Continuing along the art route, the Broadway Market hosts some of the most exciting independent book and design shops. Among these, Donlon Books specialises in unconventional and subversive titles, which make for a particularly delightful browse for queer readers, while Artwords, located across the street, stocks a truly impressive range of art books and independent magazines, including a wide variety of LGBTQ-themed titles.
But it is after dark that East London’s queer scene truly comes to life. Every night of the week, all year around, there are exciting events happening somewhere in the borough. While the queer creatives continuously find new venues for club nights and alternative parties, for first time visitors, the best places to start are the two pillars of Hackney’s gay nightlife: Dalston Superstore and The Glory.
Celebrating London Pride
Photo Bikeworldtravel
Despite its name, Dalston Superstore is not actually a store of any kind, instead it’s a super venue, providing the East London queer crowd with everything from weekend drag brunches to kinky club nights, cabaret acts, and art exhibitions.
Looking in from the street, the place doesn’t seem like much, and it would be easy to walk past without giving it a second glance. However, to walk through the door is to be transported into a magical land of creativity, sexual freedom, and a tight sense of community. The upstairs has a spacious bar area, with intimate booths and open-plan tables, and during the day, especially on weekends, people gather here for food and drinks. This is often accompanied by live music and queer performers showcasing the best of East London’s underground scene.
Where else can you enjoy a mouth-watering burger while also singing along to Christina Aguilera’s Genie in a Bottle, with a beautifully flamboyant mistress of ceremonies perching on the back of your chair? Also, make sure to scan the walls, as they are always covered in interesting art by local queer artists, making it one of the most exciting and vibrant exhibition spaces on the map of LGBTQ London. As night time approaches, the surprisingly spacious downstairs area turns into a disco fantasy, with a variety of club events to satisfy every queer taste out there, from vanilla to kink, Dalston Superstore has it covered.
Photo: Riposte
Homostash, one of the club’s most popular parties, has been running at the venue since 2015 and is always a sold out extravaganza of great music and pure, moustached gloriousness. Check DS’s website (dalstonsuperstore.com) for details of upcoming events closer to your trip to London, however you can be sure that whatever time of year you arrive, the Store will welcome you with a bang.
The Glory, Dalston Superstore’s less flashy but no less fabulous East London sister, has over the last few years firmly established itself as one of the most essential breeding grounds for alternative talent among the capital’s queer crowd. The venue is owned by drag duo, Jonny Woo and John Sizzle, and the two ensure that the place is always open to new ideas and diverse forms of creative expression.
Photo: The Glory
Shows take place on most nights of the week, and they range from drag, to stand-up comedy, cabaret acts, and poetry reading. In short, anything you could ever wish for in a quintessential gay bar, you will find here. On weekends, the downstairs turns into a dancefloor, and you’ll find yourself dancing the night away among some of London’s most influential queer artists and performers.
Since 2015, the Glory has been hosting LIPSYNC1000, London’s most fierce lip sync competition. Originally titled Tranny Lip-Synching, the contest used to be held at the Bristoteque, another queer venue which has since sadly closed down. Before RuPaul’s Drag Race and other TV shows have propelled drag culture and lip synch battles into the mainstream, Hackney was already in the game, serving some alternative realness, and the pride in that legacy is still very much part of the scene today.
In East London, however, it’s more than just legacies and rehashing of old ideas. What sets the scene apart from the rest of the capital is that things are constantly evolving, and no two nights in Hackney are ever the same. Artist collectives and diverse queer projects keep reinvigorating what it means to be LGBTQ in London, and in the world.
Events organized by Riposte promote art by young queer artists, who might otherwise struggle to showcase their work in galleries or other well-established venues. The organizers combine performance art with music by international DJs and art exhibitions, choosing a different venue each time. Riposte already held three major events this year, including a club night at Grow Community Space in Tottenham Hale. If you want to experience something truly unconventional, make sure to check for Riposte’s future events on their Facebook or Instagram pages prior to planning your London visit (www.facebook.com/CollectifRiposte/).
