Ray A-J

PREVIEW: British DJ Alex Adair drops new track today

Posted on 24/08/2018 by Ray A-J

West Sussex’s own dance track DJ, Alex Adair releases his latest track today

BRITISH DJ Alex Adair has released his latest track Dominoes, on August 24.

Available to stream via Spotify, Deezer, and Apple music, the track features vocals from singer Samantha Harvey.

About the collaboration with Harvey, Adair says: “Dominos is a fun, upbeat feel good record. I was hyped when Samantha jumped on the track. She did an amazing cover of my last single Causal. She’s got an amazing voice and her vocals sit on the track perfectly.”

The track comes after Adair’s previous summer anthem I will, which was released earlier this year.

Singer Samantha Harvey first appeared to audiences with her independently released ballad Forgive Forget, which became a Top Three hit on the iTunes chart in 2017.

Hailing from West Sussex, the producer and DJ first appeared in the music scene with his debut track Make Me Feel Better in 2015. Soon after its release, the song went on to be featured on BBC Radio 1’s daytime playlist, and made it on to the UK Official Top 15 singles chart.

MUSIC REVIEW: #Just Saying

Posted on 23/08/201823/08/2018 by Ray A-J

The honest and raw singer Tiny eyes dares us to remove the rose-tinted glasses in his first intimate single from his upcoming album.

FROM behind a 1920s upright piano, the shy whisper of singer-producer Tiny Eyes emerges, as his solemn single Just Saying touches the listeners ears. Almost as though they were wooden puppets on their last old, worn down strings, each note from the piano seems to limp into the limelight of his voice, with them, carrying a sinking feeling of remorse. Former angsty rock band frontman, Tiny Eyes pulls at the strings of the exhausted puppets, commanding them to dance a brooding duet as his track journeys through the nostalgic, sepia stage of realist love. Raw and uncompromising, the self dubbed One man band’s words follow suit, detailing a story of heartbreak and glorious infatuation with the same sorrowful rhythms as the piano.

Gorgeously intimate and vulnerable, each delicate melody laid out by the artist otherwise known as Joel Evans as he plays his beloved piano, casts up the reality of a relationship without the aid of rose tinted glasses. And as each whirling coo from Tiny eyes plants itself onto the stage, the modest vocals of his partner, singer-songwriter Martha Bean sweetly decorates the backdrop.

From the gentle verses to the pain-ridden burst of vulnerability that is the bridge, the self-produced artist contorts the fotmat of an overplayed love song, instead offering up a blunt and bleak, yet very human, exploration of the well saught after connection.

As a follow up to his 2017 self titled debut E.P, Just Saying lends the stage to an otherwise avioded topic; the story of a realistic relationship, warts and all, told through the lense of a stripped back piano, and minimalistic percussion, borrowed from the ballards of old. Tiny eyes truly does open up his heart, and throws it straight into to our ears for all to gawk at, with his honest and exposed lofi lullaby. And it helps that the sound he creates carries its own beauty that perfectly ornaments the woeful tale.

MUSIC REVIEW: Obsession never sounded so good

Posted on 17/08/201817/08/2018 by Ray A-J

Queer rock singer Matt Fishel goes into fanboy overload in his latest track I’m totally obsessed with him.

THE INVOLMENT of politics in art is integral to creating change, a necessary evil, and especially for the LGBT+ communities, activism is key. With powerful musicians like Years and years’ Olly Alexander, Sam Smith, and the up-and-coming Andrea Di Giovanni, music is the perfect outlet for Queer people everywhere to have their say and make a difference. But not every song has to be so seriously politically charged, for the messages to break through. And with his latest track, the unapologetically fabulous Matt Fishel shows us that politics can have a fun side too.

Pretty in pink, the energetic Matt Fishel coaxes us into joining his vibrant mirage of gay culture across different eras, throughout the opening of his latest single I’m totally obsessed with him.

A collage of desolate halls, and seemingly coy visions of Matt himself, weave into one another as the sycophantic track begins. Sounds of cheerful trumpet melodies, and racing drums shoot themselves into the enigmatic rumble, building the tension even further. And then, just as the pyramid of sounds nears is peak, a voice is heard.

“He’s in my heart,” a joyous Matt coos, guitar in hand, as images of choir singers and euphoric dancers around him come alive in celebratory chorus. With his sparkly, punk fueled vocalisations, the queer rocker decorates a vivid symphony of distorted guitars and bracing drum beats, encouraging all to dance along with the racing rhythms of each chorus. Keeping close by the pool of upbeat, friendly rock, a cheeky little video featuring, as Matt describes, “a celebration of queerness, togetherness, fun and pride,” rolls by. And the dancers, full of sways and glorious nods to voguing, whirl around in perfect harmony with the charmingly infatuated mesh of electric guitars and roaring trumpets.

“I’ve gone into fanboy overload,” the commercially ripe whisper of Matt grins at the viewer, before suddenly strolling through the set of a nineteen twenties speakeasy, complete with sultry saxophone players and silky suits. With their winding solos, the marryment of saxophone and guitar skip blissfully through colourful fields of people as the video continues. From extras sitting pretty in giraffe costumes, Marie Antoinette style drag, nuns, footloose dancers in kitschy spandex, women in wigs, half-naked men, and leathered up police men, everyone is on show and having a gay old-time.

