A Star is Born "Big boots to fill. La Vie En Rose-tinted spectacles" ...

Last Saturday night Stuart and I went to see the latest version of A Star is Born at the Vue Cinema in London's glitzy Angel Islington.

Starring Bradley Cooper (who I love) and Lady Gaga (who I love even more) we had heard very good things so our hopes were high. Maybe too high though. I had seen the Barbara Streisand / Kris Kristofferson version nine times in 1976 - loved it to bits - so these were damned big boots to fill.

The first hour was good, great even. Both Cooper and Gaga were very convincing and the acting was excellent. However, once Lady Gaga turned into "Lady Gaga" at almost exactly 1 hour in, things changed a bit. Her appearance on Saturday Night Live seemed to be a turning point in the film from me. I know it was meant to be a turning point in terms of the balance of power between the two leads but it also seemed to take away a lot of the dramatic impetus from the story. And I started to lose interest. The rest of the film played out OK but it rather coasted along for me.

The songs were great. La Vie En Rose was lovely, the first time we see Shallow performed on stage was excellent (and even made me weep a bit) and also the final song that he penned but she sang by herself was very moving too. But overall for me the music the film was not a patch on the 1976 version.

Having lost our interest, even minor quibbles we had with the plot seemed to become bigger quibbles as the film went on. Cooper as director said they had to edit some stuff out for timing issues but they seemed to be missing out so many scenes or dramatic devices that might have displayed Gaga’s rise to power and also Cooper's fall from the heights. Clichés, I know, but there were no spinning newspapers, no talk show clips reinforcing his bad behaviour, no montages of her success and his failure. We only had the word of a few characters on screen for the shift in fortunes.

And I wasn't really convinced that Cooper’s character would’ve ended it all based on the evil English man’s single speech about how he was ruining Gaga’s career. Just tell him to piss off! And why at the end not just let the character take the motorbike not the truck and make it an accident not suicide (a la 1976?)

That said, the film was good, the music was good (apart from maybe the duff song at Saturday Night Live) and we did enjoy it. But our expectations had been so sky high, we wanted it to be great. Be amazing.

For me of the best moment in any of the four A Star is Born films I have seen is the final moments in the 1976 version. Back lit, Streisand walks on stage. The crowd is hushed as the announcer says, "Ladies and gentlemen, Esther... Hoffman... Howard..." I'm in bits, I'm in tears, I'm 14 years old in the front row of our local Odeon for the 9th time. Gaga could never fill those boots. Rose-tinted spectacles always trump La Vie En Rose-tinted ones.

A Very, Very, Very Dark Matter "Dark? No. Offensive" ...

Last Friday night Stuart and I went to see the first preview performance of Martin McDonagh‎'s new play A Very, Very, Very Dark Matter at the Bridge Theatre in London's glitzy London Bridge Quarter.

A 'comedy' stars Jim Broadbent playing Hans Christian Anderson. To us the night seemed to be childish, racist, sexist, disablist, and a third-rate pantomime. Dark? No. Offensive.

"Did you hear the one about the disabled, black, African midget locked in a box...?"

Sure we laughed. But for the wrong reasons. We laughed at it. Because lazy stereotyping should be laughed at, not with.

I hope I am wrong and I have entirely missed the point and the joke is on me and it is high satire. Not since Mr Burns at the Almeida have I felt so cross at a play. Especially a comedy!

As the Kings of the Spaniards might say, "I don't get it." #EmperorsNewClothes

The Musical Box @EventimApollo ...

Last Thursday night Colin, Paul and I went to see French-Canadian Genesis tribute band The Musical Box perform A Genesis Extravaganza at the Eventim Apollo in London's glitzy Hammersmith.

The Musical Box formed in Montreal, Quebec in 1993 and they recreate exactly performances by the English rock band Genesis during the 1970s. They sure know their stuff; their history; the visuals were spot on and the music note perfect.

The band take a lot of time and effort on staging Genesis shows as accurately as possible, including lights, costume, and recreating Gabriel's on stage persona and dialogue.

The show we saw was an all-out performance of live visual signature stunts, a museum-worthy array of vintage instruments and a dizzying pace of iconic tracks and stage rarities. Their unique perspective comes from not only their skill as performers but as the only band ever licensed and supported by Genesis and Peter Gabriel.

