reFRESHlite - Male News from around the world

Caimbo – Electric Dreams

Simon says…  You know that old proverb advising not to judge a book by its cover?  Well, I do it all the time.  I’m usually right and I don’t mind taking the hit on my mistakes.  Take the hit, keep on smiling, go back to Oxfam Books and try again.  I judge record sleeves just the same.  My first impression of Caimbo was that I must have stumbled across a joke band like Pink Steel or some sort of Def Leppard tribute act or when Australian climber Ben Cossey repeated Wolfgang Gulich’s super-hard ‘Punks In The Gym’ in the Grampian Mountains, dressed in neon leggings and a false moustache like the maestro himself.  Pendants over hairless chests; pink tights, white skinny jeans, cowboy boots and greasy, greasy hair... hilarious, right?  Except that it’s not a joke... this is for real... and it’s simply dreadful.  Electric Dreams is all Hard-Fi snottiness crowbarred into Razorlight rhythms, jerked along by the thrashing minutiae of 80s metal and that weird period in Britpop when bands like Shed Seven developed a bad habit of finishing their albums with stuttering ten-minute epics.  Look, they’re just kids.  They're proficient with their instruments, so hopefully they’ll get better when they start listening to music a little more expansive than “The Strokes and Kings of Leon to Rolling Stones and U2.”  Pavement would be a good start, as they are the anti-Caimbo.  Crooked Rain or Wowee Zowee might do the trick. 

Caimbo release this horrible album in April.  Something In The Way will be the first single, it’s out on the 14th and it’s horrible as well.  I haven’t checked yet but I’d wager that they’ve got about a million teenage girls as Friends on their Myspace site. 

Joan Osborne – Breakfast in bed

Simon says...  Paint-by-numbers soul from the veteran Osborne, who brings her extensive background in R&B – the proper kind, mind you, rather than the senseless ass-shaking that infects our airwaves – to a mixed bag of her own tunes and classic covers.  For the most part the covers are better than her songs, which really beggars the question: why bother?  As the good Doctor used to put it, "Don't waste any time with cheap shucks and misdemeanors. Go straight for the jugular. Get right into felonies."  Or in other words, go listen to Etta, Aretha, Erma or Nina instead.  If you don’t care for their special madness then I suppose this is certainly nice enough, inoffensive enough.  In fact the only remarkable thing about Breakfast in bed is that it hasn’t been released in time for Hallmark Holiday Mother’s Day. 

Breakfast in bed goes on sale on 7th April, supported by live dates in the UK. 

Tilly B – Closer to me

Simon says...  My favourite musician is Tom Waits.  He has a tendency to sing through loudspeakers, his studio is certainly a smokehouse cellar and he shops for new instruments in his local hardware store.  Waits filters all five octaves of his heartbreaking sideshow honesty through a bag of gravel.  I mention Tom Waits because he is perhaps the antithesis of Tilly B: when there are so many good, clean voices out there, it is not enough just to have a good, clean voice.  Real impact demands a different voice, like Conor Oberst’s drawl, Thom Yorke’s whining fireworks, Bjork’s howl or Regina Spektor’s piping, broken whispers.  All of which leaves Tilly B somewhat stranded.  She can sing, sure – she sings low and high, suggestive and sultry and clean and watertight throughout this slow soul number.  And good Christ but it’s boring: flawlessly, endlessly dull.  It’s a voice that could easily take her to the semi-final of something hateful like X Factor before being dumped in favour of a waif with longer legs.  No-one should be ready to feel as old as this song. This is the soundtrack to a euthanasia advert.  And hey, maybe I'm over-reacting - I should be fair - if you hate Tom Waits then you'll probably dig this.  You’ll also be wrong, of course, but you’ll have some really mediocre music to keep you company. 

Closer to me by Tilly B is out on 31st March through Kean Music.  I couldn’t find a good picture of Tilly B, so here’s Literweise Neues by Andreas Golder instead: finding beauty in the broken. 