One minute, donning a wink and a smile, the next a wig or guitar, the video flies through a timeline of queer iconography, and never fails to keep up a sweetly light-hearted tone of lightly obsessive love.

Overall Matt has painted a charming little image of teen – like sycophantic infatuation, with a tongue in cheek touch of Queer history. The joy that’s plastered on each of the faces in the video trickles through to the listener too.

INTERVIEW: Flawless’ Marlon: “I’ve sort of shot myself in the foot, by calling the group flawless.”

Posted on 12/08/2018 by Ray A-J

Marlon ‘Swoosh’ Wallen of Britain’s got talent dance group Flawless walks us through the roller-coaster journey of the show, staring in Street Dance 3D, splitting his trousers live, and the group’s upcoming tour.

“IT’S A ROLLER-COASTER journey,” dancer Marlon ‘Swoosh’ Wallen exclaims when i ask about his dance troupe Flawless‘ upcoming tour Chase the dream: the reboot. It was at least thirty degrees and, despite the heat, the 2009 Britain’s Got Talent alumni was practicing relentlessly for his dance crew’s latest crazy tour. “You’re gonna be happy, excited, inspired,” he enthuses, with an infectious glee tingling in his voice. “When you watch our show, you don’t just see dancing, you walk away with a message. Don’t expect to see just street dance. We really wanted our show to be about more than just watching someone dancing; we wanted a show for people to be part of. It’s very diverse and appeals to the mass, because dance is universal.” The hip-hop dance group have come far from their days competing in the popular show Britain’s got talent, and by the sounds of it, have been through their own roller-coaster journey.

Soon after the competition, where they placed second against eventual winners and fellow dance group Diversity, the troupe saw spotlight on the big screen. “We were in two movies [Streetdance 3D, and Streetdance 2],” Marlon tells me. “One of them was number one at the box office. It was so much fun, but still tough, because we had to do so many takes and redo a move, each time matching the same amount of energy.” But despite the strict routines and filming struggles, Flawless blossomed. Marlon beams: “It was one of the best experiences we’ve had.”

“We are full of risks,”

If audiences really want to witness the essence of Flawless though, the live shows are what it’s all about, I’m told. The two time winners of the World Dance Championships flourish infront of a live audience, and from performing at the Paralympics, Olympics, MOBOs (Music of black origins), and the Queen’s Diamond jubilee, they’ve had their fair share of crazy gigs. “We are full of risks,” Marlon says when i ask about their catalogue of performances. “We’re not perfect, not every show goes well. I’ve sort of shot myself in the foot, by calling the group flawless, because we’re not. But it’s more about what we aim to be, it’s a reminder of what we want to be.” The craziest of Flawless’ shows has to be this though; the time Marlon had a mishap on stage. “It was on our first tour actually…we do this trick that’s a back-flip into a jazz split…for some reason, as I’ve gone to do this split, my trousers split at the front. I had to run off stage quick and get it sorted before i came back on and finished the show.”

“This was a bold decision we had to make,”

Hopefully Marlon won’t split his trousers again at their next show, Chase the dream: the reboot. What he hopes to do, however, is inspire. Packed full of crazy flips, striking visuals, and a poignant message behind it all, Chase the dream: the reboot focuses on escaping the mundane. “People get caught up in a nine to five job, they’re stuck in their day to day lives, they forget their dreams. Our show is what it says on the tin, really. It’s about chasing the dream, and people following their passions,” Marlon tells me. It’s topics maybe down to earth, but oddly the show itself is set in space, upon an ‘intergalactic dream ship’. The inhabitants, 10 astronaut/dancers, fight for their dreams, as an overwhelming wall of doubt and eventual nightmare dawns on them. From how Marlon describes, it sounds like a metaphor for real life, and the hope of chasing a dream. But why is it called the reboot? “Well, back in 2010, we did a tour called Chase the dream.” He explains with a glowing sense of enthusiasm. “It did really well, and it great, but we wanted to bring it back. We thought now was the best time because it’s been nearly ten years since and we want to reintroduce ourselves, and bring the message, to a new generation so they can see our work.”

“Don’t expect to see just street dance,”

Flawless wasn’t always around, of course, and before he started the troupe, Marlon was a successful backup dancer. “My solo career has been an incredible journey for me. I managed to work with alot of big names before, but you’d be dancing for like Britney Spears or you were able to experience dancing on like pepsi chart, top of the pops, and it wouldn’t go any further. You can dance on those shows but no-one would know who you are. Only my family and people i know would see that and be like ‘i know that dancer on there,’ or people in the industry might know who you are, but that’s as far as it goes. You don’t hear about any solo dancers. There aren’t any famous solo dancers out there, except for maybe one or two, but in a group dancers make it further. After a couple of years, i felt like something was missing. I wanted to be more than a backing dancer; i wanted to be a brand, and develop our own dance company. So i started Flawless.”

