Going along to my first rehearsal with Brighton Gay Men’s Chorus (GMC) in January, it’s fair to say I was a little nervous. I had been in a relaxed community choir before, but this felt like a different league.
Two-and-a-half hour rehearsals on a Tuesday night? Tick. 100+ other members? Tick. Christmas shows at the Brighton Dome? Tick.
It’s a big choir with a big reputation and I wasn’t sure if I was ready for this particular jelly. I also had some reservations about the musical repertoire. Like a fair few queer people, I enjoy the odd lip-sync-along to a Madonna classic, but overall my music taste tends to veer more towards the alternative aisle. More Garbage than Gaga. My impression of GMC was wall-to-wall razzle-dazzle gay anthems and that is not my musical bread and butter.
Pssst…don’t tell anyone, but I’m not actually a big Kylie fan.
Walking in to the beautiful, ornate church where rehearsals happen, I tried to put my reservations to the side. Within minutes, I got chatting to another friendly newbie and felt reassured that I wasn’t the only nervy one. I was then introduced to my ‘buddies’ for the evening, a delightful Baritone couple who put me at ease and seemed genuinely interested in getting to know me. By the time we started our vocal warm-up, I was already feeling, well, warmed up.
Four months and many hours of rehearsals later, it’s time for our ‘Diva’-themed shows in the Brighton Fringe festival. I’m in our sweaty dressing room in the interval, surrounded by half-naked chorus members frantically getting into their diva outfits for the second half. Mine is relatively low-maintenance but maximum colour impact:
Neon-green joggers? Tick. Neon-green tie-dye baggy hoody? Tick. Neon green hair extensions attached to a blue wig? Tick.
Tonight, I’m flying the alternative diva flag and I’m bringing some Billie Eilish green realness.
Singing, socialising and support. These three S’s are what the chorus, a registered charity, aims to provide members and the wider community. In the months since I joined, I have been surprised by how much I’ve benefited on all three fronts. Sure, at times the singing part has been challenging, with loads of songs to learn at a pretty galloping pace.
I see challenge as a good thing though, and I’ve developed greater strength and confidence in my singing as a result. It’s the social part, though, where I’ve gained even more. I’ve made several new friends and even gone on an impromptu trip to Belgium with one of them.
Most of all, I feel a sense of belonging to a bigger queer community. Sometimes people assume that if you’re LGBTQ+ and you live in Brighton, as I’ve done for the past nine years, you’re automatically part of a big queer gang. That’s not been my experience and it’s taken me a while to really find my niche. The chorus is now somewhere I can call ‘home’ and that means a lot.
As does discovering my own alternative brand of diva-ness, Billie-style.
There’s nothing quite like Brighton in May. You can’t move for festivals and anyone who’s anyone has a wristband of some sort. But just like the success of Brighton Festival led to the Fringe, so the success of The Great Escape opened the door to something a little less corporate. Mick Robinson reports
The Great Escape has cemented itself as one of the UK’s leading music festivals, and alongside The Camden Crawl, is a hotbed for the discovery of new talent. Attracting visitors from around the globe, you get your wristband and from there, well, nothing’s stopping you. Take your pick of the pubs and regular venues, but also the pool halls and carparks and… just about anywhere you go, there’s music, and it all adds to the unique feel of this event.
There’s music from all over the UK – there was a sparkling Scottish showcase at the One Church – and it’s easy to feel that it’s a big music industry showcase. You can drown in bands from London.
But for me the best thing is the local talent. Down here words like “corporate”, “big record label” and “industry” are considered dirty words, and the ‘Alternative Great Escape’ was born to showcase local unsigned bands and to open up the venues to people without wristbands.
This in mind Shortts Bar hosted three days of music, two hosted by local promoters and the last by the bar itself. Based in Kemptown, some folks tend to shy away from this side of town as it used to have a reputation for being a bit like a George A Romero film, something like The Night of The Living Dead, but things are changing and now there’s a more old school Shoreditch rough’n’ready vibe.
As for some of the bands we’ve featured, I’ll try and avoid the tired “the band sound like the Bunnymen meets the Clash” comparisons, as that’s all a bit meaningless. Be honest, you could probably say that about any band playing nowadays and you’d still be none the wiser. Most kids have grown up on that rich tapestry of UK/USA punk, indie, electronic etc, music that’s been passed on through the culture and their parents as always happens in this country of music obsessed folk.
On that note, some full disclosure here. Each band featured here has a son or daughter from friends of mine or my daughter’s friends who’ve I’ve known for years or gone to gigs with for years. It’s not nepotism, it’s just there’s a hell of a lot of talented off spring out there.
