Uncle Frank  is a period piece following a closeted gay man who is reluctantly returning home for his father’s funeral and unresolved trauma. While conditions have improved to an extent for the LGBTQ community, things are certainly better than they were in 1973.  This is when South Carolinian teenager Beth Bledsoe (Sophia Lillis) heads off to New York University.  The move leads to a reunion with literature professor and Beth’s uncle, Frank (Paul Bettany).  What Beth wasn’t expecting to learn upon studying at NYC is that Uncle Frank is gay and living with longtime partner Walid “Wally” Nadeem (Peter Macdissi).  Frank has never come out to his family and when his father suddenly dies, Frank reluctantly comes home to say goodbye.  It also means dealing with trauma he has refused to let go. This film takes place a few years after the Stonewall riots.  However, being LGBTQ in New York is much different than South Carolina.  Nobody could blame F...

  our new issue includes interviews with Chris Bryant MP and Marcas Mac . News of our Christmas charity raffle in aid of LGBT Helpline Scotland tickets on sale from 17th Nov prizes from Molly and Tommy Big Dog Books Kilted Fudge Company Ltd The Greenwood #section28 #pride #lgbtq #queer #bloomsbury LGBT Health and Wellbeing https://drive.google.com/.../19x2wq69fWFHoiyKyerM0dR.../view

Having witnessed the Nazis' brutality first-hand, these men were some of the first to warn Britain about Hitler, repeatedly speaking out against their government's policy of appeasing him. Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain hated them. Branding them 'the glamour boys' to insinuate something untoward about them, he had their phones tapped and threatened them with deselection and exposure, Chris Bryant brings their story to life. How did you come across the Glamour Boys? I was writing another book six years ago about the history of parliament and I came across these intriguing figures Jack Macnamara and Ronnie Cartland who seemed to have been gay and were both killed in action in the war so have commemorative plaques in the Chamber of the Commons. Initially, I thought there wouldn't be enough hard facts, so I thought about using them in a novel, but in the end, I came across loads of private archives and papers that meant I could write the full story. The Glamour Boys...

Out today is Chris Bryant's The Glamour Boys published by Bloomsbury Publishing UK . About a group of MPs including Robert Boothby a Conservative MP for the Aberdeen area for over 30 years. Having witnessed the Nazis' brutality first-hand, these men were some of the first to warn Britain about Hitler, repeatedly speaking out against their government's policy of appeasing him. Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain hated them. Branding them 'the glamour boys' to insinuate something untoward about them, he had their phones tapped and threatened them with deselection and exposure. We have an interview with Chris Bryant MP in our new issue out this weekend. #lgbtq #queer #books #bloomsbury

BBC Radio 2 today announces that Graham Norton has decided to leave the network later this year. Ten years after presenting his first Saturday morning (10am-1pm) show for the station, Graham will present his last programme on Saturday 19 December 2020. Graham says: “Obviously I’m sad to be stepping away from my Radio 2 show. I’ll miss being a part of the Wogan House family, as well as the listeners and their lives. I’d like to thank my producer Malcolm Prince and all the teams I’ve worked with for a great decade of radio. Happily with the chat show, Eurovision and Drag Race the BBC continues to be my perfect tv home.” Charlotte Moore, Chief Content Officer says: “Graham Norton will be hugely missed on Saturday mornings on Radio 2, he is a first class broadcaster but I’m thrilled he’s committed to continuing to be a regular fixture on the BBC as the host of his hugely popular and award-winning The Graham Norton Show, the BBC’s coverage of Eurovision and Drag Race UK.” Graham joined Radi...

A study into the impacts of lockdown on Scotland’s LGBT+ community has found more than two-thirds have faced isolation and loneliness since the lockdown started in March. The research, conducted by the LGBT+ charity Pink Saltire over the past 3 months, also found less than 1 in 5 lesbian, gay, bisexual and trans people trust public services to meet their specific needs. In findings which are to be released publicly this month, the charity is recommending significant investment from the Government and other funders to help meet the challenges raised in their latest report. The research was conducted as part of the ‘Rainbow Responders’ programme, funded by The National Lottery Community Fund, which aimed to improve the collective understanding of COVID for LGBT+ people and to build the resilience of the sector. Over 1,000 people took part between August and October, with a number of focus groups, workshops, surveys and interviews being conducted by the 6-strong team. Stuart ...