The show was in three acts. Act 1 — The Wind’s Tail (A Trick of the Tail and Wind & Wuthering), Act 2 — Broadway Melodies (The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway), and Act 3 — Before The Ordeal (Trespass, Nursery Cryme, Foxtrot, Selling England By The Pound).

We loved it; singing along and tapping our feet - as did most of the packed auditorium. It was loud though. So I was given a pair of ear plugs by a kindly steward.

As a special treat, the red dress and fox head made an appearance too.

Prog-tastic!

The full set list was -

Act 1 — The Wind’s Tail
Unquiet Slumbers for the Sleepers... (Introduction)
...In That Quiet Earth
Instrumental Medley: Extracts from: Robbery Assault and Battery/ All in a Mouse's Night / Mad Man Moon / Entangled / One for the Vine
Blood on the Rooftops
Los Endos

Act 2 — Broadway Melodies
The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway
Fly on a Windshield
Broadway Melody of 1974
In the Cage
Back in N.Y.C.
Hairless Heart
Counting Out Time
The Carpet Crawlers

Act 3 — Before The Ordeal
A Place to Call My Own
Time Table
Seven Stones
Can-Utility and the Coastliners
After the Ordeal
The Cinema Show
Aisle of Plenty
Looking for Someone

Encore:
Dance on a Volcano
The Musical Box

Arsenal Stadium (Behind the Scenes) Tour @gaygooners @ArsenalForEveryone

I am sure many of you have already taken the Emirates Stadium Tour but if you haven't, and you find yourself with some spare time (and cash), I can heartedly recommend it. It is a great insight into the match day at Arsenal.

Last week gaygooners were at the stadium for a slightly different reason though; to meet and talk with some AFC members of staff about the match day experience for LGBT fans, issues around diversity training, trans and non-binary issues in particular, and what the club is doing to better support and educate its staff - especially the stewards.

It was very insightful and successful meeting, the club are definitely listening, and they have asked us for more input to help them do better (a good thing). To finish the meeting off we were shown a peek behind the scenes at the stadium to see where the stadium stewards meet on match day, how they are briefed about potential issues with any given set of away fans, how the staff move about under the stadium, and (perhaps more importantly for some) where the beer is kept!

So I thought I would share with you some of the snaps I was allowed to take; to give you a taste of the stadium tour itself and also to see some stuff they do not normally show you behind the scenes.

I'm Not Running @NationalTheatre --> Review --> ...

Last Friday night Stuart and I went to see David Hare's new play I'm Not Running at the Lyttelton on the National Theatre on London's glitzy South Bank.

Hmmmm. Where to begin? Well, let's start with some facts.

Over a prolific and successful career, David Hare has become a regular fixture at the National Theatre. He has been an Associate Director since 1984 and 17 of his plays, including Plenty (1978), The Absence of War (1993), and Stuff Happens (2005), have premiered there. Indeed, he has written some wonderful plays, such as Skylight and The Judas Kiss. I am just not quite sure that I'm Not Running is one of them.

Again, Hare brings his characteristic themes of British politics and public versus private relationships to the stage. It is a synoptic study of personal connection and political repercussions over 20 years, which we are told is entirely fictional (great care was reportedly been taken in the casting process to ensure there are no accidental resemblances to real politicians).

The main protagonist Pauline Gibson's experience as a doctor makes her a worthy leader of a local health campaign. But when a chance encounter with an ex-boyfriend puts Pauline right in the path of Labour Party loyalists, suddenly there's an opportunity to run as a candidate as leader. However, is it worth looking beyond single-issue politics and becoming a target of public scrutiny?

Well, sadly we are not really given much chance to find out. Doctor Foster star Siân Brooke leads the cast as Pauline and is very good. However, she (and we) are robbed of any close examination of the issues that would really matter in 2018. Why has the Labour Party never had a permanent female leader? What does the Labour Party stand for now in this divisive age? James Graham's outstanding Labour of Love tackled both these issues so much better.

In addition, talking of the wonderfully comedic James Graham, therein lies one of I'm Not Running's other main failings. The lack of humour. The "ex-girlfriend keeps ex-boyfriend guessing as to whether she will take his job" has a vast comedic potential. Potential that remained largely untapped. The only joke seems to revolve around whether the Labour Party is more interested policy rather than votes.

