Oh Paris!

In a first for me I am writing a blog post on the train on the way back from Paris. Now the weekend is over, I can look back on it with a mixture of relief and contentment but the feeling on Friday morning was quite different.

There was, first of all, the excitement of simply departing from the new Eurostar terminal at St. Pancras; and what a beauty it is. Having a coffee at the platform level and seeing the blue sky shining through the glass roof of the train shed, itself supported by sky blue ironwork was of itself an amazing experience, made better only by the wonderful and not so expensive bacon butties with tomato chutney of the Baby Betjamin café.

In contrast to the good weather in London, Paris couldn't have been damper. Clouds rolled in shortly after the tunnel crossing, and by the time we arrived at the Gare du Nord, a full storm was underway. As we arrived in the early afternoon and our host was still working, we had a couple of hours to kill. Liang, Simon and I spent it in a random brasserie: hamburgers seem to taste so much better when they are called steak haché!

Our hosts were a lovely couple called Stéphane, a long-serving tenor in Equivox, and Harald his partner (a.k.a. choir widow) originally from Vienna. Not having known anything about them before going, apart from their names, I was pleased to see that we were very similar in age and temperament. In fact, Simon and I could not have asked for more gracious hosts, and made better friends, over our time in Paris.

After settling in, we took them out to dinner at their local restaurant called La Domaine Léopold which specializes in simple rustic food from the area around Toulouse. Harald and Stéphane are obvious regulars because we were treated to free aperitifs and a wonderful starter of the most amazing warmed fois gras I have ever had. Just don't think about the duck. We were supposed to meet the other Pink Singers at the Open Café later, but as both the wine and conversation were flowing so well, we decided not to interrupt either.

The next morning was largely filled with preparations for the concert. We met Philip G and Michael for lunch at a bistro next to the town hall and were joined by Ben P, Sue, Liang and his host, also called Stéphane, so it became a rather impromptu party.

The Pinkies are very much like a large extended family, and gathering in one of the side chambers in the town hall for the warm-up was therefore akin to a family reunion. We have only been apart for six days, but you just couldn't avoid the "How've you been? What have you been up to? Where did you get that pink accessory?" type questions. To complete the picture, Liang's and Mike's cameras were out in force, as was Celso's, so I cannot be accused of being the only photo addict!

The first real contact with Equivox was when we watched them perform on stage for the first of the two concerts. Their musical director, Babette, has definitely put her mark on the choir, and their incredible stage presence, theatricality and enthusiasm reflects her own background in street performance. Watching Equivox perform is a real spectacle, and although their outfits are more restrained than previous years (their current theme being a summer party), their stage presence cannot be denied. This is as much their signature as (I hope) musical fidelity is for the Pink Singers.

A minor upset occurred after Equivox had finished their set. We were under the impression that there was to be an interval, but when the compere began doing our introduction we vacated the seats at the back of the hall and trooped on stage. It is not easy going from being unprepared to launching into Dies Irae! I was especially impressed at the comedy double act of Johanthon and Philip R who managed to get the audience laughing and applauding in their bilingual introduction, no mean feat!

The stage itself was very small and apparently has safety regulations limiting the number to a maximum of 42 at only one time on it. That explains why Equivox singers took it in turn to sing in either concert. Even with only 40 Pinkies (and Mladen) there was a bit of a squeeze and I was in the fourth of five rows when normally I am in the third of four. The cosiness meant that I was singing into Liang's right ear and Celso was singing into my left, and I have to say that it the tenors sounded pretty tight as a result. In fact, the whole choir sounded really polished, and if anything the second performance was even better than the first because we were more relaxed. The usual adrenaline rush after a concert wore off by the time I was on stage for the second time, so I must admit I also enjoyed it much more. The break between performances also gave Philip G, who was already showing off his long, toned, stockinged legs, a chance to experiment with novel decorative uses of a feather boa…

The Parisian audience really loved our attempt at the French songs Dirait'on and Hymne a l'amour and the applause and whoops were very reassuring. So I was slightly amused, and partly deflated, when Stéphane said we were very "charming with our English accents". Aww, I was trying so hard too to "parlez la Francais" [sic]. The audience were also very generous in their donations, and by the end of the night we had raised €1,500 for Sidaction, the organization fighting AIDS in France.

The after-party was a mad rush through the rain to a venue called Le Tango, Paris’ (and probably France’s) only gay and lesbian dance hall. There was something somewhat surreal about getting ready for a night out in your jeans and T-shirt finery, to arrive at the venue where couples are doing the Viennese waltz around the dance floor. Clearly it is really popular, but being timorous souls and having four left feet between us, Simon and I elected to spend most of the evening nursing our beers and watching from the side. This did not stop Stéphane for whom Le Tango is virtually a second home. Where does he get the energy! I did get a chance to chat with one of the new altos, Christine, who for some reason I kept introducing to other people by a completely different name most of the evening – sorry about that Christine! Later that evening the music turned to Eurotrash (eek!) and then to 80s English pop, so not much of an improvement then!