And develop their company they did, with the additional help of Britain’s got talent to propell their brand further. But the reality competition could have met a member of Flawless much sooner then 2009. “My friends and family would say to me, ‘why aren’t you on that show? You should apply.’ But i didn’t, i didn’t want to because i knew the hard work it takes to make it in the industry. Shows like that are great, but they don’t show the industry properly. Some people think you can go on those shows and you’ll make it over night. But it’s alot of hard work, and it takes alot of drive and to understand the industry properly before you can get anywhere. We used Britain’s got talent as a way of initiating our national profile, once we were ready. It was like a platform for us to show the world who Flawless are and what we do.” he explains.

For Marlon, the drive and knowledge needed to start in the dance industry was ignited when he was just four. “My love of dance stems from my family really. My mum liked Michael Jackson and i would watch his music videos and copy the moves when i was four. I would watch those, and learn the moves off by heart, and as i got older i thought ‘who taught Michael Jackson how to dance’, so i started to research it. I learnt about them and eventually developed my dance style,” he recalls. “I’m self taught mostly, the only training i had was when i studied a BTEC in dance,” Marlon continues, with a striking sense of admiration for his craft. “The BTEC was tough because i was young and narrow minded,” he laughs. “I would have to learn things like jazz and contemporary but i would be like ‘why would i want to do that, why would i need to know that, i want to do street dance,’ it wasn’t till i started performing properly that i realised how different styles influence eachother. Like, with Flawless, we did a show with the English national ballet, i want to bring that one back aswell actually, and it was awesome. It was incredible how we could mix in the styles.”

“I had to run off stage quick,”

Learning about the industry is clearly an important fixture in Marlon’s success, and the group hope to pass the torch, as it were, with their own version of current dance academies. “We opened our own dance school in Vauxhall. It’s like we have our own mini Flawless group carrying on from us. Dancers are lucky now because, when we started, there weren’t really any dance schools or anything like that to teach us. And dancers now need that sense of direction from somewhere like that.”

Through their own school, Flawless hope to inspire other young dancers, but the group themselves have found their own inspiration from less conventional sources. “It sounds really corny,” Marlon laughs, “but I’m inspired by life. Dance is life to us. It’s a sort of universal language; it’s message can reach anyone, so we can speak to anyone about life with our performances. Music does a similar thing, but dance has its own language so anyone can understand, and we can spread out message further.”

It’s clear that Marlon is passionate about dance, and it plays an integral part of his life, but what if the group never formed and Marlon wasn’t a dancer? “This was a bold decision we had to make, choosing dance. It’s not an easy profession; we could have gone into other jobs, but dance was it for us,” he enthuses. It’s a good thing the group never gave up on their dream, despite obstacles, and the troupe hope to inspire others to do the same with their upcoming show.

Be sure to catch the crazy flips, poignant messages, and possible pant splitting, on September 3rd at The Hawth, Crawley.

PREVIEW: Popular Musical.ly singer, Houssein releases new single.

Posted on 30/07/201830/07/2018 by Ray A-J

Newcomer to the pop scene, singer Houssein, releases his third single

YOUNG pop artist Houssein released his latest single Summer Night, via streaming sites Spotify, and Apple music, on July 27.

The London-based artist has broken away from his routes at video posting app Musical.ly, where he garnered 1.5 million followers and the title of number 1 solo male artist, with his latest song.

About the inspiration behind the song, the 19-year-old artist explained: “Summer Night tells the story of a couple whose relationship never really comes into fruition, so eventually they just don’t see each other anymore. But looking back, I wish to find that girl and re-experience the time we had together”.

The atmospheric power pop anthem has come after Houssein’s debut track 5 bucks, which was released earlier this year.

Originally beginning his career in theatre, when cast in the Chitty Chitty Bang Bang UK Tour, aged 9, the artist later moved to the music scene via video based apps Vine, and Musical.ly. He has since accumulated over 250 million views with his music via the social media app Vine.

Outside of the music scene, the pop artist is focused on helping the prevention of cruelty to animals, and has supported such charities as: The Ark in Barbados, and Peta.

INTERVIEW: Andrea Di Giovanni – “I shouldn’t have to explain my identity”

Posted on 17/07/201818/07/2018 by Ray A-J

The flamboyant and bubbly Pride’s got talent finalist, and activist Andrea Di Giovanni, talks Trans rights and reminds us all that it’s great to be Queer in an interview with Ray A-J.

STANDING outside a London café, with busy people buzzing about the place, it hit me. We’re so lucky.

As I walked over to meet, and receive a warming hug from, the bubbly Pride’s got talent finalist and dark pop musician Andrea Di Giovanni in Soho (or the gayest part of London, as she tells me), I saw a barrage of wonderful rainbow flags dotted about the streets. Along the roads were cheery LGBT+ people out in the world boldly being themselves – being free, and as i walked past them, I thought of how lucky we are. Here in the UK, us LGBT+ people are slowly being given the platform to be ourselves, mostly. With events like Pride and a sudden movement of gender neutral clothing, we’re beginning to be welcomed into the mainstream society. Yet this isn’t the case for everyone in the world, or even all of us in the LGBT+ communities. But with the help and activism of people like Andrea, it could be.