NOVA, a Brighton four piece band, all 18, full of post punk enthusiasm and the willingness to pull in the experimental funked up bass line and scratchy guitar of that era and give it a fresh sound with catchy hooks. They’ve got a strong individual look too, and as a band starting out they have a bright future ahead.
ZAP EUPHORIA are already playing to a loyal, crazy fan base who follow them to every gig. The band have great charisma and are already working audiences up into a frenzy. Grunge funk distorted to the max with a message in the music that takes no prisoners. You can’t take your eyes off the band, they’re that hypnotic.
Crawley based SHAMEFACED, more of a wrong side of the tracks look and sound, again wonderfully structured and dramatic songs, full of driving bass, drums and intricate then power chords guitar, perfectly highlighted in the clever lyric and vocal delivery of their classic “Blue Subaru”.
Check them all out, the energy, belief, charisma, stage and song writing craft and style of these bands will potentially propel them onto bigger stages, audiences and who knows a bit of Radio 6. Remember – you read it here first.
To mark the start of the summer holidays HD Pilates brings you 2 special workshops at West Hill Hall:
Thursday 7th July
Pilates with the band with Keri Lummis:
6pm Beginners-Improvers
7pm Intermediate
Join Keri for a pilates flow class using the theraband. The band csn be useful for assisting many pilates movements as well as providing resistance for some exercises. Strengthen and lengthen your body!
Thursday 14th July
Pilates with the Ball with Helen Douglas
6pm Beginners-Improvers
7pm Intermediate
Join Helen for this flowing class using the overball. We use the ball in the class to increase range of movements, support our bodies, and increase the understanding of the exercises. This is a feel good, dynamic workout.
It’s Friday afternoon and your editor is standing on the sun soaked deck of the newly refurbished Art Deco building just behind the Sea Life Centre by the pier. All around me are beautiful people who’ve look like they’ve been sent here by Central Casting. A young waiter comes up and smiles before handing me another free vodka and tonic. I didn’t have to tell him to hold the slice because he’d remembered. Obviously.
The Mighty Whistler is at the launch of Brighton Beach House, the latest branch of the Soho House chain. And it’s jumping. It’s busy, curiously so for a private club that isn’t actually open. It turns out London members were offered a day out by the seaside. Why not? Gives the place a bit of a vibe. And it does. The music’s playing, the sun’s blasting and these nice people keep coming round with trays of food and drink. Who said money doesn’t buy you the good things?
It’s really very nice. It’s Grade 2 listed Art Deco very nice. There’s bars, rooms, a banana shaped pool. Art from the Local Collection – made up of work from local artists – and the Brighton Beacon Collection – work from LGBTQ+ artists “and is a love letter to Brighton as a historical beacon city for the queer community”.
I would say you should pop in for a drink, but to do that you have to be a member and to be a member… Well, that’s £1200 a year plus a £500 registration fee (because obviously it costs a lot to registrate).
That might seem a lot just to go to a nice bar with posh sofas, but it’s not really that, is it. It’s £1700 to be able to – to misquote Groucho Marx – be a member of somewhere that wouldn’t have people like you as a member. (I know what Groucho really said, but this is probably more what members mean).
I’m trying to get to the – free, obvs – fish’n’chip stall, but there’s a bloke singing and there’s quite the crowd. Turns out it’s Sam who almost won Eurovision. It’s that kind of day.
I’m with The Mighty Whistler’s Food Editor and she asks – as she does – where the fish comes from. “No one’s asked me that before” says the chap serving. I’m guessing no one will again. Not today anyway. It’s free.
I bump into a few people I know.
“Are you a member here?”
“Yes, I joined. There are few places to go in Brighton where you can have a meeting, a decent cocktail and see nice people and each time of gone I’ve bumped into those”. Then she said “Also I like the fact that the interiors are all snuggly and like my mum’s house”. I wonder if you have to registrate at her mum’s house.
If you want to have somewhere to go in the centre of town that’s smart and stylish, look no more. If you want to have somewhere to go to have meetings that tell your client “Yes, I’m successful”, it’s undeniably that place too. It’s not cheap – £17 for a burger, £16 for a pizza – but I guess that’s the point.
It’s undeniably very nice – chic and stylish – and I really do love a posh sofa, but I’ve never been too sure about the whole member’s club schtick. I’m not I want that enforced exclusivity, not sure I want to pay the best part of two grand to keep people out. Maybe that makes me one of the people some people pay the best part of two grand to keep out. Who knows?
It’ll be interesting to see whether it flies here, interesting to see whether Brighton’s now a Soho House kinda place.
