THEGAYUK

Tag: London News

All the latest from London, the capital of the UK, home to the UK’s largest gay community.

  • THEATRE REVIEW | Sleepless – Troubadour Wembley Park Theatre – This is what theatre is all about!

    THEATRE REVIEW | Sleepless – Troubadour Wembley Park Theatre – This is what theatre is all about!

    Rating: 4 out of 5.

    The West End is back, and it’s in Wembley!

    Sleepless the first major stage productions to open up in London in 6 months (Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre opened in Mid-August with Jesus Christ Superstar). Originally scheduled to open on April 1st, it was sidelined, like all other productions, until further notice. But now it is here, and it’s a fun and lively show that will keep you entertained and emotional, not just because of the romantic plot but also because it’s a real live show that you’ll be watching, and not a taped show on your laptop!

    Playing at the Troubadour Wembley Park Theatre, in, yes Wembley (not quite the West End), Sleepless is based on the 1993 hit film Sleepless in Seattle (which starred Meg Ryan and Tom Hanks). And while stars Jay McGuiness and Kimberly Walsh are no Hanks and Ryan, they make a fantastic pair as a man and woman who are destined to be together.

    If you don’t know the plot, McGuiness is single father Sam. His wife passed away a year ago and he is left with young son Jonah. Jonah calls into a radio station to announce that his father is available to meet someone new, very much to Sam’s dismay. Enter Walsh’s Annie, a journalist about to be married to the dull but romantic Walter (Daniel Casey). When Annie hears about Jonah’s plea, she somehow feels that for her it’s a true calling, and she decides on a rendevous time and place in the hopes that Sam will be there and then. Of course, Sleepless ends on a happy note, and without giving too much away it’s happily ever after, with toe-tapping songs and a very good supporting cast to get us to the happy ending. While it’s not quite award-winning stuff, it gets my award for bringing a smile to people’s faces, and for ambitiously opening up.

    The seating capacity at this very large and very new theatre has been reduced from 1,300 to 400. Masks are required to wear while inside the auditorium (including the bar area), temperature checks and track and trace are there as you walk into the compound, and the cast and crew are subject to daily testing. But it’s a magnificent theatre with a bar outside and inside and plenty of space to move around.

    But here’s to producers Michael Rose and Damien Sanders for getting this show, a brand new one never been done before, up and running. Kudos to Michael Burdette for the book, Robert Scott and Brendan Cull (new British writers) for the music and lyrics, and the 12 piece orchestra. And kudos to the people you see on stage – they all make it look so seamless and easy, making us forget, temporarily, the events of the past 6 months.

    This is what theatre is all about.

    SLEEPLESS, plays at Wembley Park until 27th September 2020. Book tickets here.

  • These gay saunas have reopened in London

    These gay saunas have reopened in London

    Searches for gay saunas have skyrocketed on THEGAYUK, as gay, bi and curious men search to find out if bathhouses have reopened as lockdown in many business sectors eases.

    Here we find out which saunas in London have reopened and what services they are currently providing.

    Pleasuredrome

    Pleasuredrome is not yet opened but is planning to open in August. Once it has reopened the management have laid out some new safety policies. In a statement they said,

    “Pleasuredrome Spa remains committed to protecting all our friends and so we have also introduced state of the art measures such as airport-style temperature checks on entry, smart-sensor showers, ozone room disinfection, upgraded ventilation systems as well as an unceasing sanitisation and disinfection regime within the venue.”

    Chariots

    Is currently closed and they have not updated their Facebook page since March.

    Sailors Sauna

    On the 25th June Sailors Sauna in London announced that it was still closed, but will be providing updates on when it may be reopening.

    Sweatbox Soho

    Sweatbox Soho has now reopened and is open 24 hours a day. In a statement to THEGAYUK, they said,

    “We have now reopened and are back open 24 hours a day. Someone will get back to you shortly but in the mean time take a look at our website for pricing and further information”

    http://www.sweatboxsoho.com/

    Locker Room Sauna

    Locker Room hasn’t updated its Facebook page since Lockdown began in late March.

    E15 Club

    Again, the E15 Club, like other saunas in London remains closed.

    THEGAYUK has reached out to each of the businesses for the latest details and will update this page, when new information comes to light.

  • HOT ALERT: Pleasuredrome is showcasing the guys who made it through their casting call

    A little while back, Pleasuredrome, one of London’s leading gay saunas, put out a casting call for its “A New Generation” advertising/marketing campaign and now, they’ve been showcasing some of the talent that made the final cut.

