Udderbelly, the annual festival of contemporary circus, adult comedy and family fun, returns to London’s Southbank for another summer-long series of events.
Things kick off on April 7 with internationally acclaimed circus group, Circa, who’ll be bringing their new show, Closer, to London for the first time. Other headliners include Gobsmacked – an electrifying acapella-beatbox journey through musical history – as well as standout performances from comedy stars Nina Conti, Reginald D Hunter and the brilliantly funny ventriloquist and America’s Got Talent winner Paul Zerdin.
Trevor Ashley in Liza’s back!
From May 5 things by the river will get a little more naughty, sexy and bawdy with the return of Udderbelly’s sister festival, London Wonderground. Eighteen acts have been announced, including legendary Australian drag queen Trevor Ashley, one of the original stars of the musical Priscilla Queen of the Desert. Other highlights include the brilliantly Brechtian Tiger Lillies, and, back by popular demand, Twelfth Night …with Comedians.
Amongst the family shows there’s Metta Theatre’s radical new staging of The Jungle Book, which blends street dance, circus and spoken word, and Trash Test Dummies, winners of best children’s presentation at Adelaide fringe.
Udderbelly runs until July 17 and London Wonderground continues till September 25.
For full listings and tickets for udderbelly events, click here:
For full listings and tickets for London Wonderground events, click here:
Scotland’s LGBTI equality groups the Equality Network and Scottish Transgender Alliance welcome commitments made today by the SNP on LGBTI equality.
First Minister of Scotland, Nicola Sturgeon today made five pledges, three of which relate to the welfare of young lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans and intersex (LGBTI) people. The other two are to reform gender recognition law and to train all police on the investigation of hate crime.
Tim Hopkins
Tim Hopkins, Director of the Equality Network, said:“We welcome these commitments from the SNP, which address some key concerns of LGBTI people, and we hope that the other parties will make strong pledges on LGBTI equality.”
The commitment to reform gender recognition law is the key aim of the Equality Network and Scottish Transgender Alliance’s Equal Recognition Campaign.
James Morton
James Morton, manager of the Scottish Transgender Alliance, added:“We are very pleased to see the SNP pledge to reform gender recognition law for all trans people, in line with international best practice. That would mean enabling people to change the gender on their birth certificate without intrusive medical diagnosis, recognising trans people as the experts on their own identities. It would allow young people to legally change their gender, with parents’ support if under 16. It would also mean the law recognising that some people have a non-binary gender, that is, they are neither men nor women. We hope that the other parties will match this commitment and we look forward to working on this with whoever forms the next Scottish Government.”
Nathan Gale
Nathan Gale, of Non-Binary Scotland, added:“By making a commitment to reform gender recognition law the Scottish Government is ensuring that all trans people, no-matter what their gender identity, will be able to be themselves, in all aspects of their lives. Trans people who don’t identify as men or women have just as much right to have the gender they identify as recognised and respected as everyone else. I hope that the next Scottish Government will truly aspire to international best practice and provide for a third gender, alongside male and female, to be recognised in Scottish law.”
To read the The Equality Network and Scottish Transgender Alliance manifesto for the 2016 elections, click here:
To read a briefing for the Equal Recognition campaign to reform gender recognition law, click here:
On my first visit to Senor Buddha last year I wrote “I look for three things when I go out for a meal, great flavours, fine wine and an exciting ambiance.”
Lee Shipley (far right) and his team
I went back earlier this month to sample the new dishes on their menu and found all three were still in abundance.
The restaurant is very cozy seating no more than 25 people around an open kitchen. Lee Shipley the owner, loves what he does and communicates his passion for food and drink to his customers. The food is billed as “Spanish tapas presented with an east Asian twist”, for the customerevery dish on offer is all about the flavours.
Here is what we tried:
Crab and ginger crusted cod (£7) with a lime curry sauce: A lovely moist piece of flakey cod topped with crab and ginger on a smooth lime curry sauce. A spectacular fish dish with a spectacular sauce.
Tuna carpassio and watermelon (£5): A tender slice of red tuna set off by a thin slice of ice-cold watermelon. The sobrasada ailoi is a clever addition to the dish.
Volcano chicken thighs (£5) Juicy chicken pieces cooked in an intoxicating sauce of spiced whisky and honey. Chicken at its very best!
