Pride March Street Fair 2011

The second annual Pride March Street Fair takes over Peel Street in Collingwood this Sunday, December 11 from 2pm – the only LGBTIQ and inclusive festival in Melbourne’s north.

Street Fair is where you’ll see the King & Queen of Pride presented with their crowns, ahead of their procession in Pride March next year; not forgetting the entertainment on stage all afternoon – and the chance to see what The Peel looks like in daylight.

Last week, Pride March president Brett Hayhoe, speaking with our own Dolly Diamond, spelled out the essence of what Pride March Street Fair is about:

“It's a fun day out, Dolly. It's not meant to be complicated and it has something for all the members of the rainbow family and of course those who support us. We put a big stage right in the middle of Peel and Wellington streets and give the crowds non-stop entertainment: Jade Leonard, Loka Nunda, Brecik, and drag shows from the team at DnM and Priscilla's. The stage is hosted by Destiny Forbidden and we'll have marquees from the LGBT and friendly businesses with an array of food stalls.”

Last year was a huge success, as crowds of queers and friends strolled up and down Peel Street sampling the wares, and at times, each other! This year promises to be even better, and you can rate the new park if you haven’t already – it’s right next door to another well-known recreational ground.

So come along, meet the MCV team and tell them how much you love the paper. Have a chat, we’re always glad to hear what you think – and maybe even have a drink or three. See you Sunday!

Onstage at Street Fair

This year’s Pride March Street Fair stage will be emceed by this week’s MCV cover girl, Destiny Forbidden, and features these artists to enhance your fair-going pleasure...

Loka Nunda

What will you be doing on the Street Fair stage?
I’ll be performing an electro dance set, with tracks from my Albums; dance tracks about sexuality. Performance art will be taking place on stage with a fetish vibe as guys polish boots and receive buzz cuts.

How would you describe your music?
All shades of grey: I've worked on Spiritual Projects, like the Sweet Lord Concept Album with Nina Hagen. A Spiritual electro-chanting Album. Stomp Stomp was a pure gay fetish Album. Most of my Albums have a strong gay influence. The work with Wendy Rule was Pagan Wicker; for Wendy Rule is a white witch. And the new Album Solar Storm featuring Stathis from France is a UFO album, crazy, Romantic, Electro Opera, a ray of sunshine to warm the heart and soul. We have produced a H.I.V. awareness track and the Album is sexual, spiritual and goozing with good energy. My music is multi-dimensional. It’s an expression of my inner self in sound vibration.

Which section of our community would know you best?
Once again, I move in many aspects of the community. But I am a Gay Punk Skinhead Hare Krishna Fetish Lover. I love Beyond parties and The Laird would be my place of choice. We are blessed to have The Laird in Melbourne. I like the underground.

How does your sexuality affect your music?
I express my sexuality and fetishes through my music. I also like to open the world to understanding that gay people are just like you – we love, we hurt, we feel. I have fun living out my sexual fetishes via my art. I love to turn sexuality into art. Ignorance needs a good kick in the face so, sure, smash the walls of intolerance down via sound vibration and beats.

How important is it to you that members of the LGBTIQ community get to see you up close and personal?
I'm a people person and love to connect with people. Connecting with people is what life is about.

Melbourne weather can be fickle – will a bit of rain dampen your performance?

I don't mind getting wet...

Sydney Mardi Gras has dropped ‘Gay and Lesbian’ from its name? Does it matter?
Is this a political issue? What is it now? The str8 Mardi Gras? I like Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras, ’cause it’s our event. We must respect those from the past who fought for the rights we have today. The fight must go on, it’s not over yet. Remember the reason for the Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras, me thinks.

Jade Leonard

What songs will you perform at the Street Fair?
I'll definitely be performing two dance tracks from my recently released EP, C4$H1N8. And yes, ‘8008135’ will definitely be on the play list as well as 5★. Come shake ya 8008135!

How important is it to you that members of the LGBTIQ community get to see you up close and personal?
Extremely important. The Melbourne LGBTIQ community is my family. We really should all spend Christmas together you know.

Will you hang around after to enjoy the fair?
YES. I want sausages. Will there be sausages? The ones with the white bread and onions and barbecue sauce? Someone has to be doing a barbecue, surely?

Melbourne weather can be fickle – will a bit of rain dampen your performance?
HELL NO. I will be dancing Janelle-Monae-skitzo-style in the puddles. I'm a lesbian, I'm prepared for ANYTHING. I have high-heel gumboots – don't you?

Sydney Mardi Gras has dropped the ‘Gay and Lesbian’ from its name? Do you think it matters?
YES IT FREAKIN MATTERS. Start another one I say. Let them have their hetero dollars and commercialism. Go to the Equal Love rally instead. We need to be VISIBLE. I think there are certain sections of our community that FEEL like we aren't discriminated against, like we've got enough rights, you know, like it's okay to be nearly equal. Perhaps they just need a few more years on the planet and a few more closed doors to realise why we have all been marching up and down streets all over the world for so many years and perhaps they'll gain a little more insight as to why we need to continue to do so. Standing down from soap box now...

Brecik

Brecik [pronounced Bret-Chick] describes his work as “a scintillating mixture of the best glam trash born from the 80’s with the heart racing electro pop-rock of today’s dance scene.”

Brecik’s 2009 debut album Skitzofrenik included collaborations with some of the hottest producers at the time, creating a selection of tracks that struck a chord with the Electro Dance loving population. Now, with the addition of Mz Ari joining Brecik on vocals and Dan on guitar, Brecik has added another dimension to his sound.
What does Brecik sound like? Here’s what the press think so far:

“Brecik tastes like equal parts Robbie, Ronan, Ricky and Enrique – we all have our guilty pleasures – high NRG out and out dance pop is exactly what we all need a dose of! Brecik is a smooth operator and not afraid to unleash his brand of polished pop to the punters!”
- Benedict Brook & Cameron Bayley, SX

“Ghey ghetto music in the manner of Rogue Traders, only slightly more exuberant. This Melbourne band makes loud, electro trash – of course, if you are high as hell on amyl and looking to oil up and party down with a legion of steroidal types – this'll do just fine.”
- Singles by Simone, Beat

“Rhys Bobridge and The Blow Waves aren’t the only gay-wavers on the music scene: Brecik also has a thing for Tubeway Army-esque synth hooks.”
- Andrew Shaw, MCV

IMAGE: Brecik