Newton Faulkner – I need something

Simon says...  Newton and I were never going to get off on the right foot.  I was actually, genuinely, personally offended by his single release of Massive Attack’s achingly beautiful Teardrop.  This is important, you see:

SOME SONGS SHOULD NEVER BE COVERED 

I also struggle to summon respect for bands who are better known for covering someone else’s music than they are for playing their own.  That goes double for Jose Gonzalez.  I bet he copied other kids' work at school, too.  It’s only after a deep breath and counting to ten that I’ll admit to I need something being passable.  Lightning-fast finger-picking rattles across the strings like stones over ice; feet stomp, hands clap and fingers click, belying the melancholy vocal... hey, it’s alright.  And if you like this then be sure to check out the rather funky John Butler Trio.  Fun fact, folks: Newton’s middle name is Battenberg. 

Newton Faulkner is currently on a sold out tour of the UK.  I need something is released on the 31st of March.  His websites are right here and here, y’all. 

Face the Consequences

Simon says...  I've seen a few gigs in my time, and line-ups don't come much better than this: Paul Weller, Graham Coxon, Supergrass, Dirty Pretty Things, New Young Pony Club and Reverend & The Makers have all signed up to Rock Against Homelessness for Crisis.  The homeless charity has brought together some of indie's biggest names for an all-day gig at Camden’s Roundhouse on Sunday 2nd March 2008 - including the first and only live performance by the Crisis superband. 

Consequences Live is part of a combined gig and record inspired by the parlour game where you draw a head, and the next person a chest, the third person a torso... so none of the recording artists were aware of what had gone before or would come after!  With driving guitars from The Enemy, a Beach Boys bassline from Andy Rourke (The Smiths), vocals from Weller and Ditto, thumping beats from Supergrass drummer Danny Goffey, and smooth rhythm guitar from Graham Coxon, producer Paul Epworth built the track layer by layer to create a rich Phil Spector effect with a big Motown sound.  Crisis’ own homeless members also contributed to the track which is due to be released after the daylong gig in March 2008.   

All profits from tickets will go to Crisis, with the money raised supporting Crisis' work with homeless people, including music and arts projects which enable our members to acquire new skills, gain qualifications, and find employment: empowering people to transform their own lives.  Crisis believes that supportive learning and skills projects are essential to help homeless people fulfil their potential and find routes out of homelessness.  Consequences is proudly sponsored by Drinkaware, the UK’s leading consumer-facing Responsible Drinking charity, whose objectives are to positively change the national drinking culture in order to reduce alcohol misuse and minimise alcohol-related harm.

Tickets for the spectacular Consequences Live cost £45 and can be purchased at www.crisisconsequences.com or from the ticket hotline 0870 389 1846. 

Search for a 'SuperPoof'

We posted a note about Oklahomo at Geisha a few weeks ago, so were pleased to hear that it has been a success. Hot on the heels of that, comes SuperPoof, the new nationwide search for the King of All Queens and doubtless soon to become a must-go Friday event.

Do you have what it takes? Have you always seen yourself as gay royalty? Well get yourself down to Geisha every Friday and help liberate the word 'poof'. There will be spot prizes awarded for super, uber and super duper poofs. Dress code: Gay Gay Gay!

Superpoof is hosted by Jonny Woo & Russella and is at Geisha, 75 Charing Cross Road from 8pm every Friday. Nearest tube: Leicester Square. For more information call 020 7734 6887

Provincetown, Massachusetts, USA

PROVINCETOWN, MASSACHUSETTS, USA 

Provincetown’s location, at the very tip of Cape Cod, has helped make the town the unique and magical destination that it is today. It truly is a world unto itself. With each passing season thousands of gay and lesbian visitors from all over the world come to enjoy a wealth of experiences seldom found elsewhere.

From Boston, Provincetown is just 2.5 hours by car, 1.5 hours by ferry or 20 minutes on a Cape Air flight. If you do come by car, you won’t need to use it again until you leave because everything in town is within walking or cycling distance.