Crispy confit duck leg (£7): A huge leg of duckservedon a pear and pea puree with crispy shallots. The crispy tender duck was my favourite dish on my first visit and remains so today.
Flaming whiskey and honey chilli prawns (£7): Five giant prawns, messy on the fingers but not on the palate. The tongue tingling sauce gives the shellfish new life. Highly recommended!
Salt and pepper calamari (£5): Lightly fried squid seasoned with sea salt and pepper and served on a squid ink Romesco paste. The paste was a perfect partner to serve with the squid.
Potato and caper tortilla (£4): A large slice of seasoned potato tortilla covered in a caper sauce with a strong after kick in it.
Sesame vegetable croquettes (£4): Crispy and filling. Served with a tantalising beetroot and apple sauce, providing me with my favourite sauce of the evening.
A couple of dishes from the previous menu have survived the chop and deserve a try.
Octopus tentacle (£6.50), slow cooked in red wine with Thai spices and served with coriander aioli and squid ink caviar. The octopus was soooo tender and the coriander aioli a touch of genius. This dish was seriously good.
King Scallops & Morcilla de Burgos (£6.50) served on coconut and cauliflower puree: The large succulent scallops were cooked to perfection, the Morcilla which is basically black pudding with paprika and rice added was lovely and moist with a crispy surface.The subtle puree perfectly complemented both the scallops and the morcilla.
Pardron Peppers (£4) succulent fried green peppers sprinkled with rock salt. One in ten have the chilli seeds left in so be careful. A great way to start the meal.
Mountain Mutton Stew (£6.50): The restaurant’s signature dish is basted for 24 hours in a ‘secret’ dry spiced rub and soy sauce and cooked on the bone in coconut milk. The flavours are memorable. When I was young mutton was seen as peasant food. This dish was fit for the Queen and I can’t recommend it highly enough.
Everything was washed down with a full-bodied bottle of red Spanish Rioja Palacio del Camino Real at£5.25 175ml; £6.50 250ml or £19 the bottle.
It is an experience eating at this bustling restaurant. Take the recommendation of Lee about the wines you choose as he has spent a great deal of effort choosing different wines to go with the different dishes he has created. Personally I would recommend buying wine by the glass as you go along.
Lee is a first class host and in just twelve months has created one of my favourite places to eat and a place I can recommend to friends and family and know they won’t be disappointed. A conventional food review cannot do justice to his food as there is just so much going on in each dish. If you have not already been there, give it a try. You will not be disappointed. ‘It’s all about the flavours! The eye candy is very good too!
Senor Buddha
9 Preston Road,
Brighton BN1 4QE
Open: Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday from 6-10pm ish: Friday and Saturday 5ish -11pmish
Every Tuesday throughout April try the 2 4 1 tapas deals
Available for private parties on Monday and Tuesday. The restaurant is small and booking is highly recommended.
International Transgender Day of Visibility (ITDV), recognised annually on March 31, is dedicated to celebrating transgender people and raising awareness of discrimination they face worldwide.
This years themeMore Than Visibility (#MoreThanVisibility) recognises that while visibility is important, everyone must take direct action against transphobia around the world. Visibility alone will not bring transgender liberation. Some people experience violence due to their visibility and some others don’t want to be visible. However, visibility remains a vital tool for transgender justice.
ITDV was founded by Michigan-based transgender activist, Rachel Crandall in 2009 as a reaction to the lack of LGBT days celebrating transgender people. Rachel was frustrated that the only well-known transgender-focused day was the Transgender Day of Remembrance on November 20 each year, which mourned the loss of transgender people to hate crimes, but did not acknowledge and celebrate living members of the transgender community.
In America today ITDV is being marked with an event in Palm Springs where the Trans Community Project are hosting this years national event in partnership with The LGBT Center Of The Desert, Equality California, Human Rights Campaign, Palm Springs Pride and National Center for Lesbian Rights.
At the Palm Springs event there will be information pertaining to issues affecting the Trans Community, highlighting the many successes the community has achieved so far, as well as recognising those allies that are moving mountains for the Trans Community.
First Minister of Scotland, Nicola Sturgeon today made five pledges, three of which relate to the welfare of young lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans and intersex (LGBTI) people. The other two are to reform gender recognition law and to train all police on the investigation of hate crime.
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