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Saturday, 28 September 2013
Festival: Last week to get early bird tickets, L Festive tickets on sale, L Fest Awards have your vote.
Thursday, 26 September 2013
Making Music: London Gay Symphonic Winds
LGSW at Pride
Their musical aim is
to be both fun and challenging. They want to encourage improving musicianship in
an enjoyable and supportive environment. LGSW play a wide variety of music to
suit our diversity, including concert band classics, orchestral arrangements,
show tunes and of course, the odd bit of cheese in the guise of Abba and Madonna.
The next gig will include programme highlights include Star Wars, Jurassic Park, Selections from Aladdin, Highlights from Mary Poppins and Harry Potter's Wondrous World. It takes place on 26 October at St Sepulchre-Without-Newgate, 7.30pm. Tickets in advance from £8.
Rehearsals are held in central London every Thursday, and the band welcomes enquiries from new players*.
Formed in 2005 as a sister group to London Gay Symphony
Orchestra, London Gay Symphonic Winds (LGSW) comprises 40+ mostly LGBT brass,
woodwind and percussion players from a mix of backgrounds and playing
abilities, from professional musicians, to people rediscovering an instrument
they played at school. And of course, everything in between.
The
band performs two main concerts of its own each year, and plays at a range of
other public and private events, including Pride London, and performances for charity, notably
The Food Chain and Opening Doors London (Age UK’s LGBT project in London), two
charities with which it has enjoyed a close relationship for many years.
The band has a tradition of dressing up in the second half of concerts, and themes have included Halloween, national dress and The Proms and Jubilee. This next concert has music from TV and film as its theme, so in the second half, LGSW will be dressing up as our favourite film and TV characters.
The band has a tradition of dressing up in the second half of concerts, and themes have included Halloween, national dress and The Proms and Jubilee. This next concert has music from TV and film as its theme, so in the second half, LGSW will be dressing up as our favourite film and TV characters.
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| Known for their Second Act Costume changes |
The band is not just about the music though: more like a big extended family. After every rehearsal we go for a few
drinks, and we regularly have other social events such as our summer picnic and
our annual Fun Days. "Most of our members join the band to meet new people and
we’d like to think we’re the friendliest band in London."
The next gig will include programme highlights include Star Wars, Jurassic Park, Selections from Aladdin, Highlights from Mary Poppins and Harry Potter's Wondrous World. It takes place on 26 October at St Sepulchre-Without-Newgate, 7.30pm. Tickets in advance from £8.
Rehearsals are held in central London every Thursday, and the band welcomes enquiries from new players*.
*welcome via the band’s website: www.lgsw.org.uk
By LGSW
Wednesday, 25 September 2013
Interview: Lucy Spraggan talks to us about fans, life and the future
Beer Fear, Boobs & Pride
Following a short-lived appearance on X-Factor, something which she is clear to acknowledge was a spring board to all that's happened in her career throughout 2013, Lucy Spraggan has rocketed onto the pop music scene. No stranger to writing, gigging, recording, with her quirky, extremely likeable, original acoustic-folk-hip-hop style, it's fantastic to see this young musician take off in a scene that has been dominated by boys with their guitars for the last few years.
And she's stayed as humble as she came across in those early X-Factor audition days, still stating she's just a girl who likes to play her guitar.
She lists her influences amongst the likes of Dolly Parton, Taylor Swift, Judy Garland, Petula Clark, Offspring, Limp Bizkit and Kirsty McColl - an ecclectic mix of styles that reflect her songs - beautiful lyrically told stories, that often pierce deep down or express humour of situations her fans will surely be familiar with.
Lucy says that she appreciates her loyal fans, and that "Its really nice to be able to hear from the young gay people around the world and when they say that I inspire them it's amazing." There aren't many young, out gay singers in the charts, so Lucy is carrying the flag.
It's great to see her keeping a strong connection to the LGBT scene, playing numerous Pride events this summer, she says "it's great to be playing Pride on bigger stages than I have done before. I’ve played Manchester Pride since 2009 so it's always been really important to me."