So this one is perhaps for Hare completest only I feel.

Six - Divorced, Beheaded, Live in Concert! Six wives. Six Queens. A funny, musical night out. Little Mix meets the Tutor Roses. Go! @ArtsTheatreLDN @sixthemusical

On Sunday night Andy, Kev, Stuart I went to see Six at the Arts Theatre in London's glitzy West End.

Six wives. Six Queens. A funny, musical night out. Little Mix meets the Tutor Roses.

Billed as "Six - Divorced, beheaded, LIVE!" the musical revue tells the story of the six wives of Henry VIII; Catherine of Aragon, Anne Boleyn, Jane Seymour, Anne of Cleves, Kathryn Howard, and Catherine Parr. Divorced, beheaded, died, divorced, beheaded, survived (as the old saying goes).

Stu and I had been to see the show before and were really looking forward to it - and hoping the boys would enjoy it too. Which they seemed to.

The songs are great. The show very funny. And the women all top notch. The show's run has been extended and starts again in the New Year for a further four months. We might go again!

I know one shouldn't say this, but.... Anne of Cleves is our favourite!

4th Upminster Beerfest...

Last Saturday afternoon (and night) was the Essex lads’ day out at the 4th Upminster Beerfest: 180 barrels of beer, 300 tons of pork scratchings, and double helpings of pie and mash and that green gunge they call liquor.

Bit of chat about footie (which was shit). Bit of chat about Brexit (which was shit). Bit of chat about the weather (which was also pretty shit).

Quality time though. And a bit of dosh raised for charity. Top night Dave. Cheers!

Glastonbury Festival Tickets "Processing... Processing... Processing..." @GlastoFest #Glastonbury #Glastonbury2019

Glastonbury Festival is due to return to Worthy Farm, Somerset from 26th - 30th June, 2019. The line-up is yet to be announced, but rumours abound - Arctic Monkeys, The Cure, ABBA holograms, Madonna, Kylie, Bruce Springsteen, Taylor Swift and Paul McCartney are all among the potential headliners. About 200,000 people are due to attend the festival.

Neither Stuart nor I have ever been to the Glastonbury Festival before and after much deliberation and encouragement from our many mates who go every year we decided to register and try to join them for the 2019 event. They could show us around. Show us the ropes. Break the seal for these two Glasto-virgins.

Inevitably, we asked those same mates for advice about applying. We had heard is can be a nightmare. And they all said the same thing; be prepared, get organised, and get a group of others so you all apply at the same time. It will better your chances. As it happened my brother and my sister had decided to register too so we thought it might be good idea to form a little syndicate of four for applying for tickets.

Initially we had all tried for the coach ticket combo last Thursday at 6pm, but without success. Our second bite of the Glasto cherry was yesterday at 9am when most tickets went on sale. And what a frustrating experience it was! 9am came around but the mad, phenomenal rush saw the See Tickets portal site seeming crash (although they claim this was not the case.) We tried and tried and tried. F5. F5. F5. Errors. Queues. Time-outs.

Then, all of a sudden, we were in. Nothing magic really. A few other browser tabs open and a few other URL numbers changed to see if there were any other queues to join. But in the end if was our main web browser that offered up the booking form. Lead booker plus five other registrations. We had six minutes to complete the whole process. Six minutes to put all of our numbers in. Six minutes to pay. Six minutes or get kicked out. Go!

We very, very carefully typed in all four registration numbers by hand. And postcodes. And read them back out loud. Good. Four minutes left.

"Please check carefully as errors cannot be corrected and you may need to start again" Gulp! We checked the numbers once again. And the site confirmed the names. All correct. Good.

We then gingerly proceeded to the next screen, the payment screen and put in my card details. Three minutes left.

This then threw up an error! What!? "Card not valid. We do not accept Amex. Please start again." Yikes! Luckily, they gave us a second chance to try with another card.

Another card!

Desperate dash to bedside table to find my other credit card. Stuff flying everywhere. Two minutes left.

Type in new card number.
Hit "Pay Now."
Wrong security code!
Argh!
Retype code.
Recheck long card number again.
Numbers dance in front of eyes.
One minute left. Quick! "Pay Now."