“I want to make people uncomfortable,”

“We need to be allies,” Andrea tells me, reclining in a Soho café with a determined look in his eyes. “We need to support each other in the LGBT+ communities. It’s finally being brought to attention how awful the treatment of trans people of colour is. Especially with, no T no shade but, the horrible handling of The Vixen on Rupaul’s drag race, and, I love mama Ru, but that tweet…we really need to be allies for trans or LGBT+ people of colour too.” Andrea is referring to a rather controversial and arguably transphobic tweet that popular veteran Drag Queen Rupaul put out recently. Much to our surprise (Andrea is a great fan of the drag Queen’s work), in the tweet Rupaul stated that post-op transgender Queens were not allowed to compete in his show Rupaul’s drag race. His reasoning? They would have an unfair advantage, and aren’t as ‘dangerous’ or as full of anarchy as the image of a cis Drag Queen. “I don’t agree with him at all,” Andrea says. “But i get that the show is just that – a show. It’s an edited and produced version of reality and drag; it’s not a real representation. I say if you’re a fan of drag race, you’re not a fan of drag. You’re a fan of a show. But to be a fan of drag, you have to go out and support local Drag Queens. We need to support local Drag Queens more, and trans people of colour too, and I mean more than just say you support them and say you’re an advocate, but offer them the platform to talk about their issues themselves,” she says with an infectious enthusiastic energy that bounces about the otherwise ordinarily calm cafe. “If you see someone in the street being hassled, stand up for them. Go over there and help them out, because sometimes people need that extra support because they’re too scared to stand up for themselves,” she advises. “Or you don’t have to go out and protest or anything to show your support. Even if it’s just sending a tweet to an LGBT+ performer or person, saying ‘you really inspire me’, or saying how good they are, that will help them out. It doesn’t matter if they don’t retweet you or send you a message back, they would have definitely read your tweet and that will make a difference to them; it will have a positive impact.”

Sitting across from me, in his denim dunagrees and mesh black top, complete with what I can only describe as fabulously purple acrylic nails, it is clear that Andrea loves fashion. “It sounds really stereotypical,” she laughs “But the first time i had my nails done, i really felt like my authentic self. As soon as they were painted, i was like honey, I’m here.” But the importance of her look is more than just skin deep. Andrea explained to me how he uses his appearance in his activism. The bubby musician’s extravagant and unconventional image is impart inspired by the genderbending of the late David Bowie, borrowing his use of gender non-conforming clothing. “My friend asked me about my look before, they said ‘you always look so fashionable’, and i was just like ‘i shop in the women’s section, mostly’,” she laughed. “I embrace both the feminim and masculine qualities in myself and my identity, and because of that my image can make people uncomfortable. But that’s what i want to do, i don’t want to be put into a box of ‘you’re a male artist or female artist so you should look like this, or you should be muscley’. I don’t want to look like that, i want to make society uncomfortable. The only way you can create change and acceptance is to make people a little uncomfortable. That’s sort of what Bowie did, and I’m really inspired by his look too.” But the Gay Genderfluid artist understands the often suffocating effect the industry can have on an openly gay artist’s free expression. “The industry likes to say they support Queer artists, and they will sign us. But, to quote Tatiana, What you see isn’t always the truth. Once you’re their artist they want you to be less gay, less flamboyant, less extravagant. They want to control our queerness. And I mean me, less flamboyant?” she jokes.

“I think Queer and Non-binary people are the future,”

The Italian born musician’s passion for activism and standing against social injustices is gripping; she has a fierce loyalty to the LGBT+ communities that is heartwarming to see. But the dedicated artist wasn’t always so aware of the issues clouding the community. “Being brought up in Italy… by a loving family and being white, Iwas bathed in privilege. I wasn’t really aware of the difficulties faced by trans people of colour, or really aware of the gay communities, because I wasn’t introduced to anyone from the community then; there wasn’t really much LGBT+ communities in Italy. It wasn’t till recently, with people like Travis Alabanza and Marsha P Johnson, that my eyes were fully opened. I watched the documentary about Marsha P Johnson and my mind was blown. I wasn’t sure of Drag Queens either, when Iwas younger. I didn’t understand them because i wasn’t around any. But then i watched Rupaul’s drag race and i got it, i love it. I actually considered doing drag before, but then with it’s popularity now, I thought I’d better not,” she laughs, before returning to more serious words. “I admit it, Iam privileged, there’s nothing I can do about that,” she continues, with a bright glow in her eyes. “But it’s what you do with that privilege that matters. I could have sat home and done nothing, and just gone on to expand my career in Italy with the TV show [Amici Di Maria De Fillippi] I was in, and I’m not saying that’s a bad thing; not everybody has to be an activist, but I didn’t want to do that. I wanted to use my privilege to help people and be a sort of activist. I didn’t want to ignore the issues that were going on in the world. But, being white and privileged, I don’t have a right to try to explain or educate people on LGBT+ people of colour’s issues. It’s not my place, and I don’t want to do what some people do, no T no shade, and make my activism all about myself. That’s why I try to offer a platform for those people to talk about issues they face, and explain it themselves.”

