Gay London Life | Jan '25 Edition - Magazine - Page 20
Your Queer Culture Calendar
As much as spontaneity is fun, it’s also good to get some firm plans in the diary —
we’ve highlighted some of the big-ticket events happening in the first half of the year
so they don’t pass you by. You’re welcome!
Leigh Bowery atTate Modern
Making a Rukus at Somerset House
January - Making a Rukus!
This Somerset House exhibition explores the joy, art and resistance of Black
LGBTQIA+ people in Britain since the 1970s. The show itself is a mix of archive
materials and contemporary artworks, but there’s also a chance to immerse
yourself in Black culture while gracing the ice rink in the building’s courtyard —
Rukus! themed Skate Lates are happening on both Thursday 9th and Friday
10th January, with Jay Jay Revlon DJing during the latter.
February - Titanique
It doesn’t get much camper than this. Titanique is an Off-Broadway parody
of Titanic that’s also a Celine Dion jukebox musical. Layton Williams plays the
Iceberg. That’s the level of silliness we’re operating at here. Having tickled
audiences across the globe, it’s been at the Criterion Theatre since midScissor Sisters
December and comes to a close during the first weekend of March, so catch it
before it, well, sinks?
March - BFI Film Festival
The annual queer movie festival is returning for its 39th edition between
Wednesday 19th and Sunday 30th March. It’s a little too early for the full
programme, but previous years have seen a great mix of premieres, indie flicks
and forgotten gems — keep a beady eye out for tickets. The films are usually
screened at the BFI HQ on the South Bank, but it’s also possible to stream some
on the BFI Player.
April - Leigh Bowery!
Take a look at London’s more experimental queer club nights and you’ll see
Leigh Bowery’s legacy lives on. The Australian was a polymath in the true sense
of the word, turning his — usually extravagantly painted — head to performance
art, fashion design, music and even modelling for portraits by Lucian Freud.
This exhibition at the Tate Modern will revisit all aspects of Bowery’s brief but
extremely fruitful life.
May - Scissor Sisters
America’s gayest pop group are getting back together and they’ll be playing
the O2 on Friday 23rd May! The reunion tour is celebrating the twentieth
anniversary of the band’s debut album (twenty?! God, we’re getting old) and you
can expect a full run-through of the record. Sadly, it’s not quite the original lineup as Ana Matronic isn’t involved, but Alison Goldfrapp’s supporting, so that’s
something, isn’t it?
June - LIDO Festival
By the time it gets to June, we want to be standing in one of the capital’s parks
with a £9 pint in our hands. The pick of the day festivals so far looks to be a
completely new one — LIDO Festival is happening at Victoria Park across
various dates in June, but the standout one has to be Saturday 14th when 2024
woman of the year Charli XCX tops a line-up including AG Cook, The Dare and
Kelly Lee Owens. Brat summer, round two.
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