The next morning it was with some difficulty, entirely self-induced, that we made it to the venue where the group brunch was to be held. This is where Equivox normally rehearses, and is a primary school near to where we were staying. Ah the mem’ries of small, low, tightly-packed and rather stinky urinals… Stéphane took Simon and I on an abbreviated tour of some of the arcades in Paris, these elaborate and often sealed short-cuts through the buildings between streets; by the time we got there a spread had been laid out. What was better was the chance to chat with some of the members of Equivox like Florian (Stéphane's - Liang’s host’s - partner), Karim (who is the only bloke singing in the altos) and Marc, a rather studious-looking and musically knowledgeable chap.

It is always good to hear feedback from other choirs. I am very much a perfectionist, and I always go back over my own, and the choir’s, performance with a fine-tooth comb to pick out the mistakes made and identify areas for improvement. So I can be quite a downer sometimes, and it was a timely reminder that the Pink Singers really are very good, and we do have a clean, tight and very polished sound, and one that impresses other choirs! We had a chance to whip out that sound again in a spontaneous sing off between Equivox and us, and then reprised Let The Sunshine In which metamorphosed into a conga line snaking around the hall. What fun!

All too soon it was time to get back on the Eurostar to return to London. Unlike Paris, it wasn’t raining when we got back in, thank goodness for small mercies, but for dinner I defrosted a pizza; it certainly ain’t no fois gras! Sigh…

An Ad For Various Voices London 2009

I've been a little busy lately, mainly because of my involvement with Various Voices London 2009. For those of you who don't know about Various Voices, it is the once-every-four-years gathering of virtually all the LGBT choirs in Europe, and international guests. The last one was in Paris in 2005, and it was a smash. Nothing beats the feeling of taking over a city for four days with other people of like minds, and the experience of performances, spontaneous singing and camaraderie is unbeaten.

In London of course, we are lucky to be joined on the LGBT choir platform by the London Gay Men's Chorus and Diversity. London is large enough, and varied enough, to sustain three excellent choirs, with very different musical styles. Indeed there are even more LGBT choirs than that in London, although they are not as well known. However, the three main choirs have come together to form Team London, the organising body for the next Various Voices festival in London in 2009.

The London choirs, of course, are part of Sing Out, the wider network of lesbian and gay choirs in the U.K. and Ireland, and in the even larger body of LeGaTo, the association of LGBT choirs in Europe. LeGaTo is actually short for "Lesbians and Gays Singing Together", so if you want to be pernickity the acronym should really be LeGaSiTo, but that would make no sense would it?

Obviously, we're off to Paris to enjoy the delights of the city, and to perform with Equivox, but our trip also represents another opportunity to cement the ties we have with other choirs in Europe. If you get a chance, hop on over to the Various Voices London 2009 website, it is undergoing rapid development as we speak. And if you have your own website or blog, please, please, link to it. The Pink Insider would be most grateful.

If you want to be a part of Team London then just get in touch with Adam (in the basses) or Simon (in the tenors), or email the team. Meetings are one evening a month, and we could sure use some help!

An Alternative Pink Christmas Party

The Pink Singers don't ordinarily have a formal Christmas Party, but this year, thanks to Mike's involvement with the Royal Vauxhall tavern, we are thinking of heading down there for food, a bit of a drink and a boogie. The night actually sounds really cool - there is some good music, live acts and at the end of the evening, a chance to jam together. Bring your own instruments!

The details:

Diversion
8pm Friday 14th December 2007
The Royal Vauxhall Tavern
372 Kenington Lane, Vauxhall, SE11 5HY
£6 to Pink Singers

See you there!

That's It! Bonjour Paris!

Yep. The last rehearsal before Paris - we perform on Saturday! - and it was a good one. The harmonies are sounding tight, the dynamics are more or less in place and perhaps most importantly, we are starting to look like we are enjoying being on stage rather than looking terrified. There are some songs like Big Band Bash and ABBA Pink which you almost can't help but dance along to. Of course ABBA has its own choreography, but Big Band Bash, which has no formal moves, is one song which really gets you tapping your feet - and we do!

The other song which, surprisingly, has that foot-tapping quality is Dies Irae with its aggressive vocals and furious rhythm. Unfortunately, as expected, it is incredibly difficult to learn the lyrics, so instead of a looking "evil" (Mladen's words) we look more like we are concentrating on what words are coming next. Mladen tested each of the sections on our knowledge of the lyrics yesterday; thanks to Johnathon's hood, Celso cunningly managed to sing the lyrics with no obvious sheet music (see picture!).