The young enthusiastic musician actually moved away from his home in Rome at the tender age of 17, in favour of London – a place where she could grow, she tells me. “I just said to my mum one day, I want to go, I’m moving away. And then in the space of two weeks I got into BIMM [British institute of modern music] and moved to London. It was that quick,” she explains. As it turns out, Italy wasn’t the right place for Andrea’s music career to flourish, or her personal life either. Due to the rich history of Italy and its ties with Catholicism, attitudes towards LGBT+ people are not always accepting. Andrea herself was subjected to harassment and bullying throughout school, and went through a tumultuous journey to discover her identity. Being from a strongly Catholic orientated family, her parents too were apprehensive of her identity. “Everyone knew, but it took me a long time to come out fully,” she laughs when i ask about their reactions. Despite her father’s aloof attitude towards Andrea being gay and feminine, he has since changed his tune for the better, even going so far as to fully support the funding for her work now. “It was the first song of mine he bought,” she says regarding her song Hold me once more. “I actually messaged him the day before its release, telling him that i have a new song out and it’s about him. It’s about the mess he had back home with my mum, and the tumultuous relationship we had, it’s not hidden in the lyrics at all. I mean, I say it all with the line: ‘And when I needed you were never there, probably f*cking in a hotel bed’,” he laughs. “It’s actually his favourite song now, because i said all that i wanted to say to him in the song, and he realised how I felt. He understood me more.”

Even Andrea herself saw her identity and sexuality as something terrifying (as we all do when we first come out), because of the Catholic Church’s ‘demonising’ of gay culture. All of this unfortunately resulted in a concoction of anxiety and depression, Andrea tells me, suddenly solem. “I had some suicidal thoughts…” he confesses, “but I’m too much of a selfish b*tch to go through with it,” she half quipps, changing the subject to brighter tones. “That’s what my song Drowning is based on, it goes into the depression and confusion i went through, during the process of coming out.”

“We need to support local Drag Queens more,”

Despite the deep and serious nature of our conversation, Andrea has a very cheerful and uplifting atmosphere about her when she speaks. He cares so intensely about the issues and struggles us LGBT+ people go through, far beyond the point of just researching and passing on the information, and well into the depths of doing something about the problems we’re presented. Yet, when he is discussing how to navigate through the often tumultuous forest of prejudice and hatred we receive, she has an unshakeable optimism. And this carries through, even when he’s faced with abuse. “When you get shouted at with abuse or comments, you feel this sort of shame. You feel insecure and it really gets to you. That’s what i talk about in my song, that’s out next year, Shame Resurrection. You have that resurrection of negative feelings and insecurity being brought up, every time someone shouts homophobic comments at you,” she explains, suddenly deeper in thought. “But when that happens, when someone is shouting across the street at you, you immediately want to shout back at them or hurl abuse back, right? But sometimes that’s worse. Things could escalate and become violent. So you know what I do? I smile at them. I’m polite or i say ‘oh, bless you’ or something, because then the tension is cut off. They’ve got no response, nothing to bite at.”

“I watched the documentary about Martha P Johnson and my mind was blown,”

The Young dark pop musician and alumni of the British institute of Modern Music, recently headlined London Pride festival, along with other Pride’s got talent finalists, and was hurt by the controversial events that happened there last weekend. “It was so lovely to see all of the people there being themselves and showing support for the LGBT+ communities. It was so inspiring to perform there and I felt so honoured to share the stage with such great performers, and singers like Mzz Kimberley [whom recently performed at Brighton’s own Golden Handbag awards, and acted as a judge at Pride’s got talent]. But the anti trans protest that happened there ruined all of that a bit; it put a bad turn on all the good that was done, and unfortunately creates a bad impression on the community. To me, trans women are women, and I know lots of lesbians that are really supportive of trans women, but that one group of anti trans protesters that happened to be lesbians could create a negative view of the whole community. It’s awful.” Despite the crushing effect the protest had, it’s imperative that we encourage change, rather than dwell on the negativity created by the event, Andrea explains. “I really think black pride is a good idea, even though it kind of goes against the idea of unity and everyone being free to celebrate pride with each other, by just having an event specifically for black LGBT+ people, black pride would be a good because LGBT+ people of colour are being treated unfairly and unfortunately that’s not just by Cis Straight people, but by those in the LGBT+ communities too. It would offer them the chance to celebrate freely, and will give the LGBT+ people of colour the platform they need.” She clearly cares deeply about this injustice, and is well versed in the history of our community. Her passion for fighting against transphobia ripples through her with a fierce energy, as we discuss the famous activist Marsha P Johnson, particularly. “Without her, we probably wouldn’t have all the things we have now; we wouldn’t have Pride or any of the basic human rights we now are allowed. She started the original Pride, and her and two other trans women of colour were directly involved in Stonewall. And yet she still hasn’t received justice, and trans women of colour are still treated unfairly.”