"Processing..." 
"....." 
"....." 
"Processing..." 
"......"
"....." 
"Is it working?..."
"....."
"....." 
"Is it? Hit F5! Refresh"
"....." 
"No! Don't! Wait!"
"....."
"Processing..." 
"....."
"....." 
"....." 
"Booking Complete"
Phew!

New web page. "Congratulations. You are now going to the largest green-field music and performing arts festival in the world. You will receive an email shortly confirming your booking. Your card has not yet been charged. If your card payment is declined or you do not have enough funds to cover the payment your booking will be cancelled."

We were then directed to a temporary web page. "Due to high demand..." etc.

We had paid a £50 deposit each towards the full £248 plus a booking fee for a standard ticket at the event.

Moments later the web page refreshed again "Tickets have now sold out!"

And sure enough Glasto organiser Emily Eavis had just tweeted at 9:36am. "We are blown away by the huge demand, looks like record numbers tried.
"Thank you for your patience and incredible support and for those of you who missed out, there will be a ticket resale in April"

Our joy was soon tempered however as we discovered none of our mates had been successful in their applications. None. We knew dozens upon dozens who had tried but not a single one had been successful. Bollocks!

I am sure we'll have a good time and all that but how much more fun it would have been for us (and for them!) if we could have all gone together.

Measure for Measure - Hayley Atwell (excellent) and Jack Lowden (superb) swap roles. Nice idea. Long night. @DonmarWarehouse #MeasureForMeasure ...

Last week Stuart and I went to see new production of Shakespeare's Measure for Measure at the Donmar Warehouse in London's glitzy West End.

Starring Hayley Atwell (excellent) and Jack Lowden (superb) Artistic Director Josie Rourke's production sees the female and male leads swap roles mid-show.

What this really means in practice is we get to see the play performed as written in its original year of performance, 1604, in the first half and then repeated once again in the second half with the leads swapped - this time set in 2018. And it makes for a very long night indeed.

The acting is superb. The set simple. And the idea clever. But perhaps too clever to sustain a three hour performance running time. Sexual politics of the play aside - judge abuses his power to seduce a woman to save her brother - things just drag on. The message of "the tempter or the tempted, who sins most?" gets somewhat lost as the actors rattle through the second half like a shaggy dog story being retold with "she said" swapped for "he said."

Nice idea. Long night.

Dance Nation @AlmeidaTheatre

Last night I went to see Clare Barron’s Dance Nation at the Almeida Theatre in London's glitzy Islington.

Gosh! What a show! Dance Nation maps the treacherous terrain between childhood and adulthood set among a group of teenage competitive dancers. It uses the tropes of the teen sports drama to conjure the raw force of early adolescence. And 'raw' it is!

Under the guidance of their dance teacher Pat (Brendan Cowell), a troupe of young performers are putting together a sequined salute to Gandhi in order to win a local dance competition. While Amina (Karla Crome) is the more gifted dancer, her friend Zuzu (Ria Zmitrowicz) seems the most emotionally invested in pursuing it as a career. It sounds like familiar teen drama territory, but Barron’s play is more subversive than that. It’s a ferocious, strange and layered piece of writing that captures the girls’ ambitions, the rituals of their friendship and the turbulence of puberty.

Bijan Sheibani’s production casts adult actors from across a range of ages as the tweenage dancers. The girls – and Luke (an amiable Irfan Shamji), the only boy in the troupe – express a mixture of awe and terror at the way their bodies are changing. They salute the beauty of their pussies (the girls use the word "pussy" a lot). They revel in their own burgeoning sexual strength. Kayla Meikle has the most potent of these speeches, a roof-raising moment in which she explores her insecurities about how the world views her and she views herself, and wonders what would happen if she stopped denying her beauty and strength. "I am attractive", she roars, "I am smart, I am great at sex, I am everything and you are going to worship me."

Crome is also great as the serious-minded Amina, and Zmitrowicz is typically brilliant as Zuzu, coming to terms with the fact she is not as talented as her friend.

Blood runs through the play. It gleams on the girls’ teeth, as if they were vampires, it pools in their gussets. One of the girls is seen washing out her bloodied tights while her mother provides kindly advice on tampon insertion through the bathroom door.

