THEGAYUK

Category: Entertainment

  • FILM REVIEW | Ida

    ★★★★★ | Ida

    It’s hard to decide exactly what period this new cinematic masterpiece from Polish filmmaker Pawel Pawlikowski is set in with its austere dramatic settings that look like they have remained unchanged for centuries. This unforgiving bleak countryside that seems to have escaped any attempt at modernization is in fact 1962 but you have this sinking feeling that this part of rural post-war Poland is probably still exactly the same today.

    Ida is an 18-year-old Novice at a large decaying rather remote Convent and is just about to take her final Vows. The Convent has been her home since she had been abandoned as an orphaned baby, but now the Mother Superior tells her that she does, in fact, have one living relative, an Aunt who she should go visit before she makes her ultimate commitment to God.

    She has two major shocks awaiting her at the end of her long bus journey when she finally meets her Aunt. Not only does she discover that she is Jewish by birth, but she also quickly realises that her Aunt, is a former high-ranking Communist Party Public Prosecutor who has transgressed into an alcoholic chain-smoking woman who seems to bed every man she meets. The sheltered young nun-to-be, however, seems to take it all in her stride and announces that she wants to go back to her home village just once and visit her parents grave.

    An initially reluctant Aunt agrees to drive her there, as she needs to prepare Ida for the harsh reality of the situation. The parents had been slaughtered in the Pogrom in the War and even now the local anti-Semitic Communist population are in denial of their complicity as in many cases they then stole the lands left by the murdered Jews. This was the case of her own parents and it took the fearless tenacity of the Aunt to uncover the actual facts.

    Along with their road-trip, they give a lift to a handsome young saxophonist who is en route to play at a Ball in the next town. Ida doesn’t realise at the time that he will turn out to be one of the reasons that she questions her vocation and her ‘calling’ to serve God.

    The tense melodramatic story is as uncompromisingly bleak as the landscape it is set in, and it’s twisting plot lines as both women’s lives unfold in front of our eyes makes for compelling viewing. The reason for their sadness is understandable and the outcome is, therefore, inevitable as neither of them can really carry on as before with the knowledge that they have unleashed.

    It is unquestionable one of the most powerfully moving films of the year to date. Completely stunning on so many levels but even so, it is the superb black & white cinematography that so carefully framed each single shot that took this movie to a whole another level. Faultless award-worthy acting by two sublime actors Agata Trzebuchowska and Agata Kulesza who had great chemistry as the two completely different woman who really had so much in common.

    Completely unmissable.

    P.S. The rather surprising detail about this movie that will undoubtedly go down in the annals of Polish cinema as a national masterpiece, is that it’s director and co-writer Pawel Pawlikowskin was born there but has actually lived and worked in the UK and France most of his life. Interesting then seeing the country, as he must remember it from his own childhood.

  • Gay Artists Shane+Adrian To Open Exhibition Inspired By Amy Winehouse

    TODAY contemporary Irish artists Adrian+Shane announce their first London showcase at ‘When I Walk In Your Shoes’ exhibition with pieces inspired by the late singer Amy Winehouse. Opening at London Westbank Gallery from 25th to 30th September, proceeds from inspired artworks sold will go directly to the Amy Winehouse Foundation.

    Hailing from Drogheda in Ireland, Adrian+Shane are two artists who have been working together as one since 1998. They will be making their London debut, following a successful 16 year career showcasing works in Ireland and across the world. Using paint, collage, stencils, photos and video to create colourful pop art, their works are loaded with fresh and well-targeted social commentary.
    Adrian+Shane will proudly be contributing exclusive pieces towards an artistic celebration of Amy Winehouse, along with 20 other artists including Dita Von Teese, Pure Evil and Scroobius Pip, who have been hand-picked and curated by Henry Hate, Amy’s tattooist and friend. The show ‘When I Walk In Your Shoes’ is named after the first verse of Amy Winehouse’s song ‘Help Yourself’ and the catalogue will feature quotes of walking in someone else’s shoes from the exhibiting artists.

    Pieces by Adrian+Shane will include ‘HEART’ constructed from Converse trainers, as well as 3 original and unique paintings inspired by Amy Winehouse entitled ‘PIN UP’, made using acrylic, spray paint and screen print on paper.

    Adrian+Shane commented, “Amy Winehouse is more than a musician; everything from her sound, fashion choices and lifestyle made an impact on an entire generation. Her iconic status makes her the perfect muse for this exhibition and is a wonderful way to raise money for charity in her honour. We’re immensely excited to be a part of this show and can’t imagine a more inspiring way to mark our debut on the London art scene.”

