Arts CD REVIEW: Grace Jones: Warm Leatherette – Deluxe Edition Grace Jones is often lauded as an icon of grandiose style, almost a caricatured great-aunt to the somewhat clumsy niece Ga Ga, her music often taking a back seat in our distant memories of “didn’t she do…”. Her current run of album reissues should go some way to cementing her place in the hall of mu By Craig Hanlon-Smith • 2 min read
In The South Star of ‘Back to Jamaica’ to co-compere Trans Pride In January of this year a BBC Newsbeat documentary followed two transgender friends on a life changing journey to one of the most transphobic and homophobic countries in the world. By Craig Hanlon-Smith • 3 min read
Arts REVIEW: Sunset Boulevard@ The Coliseum Great musicals require great stories. Consider the longest running shows in London’s current West End and the golden ages of yesteryear, and of course the scores and choreographers are key, but it’s strong stories and enchanting characters that matter. By Craig Hanlon-Smith • 2 min read
In The South CD REVIEW: The Sound of McAlmont & Butler So you want to know me now? The Sound of McAlmont & Butler celebrates its 20th anniversary. The pitfalls of skirting about the peripheral edges of a mass music movement such as Brit-Pop in the mid 1990s are that you are certain to disappear from view as swiftly as you briefly appeared. By Craig Hanlon-Smith • 2 min read
Arts REVIEW: Bridge of Spies CD + DVD Box Set This multi-disc re-mastered release of their multi-platinum selling debut outing can only ensure that they remain in our conscience for a little whole longer yet. Including the original album in full, all the big hitters are here, most notably China in Your Hand, Heart and Soul, and Valentine, but a By Craig Hanlon-Smith • 2 min read
Arts REVIEW: Madonna: The Rebel Heart Tour Whilst I have seen Madonna put on a show before, The Rebel Heart Tour has to be up there amongst her finest onstage outings. Although not amongst her most commercially successful, the Rebel Heart album is a cracker and of the opening seven songs, six are taken from her latest release. By Craig Hanlon-Smith • 2 min read
General News Why Greece needs you now, more than ever I write this to you from the island of Crete, where the beaches are two-thirds empty, the hotels less than half full and some restaurants all but deserted. For us, it’s a July holiday paradise. Turn up at any beach, any time of day and have your pick of the best spot, visit local points of interest By Craig Hanlon-Smith • 4 min read
Arts REVIEW: Three Degrees at Concorde2 It’s barely ten minutes into their live set at Brighton’s Concorde2, when Helen Scott of the Three Degrees reminds a seemingly ecstatic crowd of their placing in The Guinness Book of Records as the longest running all female trio in music history. By Craig Hanlon-Smith • 2 min read
Arts MUSIC REVIEW: T’Pau live at Royal Vauxhall Tavern T’Pau, fronted by the formidable Carol Decker are a band enjoying something of a renaissance since a successful 25th Anniversary Tour in 2013. Their return to the touring arena has not least of all revealed something of an LGBT following, cemented by this one-off acoustic show at The Royal Vauxhall By Craig Hanlon-Smith • 2 min read
Arts Putting the ‘T’ into comedy Claire Parker, is a stand up comedian, blogger, radio presenter, BBC writers consultant, project lead, oh and is a woman who also happens to be trans. She is also effortlessly calm and on her BBC writers room blog states: Why don’t we all put down our mud. Draw a line under it all and invite each ot By Craig Hanlon-Smith • 4 min read
Features & Longread Dave Lynn – No doormat… life inside the Dragon’s Den After 40 years in sequins and stilettos, Dave Lynn talks to Craig Hanlon-Smith about the life and loves of a legendary Drag Queen. November 2014 marks the 40th anniversary of the legendary Dave Lynn’s first venture into the world of drag. By Craig Hanlon-Smith • 9 min read
Arts Not such fragile dreams after all T’Pau, fronted by the vivacious Carol Decker shot to fame in the late 1980s with a string of Top 40 hits, most notably Valentine, Heart & Soul, China In Your Hand and I Will Be With You. By Craig Hanlon-Smith • 7 min read
