BOOK REVIEW: Larrikin Yakka by Paul Freeman Larrikin Yakka, Paul Freeman, erotic, photographs, Brighton Gay Scene, Gay Brighton UK, What’s On in Gay Brighton, Gay Magazines, Gay Magazine Brighton, LGBT, Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender, non-binary, Brighton & Hove, gay-friendly Brighton, gay clubs Brighton, gay bars Brighton, gay hotels Br By Eric Page • 1 min read
Stand to attention with Mr Gay Wales! Gscene’s own Valleys boyo, Eric Page, catches up with the rather hunky Mr Gay Wales, Ben Brown, to see what’s occurring and how he won that lush sash! By Eric Page • 4 min read
Arts BOOK REVIEW: Straight Jacket by Matthew Todd Part memoir, part sotto voice rant, he looks beneath the shiny facade of contemporary gay culture and asks if gay people are as happy as they could be – and if not, why not? He addresses our ‘crisis of shame’ and offers compelling guidance on coping. He shines a light on his and our problematic rel By Eric Page • 2 min read
Arts BOOK REVIEW: ‘A New Man’ by Charlie Kiss This personal narrative is an enlightening and interesting read, and the throb of political engagement, fairness and the conviction of being able to change and build a better word is a fiery undercurrent to what can be a tender vulnerable tale, honest and soul baring. By Eric Page • 2 min read
Arts BOOK REVIEW: Natalie and Romaine by Diana Souhami Souhami’s eye for detail and her enormously kind and generous emotional insight gives us not just the facts of their existence, but the feeling, yearning, passions and desires of two perfectly fascinating and indomitable women with the world at their feet. It’s a hugely positive and fun depiction of By Eric Page • 2 min read
Arts FILM REVIEW: The Ice King by JAMES ERSKINE Uncompromising, a little waspish, funny and charming, utterly vulnerable, stronger than an Ox, fast, lithe and inspiring, camp, sensual and a rejecter of butch ways of sport and skating John Curry is one of the LGBTQ heroes who should be held up and venerated and this film goes a long way to resto By Eric Page • 3 min read
Arts BOOK REVIEW: The Trial of Roger Casement by Fionnuala Doran Based on his true life story; condemned as a revolutionary, imprisoned in the Tower of London ( This was the 20th century!!) his sexuality exposed by the circulation of his private journals, and on his final day in the courtroom, he delivered a brave, impassioned speech that still resonates. By Eric Page • 2 min read
Arts OPERA REVIEW: Iolanthe @ENO Iolanthe English National Opera This all new production of Iolanthe has a different director Cal McCrystal from the ENO G&S smash hit Pirates of Penzance, but looks like being as huge a success as that was. McCrystal – who is newish to opera – plays it straight, proper Gilbert and Sullivan and this By Eric Page • 5 min read
Arts THEATRE REVIEW: Spamalot @Eastbourne Spamalot Devonshire Park Theatre Eastbourne Funnier than the Black Death & lovingly ripped off from the hugely successful 1975 film Monty Python and the Holy Grail, this spammier than ever production is full of misfit knights, killer rabbits, dancing nuns and ferocious Frenchmen. This is a gleefully By Eric Page • 3 min read
Arts OPERA REVIEW: Satyagraha @ENO Visually it’s astonishing, blending and weaving itself with an endless sense of movement, representing the public support for Gandhi in the printed press. I was transfixed as the second part rose to its crescendo and with the projections, movement of actors, changing lighting effects and full of for By Eric Page • 5 min read
Arts BOOK REVIEW: First Year Out by Sabrina Symington It’s an honest story of the day to day experiences of transition, from the extraordinary to the mundane, depicted with humour, fortitude and intuition. Depicting her experiences from coming out right through to gender reassignment surgery, Lily’s story provides vital candid advice on the social, em By Eric Page • 2 min read
Arts BOOK REVIEW: Wanting In Arabic by Trish Salah Salah is furious and gentle, shocking and so,so tender it moved me, and I felt I didn’t understand some of her work. Always a powerful tool of the poet, to draw you back to their lathe of meaning and whittle some more of your mind away with their sharp edged observations. By Eric Page • 1 min read
