dock!

Immerse yourself in the party atmosphere as LGBT London comes together for the first-ever Winter Pride UK on 8th February 2014. Created for the LGBT community, and made possible with sponsorship from Smirnoff, Winter Pride UK is an exciting new venture from the creators of the hugely successful MINT Network, which will bring together the biggest LGBT club brands and international DJs to create a party like no other. The perfect antidote to the rain and bad weather, Winter Pride UK’s ‘inside pride’ at London’s Tobacco Dock has space for over 3,000 people throughout the night.

The vast, vaulted warehouse in east London will hold a winter paradise which is #yoursforthemaking. Popstarz, One Love, Work, MINT, Exilio, Bear Necessity, East Bloc - east London's coolest late night gay club, and media sponsor, Gaydio – the LGBT radio, g3 magazine, Out In The City magazine and Gaydar are just some of the iconic names involved so far.

Each vault will hold entertainment, community or retail stalls, meaning you’ll never find yourself without something to do. We have a commitment to the long-term impact that Winter Pride UK will make on the wider community, which is why £1 from every ticket sale will go to the Terrence Higgins Trust and the proceeds of a raffle to Stonewall, while our community vault spaces are free to charitable organisations. Each year, we’ll report back how you helped the good causes you’ll be supporting by attending Winter Pride UK, so you’re actually doing good, while having the time of your life. We call that guilt-free fun. 

Kiera Ridge, Community Fundraising Manager at Terrence Higgins Trust, said: “We’re thrilled that Winder Pride have chosen our charity to benefit from their inaugural event. This kind of community event is vital, not only for raising funds but also creating a great opportunity for the LGBT community to come together and celebrate. We couldn’t be more grateful for their support.”

In addition to the Winter Pride UK party, Adam and Steve, and Ellen and Eve will be regrowing the Garden of Eden The Winter Pride UK Awards, which will be hosted by celebrity, Jodie Harsh, and include a new Art Award, sponsored by Smirnoff Gold and targeted at both emerging and established artists with a cash prize of £1000 for the winner. Many famous faces appear across the awards, including Ian McKellen, Clare Balding, Gareth Thomas, Nicola Adams, Heather Peace, Angel Haze, Daniel Radcliffe and national treasure, Stephen Fry, who said, "I am thrilled to be nominated as LGBT Luminary of the Year for Winter Pride UK. Artistic and cultural events of this kind are so important for the well being of the LGBT community". 

Jamie Young, Smirnoff Brand Manager, said, “We have supported the LGBT community for many years and in many ways and are very excited to be headline sponsors of the first ever Winter Pride in Europe. We strive to establish and hold our strong relationships within the community and what better way to do this than to support such a fantastic event.” 

www.winterprideuk.com

Editorial: Candy Bar Soho Closes Its Doors - Where Do We Go From Here?

by Lauren W

If you’re a British lesbian, you’ll still be in mourning about the loss of the most famous lesbian bar in Great Britain, Candy Bar. Diva Magazine has called it the End of an Era! Aside from the obvious, this worries me for a multitude of reasons. But what worries me the most? Well, where else is there for us to go?

Read the entire article where it was first published (Pink Lobster Dating) by clicking HERE!

Up & Coming Lesbian Web Series: In The Deep!

Love the British? Love lesbians? Love British lesbians? Then this one's for you.

The Brits are coming! DreamCoat Productions presents In The Deep.

London, UK – DCP presents In The Deep, which stars Luke Wilson, Zebulun Delisser, Denver Issac, Olu Ubadike, Gareth Andrews and featuring Damilola Fashola, Nozomi Orlando and Mark Massett. More info can also be found on www.inthedeepuk.com.

DCP is proud to bring In The Deep a web drama series about four fun­loving best friends who live in the heart of London’s vibrant East End, each harbouring secrets of their own.This is not just another queer web drama series, it’s a story about people, their loves, lives and lies. Ade is stuck between two worlds, British­-Nigerian and gay. He lives a double life, hiding his relationships on both ends; Emilia has the confusing ‘thing’ with Riley, her straight best friend who also has a boyfriend. Wesley is struggling to decide whether to fight for love or let someone else sweep him off his feet. Rene realises that he finally has to grow up. 

The show’s creators see this as bringing something new and different online to a community that up until now did not have their story being told in the same light. This is a fun and light­hearted drama with real characters and real people, shot in a way that is not seen online, therefore raising the bar in terms of production quality. So the first two episodes were shot through the help of people who have worked on films like Prometheus, World War Z, Jack the Giant Slayer and X­Men: First Class, but they believe in this project that they’ve given their time for free, and now we are doing a fundraising campaign to help fund the rest of the production in terms of equipment, locations and post­-production. 

In The Deep was created and written by Joseph Adesunloye and Joy Gharoro ­Akpojotor. The episodes are directed by Joseph Adesunloye and Vins Blake, with Canadian director Sarah Warren slated to come on board to direct episodes further down the line. 

Check out the first episodes: www.inthedeepuk.com / http://vimeo.com/63463234. More info on our fundraising campaign: http://www.indiegogo.com/projects/in­the­deep­web­series/x/2492735.

The second episode will be available online by the end of the week, however it will be

password protected but sent to you for your viewing pleasure.