Aneesa Chaudhry - singer, musician, diva & all that jazz...

The Asian Provocateur is ready to sizzle your summer. 

Aneesa is a hard working multi talented musician and vocalist, set to diva her way into the hearts of London and Brighton's lesbian and music communities. (Diva magazine says she has "edge elegance".)

She's performed at Edinburgh Festival Fringe, York Lesbian Arts Festival, Pride events all over the country, the Sappho Garden of Arts Festival in Lesvos, and at many local venues in London and Brighton.

With a 3 piece all female trio, 2 jazz bands, swing, soul, eastern fusion, as well as sensual solo performances, it's no surprise that Aneesa is in high demand and has a growing fan base and something for everyone.

Her main aim on stage is to make sure everyone has a fun time, she's keen to make sure you enjoy yourself in her presence, and she's got the voice and stage presence to draw you right in. 


And she even has time to lead Brighton's Rainbow Chorus too.


Join Aneesa's mailing list
Listen to Aneesa + Bands
Keep up to date with all her gigs
Aneesa's next 2 gigs:

You can find out more and book Aneesa for your event at www.annesachaudhry.com

Chica Bonita - female empowerment in the 21st century; revolutionising the Gentleman's Club

Venue: Legs 11, Birmingham
Date: Launches Sunday 26 May at Birmingham Pride, then monthly in London, Manchester and Birmingham
Tickets £15 on the door £10 when purchased online

Chica Bonita has been created as an exclusive club created for women of all sexual persuasions  where they can come together on a night out able to freely express themselves in an environment of exclusively-female empowerment. Nights will feature female themed entertainment, exotic dancers, live PA’s and music. All patrons, staff and secturity support will be women.

The idea behind the event is creating a club night that embodied the exclusivity and camaraderie of the traditional 19th century gentlemen’s club but bringing it into the 21st century, tailored to the needs of women.

Part of Chica Bonita’s vision is to form lasting informative relationships with our clientele. We want women to feel comfortable and develop a strong sense of ownership to our club nights. Club nights will incorporate exotic dancing which will facilitate and celebrate female sensuality, sexuality and sexual desires.

To celebrate the launch of Chica Bonita, international female rapper & artist Zara Sykes be performing as live PA.

For a taste of what's to come, view the trailer: 

Pride Before the Fall - What's on offer for women in this summer's Pride events?

***UPDATED***
We take a look at what's specifically aimed at women at this year's Pride events. This article will be updated as we get more information from each local Pride event.

Brighton Pride - the Women's Performance Tent - 3 August
Date: Saturday 3rd August
Details: www.wptbrighton.com, @WPTbrighton
Tickets: from £9 http://www.wptbrighton.com/tickets.cfm
Line up: Lucy Spraggan, Horse, Paloma Faith DJ set
Plus: Alison Moyet, Stooshe, Miss Dynamite on the main stage

An amazing line up for the WPT which is part of the bigger party in Preston Park following the Brighton Pride parade.

What the WPT team have to say:

“Lucy Spraggan and Horse McDonald are both out and proud lesbians who are not only exceptional successful musicians, but fantastic role models for the LGBTQ community. We couldn’t more proud to be hosting them on our stage this year and can’t wait to announce the rest of our top class live acts!”

Brighton Pride - official women's weekender 2-4 August

http://www.brightonpridelesbianparties.com/#!events/c1g0x 

Official women's party opener - Free Terrace Party - Friday 2 August

Details: at Above Audio, 9.30pm - 3am

Enjoy a dance among the palm trees specially installed lighting system on the terrace, or head into the elegant retro grandeur of the bar itself, while our professionally-trained mixologists serve up award winning drinks, and Brighton's favourite lesbian DJs treat your ears with a vast range of top tunes.

Official post pride all-nighter - 3 August in association with Candy Bar and Gaydar Girls

Details: at Concorde 2, 10.00pm - 6.30am. £5 early bird.

