‘1% is a state of mind,’ Jaz says breezily as she re-enacts her South London Bestie, Mon, leading her through a field towards a queer rave in Croydon on precarious battery percentage. ‘Remember when I made 1% last like 3 hours? / That was a Nokia still.’ As the audience and I burst into laughter […]
Back in the nineties, noughties, and even the 2010s, I talked about my hair like it was a burden. “It’s frizzy; coarse; hard to control; takes ages to straighten.” I was achingly jealous of friends with straight (or straightenable) hair who didn’t spend half a day washing theirs. This pain was exacerbated further by language […]
“The wounded child inside many males is a boy who, when he first spoke his truths, was silenced by paternal sadism, by a patriarchal world that did not want him to claim his true feelings. The wounded child inside many females is a girl who was taught from early childhood that she must become something […]
This month I wanted to take a look at an album that I have been loving, a single that is breaking the RnB boundaries and the DJ who is the queen of RnB edits and a presenter who is at the forefront of championing new music. JAWAN – Cause & Effect Jawan a Los Angeles […]
‘Let that stage be your stepping stone, not your tombstone.’ Katori Hall’s masterpiece, P-Valley, moved me by it’s challenge to the omnipresent white gaze. P-Valley is set in the sweltering Mississippi Delta; the dancers of the strip club ‘The Pynk’ work the poles and return to Chucalissa – a crumbling city, facing relentless gentrification efforts […]
Despite what western society seems to believe, transgender and non-binary people have existed for centuries in communities all over the world. Looking at the history of transgender and non-binary people in non-western communities not only highlights the fact that gender non-conformance is far from a modern issue, but also underlines the often-erased identities of transgender […]
Jamie Chi is an independent filmmaker and LGBT+ rights activist of Filipino and Chinese heritage. Jamie’s most recent project is a documentary called ‘Safe Distance’ which explores the lives of queer Chinese people living under lockdown in the UK. In this interview, Jamie talks about the inspiration behind their documentary, the challenges of filming in […]
I was delighted to receive an invitation to watch Overflow at The Bush Theatre. I had seen a lot of buzz about it online prior to lockdown closures and then again with its online streaming debut. Despite this, I went into the play knowing little about it, save that it was written by the award-winning […]
A summer tonic for the soul. Vsteeze and Funky DL respin old school hip-hop boom-bap vibes with this ever so refreshing four-track ep. A polished new addition to their already increasingly powerful discography. Building on the success from their debut EP ‘The Lilac Pack’. Both talented in their own right, Vsteeze creates slick rhymes which […]
When I think back to myself as a child, I remember a confident, audacious and direct little girl. I had no issues calling out my elders, singing my own praises or being center-stage in front of a large audience. When I compare that to who I am now- someone who feels self-conscious promoting their work […]