And the fans appreciate that Lucy is out there gigging and performing. Some show their appreciation more than others, and Lucy describes her best reaction from a fan at the V Festival, when an audience member flashed the singer mid-song - "and they were great tits!" she reports.
As well as the live performances, it's been a successful year in the studio too - Lucy's favourite moment of the year was getting signed to Columbia Records (Beyonce's label Lucy's always proud to state). The first single from the forthcoming album Join the Club, Lighthouse, charted in July, and the popular Last Night the song that introduced Lucy to the ears of many eager fans, is being released next week. Lucy is "really looking forward" to the album release. [And so are we!]
Happily the new album is followed by a tour, of venues around the country, with the highlight being what will be Lucy's biggest gig to date at the Shepherd's Bush Empire on October 30. For that, Lucy says she "Can’t bloody wait!". [Ditto].
For more...
By Katie
Following a short-lived appearance on X-Factor, something which she is clear to acknowledge was a spring board to all that's happened in her career throughout 2013, Lucy Spraggan has rocketed onto the pop music scene. No stranger to writing, gigging, recording, with her quirky, extremely likeable, original acoustic-folk-hip-hop style, it's fantastic to see this young musician take off in a scene that has been dominated by boys with their guitars for the last few years.
And she's stayed as humble as she came across in those early X-Factor audition days, still stating she's just a girl who likes to play her guitar.
She lists her influences amongst the likes of Dolly Parton, Taylor Swift, Judy Garland, Petula Clark, Offspring, Limp Bizkit and Kirsty McColl - an ecclectic mix of styles that reflect her songs - beautiful lyrically told stories, that often pierce deep down or express humour of situations her fans will surely be familiar with.
Lucy says that she appreciates her loyal fans, and that "Its really nice to be able to hear from the young gay people around the world and when they say that I inspire them it's amazing." There aren't many young, out gay singers in the charts, so Lucy is carrying the flag.
It's great to see her keeping a strong connection to the LGBT scene, playing numerous Pride events this summer, she says "it's great to be playing Pride on bigger stages than I have done before. I’ve played Manchester Pride since 2009 so it's always been really important to me."
And the fans appreciate that Lucy is out there gigging and performing. Some show their appreciation more than others, and Lucy describes her best reaction from a fan at the V Festival, when an audience member flashed the singer mid-song - "and they were great tits!" she reports.As well as the live performances, it's been a successful year in the studio too - Lucy's favourite moment of the year was getting signed to Columbia Records (Beyonce's label Lucy's always proud to state). The first single from the forthcoming album Join the Club, Lighthouse, charted in July, and the popular Last Night the song that introduced Lucy to the ears of many eager fans, is being released next week. Lucy is "really looking forward" to the album release. [And so are we!]
Happily the new album is followed by a tour, of venues around the country, with the highlight being what will be Lucy's biggest gig to date at the Shepherd's Bush Empire on October 30. For that, Lucy says she "Can’t bloody wait!". [Ditto].
For more...
- Keep up to date via the very active Facebook page, on there you will find links to the music videos, and the weekly album update, and dates of all the upcoming gigs and album signings
- Lucy's new album Join the Club is out on Monday 7 October, and you can pre-order from Itunes it here
- Lucy's next single Last Night (Beer Fear) is out on Monday 30 September, view the music video
By Katie
Sunday, 22 September 2013
"Kiss Her I'm Famous": Interview with Rolla Selbak
Kiss Her I'm Famous is the tale of two misguided best friends who decide that making a sex tape will be an easy catapault into fame and fortune.
Kiss Her I'm Famous season 1 is available from Tello/One More Lesbian. Starring Tracey Ryerson (The Real L Word) and Ilea Matthews, the popular series sets out to parody the very situation it sets up. It takes us from the drama that inspired the idea, through the comedy trials and tribulations of advertising auditions, watching audition tapes and filming, and leaving us on a cliffhanger as the friendship turns in an unexpected direction. (And the trailer alone amassed over 1million You Tube views.)
