Radio series curated and hosted by Kat
Commissioned, and broadcast live from Retro, by Montez Press Radio, London
27th March 2024
Listen below (click for note on recordings) –
Note on recordings from the Montez archive – ‘Montez Press Radio’s archive is an ongoing auditory document of the station’s existence. It is not designed to reflect the ingenuity of post-production, but rather serves as a catalogue of rough cuts which contain all the small glitches, false starts, and awkward silences that are intrinsic to our process of live recording and running an event space.’
The British Pub has long acted as a communal front room for local community. Short for Public House, the Pub, as we like to call it, is an essential space of comfort and belonging for many.
At the time of this project, Kat had worked at Retro, Central London queer pub, for going on 10 years. In that time it had been her most consistent home and a central force in the architecture of her life and work.
In this series of shows, broadcast live from Retro, Kat invited friends and family to share music and stories.
Interior, Retro Bar. Dusk.
LX1: the orange of belief.
FX1: the sound belonging makes. A handful of butches, fem(me)s and queers nestle into themselves. They steady their drinks and adjust their microphones. Long, trailing, cables connect them to each other through a mixer fit for live radio.
LX2: light narrows to a cartoon spotlight.
FX2: tables hum with anticipation.
Show 1: Dixie Thomas and Joelle Taylor share stories, memories, rememberings, of lesbian nightlife and escapades. (click to expand details)
Dixie Thomas is a London-based photographer. She was resident photographer for Club Fantastic in the 1980s and an enthusiastic capturer of lesbian fashion, culture and kink. Dixie’s work has been exhibited as part of the Rebel Dykes cannon, alongside works by peers including Phylis Christopher and Jessica Tanzer.
Joelle Taylor is an award-winning poet, playwright, author and editor. Her recent collection of poetry, C+NTO & Othered Poems, won the T.S. Eliot Prize, and the 2022 Polari Book Prize for LGBT authors. Her debut novel, The Night Alphabet, was published by Riverrun in February this year. The debut live stage performance of which, garnered a five-minute-long standing ovation from an auditorium full of lesbians.
Show 2: Performance leg-end Lavinia Co-Op talks writer Lauren J. Joseph though the highs and lows of a life on the tiles. (click to expand details)
Lavinia Co-op, b Hackney. Founding member of ‘ The Bloolips ‘ a Gay Musical Comedy Theater Troupe. Touring shows like “ Lust in Space “ or “GET HUR ‘ across Europe and N.America, Late 70’s—90’s. All six queens in a VW van (the real Pricilla ) Recently in “ Escape from Planet Trash “, “How to Catch a Krampus “ The Pleasance Th. Bat for Lashes video “ Laura “. Many a night-club method go-go, model, performances art. Solo’s “Installations In Stiletto’s “, NY, London, “ Up Yours “, Purcel Room Lived and performed in the USA, 80’s—2010. Martha Graham; L.S.C.D., Alexander Teacher.
Lauren. J Joseph is an artist and a writer, their most recent book “At Certain Points We Touch” was published by Bloosmsbury in 2022.
Show 3: Kat chats with Joelle and together they visit the Maryville Pub, through doors etched out by Joelle in C+nto and her debut novel, The Night Alphabet. (click to expand details)
Joelle Taylor is an award-winning poet, playwright, author and editor. Her recent collection of poetry, C+NTO & Othered Poems, won the T.S. Eliot Prize, and the 2022 Polari Book Prize for LGBT authors. Her debut novel, The Night Alphabet, was published by Riverrun in February this year. The debut live stage performance of which, garnered a five-minute-long standing ovation from an auditorium full of lesbians.
Show 4: Estella‘s relationship to music has always been entangled with physical spaces and the communities that inhabit them. Across the hour Estella looks back at the people-led places that introduced her to friends, lovers, collaborators, punk scenes, queer scenes and activism. (click to expand details)
Estella Adeyeri is a musician and multi-instrumentalist. She plays bass guitar in the Black feminist punk band Big Joanie, alongside writing, recording and producing her own music under the name Ellaments. She is passionate about supporting members of marginalised communities to have access to music education and performance spaces.
Special thanks to Emily Pope and Manda Shutler for programming and broadcasting this work.
Montez Press Radio is an experimental broadcasting and performance platform. The station was founded in 2018 with the goal of fostering greater experimentation and conversation between artists, writers, and thinkers through the medium of radio.