Miles of beaches, rolling sand dunes, Cape architecture and blazing sunsets combine to make Provincetown a unique destination. Top rated gay and lesbian accommodation (for more information go to Pink Choice), vibrant night life, first class restaurants and bars, boutique shopping, world famous artists and writers, eclectic street performers and the whacky, wonderful and diverse community all come together to make Provincetown the year round haven that it is.

And there is always something to do, whatever the season.

Enjoy the romance of a Valentine's Weekend in February or the official start of summer with the Memorial holiday in May. Then in June there is the Gay and Lesbian International Film Festival and Portuguese Festival. The high summer starts with testosterone and fun over the July 4th week, continues with the spectacular Carnival Parade in August and ends with the ‘official end of summer’ over the Labor Day weekend. The Swim for Life Festival, Provincetown’s biggest AIDS fundraiser, kicks of the fall season in September, along with the Fall Arts Festival. October starts with Women’s Week, followed by the Mates Leather Weekend, Fantasia Fair, and rounds off with the annual phantasmagorical Halloween weekend. Single Men’s Weekend and Thanksgiving bookend November and December starts with the annual Christmas Stroll weekend and ends with the New Year festivities.

But if your idea of relaxing includes having your feet up reading a good book, cycling the bike trails, taking a whale watching trip, deep sea fishing, strolling the miles of unspoiled sandy beaches, climbing the Pilgrim Monument, or just people watching from a table in a street café on Commercial Street, then there is something here for everyone.

Provincetown is the perfect getaway; casual, bohemian, vibrant, exciting, safe, secure and peaceful. You owe it to yourself to experience the magic that is Provincetown, at least once. After that, you’ll keep coming back.

BUGGEDOut! presents Boys Noize – Suck My Deck

Simon says…  From the disjointed robot voice that kickstarts Suck My Deck to the thumping house remix of Romanthony that brings it to a close, Boys Noize makes good on his burgeoning reputation as one of the hottest names in dance music.  The Berlin wunderkind brings a decade of turntablism to his first ever mix album, making the latest release from BUGGEDOut! one of the more fluent dance records you’ll come across this year.  Dirty, retro electro is thrown against mashed-up techno, sirens and beeps; it all goes into the blender of a lightning-fast DJ who seems to share an attention span with my cousin Kirsty.  She has ADD.  She can’t watch TV without Ritalin.  But anyway, Suck My Deck is like The Avalanches’ glorious Since I Left You with post-traumatic stress… the songs may stutter but the beat goes on.  As with so many mix albums, it’s a bit heavy for home listening.  This is best suited to the gym or the club or cycling very, very fast through rush hour while ignoring red lights, pedestrians and cops.

Suck My Deck is released on 28th April 2008.  Check out Boys Noize for tour dates in March and April. 

BBC Three Relaunch

So BBC3s grand relaunch is taking place in case you have missed the hype. Guaranteed press by using the good old child of someone famous formula which seems to work in the showbiz pages of the tabloids. Ray Winstone and Keith Allen must be so proud that their kids have managed to use their names to hitch a free ride to stardom, but will BBC3 viewers be appreciative? All the schedules is lacking is a Peaches and Trixie life coaching show and Kelly Osborne as a judge on How to be a Celebrity Offspring- a talent show for the chance to be adopted by a celebrity and thus let your showbiz career blossom. Current celebrity brats can apply if they feel their family name is not getting them far enough.

With a new lurid pink logo, BBC3 firmly states its intention to be the new Queen of Trash TV and gimmicks. It is all a desperate late strategy to get the heat readers watching- but with concepts people are already getting bored with. Lilly Allen and facebook have both had there day- both exemplifying perfectly the transition of community spirit to corporation greed. With million of license fees going to publicise, these already over publicised individuals, can we still rely on the Beebe to pioneer innovative and creative public service broadcasting, when this is all they have to offer us in a much anticipated relaunch.