    Following a private viewing on 25th September supported by Converse, ‘When I Walk In Your Shoes’ opens to the general public on Friday 26th September, offering fans the chance to join cutting edge artists in paying tribute to a colourful and unique musical talent in the heart of London. All proceeds raised from the sale of Amy inspired and Converse pieces will go to the Foundation.
    ADRIAN+SHANE will be showcasing pieces in ‘When I Walk In Your Shoes’ open to public from 26th – 30th September 2014 at London Westbank Gallery 133-137 Westbourne Grove, Notting Hill, London W11 2R.

  • Dan Osborne Show Off His Beanstalk In Liverpool For Panto Season

    The festive season made an early appearance in Liverpool today as an all-star cast officially launched the biggest panto in town, Jack and the Beanstalk at the Epstein Theatre.

    LHK Productions return to the Epstein Theatre this Christmas with one of the world’s favourite fairy tales from Thu 11 Dec 2014 – Sun 4 Jan 2015 for an incredible 49 shows. As always the show promises to deliver the incredible fun of traditional pantomime with a fresh twist that made the acclaimed Cinderella, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs and Aladdin such huge, runaway successes.

    LHK are renowned for bringing top stars to the stage in all of their productions and 2014 is no exception, in what promises to be the greatest celebrity cast yet.

    Certain to get hearts fluttering right across Liverpool, ITV’s Towie and Splash star Dan Osborne is set to tread the boards for the very first time as he makes his panto debut as leading man Jack. Also coming to panto for the very first time is the Fairy Godmother of Big Fat Gypsy Weddings Thelma Madine – swapping the needle and thread for a magic wand and donning a fabulous frock of her own when she stars as the Fairy.

    After entertaining audiences at last year’s panto as the Magic Mirror, Celebrity hairdresser and beauty guru Herbert of Liverpool makes a welcome return as the voice of the Giant. Brookside’s Suzanne Collins returns to the Liverpool stage as Mrs Fleshcreep and Grease is the Word’s Alison Crawford returns to the Epstein as Jill completing this year’s glamorous, star-studded cast.

    This gigantic production promises a whole host of Christmas fun in another magical show at the Epstein Theatre. With magic beans in abundance, a beanstalk reaching the heavens, golden geese and hungry giants, this show really is too big to miss. Jack and the Beanstalk is the perfect family treat and runs from Thu 11 Dec 2014 – Sun 4 Jan 2015.

    Performance details:
    Jack and The Beanstalk
    Epstein Theatre, Hanover House, Hanover St, Liverpool L1 3DZ
    Thursday 11th December 2014 – Sunday 4th January 2015
    Tickets from £12.50
    Performance times vary, please check with Theatre Box Office.

    To book call 0844 888 4411, visit www.epsteinliverpool.co.uk or book in person at the theatre box office (open 2pm-6pm Mon-Thu & 12pm-6pm Fri-Sat)

    Or via TicketQuarter: To book call 0844 8000 410 or visit www.ticketquarter.co.uk

  • FILM REVIEW | Reaching For The Moon

    ★★★★★ Reaching For The Moon | Elizabeth Bishop was something of a self-absorbed cold fish. When she finished her tenure as US Poet Laureate in 1950, she was 40 years old, alone in N.Y., and suffering with ‘writers block’. At the suggestion of her friend and fellow poet Robert Lowell she decides to go to South America for a long vacation.

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  • THEATRE REVIEW: You Should Be So Lucky, Above The Stag

    ★★★ | You Should Be So Lucky, Above The Stag

    For their opening play of the new season, Above The Stag have chosen a madcap comedy from the pen of Charles Busch, a New York writer and drag artist, who also played the male lead in the original New York production of the play.

    A modern day Cinderella story, the play concerns Chris, a shy and slightly eccentric electrologist who accidentally electrocutes and kills his customer, the elderly Mr Rosenberg, unexpectedly inheriting Rosenberg’s millions. This sets off a chain of crazy events, including appearing on a TV reality chat show, under the guidance of his fairy godfather Mr Rosenberg, who returns as a ghost to take care of his surrogate son, and make sure his wishes are carried out in the face of his vengeful daughter disputing the will.

    Apart from one brief scene in the TV studio, the entire action takes place in the one room of Chris’s Greenwich Village apartment, a very clever and elaborate set by David Shields. Busch is a seasoned writer, his writing reminiscent of 1930s screwball comedies, and the laughs come thick and fast.

