[rating=3]
216 pages • Soaring Penguin Press • October 2013 [HB]
Howard Hardiman’s The Lengths explores the dark, often bleak world of former art student and rentboy Eddie and his close circle of friends, doggy-style.

“At the end of the day, whether you like Eddie or not, self-absorbed and unfocussed, escaping into a world of sex and drugs, The Lengths is a dark, sobering but rewarding read.”

Comics Unmasked

British Library, London • Until August 19, 2014

Hugh Armitage takes at a look at the Comics Unmasked exhibition at the British Library and how the British comic has always been about the outsider.

“In the UK it has remained a largely marginalised medium, reserved for schoolchildren at best and ‘weirdos’ at worst. This underground quality has made it the perfect place for LGBT and other alternative content to thrive.”

Polari’s August Bona-nza: Men With Beards.

Illustrative artist Ed Firth talks about zines, facial hair, and the joy of connecting directly with the people through his work.

“I feel there is something Totemic about them and having a sense of presence, an imposing presence. In the exhibition a lot of them were positioned quite high up and looking down on the viewer.”

[rating=5]
Released July 7, 2014
On Terrafidella you can feel the heat of the surroundings in the desert, the plummeting temperatures at night while the wide-open sky is speckled with stars.

“Its title, Terrafidella, is coined from the combination of Latin words for ‘land’ and ‘faithful’. The music, imagery and the words are deeply engrained in landscape and its presence. “

[rating=4]
Released July 14, 2014
Slow Club’s Complete Surrender is nurturing, moving and relatable. It should be heard in the same context as some of pop’s most soulful biggest hitters.

“To make a record like this and to take strides that enables your sound to be both mainstream but wholly grounded in a lyrical sensibility that is essentially British in its self-deprecation and rejection of sentimentality is admirable and is what gives Slow Club their edge.”

July 30, 2014

In which the cartoonist look at the legacy of personal ads, leather and 1980s pop heroes. Polari Safari by David Shenton.

Support for the LGBT community.

Gay Switchboard Ireland turns 40 this year. Tony Cooney talks about how it has diversified to meet the needs of users, and mental health in the LGBT community.

“I think we can be as vicious as the rest of society. The LGBT community needs to have a good look at itself, to not forget what we have had to put up with.”

Queer laughs.

Laura Macdougall celebrates the great amount of queer content at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in 2014, from comedy to drama and spoken word.

“This year I’m particularly excited that there are so many brilliant female comedians performing at the festival, and that so many of them are queer women. “

[rating=4]
Released July 21, 2014
Rather than the metallic synth-pop of her 2009 debut, La Roux has opted instead for a sweltering and more organic, sensual soundscape.

“La Roux is proving that although she is clearly serious about the potential aims of modern music, she is also having tremendous fun making it – without a doubt the definitive summer release of 2014.”

[rating=5]
Released April 28, 2014
The cinematic approach of A Winged Victory For The Sullen incorporates ambient, electronic and classical elements in this music for dance performance.

“A Winged Victory For The Sullen embody a willingness to diversify their writing style in giving themselves the challenge of writing music for dance performance. Similar to their debut album, the duo have created songs unbound by time, genre or even identity.”