Pride month may have been our chance to indulge in gay movies, art, culture, music and food – yes, there is such a thing as gay food (see Beaufort Street for details) – but the fun doesn’t stop when the clock strikes November.
As always, the see and be-seen day in November is Melbourne Cup Day November 6. Forget the racing, this is a day for sipping champagne, wearing hats and frocks and tails. This year’s Cup Day posh picks are Must Winebar, for the drinks; C Restaurant, for the view; and Belmont Race Course, for the spirit.
With daylight savings, the lingering sunlight means international acts flee the cold of their own country for the Aussie summer. Soco Cargo, a party phenomenon container, described as a ‘pop-up live performance venue’ has raved in Berlin and Bangkok in the last year. And now it comes to Perth, bringing with it sizzling live acts and visual performers guaranteed to keep night owls going until daybreak. You’ll find it on Roe St, Northbridge (between Milligan St and Metro City) from November 8 to December 1,
For some local flavour, RTRFM celebrates 30 years of broadcasting with a reunion show at the Hyde Park Hotel November 17. Tickets are $20 and available from Dada, 78s, Mills, Planet and RTRFM. Door sales available on the night. For the rest of your music buzz, including the acts you don’t want to miss, check out OiP’s music columns.
RTRFM’s bash is not the only place to remember long-gone eras. Disco is back, Art Disco that is, and it’s taking over Perth’s hip underground (yes, Perth has one) on November 24 at the Bakery. Artrage, Sensei, and Seymour Art bring you a two-room, multi-artform, multi-genre mix of style and sass at the ‘Alphabet City’ Artrage Festival 2007, featuring indie-electro DJs playing alongside the hippest indie and electro bands including Fall Electric, Learn the Splits (Melbourne) The Grand-daughters of Italo-Disco Brash and Sassy feat. George Tropicana, Druid Lee Roth, Oioki!, plus special guests to be announced. Apart from the hot tunes, expect super slick visuals, mannequins and live modeling, and a shoulder pad exhibition curated by Brash and Sassy and Seymour Art.
Life doesn’t end with Pride, especially at the new and improved Court. Chandeliers, disco-lights, velvet wall paper…the Court has had one hell of a facelift and the old girl is ready for action. Rock up on Sunday afternoons for a Sunday sesh with Nick Alexander or River (the two will be alternating weeks and keeping it fresh), Tuesday evenings for Latino Night starting November 13, and Wednesdays to don Amateur Drag. As always the weekend mainstays continue with even more entertainment options indoors and out. Girls, if your engines are still revving after Pride, get down to this month’s special parties: Girls Who Kiss Girls (Thursday November 29). Sadly, the boys have to wait until early December for Boys Who Kiss Boys.
And just across Northbridge, Connections starts sundowners on Fridays after work (6pm) this month with a very special birthday celebration on Nov 2, while Beatbox Fashion Victims and Showpony still doof-doof along on Friday and Saturday nights. Wednesday November 7 and November 21, the ladies lather up for Lesbian Mud Wrestling.
Between mud-slinging sessions, the girls clean up for the Pride Women’s Sundowner at Grapeskin Winebar on November 14 at 6.30pm. A week later Pride has their second event for the month, the Pride Professionals Alliance on November 21 at the Brisbane Hotel.
Those not keen on hiking north of the river, should head upstairs at the Sail & Anchor in Fremantle for Only Gay in the Village on Wednesday November 28 at 7pm.
And those keen on grizzly bears and/or men who look like them should get themselves to one of the Bears Nights. Saturday November 10 is just another night at the Den, 9pm-late. Recover the next day at Pasta with the Godfather Part IV, 3pm. And don your finest leather for Bears Leather Den Night 2 at the Den, 9pm-late on November 23.
Last but never least, if a great view is your thing, try Twilight Tennis at Loton Park Tennis Club in Mount Lawley as this month twilight tennis returns on Wednesdays from 5pm. You can play, or sit on the verandah with a bevvie and enjoy the spectacular scenery. The sunset over the city ain’t half bad either…
Loton also has social tennis on Saturdays 2-6pm. Watch out for ‘Frock Day’ on November 17. For more Loton Park events, see OiP’s sports section.
And that brings us to November’s end. Don’t forget that December begins with World AIDS Day on December 1 – so get out there, support those fighting HIV and buy a red ribbon. For local World AIDS Day Events, see OiP’s community news story.