    Of course, it’d be remise of us not to show you the guys who made the finals!

    https://www.instagram.com/p/CDI3-0IlGhP/
    https://www.instagram.com/p/CDLhrRCFNse/
    https://www.instagram.com/p/CDN2pHGFlWP/
    https://www.instagram.com/p/CDQgw3YFPbN/
    https://www.instagram.com/p/CDTLQTgFRr-/
    https://www.instagram.com/p/CDVvUj_FhjE/
    https://www.instagram.com/p/CDYpnIXFwvc/
    https://www.instagram.com/p/CDd3OuxFBDs/
    https://www.instagram.com/p/CDjA0vClfkT/
    https://www.instagram.com/p/CDn8q0ugejf/
    https://www.instagram.com/p/CDv4zNZjvd6/
    https://www.instagram.com/p/CD1CYMDl9N-/
    https://www.instagram.com/p/CD5-PWqAv64/

    Give Pleasuredrome a follow on Instagram for further updates!

  • COMMENT | “I have a weird relationship with London. It’s the place that I began to discover myself, but it was also the place where I started to have problems”

    COMMENT | “I have a weird relationship with London. It’s the place that I began to discover myself, but it was also the place where I started to have problems”

    Bright Lights, Big City: Columnist Al Jenning confronts his past, with a trip to London

    We all have that one place that we love to visit, but it always stirs up some unwelcome memories. Whether it be a bar where we saw the bloke, we fancied necking somebody else, or whether it is the place where something traumatic happened to us. These places can be anything. I mean we all have these cruxes. For me, mine is the city of London.  I have a weird relationship with London. It’s the place that I began to discover myself, but it was also the place where I started to have problems with my mental health which drove me to a nervous breakdown.

    I was eighteen when I moved to London from a small town in East Yorkshire. I enrolled on a three-year Musical Theatre course at a university, and I thought I had made it already. I was so happy to get out of the town that I felt stifled and trapped in for so long and finally I could finally live my life. I had so many dreams for the future. I thought I would move to London, sail my way through a course I thought I was going to love, meet incredible life-long friends and finally meet that Mr Right that I had been longing to meet – naïve right? I guess at eighteen years old we are all slightly naïve. We have dreams and expectations that are completely unrealistic, and we have nobody there to give us a reality to check.

    The first few weeks were hard. I couldn’t imagine how homesick I would be, to the point where I used to cry myself to sleep at night because I just wanted to cuddle my dog and spend time with my family. I made an effort for the first few months not to visit home, and try to cut everything off and start fresh, and it was hard. When my parents came down to visit me for the first time after being there for three months, I was so excited. I settled in eventually and my first year was really enjoyable. I made some great friends, and I met a guy who I liked, and it felt like it might go somewhere. Alas, it wasn’t to be. He passed away from a short illness in early 2012.

    Coming back in the second year was even worse. When I moved back, it was as if something had changed, and I wanted to be anywhere else but there. I wasn’t enjoying the course as much as it was and I guess, I kind of put myself on the outs. I didn’t want to socialise. I wanted to be alone all the time. I wanted to put in as little effort as possible. Turn up, do what I needed to do then get out and go back to my flat. I couldn’t work out what was wrong with me. I kept missing lectures and classes, and I just didn’t want to do anything. My sleeping patterns were all over the place, and it felt that like I was missing out on so much of my friend’s lives and I wanted to be a part of it.

    During this time, I lost the guy I guess I fell in love with. The pain was unimaginable, and I felt that I had nobody to talk to. I didn’t tell my family, because they hadn’t met him, and they didn’t know that was seeing somebody. I had put myself on the outs with my course mates and I don’t think that any of them knew what was going on. It got to a point where I needed to speak to someone professional and I booked an appointment with a doctor to talk to them about it. I got to the appointment and I bottled it. I felt like I was a failure. That day I went back to my apartment and opened a bottle of vodka and had a good old drink. Thinking that I might find the answer to my problems at the bottom of the bottle. I didn’t. I just found myself spewing up violently for hours and my flatmate trying to help me into the bathroom. If that wasn’t a cry for help, then I don’t know what was. I knew at that point that I had hit rock bottom and that I needed to escape.

