Art 4 Botttoms!

Dame Effie Sprinkle IV watches Querelle on iTunes and is thankful that gay films no longer have to be incomprehensible ‘art’ films.

“If you were gay in the 1980s, you couldn’t help but become an intellectual by default due to the fact that in order to see a man’s bottom onscreen you had to watch a lot of foreign films with no plot and lots of subtitles that were shown on Channel 4 in the early hours of the morning.”

[rating=4]
Released January 1996
Pansy Division’s Valentine’s Day takes a humorous stab at love, lust, and loneliness, backed with their signature brand of poppy punk rock.

“Soaked in Pansy Division’s signature sauce of pop-flavored power chord punk rock, backed with Ginoli’s snarky humor, the title cut tells the story of what should really be called ‘Single Awareness Day’.”

February 14, 2014

Tough Love on Valentine’s Day, with the help of Catherine Cookson. Polari Safari by David Shenton.

[rating=5]
Released February 10, 2014
Lisa Stansfield’s Seven is an album of beautifully written songs that hark back to her hallmark ’90s soul sound, while remaining fresh and genuine.

“This album is a diverse collection of stories that unfold in varying styles while remaining true to the sonic blueprint of big, bold soul with the discerning, gorgeous Stansfield vocal.”

[rating=5]
Released April, 1991
Ripe, the one and only album by Banderas, was one of best queer albums of the 1990s. Beautifully composed, profoundly perceptive and deeply affecting.

“Strong melodies are a characteristic of all the songs. When coupled with the keenly perceptive lyrics the tracks are highly memorable. Musically, the album keeps the listener engaged, shifting its colours and tones effortlessly from danceable pop songs to heartfelt ballads.”

The Nude EP Trilogy.

Jamie McDermott talks about his musical influences, playing live in Russia, and YouTube slapping an inappropriate age restriction on one of their videos.

“I made this video because there are kids out there who kill themselves for being gay and I wanted to make something that would communicate directly to those kids and tell them ‘it’s ok to love’.”

February 12, 2014

To celebrate the opening and closing of the Winter Olympics, here’s something inappropriate. Polari Safari by David Shenton.

The Polysaturated Alternative.

Rosie Wilby talks about monogamy, and the ways in which we’re all polyamorous without necessarily knowing it.

“I’d always been led to believe that monogamy was the only optional, but there are options that don’t just involve having an affair. There are people who are polyamorous, people who have open relationships.”

Whitechapel Gallery, London – E1 7QX • 15 January – 23 March 2014

The Whitechapel Gallery hosts a wide-ranging exhibition of Hannah Höch’s work that introduces us to subtler artist than has been seen before.

“The essence of her language of re-examination and re-addressing patriarchy is to dismantle the world through its populist manifestations and create something new with insightful sharpness, wit and an instinct for subversion.”

[rating=3]
Released January 21, 2014
Chiarascuro, the second album from I Break Horses, is one of extremes, but does the balance between light and dark work?

“I Break Horses is really about mood and the album title is a clue to the strong contrast between the two sides of the album. The light may be under represented but the point where the two collide can be dazzling.”