Tales From The Transvestite Bar

[lupestripe]

Wolfie and I went into Leeds last night to meet up with Patter and Crysta. It was a good night all told albeit one packed full of incident.

Apart from the inevitable delayed bus - or in this case a cancelled one delaying us by half an hour and forcing us to buy a cheese sandwich whilst we moaned with our fellow travellers - the first thing was watching a lady being pedicured on the street - apparently her heels were giving her problems. However, as it was only 8.20pm, by evening's end I wondered what kind of mangled mess her feet would be in. Ah the price of fashion and the allure of the woman on the pull.

We were headed to Blayds, a pokey little bar in the gay district which seemed to turn more into a transvestite bar as the night wore on. I imagine it was exactly like the Molly's Clubs of the early eighteenth century as men in their fourties and fifties (invariably - no young people there for whatever reason) crammed into the building looking for a friendly and relaxed place to indulge in their proclivity. As the night wore on, I did start to feel a little inappropriately dressed and wished I had thrown a dress on myself, something I have done numerous times in the past as we started to become the only four people who were not in drag. I also realised that I am fundamentally scared of wigs. I don't know why but I am just creeped out by them - one wig that a man was wearing made him look like Anne Widdecombe. Eddie Izzard can get away without wearing one and it works far better than if he wore one. I guess it's a matter of personal taste.

The atmosphere was relaxed but the music was the usual pop R&B stuff that seems to define most gay bars. Whenever a good song came on, the DJ dashed over to change it to more R&B. I have never been to a gay metal bar in my life and I wonder if these places even exist. Is it because metal fans are generally more tolerant than those of mainstream music? I don't believe that gay people solely enjoy R&B and techno, that's for sure. Anyway, the volume was ear-shattering and we soon couldn't even chat let alone enjoy the very poor selection of beer on offer. So we left and headed to The Brewery Tap, one of my favourite bars.

The Brewery Tap was nice and quiet - busy without being heaving. It had a Bohemian atmosphere to parallel its continental taste of beer and the barman was always interested in having a chat. It's a place I find relaxing and as it's owned by Leeds Brewery, it has a good range of beer and snacks too. More importantly, we could chat and we had a pleasureable two hours catching up whilst trying to identify in which year the large aerial photo of Leeds was taken. We think early Sixties. The bar staff didn't know but we did find out the picture had been left there from the building's previous function as a photography studio.

After this, for no real reason, we decided to go to McDonald's where I ordered a cheeseburger happy meal as I didn't want to get fatter than I already am. Secretly, I just wanted the cheeseburger but Wolfie tempted me with fries too. I also got a stumpy ickle Coke. Sadly, I didn't get the little box or the toy with my meal, despite asking for the former specifically. Sad really but the food was nice. We then got a taxi home, chatting to a friendly driver whom we tipped. Yep, good night all told really.

Comments

[silent-o.livejournal.com]

Bars in general disagree with me because of all the smoke. :(

[avon-deer.livejournal.com]

Smoking in bars is banned here.

[lupestripe.livejournal.com]

Naughty, naughty.

[lupestripe.livejournal.com]

As Avon says, smoking has been banned here for three years or something now. The bars are more pleasant but the nightclubs now smell like piss :(

[startide.livejournal.com]

The few gay bars I've been in seem to have either bad music or bad acoustics. I would love to find one with an 80's music theme, as I really love stuff from the 80's.

[lupestripe.livejournal.com]

I imagine a few gay bars may do Eighties nights, there is enough cheese from that decade to sustain them. Yep, the acoustics often don't help as they are bars rather than music venues, but it's just the relentless same music and lack of choice which is frustrating. It's stereotyping.

[baloki.livejournal.com]

They wouldn't give you the toy :( Suckage of them :s

[lupestripe.livejournal.com]

I don't know, I forgot to ask for it. I only realised when I had got home. Perhaps they just took advantage of a drunk person.

[baloki.livejournal.com]

:(

[lupestripe.livejournal.com]

Perhaps I can go back tonight and demand it off them ^^

[baloki.livejournal.com]

:D!

[lupestripe.livejournal.com]

I didn't in the end. I was too lazy.

[baloki.livejournal.com]

:(

[lupestripe.livejournal.com]

Perhaps I can give them a sob story, forcing them to give me two next time I am in there :)

[baloki.livejournal.com]

(:

[lupestripe.livejournal.com]

Lols :P

[stuart-otterson.livejournal.com]

In Peterborough there's a pub also called The Brewery Tap, though I don't believe it to be part of a chain, least I've never been under that impression. It's probably one of the best in Peterborough City Centre cus of the indie music and Thai food (it's strange, it's an English brewery serving only Thaifood without a oriental person in sight).

[lupestripe.livejournal.com]

I think they are different pubs as The Brewery Tap in Leeds is independently owned and is part of a small chain of local establishments. Indie music, thai food and good ale sounds like my dream place to be honest.

[stuart-otterson.livejournal.com]

Good then it's sorted, can't wait till you visit. :p

[lupestripe.livejournal.com]

Yeys! But Peterborough scares me...

[stuart-otterson.livejournal.com]

It's such a middle class nowhere city it's practically boring. Alright there's a bit of a scally population but really it's not a big deal as people make it out to be, not after this many years at least.

Go do some reporting about the Posh (nick name for Peterborough United despite being anything but) football ground or something.

[lupestripe.livejournal.com]

I was threatened with a pool cue by a chav in a pub in Peterborough once. I have been to London Road a few times following Brentford, my second team. Rarely saw a good match there. Hoping to come to King's Lynn in the near future so could give you a ring ^^

[slinkat.livejournal.com]

I do sometimes wonder if music in bars operates on that weird basis where the DJ thinks people are enjoying it whilst the people are just putting up with it so as to not hurt the DJ's feelings. Need more metal pubs!

[lupestripe.livejournal.com]

I think it has something to do with tolerance. I think metal fans are more inclusive and tolerant whereas R&B/pop tends to attract more chavs and bad eggs than metal. I have only ever seen one chav metal fan in my life. Whilst I am sure most R&B/pop fans are tolerant, I think a greater proportion may be intolerant due to the chav dynamic. This means it is difficult to separate the good eggs from the bad eggs amongst more popular forms of music thus gay bars have to differentiate along sexuality grounds. I may be wrong though.

We need more metal pubs - Norway is full of them. And furs work in them too.

[patter-snowfox.livejournal.com]

1964! according to a road geekery website

[lupestripe.livejournal.com]

I believe it was taken in April or May 1969. According to more motorway geekery websites, phase one was constructed in 1964 but phase two was constructed in 1969. Phase two consists of the A64(M) east of Claypit Lane, which I believe is the bit under construction in the picture.