    I looked for every possible way out. I knew I didn’t want to go back to East Yorkshire, and I would be damned I was going to go back with my tail between my legs as a failure. I applied for so many jobs in London but couldn’t find anything. I failed the second year of my course, and I guess that was it. I was going back to the north. I wanted to have one more mad night out though. Me and few people I knew went for one more night out in Soho and ended up dancing in HEAVEN till 5 am. I went back to my flat and saw an email from TUI advertising positions as Event Hosts in the Mediterranean. Somehow, I got the job and I flew to Spain a few weeks later.

    I’ve had a distant relationship with London since. I’ve only visited for day trips or some event or show. It feels weird now.

    It feels like every time I go back, I open a door to my past, and suddenly I’m this carefree eighteen-year-old again. I have a nickname given to me by a very close friend; Sally. That’s because I have this strange relationship from the character of Sally from the Sondheim musical, Follies. She is one of the central characters in the show, which is about a reunion of showgirls, where an unrequited love story takes place. Throughout the show, Sally becomes more helpless and fragile from confronting her past and Ben, the man she once loved but ended up marrying her best friend. It’s a strange connotation to make you might think but I can relate to it. When I’m in London it’s as if movies from my past play through my mind and I can remember all those thoughts, the feelings that I went through, now 10 years go. I see it all. The good. The bad. The ugly.

    I made a decision last year to try and put a few of those ghosts to bed. I booked a few nights in a hotel just down the road from where I used to live, and I went to look at some of the places that I used to frequent as that naïve kid I once was. It was a really weird experience, and I didn’t like it, but ten years I felt strong enough to put myself through it. I saw a couple of people from university in the Broadway that I knew from uni, but I kept my distance. I wasn’t quite sure whether I was ready to have a conversation with them. I wanted to remain invisible.

    It was a good thing for me to do, but I now have to make a conscious effort to focus on making new memories, so I’m doing just that. I’ve been writing this column whilst hurtling down the East Coast mainline. I’m on my way to London to visit a friend who is celebrating his ninetieth birthday this weekend and whilst I’m there I’m determined to make new positive memories. I’m going to do things I’ve never done before like take a river cruise up the Thames.

    With just a few minutes to arrival, the anxiety is growing. I’m scared that as soon as I get off this train I’m going be that person I was all those years ago, or I’m going to see him around every corner. I have to remind myself that I’m not that person anymore and I’m stronger, wised and a hell of a lot more resilient. I’m always going to have that person in a box somewhere in my head, and I’ve come to accept that. I’m not going to be ruled by him, but it would be nice to see a little bit of him again.

    Wish me luck!

  • Ever wanted to star in an advert for a gay sauna?

    You could be joining the likes of Austin Armacost if you manage to get a spot on the new Pleasuredrome campaign. Back in 2018 Pleasuredrome introduced the hunky Celebrity Big Brother star, but now you could be the face of London’s busiest sauna.

    The world-famous sauna in London, is swinging open the doors in search of 20 guys to become the new faces of the Pleasuredrome bathhouse.

    Pleasuredrome put out a casting call, looking for 20 guys in “all shapes and sizes” and added that “age is not a barrier to beauty”.

    The advert says that they are “seeking confident men of all ages and backgrounds to appear in our New Generation Pleasuredrome campaign”

    Plus you could earn a tidy £200 and a set of photographs, if you’re successful.

    Anyone who is interested has to be available to shoot on the 25th or 26th July.

    Pleasuredrome was one of the first gay saunas in the UK to announce its plans to open post lockdown with a tentative date set for August – although an actual date has not yet been set.

    Gay owned and managed by Adam and Charles, Pleasuredrome attracts more than 15,000 men every month of all types and ages from London and across the world. This award-winning spa is unique in being open continuously 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, every day of the year. Pleasuredrome is the only gay venue in the United Kingdom that never closes.

  • This London Gay Sauna has announced post-lockdown opening date

    This London Gay Sauna has announced post-lockdown opening date

    One of the UK’s busiest gay bathhouses has announced its plans to open for the first time since non-essential businesses were ordered to close by the UK’s government.

    As the UK’s businesses start, slowly to come back to life, after 100 days of lockdown due to the Coronavirus, many customers are eager for some businesses to re-open, particularly in the LGBT+ sector. One of the last business types to reopen is the sauna.

    Now, Pleasuredrome in London has given fans of the gay sauna hope, by announcing it is planning to reopen and welcome back patrons by the middle of summer.