“If you’re a fan of drag race, you’re not a fan of drag,”

“Bi’s are treated so badly too,” she exclaims with a look of disbelief, as we discuss the divides in the LGBT+ communities. “They’re excluded from the straight community, but they’re rejected by the gay communities, so they’re just like ‘where do we go?’. They’re caught in the middle.” Unfortunately, this seems to ring true with the bi community at the moment. We seem to be pushed out of the community in a way, especially with the handling of bi characters on TV in shows like The L word (one of many faults with the show). And we’re not alone, the Non-binary community are also seeing mistreatment. But Andrea swiftly brings back a wave of optimism for our community. “I think Queer and Non-binary people are the future,” she smiles. “Because, in Latin and Literature studies I did at school, we found that in the Greek and Roman era homosexuality and gender fluidity was everywhere. It was normal. And maybe we’re headed back to that.” Hopefully it can return to this state soon, and Andrea is keen to help that process as much as she can. The warm artist is happy to help any other Queer people going through tough times. She tells me that she’s always up for answering any questions they may have, or helping them through the stages of accepting their identity. “If someones struggling and wants any help, they can contact me on social media or we can meet up in person. I’d love to help if i can,” She smiles. “I’ll answer questions a straight cis person may have, if they’re respectful and are genuine. But I’m not going to answer if someone just comes up to me on the street, or if it’s something like ‘how does it feel to be gender fluid’. I shouldn’t have to explain my identity. That’s disrespectful. That’s something they could Google and research first. We know all about the straight history and culture, we’re brought up with it, but they know nothing of ours. We research our culture to know more, so why shouldn’t they?” I’ve got to hand it to Andrea, she’s right.

After our engaging afternoon, deep discussions, and run around London for a cheeky picture, I come away feeling enlightened and somewhat hopeful. Maybe, with people like Andrea, the world that persecutes LGBT+ people, and the mistreatment we face on a daily basis, will crumble away. And just maybe, the future really will be gloriously queer.

FEATURE: Confessions of a trainee drag teen

Posted on 08/07/2018 by Ray A-J

Who gets to do drag? A discussion of drag and its offshoots by Ray A J.

SO YOU wanna be a drag queen? One problem, you’re biologically female.

Historically, the idea of a drag queen has been a strictly male dominated territory – you can get the female equivalent (drag king), but women aren’t usually allowed to be queens. It boils down to the idea that drag is dressing up as the opposite gender, which makes sense. Yet over the past few years drag has become much more. It’s a form of expression and opportunity to break down the social construct behind the definition of gender. These queens wear make-up and dresses which are typically considered female things, in order to show how dainty our definition of the female gender is. They don’t necessarily have to ‘pass’ as a female, or look ‘fishy’ (looking like a biological woman). They’re exaggerated versions of a feminine persona, or what is widely considered feminine.

In recent years we’ve seen a change in drag culture. There’s the phenomenon of bio queens, and I’m sure their counterpart bio kings exist too. These people either identify as or are biologically the same gender as their drag persona and yet still dress up and perform in the exaggerated manner of drag. Of course the movement has come under fire (as nothing is without scrutiny) from existing queens or kings that feel the idea isn’t true drag. To be honest, that makes sense, because how can you be an exaggerated version of your own gender? Surely that’s cheating? I can see what they mean. But having said that, what actually is drag? And why can’t a woman be a drag queen, or a man be a drag king? Surely, if the idea is to challenge gender norms, or just to have fun performing or dressing up, then everyone should be welcome? Surely there aren’t any rules over who gets to contribute?

Another issue that needs to be raised: what if you identify outside of the binary of male or female, or you’re trans? Can non-binary people do drag? In the words of the fabulous queen Ben De La Creme, ‘drag is inherently political’; it always pushes gender boundaries. So why can’t non-binaries do drag too?

In the world of drag, there are many acts who identify as non-binary or transgender, or perform using androgyny in their styles, like: Jinkx Monsoon, Violet Chachki, Adore Delano, Celebrity Big Brother winner Courtney Act, Peppermint and Milk. And they’re all successful in what they do. Recently, there’s even been an eight-year-old boy featured in Elle Magazine, as drag queen Lactacia.
Personally, I identify under the non-binary circuit (and am biologically female), and recently I’ve seriously considered doing drag (both male and female). To play into the stereotype of a drag newbie, I’m a huge fan of the TV show RuPaul’s Drag Race, and the way they challenge artists to incorporate fashion, modelling and acting into their art.

The idea of dressing up as my own characters and performing to audiences inspires me. It’s fascinating. I just love the concept and the opportunity to dress up as a man or a woman or anything else – even exaggerated androgynous drag. It’s an exciting way of experimenting with the concept of gender identity. But the one thing that’s holding me back is whether I’ll be accepted by other drag artists. Will I even be considered as a drag artist? And on top of that, am I at risk of offending anyone?

During a group conversation on Facebook, the topic of gender cropped up and I sent an image of a drag queen to the chat. Immediately it was met with applause at how “feminine and authentic” the man dressed as a woman looked. My friend (who is transgender) even expressed jealously over how much like a biological woman this man looked, and how they could ‘pass’. She thought they were transgender. The others didn’t.