    I had my reservations, though and these were much the same as those I had with last year’s Gay Naked Play, also directed by Andrew Beckett. Too much of it was played on one frenetic level, with a surfeit of mugging to the audience, and an energy level far in excess of what was needed in this small house. Chris Woodley’s Christopher started well, and in his first couple of scenes with Colin Appleby’s warmly gentle Mr Rosenberg, created a touching portrait of a slightly lost young man, but as events got more and more out of control, so too did his performance. Stacy Sobieski was on firmer ground as Christopher’s completely over the top drama queen sister, Polly, as was Ellen Vernieks as Rosenberg’s daughter, Lenore, but they too would benefit from reining things in occasionally, as could Lucas Livesy’s Walter.

    The role of the TV host Wanda Wang is being shared by several actors. On the night I attended we had a nicely nuanced performance from Ishani Basu.

    Maybe the pacing will settle down a bit as the play gets further into its run. An entertaining evening none the less.

  • BOOK REVIEW | Camp Carnage (Night Terrors) by Elliott Arthur Cross & Josh Winning:

    The tagline for this kindle edition runs: “Schools out, and so are they. This summer’s going to be killer…” and it does exactly what it says on the tin! If you like your slasher movies Scream style crossed with Eating Out humour and a smidgeon of Nancy Drew, you will love this book.

    Set in the late ’80’s at a remote summer camp with a difference… this isn’t all macrame pot holders, shared showers and Eskimo rolls… this is more seething hormones, furtive fumbles and aversion therapies! This camp is for gay teens to straighten themselves out, or so their parents hope. Under the puritanical leadership of Katherine Creevey, Billy and his friends settle in for 6 weeks of therapy, tasks and campfire tales.

    However, someone has other ideas, and one by one, the campers disappear. Billy, the lead character, joins up with budding lesbian Jem to solve this mystery – a mystery that leads them back 3 years to a mysterious fire at the original Camp Genesis.

    There is plenty of horsing around, teen angst and slasher action. This is one very well written book, with decent, rounded characters, few (if any) stereotypes, comedy aplenty and a plot that draws you right in! The era is well recreated, the tense pitched just right.

    For me, the sign of a good fiction book is when I can see it clearly in my head? If the author has done their job, it appears like good cinema – and this did that perfectly.

    Do yourself a favour, buy it, toast some marshmallows on the fire pit and keep one eye firmly over your shoulder… just in case!

  • THEATRE REVIEW | Ballad of the Burning Star – National Tour

    ★★★ | Ballad of the Burning Star – National Tour

    Glamorous drag queen, Star, invites you to join her on a cabaret filled journey into the heart of the Middle East. Armed with a pair of killer heels, a deadly troupe of dancers and a handful of stories from both sides of the conflict, you are taken on a journey like no other to examine the individuals, families and communities who find themselves in the Ballad of the Burning Star is undeniably a bold piece of theatre. Credit is due to anyone who attempts to explain the complexities of the Middle East conflict via the medium of Cabaret, using a drag queen, a Star of David mirror ball, a musician called “Camp David” and a troupe of military dressed Diva’s. It was also undeniably confrontational, never shying away from its explosive, in your face style and being uncompromising in its portrayal of both sides of the conflict. It is equally bold in its physical, stripped back presentation – it is a show which stands on its own two feet, without the need for a set, props or a multitude of elaborate costumes.

    There were a number of very good ideas contained within the piece and as you peel back the layers, you begin to realise what an incredibly smart piece of writing this is. The way in which Star vacillates between caring host and dictator-like dominator of the Starlets, the way in which taboos are openly challenged, and the almost military precision drills of the dance routines are all reflective of the subject matter of the piece, and make the point with a sarcastic overtone and dark undertone. There is also the way in which the story comes full circle, how the events culminate at the end and how the circular narrative of the piece mirrors why the ongoing conflict still rages.

    But unfortunately, it the show never comes together in a way which allows it to reach the full potential of those good ideas. There were a number of aspects of the production which pulled it down – the almost identical troupe of Starletts playing different roles within the story led to poorly defined characters which were not always easy to identify during the narrative. The choreography became very repetitive very quickly and the majority of the presentation was reduced to nothing more than people shouting loudly, wailing or screeching at each other, which led to the loss of any actual dramatic impact. But as the closing lines of the show were delivered (in complete contrast to what had gone before and in a very powerful way) you realise what this show perhaps could have been with a little more restraint.