National Treasure: Book of Secrets

National Treasure:Book of Secrets bounds back to the screens, with treasure hunter Ben Gates out to clear his family’s name, the family in question consisting of Nicholas Cage, John Voigt and Helen Mirren After some long lost evidence resurfaces, the modern day Gates leads to the search for Ser, the City of Gold. This rollicking adventure hops from Washington DC, Paris, London and then back to the States for a few more clues and the grand finale.

The adventure takes our cast to the upper echelons of US politics. More style than substance with the oval room and President both playing key roles with in the film. Grandiose locations are a theme, with one clue located in the heart of Buckingham Palace- don’t worry Daily Mail readers I am sure getting in is not as easy as it seems here.

A lot of luck along with the team of professional problem solvers manage to get them to the legendary the team to .The cute sidekick Riley provides some much needed and eye candy as Nicholas Cage is certainly not looking his best. Helen Mirren joins the family as mom.  An initially restrained cold persona soon melts as she is thrown into the middle of the action. It also sees Ben reignite his relationship with his ex, who comes in handy with access to the ancient diary and Whitehouse staff, what luck!

Rather than treasure, except on Riley’s behalf who has lost his newly earned Ferrari to the taxman, the rest of those searching the treasure are doing it for their family, Ben to clear his families name and his parents for him. Then there is the strange villain character of Mitch Wilkinson adequately played by Ed Harris. He is a villain with a heart, but this makes his motives for victory ultimately unconvincing and the character a bit washy. Which is quite ironic as he is actually washed away to his demise.

The film, with importance placed on the father/son relationship and the last temple scenes (within in yet another US political landmark) has airs of Indiana Jones. With the much-anticipated 4th instalment out later this year, here's hoping that this lacking adventure will prove to be a starter to Indy’s main course.

reFRESH 49 out now!

That’s right, gentlemen - reFRESH 49 is ready to hit the shelves, bringing our special brand of sophistication to a newsagent near you. 

This issue’s cover model is the suave American entrepreneur Clint Nicholas.  He sets the tone for a rather stylish reFRESH 49: between our sizzling pages you’ll find the smouldering Jordan Carlyle and hot tips for the home by interior designer Dane Bailey; Immodesty Blaize raises an eyebrow with her busty burlesque and in the Arts we have the debut novel by Noah Charney, the life of Gertrude Stein and stunning paintings by Andreas Golder.  You’ll also find pieces about Ben Keene, Zack Randall, Tom Bloxham and Phillip Heckman as well as stunning images from some of the hottest photographers.  Our regular features on Fashion, Travel, Property, Food & Drink and the Diary are bursting with what’s hot for Spring - and in the first part of a serialisation for 2008, we’re very pleased to introduce the Fashionable & Secret History Of Gay Men’s Clothes. 

You can purchase reFRESH 49 via Paypal; a single copy is priced at £6 (to UK addresses only - inclusive of post & packing) from www.refreshmag.co.uk. 

Bump! are where it's at for Travel

That Charlie David is a talented guy! When he's not investigating supernatural goings on in Dante's Cove, he's travelling the world as one of the hosts of Bump!, a quirky and very fresh travel series that offers a fab new approach to gay travel reporting.

Each episode, you follow your host (either Charlie David or equally likeable Shannon McDonough) as they give you the lowdown on exactly what's hot and what's not! Each city includes a tour highlighting places of interest as well as interviews with local personalities and celebrities and things you should try out. Aside from the engaging reportage style of the programme, the energy and enthusiasm of the hosts in getting to the core of what each of their destinations is all about gives the viewer a far more insightful overview than anything you are likely to get from a guidebook.

The first two seasons of Bump! have been screened on LGBT television networks around the world and now Alluvial Filmworks and Bumper2Bumper Media has just released them internationally on DVD. The first two installments available focus on the North American Gold Coast (Vancouver, Seattle and Portland) and Florida (Fort Lauderdale, Miami Beach and Key West) and have a suggested retail price of $19.98.