In the main room we will be playing pop, commercial dance right through to some harder stuff in the later hours of the night. The event features a full female DJ line up including
Sandra Davenport, Amy B / Missy B / Becky Perry / Cheeks Du Rhythm / Caz Coronel / Izzy Trixx plus more to be announced

The BPGGW Secret Garden Event - Sunday 4 August - free entry

Details: St James Street; 3pm - 11pm

Closing Party - Sunday 4 August

Details: at 9.30pm - 3.00am. Tickets from £3

One fantastic blowout at the fabulous seafront venue Wah Kiki where we have put together an awesome line up of lesbian DJs to rock you in to the early hours of Monday morning.

Brighton Pride - OPP v One Love - Sat 3 August

Details: Life, 160 Kings Road Arches, Brighton BN1 1NB

8pm-5am £7 in advance, £10 on door
http://www.tickettailor.com/checkout/view-event/id/9680/chk/a57f

For one night only OPP The baddest London lez party is teaming up with One Love and bringing its bass heavy riddims down to Brighton Pride for the biggest girl gathering by the sea!

One Love famous for sell-out super club parties in London will take one room and fill it with house, dance & pop whilst the mother of the East End club scene OPP will be banging Old-Skool RnB, Hip Hop & electro-techno-disco.

 Lined up on the decks is the crème de la crème on the DJ circuit with DJ Lady Lola, Michelle Manetti, Lil Jo & Piccadilly Boy who are set to tear the roof off the huge seafront venue LIFE.

With the best production, the coolest club brands, supercharged sound system & state of the art lighting, 2 dance rooms, three bars and a huge outside terrace on the seafront you will know you have arrived at the best girls after party this pride.

With support from our mates at Smirnoff it will undoubtedly be the place to be this Pride.

London Community Pride 23 - 29 June

Events aimed specifically at women:

23 June: An Audience with Martina Navratilova (hosted by Claire Balding) - Tickets from £65 http://londoncommunitypride.org/festival/whats-on/2013/audience-martina-navratilova/

29 June 2pm -  8pm: Women's Area post-Pride March: Carlisle Street (by Candy Bar)

Line up:

2-3pm - DJ Caz Coronel
 -------Lara A King-------
 3.05-3.30pm - Rita Payne
 -------Lara A King-------
 3.25-3.40pm - Woman E
 --------Jonny Wilde-------
 3.50-4.10pm - Psycho Delia
 ----------Lara A King---------
 4.15-4.30pm - N’Chyx
 ---------Lara A King--------
 4.35- 4.50pm - Lyrically Challenged
 4.50-5.00pm - Rosie Wilby
 ----------Adam All---------
 5.10-5.30pm - The Cut Outs
 -------Adam All & Jonny Wilde------
 5.30-6.15pm - DJ AMYb
 6.15- 7.00pm - DJ Alpha
 7.00-8.00pm - DJ Lady Lola

29 June: Big Gay Bash Official after party

DJs: Popstarz: Tommy Turntables, El Conchitas. Sink the Pink. Joshyou Are. James Phillips and One Love. DJ Lady Lola, Lil' Jo and MDMX.

29 June: Pride Party fundraiser for ELOP

Lost Girl UK and The Glass Bar are hosting a Pride Party raising money for ELOP charity Tickets will be £10.

29 June 6pm - 4am (The Green Carnation): The ultimate girls party this Pride in Soho  Tickets from £7. http://www.tickettailor.com/checkout/view-event/id/8969/chk/923c

Three of London's biggest brands on the UK lesbian scene (Code, Girls Club Together and Girl Action) have come together for one almighty dance off at the Green Carnation as the girls take over the whole building. With 3 floors. Basement down and dirty with Sipz-C Dj and Denise the Menace with RnB and Hip Hop, main floor sees Izzy Trixx, DJ Alpha and DJ Kacey, or take a walk upstairs and hear 80's90's mash up. 