Selbak says, on coming up with the idea for the series, "Gratuity and fake publicity seem to be able to push just about anyone into the spotlight these days, so I wrote the series as a satire that tackles the phenomenon in smart and entertaining way."
Despite the subject matter for the series, Selbak has never had the stomach to watch a full celebrity sex tape, instead being inspired by audio clips from some of the more famous examples.
The transition to a web series reflects the shift in audience tide. "We like to believe that our attention spans have gotten shorter and shorter, but in actuality, there’s even more of a hunger for stories and characters that stay with us across a longer period of time, especially now that we can consume streaming content whenever, and wherever we like."
Selbak comments that there's also the chance to "develop a different kind of relationship to the characters and stories when you watch them spread them out in a series, rather than sitting in a theater for an hour-and-a-half, and then leaving."
Inclusion in the Raindance Festival is very welcomed by Selbak. Not only is it on a platform that will spring board the series, but it's a respected festival and a fantastic opportunity to develop those contacts, Selbak elaborates "Believe it or not, Raindance has always been one of my favorite film festivals of all time, even as a young filmmaker starting out. Their curation and respect of the indie film world is something I’ve always admired. So to be part their first ever Web Fest is an absolute honor, I couldn’t be more elated.
"Through
the film festival, I’ve been making some long-lasting connections with dynamic
filmmakers, and have discovered some unbelievable content already, even before
the first screening!"
And that's not the end, fans of the show will be pleased to know. Season 2 is in production and will be available from Tello/One More Lesbian in January. The tape is leaked and we follow Jen and Mandy as they face the consequences. The cast will be joined by guest stars Fawzia Mirza and Noureen DeWulf.
By Katie
Les Invisibles... needs to be seen (plus competition)
DVD Release: 23rd September
Country of Origin: France
Director: Sebastien Lifshitz
This award winning documentary opens up the true, bittersweet world of older lesbians and gay men in France.
Focusing on on small number of couples and singles, telling their stories, this documentary opens the door to lives otherwise ignored in modern storytelling. Experiences of coming out, living life in the rural closet, relationships that have stood the test of time, despite challenges from families and local communities, isolation and heartbreak - stories familiar to us all, yet within a context not often explored.
The idea for the documentary originated when director Lifshitz uncovered photographs of inter war born generations, and one photograph of two women opened up the idea that there might be hidden stories and lives behind the photos that could be told, not just as their own story but also as part of the narrative of the history of France.
Lifshitz casted the people for the documentary to tell their real stories in order to represent the social mixture of the French.
Les Invisibles is available on DVD from Monday 23rd September from Amazon. View the trailer below.
***Your chance to won a copy*** - Email mail@planet-lonodn.com with your name to enter the prize draw. Closes Friday 27th September at 9pm.
By Katie
Country of Origin: France
Director: Sebastien Lifshitz
Focusing on on small number of couples and singles, telling their stories, this documentary opens the door to lives otherwise ignored in modern storytelling. Experiences of coming out, living life in the rural closet, relationships that have stood the test of time, despite challenges from families and local communities, isolation and heartbreak - stories familiar to us all, yet within a context not often explored.
The idea for the documentary originated when director Lifshitz uncovered photographs of inter war born generations, and one photograph of two women opened up the idea that there might be hidden stories and lives behind the photos that could be told, not just as their own story but also as part of the narrative of the history of France.
Lifshitz casted the people for the documentary to tell their real stories in order to represent the social mixture of the French.
Les Invisibles is available on DVD from Monday 23rd September from Amazon. View the trailer below. ***Your chance to won a copy*** - Email mail@planet-lonodn.com with your name to enter the prize draw. Closes Friday 27th September at 9pm.
By Katie
Friday, 6 September 2013
2014 tickets released, L Festive tickets, New installment plan, L Fest crew in Lesvos.
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