The Style Council - Long Hot Summers: The Story of The Style Council ⅘ Way back in 1982 Paul Weller did the unthinkable and broke many a person’s heart. He split up The Jam. The Jam had gone from strength to strength and were riding a wave of critical and commercial acclaim. Their last nine singles had all gone top ten (‘That’s Entertainment’ stalled at number 21 but that was only because it was an import not released in the UK. A major feat in itself) so the announcement came as a major shock to the music fans of the time (Non more shocked than our dear editor in chief himself) Weller stating that he wanted to go out on a high with the band. The question was what would come next? The answer is The Style Council. More soulful and experimental than The Jam, he linked up with former Merton Parkas keyboardist Mick Talbot to flesh out the songs and continue the direction his former band had been dabbling with at the end of their journey. At the time the band were met with some confusi...

Sam Smith - Love Goes ⅖ The first thing you hear on ‘Love Goes’ is that Smith actually enunciates their words on the opening track ‘Young’ even though it's more or less acapella, just a lone vocal with some treatment. Could this be that turning point? Will they be singing in a clear voice for once? Well sort of, they are singing a tiny bit clearer on this album but they’re still tied to a lot of the usual vocal tricks and treatments that it's a bit of a cloak over those possible singing talents. When they reach the top levels of their range the vocals seem to emigrate to their nose which is deeply off putting. Musically it's more semi-dance pop territory that we’re straddling. The album is divided between the piano sopathons about heartbreak and the pop numbers as you’d expect, unfortunately it predictably leans into the more self-analytical musings rather than the upbeat numbers. Which may not come as a surprise as the starting place that Smith wrote this album from w...

we chat to Elisabeth Flett a BBC Radio Scotland Young Trad Musician Semi-Finalist Who inspired you to take up music? I was lucky enough to grow up in a household full of music - my mum is a music teacher and my dad is an enthusiastic amateur musician - and that lovely nurturing environment combined with various great courses and workshops throughout my childhood and teenage years gave me a love of music and a really exciting ‘taste’ of all the different kinds of music that exist out there in the world. What makes you optimistic? Cute small children and cute large dogs. what’s the most depressing thing in the world today? The lack of kindness. what is your biggest regret in the world? I don’t know if I have one regret that’s larger than any others- the major regrets I have are all centred around not treating people with enough compassion or kindness. which ambition is the one you most like to fulfill ? Publishing a book! That would be fun. which three albums would ...

Chilling Adventures of Sabrina premieres December 31, only on Netflix. In the final episodes, the coven must fight each terrifying threat one by one, a series of confrontations that will culminate with The Void, the End of All Things. And, because this is Chilling Adventures, there's also a romantic element, with Nick Scratch (Gavin Leatherwood) attempting to work his way back into Sabrina's heart. Although Netflix announced the cancellation of Chilling Adventures of Sabrina in July, Aguirre-Sacasa hinted the following month there might be life left in the series beyond this final chapter. He teased just last week for fans to be on the lookout for some "extremely wicked" news, although it's unclear whether that's this release-date announcement, or something more.

Idles have become absolutely massive since their last album ‘Joy as an Act of Resistance’ so has success blunted their attack? Fortunately no, they still sound fully enraged and ready for attack. The only problem is that the sound hasn’t moved too far along but seeing as this is only album number three we can give them a pass. Quite a few of the tracks on ‘Ultra Mono’ were released as singles before the album was unleashed ‘Mr. Motorvator’, ‘Grounds’, ‘Model Village’ ‘War’ and ‘A Hymn’ all dropped during lock down and with the exception of ‘Mr. Motorvator’ they came across as odd choices lacking the kick of a stand alone track however the songs in situ are a different affair entirely. They fit into the record much better to bring a strong cohesive feel to ‘Ultra Mono’. Although it sounds solidly like an Idles album there are surprises to be found, the pretty intro to ‘Kill Them With Kindness’ (Has there ever been a more Idles-sounding title?) is startlingly delicate, it obviousl...