Movement has always been a major feature of Sheibani’s work and his regular collaborator, choreographer Aline David, puts the cast through their paces on Samal Blak’s trophy-lined dance studio set with its rotating glass panels. The cast all capture the complexity of what it is to be young and female and to suddenly occupy a certain space in the world, to still be playing with toy ponies while being eyed up by strange men in bus stations.

Barron’s play throbs with the knowledge that growing up is messy, brutal, exhilarating – and terrifying, absolutely fucking terrifying – all at the same time. At times, Dance Nation feels like a mixture of Carrie, Fame, a Judy Blume novel, A Chorus Line, Bring It On and the finale of Buffy the Vampire Slayer all tied together with a ragged red bow – and this, let me assure you, is a very good thing.

Quiz Night @HighburyL Great fun. How did we do? We came fourth! And can you guess which famous album cover we recreated in Playdoh? #QuizTeam #SnickersInATwix #PubQuiz

Last night Jane, Sara, Katie, Katie's friend, Stuart and I entered Liz's amazing monthly quiz at Highbury Library in London's glitzy Islington.

This was our third attempt at the quiz and we were determined to not embarrass ourselves. At our first attempt, we had come second to last. On our second attempt, we had come second! So this time we were bound to win, right? (Spoiler alert: No!)

We changed our team name once again - this time to Don't Get Your Snickers In A Twist.

Liz was calling out the questions, Andrew back spinning the tunes, and Ryan pulling the pints. It was great fun.

As with last time, there were loads of inventive rounds involving eating, making stuff and guessing the intro. We downed quite a few beers and the odd bottle of wine, ordered some super-tasty Tangy food (that didn't really do us any favours in the taste round) and had a rare old time.

But how did we do? Well, we came fourth out of ten teams! 32.5 points. The winners got 37 points - and the £92 jackpot. Not too shabby.

Here are the questions. See how you do? If you think you can beat us (you know you can!) - come next month! Booking essential!

Oh, and what is the weird picture to the left? There was a Playdoh round. Can you guess which album cover we recreated?


Taste Test - Three favours of peanuts to try.
Peri Peri
Honey
Chilli + Lime


In the News
1. Who caused controversy by getting let off a speeding ticket Scott free?
2. Google celebrated a birthday last week, how old did it/he/she turn?
3. What did Thomas Bjorn, captain of team Europe, winners of the Ryder Cup, promise he would do before the tournament if they were to be victorious?
4. Who scored 147 runs at the Oval during his last test match in an England strip?
5. A seal jumped out of the sea in New Zealand and violently slapped a man with a what?

World
1. Which English county is referred to as "The Royal County"?
2. Which Mediterranean island takes its name from the Classical Latin translation of "larger island'?
3. What name did the Romans use to refer to the land north of Hadrian's Wall?
4. What is the name of the street in New York City synonymous with the advertising industry?
5. Who as the first African football player to play in the English Premier League when he made his debut for Coventry City in 1991?

Food and Drink
1. Which American fast food chain traditionally uses square burger patties apparently in order to show customers the quality of the meat?
2. What is Gewürztraminer?
3. "Out of the Strong Came Forth Sweetness" is the slogan which food product?
4. What liquid is added to a Martini in order to create a 'Dirty Martini'?
5. Which fish is the national dish of Barbados?

Connections -
1. On the London transport network, which word precedes Hill and Gateway for the names of 2 separate stations that are linked by a walkway?
2. What was the name of George Clinton's Funk band that later formed a collective with Funkadelic?
3. What was the setting for Britney Spears debut music video - Hit Me Baby One More Time back in 1998?
4. Which British force uses the slogan "Be The Best" in its recruitment drive?
5. In the California penal code, what crime does Section 1-8-7 refer to?

What is the Connection?

Play Doh Round - Favourite album cover

Sequences - You have to fill in the gap - For example - Game....Set....MATCH
1. Central... Eastern... Mountain... BLANK
2. Neptune - Sea... Venus - Romance... Mars - BLANK 
3. Clarke... Brown... Darling... Osborne... BLANK 
4. A Pair.. 2 Pairs... 3 of a Kind... Straight... Flush...BLANK 
5. Cent... Buck... Banks...BLANK 

Science & Nature
1. In which year did Apple release the first iPod?
2. What is the name of the electronic musical instrument controlled without physical contact from the performer?
3. What unit of power is defined as moving 550 pounds by 1 foot in 1 second?
4. Born in 1865, and originally seen as the heir to Sigmund Freud, who was the founder of analytical psychology?
5. What behaviour gives the black widow spider its name?