    In a statement sent via its mailing list, Pleasuredrome, one of the UK’s busiest gay bathhouses announced its plans to reopen in August – although no specific date was given. We will, of course, update if a specific date is published. The sauna closed back on March 17th.

    The pledge to reopen was made after the UK’s government said it was further relaxing restrictions on yet more businesses including swimming pools and gyms. These lifted restrictions only apply in England as the devolved administration in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland are setting their own timetable for reopenings.

    From the 13th July close contact services such as spas and massage parlours will be allowed open in England.

    From the 25th July sport facilities and venues will be allowed to open, “subject to evidence closer to the time”

    Many businesses in England have returned, albeit will COVID-secure restrictions including physical distancing measures and limiting the number of people permitted in the building. Bars and pubs were allowed to reopen last weekend, however, nightclubs are still not permitted to open.

  • Are there any gay bars in Islington?

    Are there any gay bars in Islington?

    Once upon a time, Islington was North London’s hub of queer activity. There were several gay bars, but over the years, like so many parts of London, the number of LGBT+ spaces has dwindled.

    Are there any gay bars left in Islington?

    Unfortunately, the likes of The Green, Bar Fushion, The Duke Of Wellington and King Edward IV have all long gone. Many of these places were open until the middle of the 2000s, but as with many LGBT+ spaces across London and the UK, in general, all have now closed.

    Time was when you could bar hop between several bars on Upper Street and the Essex Road. Some of the bars had seating outside so you could sit, drink and watch the world go by.

    There were many LGBT+ spaces in Islington, but sadly they’ve pretty much all closed. Many, like The Green and Bar Fushion, since the turn of this century. Just a couple of places remain, Central Station and The King’s Head.

    The spot where The Green was… now a cafe.
    Green, Islington, N1

    The King’s Head and its world-famous pub theatre both have a long history of being LGBT+ Friendly and the theatre part of the pub is known to have produced and staged many gay and queer shows over the years.

    Central Station, which is in the Kings Cross area is a well-established haunt for lovers of karaoke and the traditional gay bar experience. It also has a number of themed nights.

    However there are a few gay listings for Islington, from charities to groups.

    Do you have memories or photos to share with our readers? Use the comments below to let us know – or visit the Lost LGBT Scene project to upload a story or memory of your favourite place.

  • Man attacked in “vicious and unprovoked” homophobic attack in London

    Man attacked in “vicious and unprovoked” homophobic attack in London

    The attack happened near Piccadilly Circus, in London, on the 3rd March at 2.15 AM according to a police report.

    The victim, a man in his mid-thirties was walking towards Picadilly Circus Tube station to see if it was closed, he asked three men nearby if they knew if the station was open or not. The men then shouted homophobic abuse at the victim.

    The three men, all in their early 20s, are said to have then approached the victim and pushed him into the road. Once the victim was on the floor the group proceeded to assault him, according to a police statement.

    The victim managed to run across the road towards the Hard Rock Café. The three men followed him and attacked him for a second time.

    The group then left the scene in the direction of Shaftesbury Avenue.

    The victim was taken to hospital and later released. He sustained bruising as a result of the attack.

    Police are looking for men of a Middle Eastern appearance in their early 20s

    The three men are all thought to be in their early 20s and maybe of Middle Eastern appearance. One of the men was wearing a distinctive light wash denim jacket with a white trim on the collar.

    “Unprovoked and vicious assault”

    Investigating officer, Detective Constable John McNally, said, “This was a completely unprovoked and vicious assault on the victim, seemingly motivated by homophobia. Though thankfully not seriously injured, the victim has understandably been left very shaken by the incident. 

    “The Met takes a zero tolerance approach to homophobic crime; it is absolutely unacceptable that anyone should feel intimidated to go about their daily lives due to their sexual orientation.”

    Three men – all aged 21 years old – have been arrested on suspicion of causing actual bodily harm. All have since been released under investigation.

    If you have any information about this incident please call 101 quoting CAD 575/03March or call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.

  • GAY HISTORY | Remembering the first time at The Catacombs

    GAY HISTORY | Remembering the first time at The Catacombs

    A contributor to our Lost LGBT+ Scene project left this recollection of his first encounter at The Catacombs as an 18-year-old in the heydays of the early 70s.

    Vivid memories of The Catacombs…..

    At the tender age of 18, new to London, very green and exceedingly shy and discovering freedom!