Bob Mould - Blue Hearts ⅘ ‘Blue Hearts’ was devised by Bob Mould as a sister record to last year’s rather cheerful and rambunctious ‘Sunshine Rock’ this record however is both angry and bitter. Mould has always made ferocious indie rock but with strong melodic content even when raging at the world like he does here. Opener ‘Heart On My Sleeve’ is a sorrowful acoustic number just to wrong foot you for when ‘Next Generation’ kicks down the door and barges into your earspace. It is very recognisably Mould, serrated edged guitars rasp away whilst the rhythm section race each other and it continues straight into the third track, ‘American Crisis’ there’s almost no room for breathing which is a perfect sonic analogy of the rage and distortion in modern America at this moment. In fact there’s almost no let up throughout the album, even the acoustic driven ‘Forecast of Rain’ gallops at an incredible speed, in fact with the exception of the opening track and record closer ‘The Ocean’ this is...

this month we chat to Elisabeth Flett a BBC Radio Scotland Young Trad Musician Semi-Finalist, Stuart Kane from Big Dog Books ,plus Scottish Queer International Film Festival Bob Mould IDLES a round up of best museums to visit online, podcasts including a chat with A Gay and A Nongay Plus don't forget Free Charity adverts in our next issue and you don’t even have to buy us a coffee. We have never charged charities for adverts in our magazine and we are not going to start now. Just get it to us by Oct 28 to be in our Nov issue. mail@scenealba.co.uk

  The Boys in the Band now on Netflix You never want to be the first person to arrive at a party or the last person to leave. In the case of Joe Mantello’s The Boys in the Band , you will die for an invitation to this party but then you will be itching to head for the door when no one is looking for fear of having an emotional breakdown. Mart Crowley’s play debuted before The Stonewall Riots in 1968, and it was a sensation. It was revived in 2018 by Mantello with an all-star out cast including Jim Parsons, Matt Bomer, Andrew Rannells, and Zachary Quinto, so when Ryan Murphy decided to produce it for Netflix, the entire cast of the Tony-winning revival was on board. The result is a volatility hilarious romp, a stage-to-screen adaptation worthy of the original text. Mantello’s The Boys in the Band should be celebrated for securing the heart and rage of Crowley’s play. Jim Parsons’ Michael is throwing a birthday party for his friend, Harold (Quinto), but he has yet to show up. The r...

  The Broken Hearts Gallery film review ★★★ Directed by NatalieKrinsky Written by NatalieKrinsky Starring Geraldine Viswanathan Dacre Montgomery I have no problem at all with scary movies, I love them. But I gotta be honest, I can’t think of many things more frightening than the prospect of dating in today’s social climate. So kudos to writer/director Natalie Krinsky for squeezing so much feel-goodness out of the dating tribulations of twenty-something New Yorkers in The Broken Hearts Gallery. Lucy (Geradine Viswanathan), a gallery assistant, is smarting from a painful breakup. Her roommate besties Amanda (Molly Gordon from Booksmart, Good Boys, Life of the Party) and Nadine (Hamilton‘s Phillipa Soo) are helping her cope. The first lesson in letting go: get rid of all that junk you’ve saved as souvenirs from past relationships! But a chance meeting with Nick (Dacre Montgomery from Stranger Things), a budding hotel owner, spawn an idea. If Lucy will help get the hotel ready for open...

  Des is on ITV in three parts from Monday 14 to Wednesday 16 September. David Tennant undergoes a chilling transformation as serial killer Dennis Nilsen in this three-part, true-crime drama, documenting his arrest for the killing of at least 12 men across London in the 1980s and subsequent trial and meetings with biographer Brian Masters, whose book the series is based on. Tennant’s eerily understated performance is accompanied by Jason Watkins as Masters and Daniel Mays as the investigating detective, DCI Peter Jay, tracking him down amid increasing media scrutiny. "I think Dennis Nilsen himself became rather obsessed with his legacy after he was caught," the star says. "Anyone who had known him at all, it seemed, said he was at best unremarkable and at worst bloody boring to be around. And yet, If you read his own writings about himself, the self-aggrandisement and the narcissism is breathtaking."

https://www.scenealba.co.uk/magazines  In this issue, you can read about a new queer café opening in Edinburgh, and we talk to the man behind Bright Light Bright Light, who has given us one of the best pop albums of the year. We also have an interview with a new writer from Glasgow, and we chat with one of the best female voices around the music scene new issue