The biggie last evening was the choreography rehearsal for Diamonds Are A Girl's Best Friend. We're not doing this in Paris, but it is going to be in the winter concert on the 19th of January. Some of the moves are sexy, some border on the risqué, but the sops and altos really threw themselves into it. I must say that I was especially impressed with Karin and Cilla for whom the moves seemed to come naturally. The two choreographers were pretty good too and seemed to be aware of the limitations of our choir - especially the inability for us to move legs and arms at the same time! - and steered adroitly around them.

Off to Paris on Friday morning! Phillip, Simon, Liang and I are checking in early and grabbing a champagne breakfast before heading off. Hey you only live once! The next time (most of) the choir meets we will be in L'Open Café. See you there Friday night!

P.S. The sheer number of exclamation marks in this post belies! my! excitement!

Band Of Bears Debut

Ritchie's "amply formed choir", Band of Bears, is performing at the BearHug Christmas event this Sunday. Should be a good show, Ritchie, one of the resting basses, has a really warm voice. I don't fit into the bear demographic, but have to say that of all the gay communities, I think they are the most fun. I'm sure a posse will get together after rehearsal on Sunday to troop down there.

The deets:

Doors open 5pm, 'on stage' at around 8pm.
Hot Festive food will be provided.
Door Entry for non-members is £3.
Bromptons, 294 Old Brompton Road, Earls Court.
Earls Court Tube (exhibition exit).

Of Rowdiness And Reflection

I really enjoy singing with the Pinkies, and performing gives me a buzz I get excited about. But last night's gig with the small group was tempered by the knowledge that it was for World AIDS day. As has become near traditional now, we were supporting Positive Rainbow, a wonderful group providing assistance for people with AIDS in north London. Every year the story is the same though: government funding is steadily being cut for organizations just like this.

On the one hand, the battle against AIDS appears to be turning the tide. Sitting on the Victoria line on the way up to the White Hart pub where we performed, I read an article on the epidemic in the Economist which argues that since people are living longer with AIDS, and the overall number of people with AIDS has actually decreased, the epidemic has peaked. I am hoping against hope that this is the case, and I can see why the government has made AIDS less of a priority as a result, but the numbers mean nothing to an individual with the disease, or groups like Positive Rainbow on the front line.

That said, spirits were high last night, and I arrived at the pub to find some Pink Singers already helping themselves to the odd pint, while others were busy changing into the informal concert gear in the pub's kitchen. I've done a number of gigs with the small group before, but even so, swapping shirts next to the pickled onions was a new experience. The other novelty was actually seeing how big the small group was. Past gigs have had in the region of eight to twelve members, so it was a bit of a surprise to see so many.

The swollen numbers were due in no small part to the newbies, especially Charlotte, Amy, Kate, Gill P, Celso, Charles, Colm, Joey and Ben (I hope I've not forgotten anyone). They very gamely decided to come along and perform for the first time with the oldies, and were much appreciated. It certainly can't have been easy since they had to cope with the lyrics and music, and performing. I guess a bit of practice before Paris is always handy!

We belted all three songs as planned: You'll Never Walk Alone, Come What May and Abba Pink. Of the three I thought that Abba went down the best, although it was hard to tell from the relatively stoic faces of the audience. Performance-wise I thought Come What May was the best, the other two having a couple of missed entries, noticeable, hopefully, only to members of the choir.

Thankfully, we weren't the only performers that evening. There were a couple of drag acts as well which we got to see after our stint. The first artiste was incredibly funny, but really pushed very close to the line and occasionally crossed over into the non-PC territory. Even I wasn't spared her sharp wit, but I did enjoy her act very much.

Having some time to grab a drink and munch on party snacks also gave me a chance to chat with James M. He was telling me that despite having a really tough day, he was looking forward to this evening, just as a chance to unwind and sing a couple of songs. I couldn't agree more - there is nothing like getting together with friends, and the Pink Singers, because of our numbers, tend to bring our own party along with us. Love it!

Lost In Paris?

View Larger Map

Mobile Video Hat

If you've seen me in rehearsal you will realise that not only do I lug around all my music and a bottle of water, I also carry all sorts of digital paraphenalia for capturing the moment. Sometimes though, I wish I had more hands so I could, for example, video our choreography and hold my music or run the dictaphone at the same time. Enter the Nokia Mobile Video Hat, which far from being a joke item, actually exists. How wonderfully practical! Who needs to see real life when you can look through a viewfinder? Christmas is coming up, who can I bug for a present?