The Arts and Culture
1. Which artist used the following quote for their book cover "There's no way you're going to get a quote from us to use on your book cover" by Metropolitan Police Spokesperson"
2. Which musical film features the pupils of Rydell High?
3. Who wrote the 1949 feminist book "The Second Sex"?
4. Which Coen Brothers movie features the character Jesus Quintana?
5. The artwork for the 1979 London Calling album by The Clash is a cultural reference to the debut album by which recording artist?

Intros round -
1. Wild World
2. Rebel Rebel
3. Flashing Lights
4. Are you ready for Love
5. L.E.S Artistes

Extra point for spotting the connection?

Soft Cell - Say Hello, Wave Goodbye - "Goths on statins" - #TheO2 @SoftCellHQ @MarcAlmond

Last night Stuart, I, Bryn, Paul, Simon, Dawn, Al, and 19,993 other people went to watch Soft Cell perform their first (and definitely their last*) stadium gig at the O2 Arena in London's glitzy North Greenwich.

I have seen Soft Cell perform many, many times over the past 40 years - not least when I did my best groupie impression and followed them around Europe on tour. I have seen them at 2am in a bull ring in Madrid and on a wet Wednesday night in an industrial estate in Bremen. However, none of those occasions could hold a candle to last night. It. Was. Amazing. A wild celebration of feeling inside. We sang. We danced. We sang some more. We went bat-shit crazy.

Every song was met with a riotous rapturous applause and deafening cheers. The visuals were stunning. A mini-film created for each song. Marc was in fine voice and seemed to love every minute. Sure, he screwed up the odd song but the crowd sung every word for him. Dave seemed to be beaming with pleasure too as he tapped away behind the keyboards.

The show ran for two hours forty minutes straight through with only a brief interlude midway through when they played So and dazzled us with an epic light show. Marc soon reappeared refreshed.

We had all the hits and more. Much, much more. A show for fans and non-fans alike. And everyone had a brilliant time.

Should I laugh?
Should I cry?
Should I live?
Should I die?
It's a wild celebration of feelings inside.

As we were leaving Paul quipped, "Great crowd. Goths on statins." Ha, ha.

Soft Cell Setlist

Memorabilia
Monoculture
Darker Times
Together Alone
Torch
Forever the Same
Baby Doll
Insecure Me?
Where the Heart Is
Numbers
Barriers
Loving You, Hating Me
Last Chance (duet with Mari Wilson)
Frustration
Youth
The Best Way to Kill
Meet Murder My Angel
Surrender to a Stranger
Somebody, Somewhere, Sometime
So [intermission]
Martin
Heat
The Art of Falling Apart
Northern Lights
Soul Inside
What?
Bedsitter
Tainted Love (Gloria Jones cover)
Where Did Our Love Go (The Supremes cover)
Sex Dwarf
Say Hello, Wave Goodbye

*Maybe

Wham Wrap!

Stuart hates it when I swap around his chocolate bar wrappers. He gets his Snickers in a Twix.

Mamma Mia! The Party at The O2. £218.40 a ticket anyone? Mamma Mia!!! #ABBATheRipOff

Mamma Mia! The Party at The O2. £218.40 a ticket anyone? Mamma Mia!!!

"Entertainment lasts around four hours that includes an immersive theatrical performance, the sit-down meal, and the opportunity to dance to ABBA music after the show. You can arrive up to one hour before the start of the show to mingle with your guests, have a shot of ouzo, and enjoy the appetisers. Ticket price includes a three-course dinner and one welcome drink. Additional drinks may be purchased separately."

#windowcleanerjokes

Our window cleaner is outside jumping up and down and screaming. Some people lose their rag so easily, don't they? #windowcleanerjokes 

One for The Road / The New World Order / Mountain Language / The Pres and an Officer / Ashes to Ashes - "Simply spellbinding production." @JamieLloydCo #PinteratthePinter @HPinterTheatre #PinterOne

Last Friday night Stuart and I went to see an amazingly dynamic collection of nine (yes, count them, nine!) Harold Pinter pieces at the Harold Pinter Theatre in London's glitzy West End.