    That said, whilst not being particularly impressed upon immediately leaving the theatre, this show has really stayed with me for the last few days and for some reason, I have not been able to stop thinking about it. The more I have thought about it, the more I have realised what a clever piece of theatre this really was. It is just a real shame that the constant shouting and screaming undermined the value of the subject matter and the presentation of what was actually a very powerful, thought provoking, inventive and intelligent piece of theatre.

    Ballad of the Burning Star is now on national tour. Further information, details of the tour and booking details can be found at http://www.theatreadinfinitum.co.uk/productions/ballad-of-the-burning-star

  • BOOK REVIEW | Gaysia – Adventures in the Queer East by Benjamin Law

    ★★★★ | Journalist Benjamin Law is an Australian with Asian roots. In Gaysia, he takes us on a tour of Asia showing us all things gay across the continent.

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  • Gay Webseries Review | Eastsiders

    ★★★★ | Eastsiders

    Cal and Thom are both in their late 20s and been together for 4 years as a couple in Silverlake California, when their relationship is severely tested after Cal discovers that Thom has been cheating on him with Jeremy.

    As they explore the consequences of how this infidelity will effect them there is a great deal of anger and pain as they try to work through the angst, for what is best for both of them.

    Thom is an aspiring writer and Jeremy is one of the handful of people who turned up his poetry reading and stayed on for a private session afterwards. This handsome young man not only gives Thom the admiration for both his work and his personality that he craves, but he also demands little in return which Thom finds a refreshing change from a hyper analytical Cal who dissects every nuance of their life together to the point of distraction.

    Cal is a budding photographer who works as a receptionist in a Gallery to pay his share of the rent. He also is quite partial to a drink or two and seems to constantly knock back a whole bottle of whiskey before he feels able to tackle anything and everything that upsets him. On one such occasion he goes to confront his ‘rival’ Jeremy. The one Thom cheated with, and the two men get drunk together and end up in bed which, come next morning, is another thing that Cal will bitterly regret.

    Cal constantly turns to his best friend Kathy every time he is having another meltdown but she has her own problems, including an unplanned pregnancy by her boyfriend, Ian, with whom she is petrified at making a commitment with.

    Amid all the drunken outbursts that seem to permeate throughout this intriguing dark comedy about the sad and funny mess that this tight wee group of LA folk seem to make of their lives, we are never sure if any of their slightly precarious relationships will survive. With Cal and Thom it is essentially a case of whether the lies tear them apart or if they are just stubborn enough to stay together for ever.

    Written, directed and produced by Kit Williamson, who also played the neurotic Cal, this whole story started out as a Web Series in December 2012. Appropriately the first episode was about an ‘End of The World Party’ ostensibly as it takes place on the day of the supposed Mayan apocalypse, but it ends up taking on a totally different meaning for Cal after Thom drops his bombshell. The first few episodes soon attracted a great deal of attention and a Kickstarter campaign to fund the filming for the rest of the series before it was picked up by LogoTV to run on their website.

    The impressive and somewhat surprising thing about all the episodes being joined together now is that there is a such a remarkable fluidity with all the individual scenes that the plot flows seamlessly into one very absorbing whole movie. What’s even more compelling is that Williamson has very successfully created an edgy and intense dramatic comedy that shows a slice of contemporary gay life in L.A., which refreshingly does not just focus on his characters sexual orientations as his major plot point.

    He shares credit for the success with the talented cast that he assembled which included Van Hansis (‘One Life to Live’) playing Thom, Constance Wu (‘Stephanie Daley’) as Kathy, John Halbach (‘Wallflower’ TV Series) as Kathy’s boyfriend Ian, and Matthew McKelligon (‘Interior Leather Bar’) as Jeremy ‘the other man’. Mr Williamson himself has an impressive resume which includes playing Ed on TV’s Mad Men.

    Watching this won’t make you want to move to Silverlake or crack open a bottle of whisky, but it will intrigue you enough to want to see how the story continues if and when there is another series/movie.

  • Queen Forever track listing

    Three previously unreleased Queen tracks featuring late singer Freddie Mercury spearhead an exciting new Queen album, Queen Forever, due November 10th 2014 on the Virgin Records label.

