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Carry on Croonin'

| title | Carry on Croonin' |
| venue | Ocean Rooms |
| event: | Pride in Brighton & Hove |
| review date | Friday, 4 August 2006 |
| words by | emaca |
| photos by | Bex Wade |
most viewed photos REALBrighton review
...it’s no surprise that the venue was bustling with a positive plethora of disparate and diverse lesbians, young and old.Set in the atmospheric ‘live lounge’, this pre-Pride warm-up certainly loosened musical limbs. Organised and hosted by locally celebrated Al Start, it’s no surprise that the venue was bustling with a positive plethora of disparate and diverse lesbians, young and old.
Brighton’s home-grown Nicky Mitchell set the pace with an impressive selection of self-penned anthems, interspersed with witty banter. She finished in style, strumming a personal rendition of Joni Mitchell’s iconic ‘Big Yellow Taxi’, which was complimented by the (lyrically suspicious) warble of appreciative listeners. From this point on, intervals were punctuated by Al’s animated cry of ‘It’s pride weekend!’, and the ensuing cheers reflected the mounting anticipation (and alcohol consumption).
The chilled-out crowd was serenaded further by the likes of Belinda O’Hooley and Mika Sellens; the intimate setting injecting a real sense of poignancy as tales of trauma and passion were recounted. Later on, those with a less delicate musical palette were captivated by the vibrant and fantastically quirky ‘BeRn’, whose infectious energy and vivacious tunes incited some very questionable dancing!
The penultimate act featured Al herself, and it was well worth the wait. Comically opening with her ‘gay superhero’ song, her audience was soon stunned into silence as she delivered a breathtaking selection of beautifully crafted songs. Al’s sublime, seductive vocals even had the rushed bar staff stop in their tracks, and her messages of love, loss (and multi-coloured capes) seemed to strike a chord in everyone.
In the short break before the headliner, a fair few headed home in preparation for the imminent festivities. This was a shame, since those who did stay for ‘Hanna and the Jaedees’ were thoroughly entertained. Having originated in Malaysia, the band was able to offer their alternative crowd some very alternative music. As the bassist towered over the afro-sporting drummer, Hanna belted out a medley of stunningly soulful tunes that pulsed through the floorboards and fed rhythm into the tiredest of feet. In fact, the music was so up-lifting, it even inspired the bean-bag colonizers to stir.
All in all, this was the perfect start to Pride...All in all, this was the perfect start to Pride, particularly for those less enamoured by the thought of a frenzied Friday on the scene. The fundraiser offered an enticing taster of what there was to look forward to in the women’s tent, although I don’t think anyone was quite anticipating ‘the Jaedees’ rolling up in figure-hugging dresses!
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coming up...
The next Pride in Brighton & Hove date for your diary:
Bright and Beautiful @ The Honeyclub
Saturday, 24th April
pride countdown
Forthcoming pride festivals...
48 days Maspalomas Gay Pride 2010
3rd - 9th May 10
59 days Allove Festival
14th - 15th May 10
73 days CSD Berlin
28th May - 20th June 10
88 days Oxford Pride 2009
12th June 10
101 days Toronto Pride 2010
25th June - 4th July 10
102 days San Francisco Pride 2010
26th - 27th June 10
107 days Madrid Pride 2010
1st - 5th July 10
REALPride carries full details of these events and the major pride and mardi gras festivals around the world.