    Soon discovered Gay News (a now-defunct gay newspaper) and the gay scene at Earls Court. Must have been incredibly brave to go on my own.

    Saturday nights. There were bouncers on the door, and the club used to provide square gold coloured metal keyring fobs with raised lettering CATA top-line COMBS bottom line to help ID.

    There was a steepish narrow flight of steps down to the dance floor and a bar on the right I think. I THINK they did sell beer, but I only ever drank Coke, so might be mistaken.

    The dance floor was always dark, illuminated with numerous flashing disco spotlights. I vividly remember the packed floor and the heads bouncing to Motown, Stevie Wonder-Superstition, Temptations-The Law of the Land, Timmy Thomas-Why cant we live together.

    I hear those on the radio sometimes, shut my eyes and I’m back there in 1971/2 such was the huge impression. Around the dance floor which was circular or multi-sided such as Octagonal was a series of arches which led on to a corridor around the dancefloor.

    There was a series of arches into open rooms around the outside of this corridor, each room with tables and seating around. There was always a row of stationary figures around the wall just watching the dancefloor and a similar row around the corridor, all awaiting the next pickup. I don’t remember where the toilets were, very shy and maybe didn’t use them, nor the disco, nor if there were any emergency exits and looking back.

    I always think the place could have been an inferno if the worst happened, but oh! such happy memories.

    Written by Paul

    Have you got memories you’d like to share? Check out our list of now-closed LGBT+ venues and leave you recollections in the comments.

  • Man jailed after drugging, sexually assaulting and stealing from another man

    Man jailed after drugging, sexually assaulting and stealing from another man

    A man is facing over eight years of jail time after pleading guilty to drugging, sexually assaulting and stealing from another man in London.

    Romanian national, Carol Simon, 46, has been jailed for 8 months and 5 months after being pleading guilty to sexual assault, administering a substance with intent to overpower to allow sexual activity, possession of class C drugs and theft following an incident in Marble Arch.

    On 24 March 2019, Simon was loitering outside The City of Quebec pub on Old Quebec Street in Westminster, London when he approached the victim and asked to share a taxi home. 

    The man, in his 50s, accepted and once they arrived at the victim’s home, Simon invited himself in for a drink where he then administered the drug, sexually assaulted the victim and stole his wallet, watch and phone.

    The victim reported the incident to police who began an investigation. Detectives were able to trace Simon as the suspect through a DNA match. 

    He was arrested on 4 April 2019 at the same venue where he targeted the victim. On arrest, officers found a small bottle with liquid inside that Simon claimed were eye drops. However, the substance was tested and was in fact Diazepam.

    According to the Met, Simon was charged the following day.

    Detective Constable Sophie McLoughlin led the investigation. She said, “The victim has been incredibly brave throughout this ordeal and it is because of his courage that Simon is behind bars where he belongs.

    “Simon had clearly set out that night to harm someone for his cowardly gain, his actions were completely evil and he will never know the trauma he has caused.

    “We encourage anyone who has been a victim of sexual assault to come forward and speak to us, we will support you.”

  • This flower company just gave away all of its remaining stock to NHS workers, before LOCKDOWN

    This flower company just gave away all of its remaining stock to NHS workers, before LOCKDOWN

    Florist gives away tens of thousands of flowers, which otherwise would have had to be burned as the country goes into lockdown

    A luxury florist in London has delivered some 500 posy bouquets to NHS staff at six hospitals, including St. Thomas’s, Chelsea and Westminster, and Lambeth Hospital, as a thank you for all the hard work during the Coronavirus outbreak.

    Wildabout’s team have created these signature posies to bring a moment of joy to our invaluable NHS employees, it has also meant that they have been able to prevent tonnes of flowers being burnt at local farms across Holland.

    The managing director, Leanne Roberts-Hewitt said,

    “As our industry comes to a standstill for the foreseeable future and we close our doors, we wanted to make sure we spread some joy through these difficult times to our amazing NHS workers … And nothing does that better than flowers!! 

    “It has been heartbreaking watching the huge amount of flowers in Holland being burnt due to the quick reduction in supply;  so we have been working with our Dutch supplier and the growers to put these flowers to good use. 

    “We have a huge selection of flowers including 50,000 stems of Roses, 20,000 Tulips and 5,000 hydrangeas, that we are proud to have saved to be used for such an incredible cause. We hope they shine some light during the most incredibly difficult circumstances.”