29 June 7pm - 11pm (The Whippet, Holborn): Bitter Women (real ale lovers) 

 

Interview: A Hair's Breadth

"A hair's breadth" - what's between and beyond?

Venue: The Blacksmith and The Toffee Maker
Dates: Until May 16th
More information: https://www.facebook.com/ahairsbreadth?ref=ts&fref=ts 
Curated by Sarah Westlake 
Hair cut by Klara

"One month, one chair, one barber. We talked to every client who sat down every Saturday in January 2013, and now we're having an exhibition to show you what happened."

There's something special in the relationship a woman shares with her hairdresser (/barber). The intimate space of relative anonymity, trust shaped by opening up vulnerability, and the shared aim of a beautiful haircut - which in itself is a raw act of honesty - a reflection and projection of the inner self.

A Hair's Breadth explores this relationship with an extra dimension, that of women who choose to have their hair cut by a Barber, to overcome gender stereotypes and the feminisation/masculinisation of hair, and community of connections that bind us all. One simple vision opens up all that is between the hair's breadths that separates us. 

Lisa by Polly Hancock

"As soon as I cut it I start getting called sir again. If your look is quite defined it makes people stare at you. But it doesn’t make me feel self conscious. That happens much more if i'm just blending in with the rest of society, without my style defined."  

The idea for the show came to Sarah as she sat waiting for a Klara Barbaretta cut in January. A combination of what happens when women have the space to talk in a vulnerable position both cathartic and therapeutic, and all the connections that bind us as people through connectors - barbers it seems are the scissors as well as the glue that join us all together.

The exhibition itself was co-ordinated, collected, delivered, and presented with a community spirit that exceeded the expectation of Sarah Westlake, the creator and curator of 'A Hair's Breadth'. Alongside the exception experience and openness of the self selecting women who agreed to be interviewed in the Barber's chair whilst under the scissors/razor, Sarah needed to call on volunteers to make it happen. Filmmakers, photographers and members of the lesbian community stepped forward to assist and gave up their time and creativity as well as shared ownership of the rights of the art generated. Creativity was stimulated by creating an open brief, a loose framework to which the contributors could bring their own interpretations and lenses of what was captured in the Chair.

Through delivering the exhibition, a network of friends and useful contacts has been established, organic bonding has cemented new relationships and opened the door to the potential of many more. This became a theme throughout the process - as well as talking about what connects us all, the exhibition itself is an opportunity to grow the connections.

As such, at the opening of the exhibition at The Blacksmith and The Toffee Maker (Clerkenwell) Sarah offered facilitated networking and the chance to share skills forward through a noticeboard, and visualise all the connections between us.

A genuinely creative way to bring the viewers into the exhibit,
and not an alternative version of Our Chart - Sarah has never watched the 'L Word'

The photos and stories selected from the wealth of researched material are vibrant and reflective of Barbarette's chair. The words tell an honest, familiar yet unique tale of female masculinity and engage the viewer through simplicity.

Following the success of the exhibition, the creators are looking for further ways to tell more stories, and find more connections between us. Watch this space!

By Katie

 

Girl Play - web series

A New Orleans lesbian love story - www.GirlPlayTV.com
Created by Aryka Randall

Girl Play will feature eight fifteen to twenty minute episodes about four feminine lesbian women who are focused on finding love, exhilarating careers, and most importantly, their own identities. The series will aim to end common lesbian stereotypes and showcase diversity among feminine lesbian women, as well as initiate dialogue on hot topics in the LGBT community such as femme invisibility and gay marriage. The series also aims to shed light on the southern lesbian lifestyle in New Orleans, which has been overlooked by main stream media.

Each character will take viewers on a journey they can relate to highlighting stories of lesbian love, deceit, political hardships, and self-acceptance. Take a walk in their shoes and see the world through the eyes of a femme.

Episode one: The Circle is Too Small

Girl Play has been nominated for the Indie Series of the Week on WeLoveSoaps.com.

