Polari August Bona-nza: The Sound of Porn.

How do you get the right soundtrack to a porn film? Marcus Reeves writes about how he scored an Ashley Ryder film, and found a new direction for his own music.

“Writing the music itself was fairly difficult, as it had to be rhythmic and repetitive without being too distracting – writing catchy melodies is great for pop songs but most people aren’t watching porn to be left with a song to hum along to in the shower.”

Gender Benders.

Marcus Reeves calls his roll of icons for LGBT History Month’s theme for 2014, Music.

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Released April 2, 2013
Marcus Reeves finds the Man Band singing polished pop, with a touch of syrup.

“Despite three decades in the business, NKOTB are still firmly entrenched in the ‘together forever’ school of rhyme. You won’t find any Antony Hegarty style monologues on the moon or menstruation here, but that’s not what you’d expect or want from Boston’s best.”

The Universal Machine.

Marcus Reeves talks to Judith Paris about her role as Sara Turing in The Universal Machine, a new musical about the life of Alan Turing.

“It’s so complicated, the story of the Enigma – and it is a wonderful story of Turing’s tenacity, but also wilful, ridiculous stupidity by the British Government. Not many people would decide to do a musical about a mathematician.”

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Released May 27, 2013
Upon Ayr by Fletcher. Marcus Reeves is impressed by Ben Fletcher’s debut album, which has great sensitivity, feeling and authenticity. .

“If this is what Fletcher can produce by polishing up his ‘demos’, it would be interesting to see what he might do with a big budget, but it is perhaps the limitations imposed on the recordings and his ‘one man band’ aesthetic that has made the album such an impressive and focused collection..”

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Released January 21, 2013
Marcus Reeves finds that the cowboy sound starts off well but turns out to be style over substance.

“Lonesome Dreams feels like a project that has been made with great passion and is well played and put together, but rather than paint with his palette sparingly, Schneider has used all his colours at once on every sonic canvas to create an ultimately unwelcoming landscape.”

Mansun, ‘I Can Only Disappoint U’.

To mark LGBT History Month, 2013, Polari asked its contributors to recall a song that had an impact their own stories.

“Sam refused to speak to me for the entire run, despite my role as ‘Virtuoso’, dildo and merkin maker to the King and Queen of Sodom, requiring me to ‘swive’ her onstage nightly.”

Masquerade Pick a club, any club, your name’s there on the door Work the room like a runway, it’s what everybody’s here for Catch a strangers eye across the crowded floor Make them want you, make them crawl, make them beg for more Slip a slice of pure paradise under your tongue Then feel the […]