    Queen Forever – Track Listings

    Single CD:

    Let Me In Your Heart Again

    Love Kills – The Ballad

    There Must Be More To Life Than This (William Orbit Mix)

    It’s A Hard Life

    You’re My Best Friend

    Love Of My Life

    Drowse

    Long Away

    Lily Of The Valley

    Don’t Try So Hard

    Bijou

    These Are The Days Of Our Lives

    Las Palabras De Amor

    Who Wants To Live Forever

    A Winter’s Tale

    Play The Game

    Save Me

    Somebody To Love

    Too Much Love Will Kill You

    Crazy Little Thing Called Love

    2-CD SET

    CD1

    Let Me In Your Heart Again

    Love Kills – The Ballad

    There Must Be More To Life Than This (William Orbit Mix)

    Play The Game

    Dear Friends

    You’re My Best Friend

    Love Of My Life

    Drowse

    You Take My Breath Away

    Spread Your Wings

    Long Away

    Lily Of The Valley

    Don’t Try So Hard

    Bijou

    These Are The Days Of Our Lives

    Nevermore

    Las Palabras De Amor

    Who Wants To Live Forever

    CD2

    I Was Born To Love You

    Somebody To Love

    Crazy Little Thing Called Love

    Friends Will Be Friends

    Jealousy

    One Year of Love

    A Winters Tale

    ‘39

    Mother Love

    It’s A Hard Life

    Save Me

    Made in Heaven

    Too Much Love Will Kill You

    Sail Away Sweet Sister

    The Miracle

    Is This The World We Created

    In The Lap Of The Gods…Revisited

    Forever

  • Freddie Mercury And Michael Jackon To Duet In New Queen Album

    Three previously unreleased Queen tracks featuring late singer Freddie Mercury spearhead an exciting new Queen album, Queen Forever, due November 10th 2014 on the Virgin Records label.

    The tracks include a long anticipated track from Queen and Michael Jackson, There Must Be More to Life Than This, a previously unfinished Mercury-Queen track Let Me In Your Heart Again originating from the band’s The Works album recording sessions, and a scorching new stripped-down ballad version of Mercury’s first solo hit, his Giorgio Moroder collaboration, Love Kills.

    The rest of the package brings together Queen hits, classic tracks, and new takes on well-known songs, matched with band recordings Brian May describes as “things that we have collected together that are representative of our growth rather than the big hits” in a collection immaculately assembled by May and Roger Taylor themselves. The tracks are all linked to represent a definitive collection of Queen’s timeless love songs.

    Queen Forever is available as a 20-track single CD and as an extended 36-track, two-CD set, and celebrates the extraordinary musical path of one of the world’s greatest rock bands.

    Anticipation for these new Mercury tracks has been high since May and Taylor first hinted earlier this year that new tracks featuring Mercury were being explored.

    Speaking at the press conference to launch their North American concert tour with singer Adam Lambert earlier in the year, May said: “There was a little bit more in the can that we had overlooked for a long time, so we have a few songs which we’re working on right now. Freddie sounds as fresh as yesterday.”

    On the subject, Taylor said: “We’ve got some great new tracks that haven’t been heard and there’s an interesting selection of older stuff.”

    The Queen and Michael Jackson duet, There Must Be More to Life Than This, began as a song written by Mercury during sessions for Queen’s 1981 album, Hot Space. The band recorded a backing track, but the song was never completed. Mercury visited Michael Jackson at his home studio in Los Angeles where he recorded Jackson singing the song for an unfinished version. Queen revived the track during sessions for 1984’s The Works, but again it was not finished. A year later, Freddie’s own version of the song surfaced on his debut solo album, 1985’s Mr Bad Guy. This new production of the powerful ballad fuses Queen’s original backing track and Mercury and Jackson’s distinctive vocals, and has been produced and remixed by celebrated Madonna/Robbie Williams producer William Orbit.

    Talking of his involvement, Orbit say: “I had known Roger for many years, now he was on the phone asking if I would get involved in this musical adventure.

    “When I first played it in my studio I opened a trove of delights provided by the greatest of musicians. Hearing Michael Jackson’s vocals was stirring. So vivid, so cool, and poignant, it was like he was in the studio singing live. With Freddie’s vocal solo on the mixing desk, my appreciation for his gift was taken to an even higher level.

    “The musicianship of all four members of Queen is phenomenal. Roger, an extraordinarily multi talented man I’ve always admired. John Deacon’s original bass part with its lyrical fluidity that made it easy for me to know where to put the odd reinforcement. Freddie’s original piano carried most of the song’s musical DNA. Brian, one take for the solo, a blur of fingers, and the spirits of MJ and FM fully present, in the moment, sending shivers down the spine.”