By the way, members can take three guests – and should you join and should you need someone for that onerous task…
https://www.sohohouse.com/houses/brighton-beach-house for more details
To celebrate his 150th birthday, Alexia Lazou, a local Beardsley enthusiast, will present an illustrated talk exploring the buildings and places associated with the artist’s early life, including his birthplace in Buckingham Road, the Annunciation church and Brighton Grammar School.
Through his connections with Oscar Wilde and the Decadent movement of the 1890s, Beardsley was catapulted into the spotlight and became notorious for his provocative black and white illustrations. His art not only shocked and delighted his late Victorian audiences, but saw a revival in the 1960s and ‘70s as his decadent themes appealed to the psychedelic youth, and today his imagery is increasingly being examined from a queer perspective.
This ‘armchair’ version of Alexia’s popular walking tour will also give you an opportunity to find out about other events taking place during August and September to celebrate the anniversary of this unique artist.
Saturday 23 July at 7pm, West Hill Hall, Compton Ave
Who doesn’t want a night of drama, healing and dark humour? No one, right. Described as a “a quirky, likeable trip through the inner life of an urban young woman”, ‘The Formidable Lizzie Boone’, Manchester based Selina Helliwell’s new play, is centred around a therapist’s office, the show explores the intricacies of humanity through a woman who loves vodka – with lemonade? – and a cat called Lionel.
Lizzie catapults us through her life; from the torment of school bullies to darker experiences and chaotic spirals; the pieces of her life that jammed together, eventually pushing her over the edge and into her recent breakdown.
A burlesque dance scene also features, showing off the sensual and theatrical side of burlesque and highlighting ‘the art of tease’ to be a way of finding your own spark and celebrating your womanhood.
The Rotunda Theatre, Squeak, Regency Square
Thursday 7.45pm May 19; Friday 6.15pm May 20; Saturday 3.15pm May 21
In this foundation course you will learn the basic steps in Cha Cha Cha, Waltz, Rumba, Social Foxtrot, Ballroom Tango & Jive. After the 6 weeks course you will be our new Beginners class and you can come on a pay as go (dance) basis. * Start: Friday 20 May 2022 (NO class 1 July Fri) * Time: 7.45pm – 8.45pm * Cost: £54.00p.p. * Venue: West Hill Hall Compton Avenue Brighton BN1 3PS * * Advance booking only! * You don’t need to bring a partner! * How to book: Please send an email to: brighton_carola@hotmail.com to book the course and we will confirm your booking and will send you more information about the course closer to the time. * For more information: Email brighton_carola@hotmail.com or phone Carola on 07786032224 * Carola Degener-Pereira ADTV, RSA, UKA qualified Dance Teacher & Fitness Instructor Tel: 01273 772462 Mobile: 07786032224 * Brighton Dancing FB Group
“So last night I went to a late night burlesque featuring a dancing nipple-tassled woman in a shark outfit”. Isn’t that exactly the sort of sentence you want?
I love the late night burlesque show at The Rialto. If there’s anything that the spirit of the Fringe, this is it. Held together by host Jack Kristiansen and featuring performers with resplendent names like Dollie Doré, Rosa Frenzy and King Crimson, it’s light and frothy, funny and knowing, entertaining to the end.
They all love what they’re doing and they’re blimmin good at it – whether it’s tap dancing (and that really was very good), invoking the spirit of Charlie Chaplin, reviving the romance of Paris or – my favourite – wrestling with a very dangerous looking shark.
Of course you know where the acts are going to end, but that’s OK. Who doesn’t like a late night tussle with a tassle?
The Whistler’s favourite place, we love The Rialto. Check the link below to see what’s going on (and when you go there, if you see a nice bloke wearing a pink fedora, maybe buy him a drink)
John Callaghan is an eccentric electronic musician currently based in London. For decades he has been releasing music that has been captivating his audience and pushing the boundaries of what we consider music. He has been performing at Brighton Fringe for about 10 years and has continued to release unique and sincere electronic music, even during the pandemic. I wanted to try and find the elements of his work that truly motivated him and how the coronavirus pandemic had affected his output. I spoke with John over Zoom to discuss his work as a musician and how he defined himself in an incredibly competitive market:
When did you first get a taste for eccentric electronic music?
“When I was, I would say early teens, maybe 11 or 12, I’d be listening to the radio and […] things like Human League, Kraftwerk, Flock of Seagulls, Gary Newman, Duran Duran, all of that was happening at that time, and I’d listened to the music on the radio and think that’s pretty good. It’d start off and I’d love the strange electronic sound, but the thing that always gave me pause was the vocals, and the lyrics, and the way the music developed wasn’t to my taste (now I should clarify I think they’re all great, all good stuff, but they’re the cream of the crop). I thought I could do that slightly better. If I was doing this track, I’d change it in this way or If I were developing this piece I’d go off In this direction.”