Clearing up the confusion, I explained they were a drag queen. But this revelation was met with unusual distain. My friend immediately went into exclamations of hurt and anger over drag, expressing her dislike of it as it “mocks transgender people”. She thought that drag was performed as comedy (some queens are deliberately comical and do stand-up routines), to make fun of a man in a dress and how ‘unusual’ it is. She found the stereotype incredibly hurtful.

Disliking drag is okay though, and I respect her opinion. Of course I felt bad for upsetting my friend – I didn’t realise she’d be offended by drag, or that anyone would be, after all, it’s just wearing clothes outside of your gender norm. To me it’s performance art and gender expression, but to her it was a dig at transgender people.

After speaking to her more, I began to understand that there was a stigma around drag. A lot of misconceptions fly around that drag mocks the gender it imitates, or even that people in drag are a joke to be laughed at. But I don’t think that’s the case anymore – drag is an art form in itself. Just look at the gorgeously intricate drag make-up scattered across Instagram, or the amazing costume and fashion designs woven across the internet. To even watch a drag artist perform is beautiful in itself. It’s not about poking fun at gender, it’s about challenging it.

Regardless of biological gender or identity, anyone should be allowed to do drag if they want to. Actually, to submit to the idea of only having drag queens and drag kings is pushing out other genders. If I’m doing drag, I could dress up as a king, a queen or somewhere between – as long as it’s exaggerated, it’s still drag. If there are so many more than two genders, then there are more options for drag.

MUSIC REVIEW: Lets get back to Queer representation In the Arts

Posted on 07/07/201809/07/2018 by Ray A-J

Matt Fishel celebrates the queer comunity and reminds us to continue the fight, in his latest album M/F.

REPRESENTATION is everything. From films and TV, to magazine covers and Artwork, we love to see the faces of people from our communities in widespread media. The idea of looking into the mainstream and seeing someone like us reflected makes us feel accepted. It’s important.

Historically, the world of the arts has been a safe haven for the LGBTQIA+ community. With artists and musicians such as David Hockney, Anie Leibovitz, Andy Warhol, Elton John, and Tracy Chapman, we have used the creative world as a place to express ourselves freely; it’s an escape from a society of judgement and restriction. But for queer rock singer Matt Fishel, this idea of acceptance in the music industry was far from reach.

In his early days as a singer, songwriter, and all round artist, Matt’s bold and proudly gay music was held back from release. He was advised to change his themes, in the hopes of being more commercially acceptable. And why? Because of its gay content. Thank goodness the queer rocker refused, instead opting to create his own label in 2010, a string of popular queer tracks, and release his latest unappoligetic album M/F today.

The whole album travels through the hope, cheer, worries and life of a gay man, but with roaring rock guitars and crunchy distortion to add a jaunty flare to the poignant topics.

In songs like His n’ His, the London based musician uses cheeky sarcasm to waltz through the joys of being in a relationship with a man. Soldered to jumping rock rhythms, and twanging solos that seem to don an 80s hair metal guitar tone, the song carries a sense of pride. His mix of faced paced, catchy commercial hooks fill each note from Matt’s bright vocals with elation and an overall resounding joy. But throughout M/F, the sense of cheer and euphoria is thinly masking a more serious underlying tone.

The alumni of Paul McCartney‘s Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts casts head bobbing rhythms against bleak lyricism in tracks like Twinks, asking: “what you gonna do for love, if you don’t know who you are?” The track greatly juxtaposes its predecessor His N’ His, instead grappling with the fear of growing old and no longer belong to the Twink ideal. Despite the track’s dark and all too real outlook, a charging guitar and racing drums combo slashes through the despair, instead offering a gleeful sounding alternative. The glee continues in cheeky track Throwing shade, which shakes the spotlight onto an idea of forgetting the bad things and instead following the free world of Drag Queens. A bright sunny day against the melancholy of the dark night of before, the track flips the more serious lyricism found in Twinks on its head, this time choosing a more stripped back acoustic tone to decorate the lighter lyrics. Throughout notes of relaxed guitar and casual drums, Matt’s delicate voice encourages the listener to move on from constant complaining, and to instead relax and celebrate or “let our hair down for a while,” like the Drag Queens.
In amongst the bubbly and playful collage of tracks Throwing Shade, Bored of straight boys, and I’m obsessed with him, Matt nestles in an empowering and politically rich track known as Soldiers.

Strangling guitars that reek of pop punk tones pour into the track, swiftly followed by droplets of saddened vocals. “Who are we to stop the war, act complacent, when there’s still so much more to be done,” the straining voice demands, rippling through the jangling electricity. Sparking guitar notes spit out until a bright fire is formed – the chorus. Matt’s voice is crying out amongst cutting solos and crashing chords. “Though it seems like we’re all living in easier times, there are still soldiers out on the front lines,” the voce final concludes, giving a almighty push of power, and reminding us that the fight for our rights is never over.