  In 2018 Jim Parsons, Zachary Quinto, Tuc Watkins, Andrew Rannells, Matt Bomer, Michael Benjamin Washington and Robin de Jesús teamed up for a Broadway revival of “The Boys in the Band” which went on to win a Tony for the cast . Ryan Murphy as part of his deal with Netflix has reassemble the cast getting Joe Mantello to direct the upcoming movie adaptation, based on the play by Mart Crowley. The film centres around a group of gay men who gather together for a birthday party in 1968 New York. The night starts to unravel when a guest from the host’s past appears. It will be on Netflix from 30/09/20 “In 1968 New York City — when being gay was still considered to be best kept behind closed doors – a group of friends gather for a raucous birthday party hosted by Michael (Jim Parsons), a screenwriter who spends and drinks too much, in honour of the sharp-dressed and sharp-tongued Harold (Zachary Quinto). Other partygoers include Donald (Matt Bomer), Michael’s former flame, now mired in...

  Nicola Adams OBE is the sixth celebrity contestant confirmed for the brand new series of Strictly Come Dancing. The 18th series of the NTA and Bafta award-winning entertainment show produced by BBC Studios will return in the autumn on BBC One putting the sparkle back into Saturday and Sunday nights. Nicola Adams OBE is a double Olympic gold medallist boxer. Nicola says: “I’m really excited to be joining this year’s incredible line-up for Strictly Come Dancing. I’m a huge fan of the show and am thrilled to be part of something that holds such a special place in so many people’s hearts. People might know me from work in the ring, but I'll be every bit as passionate and dedicated on the dance-floor too. I also wanted to thank the BBC for supporting me and making me the first ever all female-pairing; and it’s amazing to be a part of the movement for change, diversity and breaking boundaries in the entertainment industry.” Nicola became the first female amateur boxer to win an Olympic...

Sue Perkins has a new series starting on BBC One Monday 7th September Sue Perkins: Along the US-Mexico Border. In this new two-part series for BBC One, Sue Perkins travels 2,000 miles from the Pacific Ocean to the Gulf of Mexico to meet people on both sides of the US-Mexico border. News coverage of the border tends to focus on drug trafficking, violent cartels and desperate migrants - and of course the wall. But Sue wants to find out for herself what life is really like for the huge variety of people who call the borderland home. Sue’s epic journey takes her coast to coast across a continent, along the length of the border, from the Mexican city of Tijuana on the Pacific Coast to the north-eastern border city of Matamoros. At the start of her journey Sue helps a group of Honduran volunteers building a hostel for fellow refugees fleeing violence in their country, whilst on the US side of the border she spends a day with the sheriff of Pinal County, Arizona, to find out more about the ba...

  Erasure - The Neon 4/5 This is the 18th, yes, 18th album for electropop duo Erasure. A lot of people are touting this as the big comeback album, which is rather odd seeing as their last album ‘World Be Gone’ was only three years ago and garnered rather good reviews, I suppose people just love the drama of a comeback. In all fairness Vince and Andy have stated that on this album they’ve gone back to some of their old synths to give the album a retro-Erasure feel and that’s true to a degree. It definitely has the feel of an early Erasure record but it doesn’t have the same level of pop songs that came so easily to them through the eighties and nineties.  Not to say that the songwriting is below par but there’s not anything on the album that touches ‘A Little Respect’ or ‘Sometimes’ but not many songs can come that close to such pop perfection so we should be a bit gentler in our approach. Highlights are still very good indeed, lead single ‘Hey Now (Think I Got A Feeling) is a ...

We caught up with Zak and Oskar who are opening Edinburgh’s nee Scotland only Queer sober cafe. Who is running it and how did you get the space? Our names are Zak and Oskar, a DJ and a drag artist based in Edinburgh, who became friends through the club scene. We saw a post on facebook advertising a small cafe and retail space that was looking for new management from September onwards. Zak has a mind for business, having run the AHA Jokes Shop on Victoria Street for years, and I (Oskar) have a mind and network for creative and artistic flair, so we decided to unite our powers and go for it! -Why open a queer cafe? In a world that somehow manages to be both more tolerant than decades ago, AND is falling prey once again to bigoted rhetoric,   it’s important to showcase and highlight the sheer diversity of life, art, and experience in this world. A lot of the queer focus of our space will come from selling works of art by local, up-and-coming queer artists, as well as monthly exhi...