How long did it take you to publish your first track (or to publish one you felt was worthy of publication?)
“Well not long at all because I thought they all were. In retrospect, my juvenilia can be seen as a little straightforward, but in my defence it was always imaginative. One of the advantages of using cassette tapes is that you can create tape loops very easily. The easiest effect you can do if you want to do something weird is if you turn the tape over, of course it starts playing everything backwards. I would do these odd little cassette tape noodlings, bring them into school and play them to friends of mine. As I say this is when I was between 13 and 16, I think.”
So, at that age did you have a sense that that is what you wanted to do?
“I think if I’d had more of a sense my life would have had a very different course. I always knew I enjoyed music. Looking back, I don’t know if it was because I thought it was a pipedream to pursue music or more likely I felt that avenues in musical development were closed off to me because I wasn’t very good at the piano, and that’s down to lack of discipline. As a youngster I learned the piano, but I didn’t pursue it with enough commitment to get exam qualifications. It didn’t seem possible that I would be able to go to a music school. I did write to the BBC radiophonic workshop and ask, ‘how do I go about this?’
“I would also say 2 things. As a child you don’t see the use these things are going to have, which isn’t necessarily a regret of mine, my life would’ve taken a very different turn. I would also say it’s never too late. I’ve never blamed anyone else for my lack of ability on the piano. One thing I was good at was music production, without false modesty.
“Probably the big turning point came after I was at university and sent a demo tape off to Too Pure Records and they got in touch saying ‘this is interesting would you like to come in and talk to use,’ and I remember that was the first time where I was reassured that the positive impression I had of my own music wasn’t simply bias because it was mine. There was something objectively good about it. Other people would listen to it and some people would find it intriguing and it did have worth. It didn’t go anywhere with Too Pure. After I left university, a friend recommended I contact warp records, and I did, and I got a standard rejection letter from them. Six months later they got in touch saying, ‘actually we’ve listened to it properly now, would you like to come in and develop the stuff?’ What was interesting is after university I’d spent 2 years as a postman. I’d got that rejection letter from Warp and felt it was the final straw. I thought ‘I’m not doing anything here, I am going to go to London and try to build a new life for myself In London, doing something else, fully expecting my tail to be between my legs. As soon as I’d made that commitment, then I got the message from Warp. I’ve heard that interpreted as sending signals out into the universe. I’m not a very spiritual person though. I’m prepared to entertain the fact that it was a coincidence, but it was a nice one.”
How did Covid impact your production?
“Probably the big change was that I turned to doing shows online, so I prepared half an hour of new video that I then premiered online in lieu of doing the show live. So initially, the link was only available on the Brighton Fringe website and people could pay a pound to the Brighton Fringe and then watch my show. One of my (online) shows has only had 33 views, but again if you get a couple of hundred views, which is more than my show would’ve got, but in terms of the internet its not a great deal at all. One thing I’ve missed is making videos which my friends, the John Callaghan repertory company, the people who I’d have a video idea and say ‘right, let’s get this organized’ and I’d get all my friends together and say ‘right, you’re a Victorian gentleman. You’re this, you’re that, you need to stand here in front of this green screen and you need to do this,’ and I always enjoyed coordinating those videos coming up with new ideas for them, and it was a lot easier when I had a crowd of people and was motivated because it was so much fun.”
“I did a mixed bill at the Spiegeltent a few years ago […], I was at the door handing out fliers and I handed one to a woman and said ‘would you like to come and see my show?’ and she said ‘noooo that was the weirdest thing I’ve ever seen.’ The act who was on after me was dressed as Nosferatu covering Britney spears songs, and I was the weirdest thing she’d ever seen.
“At the Spiegeltent they’re very kind to me and provide a good venue, a guaranteed booking, and a baseline level of promotion.”
John left me with an Arthur Fried quote that surmised his approach to music production and performing: ‘A lot of people try and be different, but just try and be good. Because being good is different enough.’
John is a perfect example of an artist who thrives on audience interaction and having a physical presence on stage. His work expands beyond primarily audio and visual effects into a seamless blend of the two. Fringe has acted as a steady and consistent source of engagement year on year, whilst also acting as a form of motivation to finish long term projects. He is also the perfect example of why you should not give up on your ambitions after receiving a setback. Through persistence and hard work, John has found his niche within electronic performances. Together with his supporting crew behind the scenes and the renewal of larger scale social gathering and artistic performances, it seems that he will be providing the world with plenty more engrossing performances for many years to come. Be sure to tune into his show at Brighton Fringe 2022!
Words by Tom Read
News and views from West Hill and Seven Dials in Brighton