It’s not long before another pop punk style rhythm brings in a celebratory rock party of a song like LGBTQIA+ (a new generation). Raw and empowering, the punky track is the ode to past and present LGBT+ alumni “In every creed, race, religion and society” all in a lively thrash of head bobbing rhythms. Angsty, rebellious, powerful. A nod to the original rebels with its rocky sound, the fast-paced charge of pop punk rhythms drives the listener’s passion until you can’t help but sing along.

Each power chord roars like a fire, emblazoned with gritty electrical fuzz to burn your ears in the best way. Arguably the best section of this collage of crashing rhythm, the chorus is a straightforward clean-cut onslaught urging you to “Raise your glass to the ones that paved the way”. It unashamedly demands your attention – it’s yelling at you and you can’t ignore so you yell along to.

But the hidden gem amongst this moving display of pride seems to be the artwork that is splashed across each part of the album’s companion lyric book. Sewn into the cover of M/F, and the subsequent inside pages, is minimalistic imagery of a man – his identity concealed but ironically the rest of him exposed, intimately depicting grief, happiness, and the stories told by the lyrics. Whether the subject be donning a bright pink tutu for the song Throwing shade, showcasing the intricate tribal tattoos found in I’m totally obsessed with him, or displaying a collage of behind the scene shots from the recording process, the images are perfectly entwined with the lyrics and songs that lay beside them. Every detail has been painstakingly thought out, right down to the pink and blue colour palette found across each page.

The final photograph perfectly resolves the story of Matt’s music, showcasing a festival of sorts, with the gathering of paint, cheering people, and the thematic pink and blues that are littered across the book – an image of freedom and success.

Overall M/F perfectly showcases the fight for rights and representation we need in the media and music industry. And it helps that the songs themselves contain the same electrical charge and enthusiastic power that Matt encompasses.

MUSIC REVIEW: Do you dream of ice cream?

Posted on 04/07/201805/07/2018 by Ray A-J

AY Wing keeps things sweet with latest track Ice Cream Dream

VANILLA. Strawberry. Chocolate. And now electronica. Berlin based singer AY Wing changes up the flavours with her latest song Ice cream Dream.

The creamy track from her 2018 E.P Ice Cream Dream perfectly blends simplistic beats of marching drums with a stripped back texture found in her previous track Strange, to create an easy listening vibe. But AY drops in just a dash of cheer to the relaxed electronic track, with swaying drums and a bright synth melody that follows close in the melodic footsteps of the vocals, in each rendition of its jumping chorus.

Layering a funky baseline, extraterrestrial synth drone, and a light female vocal smothered in reverb, the subtly chirpy song riddles itself with catchy lines and danceable rhythms, but never sidelines the importance of the message behind the music. Both snarky lyricism and the cheeky accompanying video (set in a makeshift gym) aim to poke fun at misplaced obsession with fitness in modern times, chanting: “keep me happy, keep me sweet.” But AY keeps things light with the outlining metaphor of ice cream that pops up towards the end of the video.

As the Swiss born singer herself says: “In an age where we’re all a little bit more stressed than we probably need to be, couldn’t we all use a little more ice-cream sweetness in our lives?”

MUSIC REVIEW: Cocoa Future – Circus

Posted on 21/06/201821/06/2018 by Ray A-J

Do the bright lights of synths and guitars in Cocoa Future’s latest track hide a darker story?

“KEEP DOING what you’re doing, cos I’ll be fine,” the weakening voice of a broken man calls out. “Keep doing what you’re doing, cos I’ll be fine,” – the sound echoes throughout the air surrounding a desolate tent. Like each exasperated wave of new performer coming out onto the stage, the sounds of electronic synth and casual reclining guitars gradually build up. The stripped back and unpretentious sounds almost force the weary voice of singer Greg Sanderson to confront his internal ramblings, until he finally expels his confusion in one exhausted gasp: “Keep doing what you’re doing, cos I’ll be fine.”

It was the voice behind pop band Cocoa Future‘s first attempt at creating a colourful picture of sound with a reduced pallette of instruments. The Scottish bred singer had only a piano spare to create his relaxed collage, and he was admittedly at the mercy of the keys.

Glowing notes start to trickle in amongst a puddle of light synths and drummer Dave‘s steady beats. Though far from the bursting glow of instruments and rich texture of the Tottenham based band’s 2016 debut E.P. Blue, the sounds throughout Circus seem to contrast the band’s talent for bright synths and catchy hooks with a flare for a deep and despairing story. Much like its namesake, the track seemingly masks a darker lyrical underside with bright lights and sparkling synths to create a poignant story which on the surface appears as an entertaining, relaxed song. And with Brendan Williams (of Dutch Uncles, and GoGo Penguin) behind the production desk, the track’s story of patience and practice becomes perfectly wrapped up in a clean and precise sonic package.

Overall, the track seems to present a contrasting image of a defeated circus performer, contemplating the frivolity of their weakening career, through the polarity of lounging synths, casual guitars, and broken vocals. On first listen it is an effortlessly relaxed track, but with the next seems to peel open to reveal a conflicted narrator in amongst the pleasant and uncomplicated sounds.

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