Dyke March 2013

When: 22 June 2013 3pm
Where: Starts in Berkley Square

After the success of last year's first dyke march in over two decades, Dyke March London is back in 2013 for its second year! Dyke March London will take place on 22nd June 2013, meeting in Berkeley Square at 3pm. The march will part-follow in the footsteps of one of the 1908 Suffragette marches, marching through Central London to finish in Soho Square.

Dyke March London takes inspiration from the history of the Dyke Marches in North America. This year's march also takes some playful inspiration from Wonder Woman (our logo is the Wonder Woman logo upside down).

Dyke March London is about dykes. We support dyke visibility and celebrate our love and passion for women and all dykes. Dyke March London is for everyone: dykes, queers, bisexuals, transwomen and allies. This is a grassroots, non-commercial, anti-racist, community-centred, accessible, inclusive event: we welcome all folk who want to support dykes to march with us.

 

For further information: website: www.dykemarchlondon.org
Facebook group: Dyke March London
Twitter: @dykemarch

L Fest 2013 line up released

The line-up has finally been announced! L Fest released its secrets today for what it has planned for the 69 hours of fun in July. With a new location, an extra music stage and the retreat, where else would the lesbians be on the weekend of the 19th?

The Music
It's going to be an eclectic mix of country, soul, hip hop, R'n'B, rock, acoustic-folk and electro-pop, performed by a prestige selection of musicians who, like us, are proud to tread a different path.

L Word  favourites BETTY will be performing their tight harmonies, fun melodies and clever lyrics and getting the lesbians hot under their sparkly collars and so will award winning US singer Rachael Sage, fresh off her tour. Red N Pink will be rapping, tapping and getting the crowd clapping and Heads Hearts will perform their electro dancy tracks along with AMiTY and Faye Bagley who has been performing on the L Fest crew's tour.

On the brand new stage there a range of talent handed to you on a plate, ready for you become a fan and discover some exciting new music. Cat Chinn, Nikki Rous and Jasmine Kennedy to name a few will all be showing off their acoustic guitar skills and range of lovely lyrics on the L Fest Presents stage.

The Arts
With literature there is so much talent in one place you'll be leaving with your mind full of wonderful stories and beautiful poetry. Festival regular VG Lee will perform her brand-new one-woman play 'The Lady of the Wild West Hill,' before taking it to the Edinburgh Fringe.  There will be extracts from the book by Clare Summerskill 'Gateway to Heaven: Fifty years of lesbian and gay oral history,' a book that has been getting talked about more than Fifty Shades of Grey. Jackie Kay will also read from her latest work.

The Comedy
The laughing Cows comedy is set to be amazing this year. Lesbian favourite Jen Brister will take to the stage to make you laugh and cringe at stories of her relationships and the long list of things that she hates. Latitude New Act of the Year finalist, Suzi Ruffell will make you giggle with detailed stories of growing up and being told repeatedly that she can 'be cured,' of being gay and Julie Jepson and Kerry Leigh will complete the night with talented, witty quips and gay humour.

The Other Bits
With all that and more there's also some other lovely bits to make the weekend more enjoyable and even more girly, such as the retreat so you can pamper yourself after a hard day of watching bands. There are workshops galore, activities, a cinema to showcase some of the best films and of course The L Project will be performing their charity single.

If you're a parent there's somewhere for your little ones to stay and play and under sixteens go free so you can bring the whole family. The L Fest solo club is back so coming by yourself is more fun. A specific crew designated to meet and greet you and introduce you to others in the group as soon as you arrive. There's a solos camping area, a group meet & greet at 8pm on Friday at L Fest where you can meet others to take part in activities together.

Don't forget the sports and activities,taking you back to your youth with the School sports day and games such as rounders and tug of war, so put on your best St Trinian's outfit and join us on the field.

Tickets are priced at £99 for the whole weekend so get yours now. 

Full line up information and more details on www.lfest.co.uk 

www.Fisforr.com
@EffiMai