    Perhaps the biggest revelation on Queen Forever is Brian May’s composition, Let Me In Your Heart Again. The song was first recorded by Queen for The Works album, but not completed at the time and has remained overlooked since then. An authentic, live-in-the-studio track from the same golden age as Radio Ga Ga and I Want To Break Free, this never-before-heard Queen track shows off Freddie’s timeless vocals and features newly recorded guitar parts and new backing vocals from Brian and Roger. This thrilling track finally reaches us nearly 30 years after Freddie first laid down his original vocal.

    The third new track, Love Kills, was composed by Freddie Mercury and famed German producer/songwriter Giorgio Moroder for the soundtrack to Moroder’s newly restored and tinted version of Fritz Lang’s 1927 classic silent movie Metropolis in 1984 to which he added a pop soundtrack featuring various music artists. Mercury recorded a high-energy dance version of the song that became his debut solo hit in 1985. However, it is less well known that all four members of Queen played on the original track. Prior to Queen embarking on their recent tour with lead singer Adam Lambert, Brian May proposed performing an acoustic ballad version of Love Kills, which became one of the most memorable moments of the current Queen & Adam Lambert shows. This new Queen-Freddie studio version is shaped in the same ballad style and revives the Queen original with some newly recorded guitars and drums by May and Taylor, becoming a glorious showcase for one of Freddie’s most adrenaline-charged vocal performances.

    Alongside this new material, both the one and two-CD versions of Queen Forever feature songs that spotlight the band’s songwriting prowess, studio experimentation and remarkable development. It’s a timely reminder that, almost uniquely in the world of rock and pop, all four members of Queen were accomplished songwriters and superlatively gifted musicians.

    Queen Forever reaches back as far as 1974 with fan favourite Nevermore, a Freddie Mercury song originally included on Queen II, the album that first saw Queen use the recording studio as an instrument in its own right. From the same year comes the dramatic power ballad In The Lap Of The Gods… Revisited, once the grand finale of any Queen show, and since revived by Queen & lead singer Adam Lambert on their 2014 tour. Meanwhile, the upbeat single, You’re My Best Friend, written by bass guitarist John Deacon, showcased Queen’s poppier side and was released as the follow-up to 1975’s Bohemian Rhapsody, becoming a Top 10 UK and Top 20 US hit in the same year and gave John Deacon his first Queen hit single.

    Elsewhere, 1977’s Long Away remains the only Queen single to feature Brian May on lead vocals; and the same year’s B-side Drowse includes a rare Queen performance from Roger Taylor on guitar. Queen saw out the decade with a run of hits that included the gospel-flavoured Somebody To Love, memorably performed by Queen and George Michael at the Freddie Mercury Tribute Concert in 1992, and finished on a high with ‘79’s US Number 1 hit, Crazy Little Thing Called Love, an exuberant rockabilly pop song composed by Freddie Mercury in the bath in Munich.

    By touching on prog rock, gospel, acoustic balladry, Elvis-style rock’n’roll and more, these songs alone encapsulate Queen’s diversity in the 1970s. However, the band threw out the rulebook completely in the decades that followed, embracing funk, hard rock, soul and pure pop, but always sounding unmistakably Queen. The band used synthesizers for the first time on 1980’s Play The Game single; Freddie sang some of his vocals in Spanish on the 1982 hit Las Palabras De Amor, and 1986’s One Year Of Love featuring unusually a saxophone. The album is completed by latter-day Queen hits, including ’91’s no. 1 These Are The Days Of Our Lives and ‘95’s Too Much Love Will Kill You, together with the poignant A Winter’s Tale, recorded during Freddie Mercury’s final Queen recording sessions in Montreux in 1991.

    Queen Forever is both a showcase for these exclusive new recordings, but also an enduring tribute to the extraordinary musical achievements of John Deacon, Brian May, Roger Taylor and the late, great Freddie Mercury whose singular talent we can again get to marvel at with the arrival of these previously unheard tracks.

    Queen Forever. Forever? Who can tell? But for now we can be certain that this highly rewarding collection of Queen new, rare, and at their most accomplished, more than serves to uphold the band’s indisputable place in music history and is certain to earn a prized place in music collections for a long time to come.

    Queen certainly rates in the top among Britain’s favourite bands. The UK’s Official Charts Company earlier this year confirmed Queen’s 1981 Greatest Hits album as Britain’s best-selling album of all time all after surpassing the 6 million sales milestone. A staggering one in three British households now own a copy of the iconic act’s original best-of collection.

    And if 6 million sales isn’t enough for the band, Queen’s follow-up, Greatest Hits II, which was released in October 1991 also rides high at Number 10 in the all-time Official Albums Chart, having notched up a further 3.9 million UK sales to date.