Billed as part of the Pinter at the Pinter season, this night was called "Pinter One" being the first collection (albeit, confusingly, the one we were seeing second.) Superbly directed by Jamie Lloyd and Lia Williams it was a top night of potent and dangerous political poetry, speeches, and plays by the great man.

The cast were top notch too - Paapa Essiedu, Kate O'Flynn, Jonjo O'Neill, Antony Sher, Maggie Steed and Jon Culshaw were all excellent.

The incendiary One for the Road was Pinter at his most terrifying: a ruthless government official interrogated a dissident and his family, but was the torturer more tortured than his victims? The New World Order explored how the abuse of power is legitimised in the name of freedom and democracy, as two brutal interrogators prepared to inflict their terrible punishment on a blind-folded insurgent.

Pinter investigated the suppression of ideas and the supposed threat of non-conformity in Mountain Language: a group of captives attempted to find a voice when their shared language was banned by the state.

In the second half, Ashes to Ashes, directed by award-winning actress and long-time Pinter collaborator, Lia Williams was a richly atmospheric and compelling play in which the dark nightmare of human atrocity infiltrated a couple’s living room.

Star turn of the night was Jon Culshaw who performed the world premiere of Pinter’s newly-discovered satirical sketch, The Pres and an Officer, an anarchic attack on the US Presidency.

Match Report: Arsenal Gaygooners vs. London Everton Supporters Club @ESCLA1976 @GayGooners @ArsenalForEveryone @speedmick @overyourhead

Last Sunday, in the latest great example of Arsenal for Everyone in action, saw a seven-a-side team of the Arsenal Gaygooners take on a team from London Everton Supporters Club at the Arsenal Hub. There was a fierce battle in what turned out to be a 13 goal thriller seeing the LESC win 11 - 2. Keen for revenge, a rematch was hastily agreed for next season. It was fun afternoon demonstrating clearly, if it needs to be said; how football brings people together.

Jonathan Green of Gaygooners says, "Great to meet the boys in blue today. A thrilling match, they played high pressing game and they stayed the distance. We woz robbed though! We made some friends today - Arsenal for Everyone in action."

Speedo Mick of LESC who was playing in his blue speedos to raise awareness of cancer said, "A pleasure to meet you all, a cracking bunch of lads."

"Same time next year lads!"

The club launched the Arsenal for Everyone initiative back in 2008 as a celebration of the diversity of the Arsenal family. Through a number of initiatives undertaken in the community, inside Emirates Stadium and throughout the club, Arsenal endeavours to ensure that everyone associated with the club feels an equal sense of belonging.

Celebrating with the boys last night after having watched @Arsenal beat FC Vorskla 4-2

Celebrating with the boys last night after having watched Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang score twice as we eased to a comfortable victory against FC Vorskla in our opening game of the Europa League group stage. Although we scored four there were some scary moments in the final 20 minutes when we conceded two. 

Thank you Ivan Gazidis. Well played. Arrivederci. @ArsenalForEveryone @GayGooners #RainbowLaces

This week Ivan Gazidis has announced he is going to give up being the chief executive of Arsenal Football Club to join AC Milan. He is due to take up the role on 31st October 2018.

Back in November 2008 Gazidis accepted the post of chief executive of Arsenal, a post he formally took up from 1st January 2009. He succeeded former managing director Keith Edelman and was expected to take over many of the roles formerly undertaken by ex-vice-chairman David Dein. In 2017–18, he oversaw significant personnel changes at the top of the club in preparation for then manager Arsene Wenger's departure, which was announced in April 2018. Upon announcing his departure, it was revealed his successors would be Vinai Venkatesham as Managing Director, and Raul Sanllehi as head of football.

On a personal note, few people in this world make a difference. Gazidis actively backed the creation of the UK’s first LGBT+ football fans group Gay Gooners , he pioneered Stonewall's Rainbow Laces campaign with a prime time advert of AFC players and he’s led Arsenal For Everyone proactively. Thank you Ivan Gazidis. Well played. Arrivederci.

BBC: Football club attendances: Are fans getting the full picture? https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/45158878

At Arsenal, the official average was 57,054 at Emirates Stadium last season - 2,813 short of the 59,867 capacity - but the Arsenal Supporters' Trust claims the actual average attendance was about 46,000.

Are fans getting the full picture?