You can buy them online at 10percent.com or Amazon.com or check out full details of retailers on the BumpDVD website

 

MILITARY PRIDE : IWM North needs your stories

The multi award-winning Imperial War Museum North in Manchester would like people from the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender communities who have served or who are serving in the Armed Forces to contact them about a new photographic display as soon as possible. Military Pride - running from 12 July to 12 October 2008 - will be a small but powerful display which reveals via portrait photography and personal testimony the experiences of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people within the context of conflict, war and military service.  Military Pride will also detail historical context and a timeline of post-1945 legislature and policies within the Armed Forces and is timed to connect with the Manchester Pride Festival.  Organisers would love to hear from those who would like to share their experiences with the possibility that your story may be part of the final display of around 10 personal testimonies which reflect how war and conflict have shaped people in the LGBT communities' lives from 1945 to the present day.  As well as reflecting adversity the display will aim to celebrate the achievements and reflect the positive contributions of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender communities to the Armed Forces and examine how experiences may have changed since 1945. Catherine Roberts, Visitor Programmes Manager at the Museum says: "The experience of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people, within the context of conflict, war and military service, is arguably still a largely hidden history. With your help hopefully we can make a step towards helping to reveal and celebrate it. We look forward to hearing from people as soon as possible - we are hoping to finalise content by the end of March."

To find out how you can get involved or for more information please contact Catherine Roberts (0161 836 4062 croberts@iwm.org.uk) or James McSharry (0161 836 4099 jmcsharry@iwm.org.uk).

Steelers triumph again

Following their recent first-time triumph over Pegasus Palmerians, the Kings Cross Steelers continued their winning streak with another first-time win against Witham on Saturday 16th February in the Essex town.

Witham, who were promoted with the Steelers last season following a battle between the two for the top of the table, this time failed to match up to the East London boys’ power and skill.

The Steelers comprehensively out-classed the opposition with a try by Deri O’Regan after only three minutes, converted by Peter Thompson.  With O'Regan crossing the line again just two minutes later, the score then stood at 0-12 whilst the match settled down without any further scores for 20 minutes.  The Steelers however stepped up the pressure in the last 15 minutes of the first half and following a successful penalty kick by Thompson, further trys came from Greg Bloom, Thompson  himself and Russell Saunders, celebrating his return to the club after 3 seasons, with a spectacular run from deep in the Steelers 22.

Witham briefly threatened a come-back with a try just four minutes into the second half, but with the Steelers dominating territory they stood little chance, a further try came from Mark Bithell halfway through the second period, before the O'Regan/Thompson partnership ended the game as they began it with a converted try making the final score Witham 5 - Kings Cross Steelers 42.

This result secures the Steelers in 4th position in Essex 2, with just three games remaining.

Future Fixtures

1st March away to Old Cooperians; 29th March at home to Thames; and 12th April away to Loughton

New release: The Last Concubine by Lesley Downer

The Last Concubine is an epic romantic drama set at a pivotal point in Japanese history – during the Japanese civil war – when medieval Japan was about to disappear for ever.  .2008 sees the 140th anniversary of the regime change in Japan and perhaps that explains the resurgence of interest in all things Japanese.

The story begins in the Women’s Palace of Edo Castle, home to a staggering three thousand women and one man, the young Shogun.  The women spend their days beautifying themselves, performing plays, practising the halberd and playing the incense game.  This beautiful fragile world with its rigid hierarchical structures is beautifully portrayed by Lesley Downer and contrasts with the harsh world of peasants and farmers which exists outside the rarefied atmosphere of the Shogun’s harem.

The heroine of this story is Sachi, growing up in a mountain village, set apart by her pale skin and fine features and then taken off when only eleven, to the Women’s Palace.  When the civil war forces her to flee, she is rescued by a band of samurai and falls in love with Shinzaemon, a gruff warrior.  This is a love story but far more, incorporating as it does the amazing transition of Japan from a feudal to a modern society.

Lesley Downer is an authority on Japanese cultural history, particularly that of the Geisha and has also presented programmes on Japanese cookery for BBC 2.

Published by Bantam Press on 21st February, priced £12.99. Reviewed by reFRESH Book Editor, Janet Tester