The Second Annual MENERGY BALL - Coming in October!

A little tidbit for y'all who enjoyed - or missed - last year's FIERCE RULING DIVAS BALL & Manchester's VOGUE BRAWL. Menergy will be returning with our second annual MENERGY BALL on Saturday 22nd October, as part of the Glasgay! festival! Get your houses in order, your wigs ratted, your faces beat and your fierce ON! And remember, we're here to be fierce, not shady! ;-)

Niallist MARY POPPERS Mix on Soundcloud for download

I have put the Menergy MARY POPPERS mix up on Soundcloud so people can download it. My previous Menergy mix CYBERNETIC LOVE has almost reached 700 downloads, which is great!



Menergy MARY POPPERS Mix by theniallist

ZSA ZSA NOIR - Hey Lean Diggy Doggy
DEN HAAN - Gods From Outer Space
PATRICK COWLEY - Mind Warp
GOLDFRAPP - I Wanna Life (Niallist MNRG edit)
SCISSOR SISTERS - Invisible Light
FRANKIE GOES TO HOLLYWOOD - Welcome To The Pleasuredome
MIA v PINEAPPLES - XXX Come On
VANITY 6 - Nasty Girl (Chuck Hampton Edit / Original)
SAM SPARRO - Pink Cloud
HARD TON - Food Of Love
MADONNA - Burning Up (Demo Mix)

Niallist BOLLOX Mixtape

Here's something a bit different from me - a mixtape I put together for the Manchester gay alt/pop club Bollox. It's a little bit disco, a little bit electro, a wee bit pop and a we bit rock. Enjoy!

Niallist Bollox Mixtape by Theniallist on Mixcloud

Dusty Springfield - That's The Kind Of Love I've Got For You
Christeene - Fix My Dick
Britney v Kelly - Gimme More Shoes
Men - Credit Card Babie$
Bad Taste Barbies - Working Up A Sweat (Niallist PumpMixx)
Lio - Banana Split
Polysics - Memorabilia
Silverclub - The Goldener Reiter
Yo Majesty! - Party Hearty
Den Haan - Release The Beast
MIA v Pineapples - XXX Come On
Saltylips - If Ur A Bear (Niallist Mixx4Nick)
Gift Grub - Where's Me Jumper?
The Stone Roses - Elephant Stone
Schneider TM - The Light 3000

Menergy @ The Admiral pics

Some pics from "Menergy-lite" at The Admiral last Saturday, taken as usual by Michael James - big up to birthday girl (and Menergy door queen) Gazelle!! xxx

Gazelle working it in a FIERCE leopard print dress:

Demimonde Supporting Toyah Wilcox!

That's right, DEMIMONDE - the drag Depeche Mode - who's first gig was at MENERGY earlier this year have been confirmed to support 80s icon TOYAH on her Glasgow date, Wed 26th October, at Classic Grand! Obviously this would NEVER have happened had they not played MENERGY, so obviously they're extremely grateful to us for discovering them. ;-) They'll also be playing at Aberdeen Pride on Saturday 6th August, and will be our special guests at our MENERGY vs. RPZ 'HUNKS VS. DIVAS' Freshers Party on 17th Sept!
x

Manchester Mincers Parade 2011

Joyce D'Vision leads the mincers to Piccadilly Station.

Inspired by the recent "Slut Walk" movement, and the disappearance of the legendary Manchester character "The Market Street Mincer", last Friday a group of folk led by Manchester's first ladies of drag the Blige sisters came together in the heart of the Gay Village to hold the first ever "Mass Mince", reclaiming Canal St from the squares and hen parties and putting a dainty spring back into gay people's step. Held in conjunction with the promoters of the queer-alt-pop night Bollox, it were a right laff, as these videos will demonstrate:





Here are some more photos, taken by Benjamin Paynter, and featuring the fabulous Sheela and Isla Blige!







So what is "mincing"? For the ebenfit of those who don't know, mincing is to walk like a lady when one is in fact a man. Which ANY man hsould be able to do without fear of harassment. ME htinks Glasgow needs one of these mincing parades too. Here's local reporter Kate Hughes with more on mincing:

Diana Ross on the Muppets

Doing Love Hangover!! <3 <3 <3

Weird Al "Perform This Way"

Wow! Welcome back Weird Al with this amazing parody of Lady G. This pretty much sums up Gaga and what she does. Genius!

Exclusive! PIERRE PASCUAL Interview

You may remember a few months ago I came second in a remix competition for the French artist Pierre Pascual. Well, I have been a fan of Pierre's work for a while, and with the release of his new EP "Spanish Summer Sex Party" I decided to send him some questions for Menergy:

Who is Pierre Pascual?

A long time ago I stopped asking myself that, it helps me to be free. Sometimes I’m producing music for myself or other artists, videos, participating in exhibitions, doing shows, writing, etc. Most of my work is related to music, first for my first musical project Chose Chaton and now, under my real name.

What made you want to make music?

Music has been a very important part of my life since i was teenager, a way of escaping from a world I did not understand very well and, as I was very shy, music & writing were my only ways to express myself and share intimate things. After that, I studied cinéma & dramatic art, but i always wrote songs and finally it became my full time job after years. That is still a way i love to share things, and that is also for me a great way to mix different media I work on like video, sound design, production, acting…

Who are your main musical influences?

A lot of things! Crystal Castles is the band i really love to listen all the time, I admire their musical approach, the mix/production, the energy. I also love The Knife, Robyn, PlanningToRock, Roisin Murphy… Pop with an experimental approach. Experimental artists like Meredith Monk… Some of Kate Bush's albums are also some of my all time faves, and I also love eurodance/italo disco/hi energy/retrohouse and new beat from the 80’s and 90’s.

You just directed your first video - how was it?

Really great. It was decided one week before the shoot. I met a girl, Olga who had that empty three level parking lot, and I said to her, let’s do a video here. I had that spanish cover "Mi Novio es un Zombi" coming out and it was the perfect place… I wanted something very fresh and instinctive, just a reunion of people from the underground… That is the first time I have worked as a director, even if I am always very involved in each video with the artistic direction. I really want to thank Julie Reumont who helps me filming all that, Nicolas Olivier for the lights and everyone in it. I like what we have done, it is very close to what I am actually.



Lady Gaga or Beyonce?

Sorry, i don’t wear perfume.

No, to be honest, i like some of Lady Gaga stuff, even if i think she could
sometimes try some radical, different things. I feel close to people who can do things with a certain sense of humour

Paris is the city of love - do you think this is true?

Two days ago, the parliament rejected a law proposed by the opposition to
allow gay people to marry in France. That is very sad cause France has become
a very conservative country, very late in all social changements… The French
government is homophobic, a lot of people are saying it, more and more…so
the city of love only for some people, sadly. I want to be more involved in
fighting for equality and visibility in France, i try each day to do what i can.

How is the gay scene in Paris?

Quiet. But thanx to internet, there are new gay/queer bands emerging and
i hope soon we all have more visibility and places/clubs/parties to show our
work. That is sadly kind of difficult in Paris if you compare it with some other
cities like Berlin, Madrid, London…

Who are your main style/fashion influences?

The street, garbage, rebels & old English ladies. And all my stylist friends
who are very talented.

Are you coming to the UK any time soon?

I’d love to come soon! I had a show in London in 2008 at the Arches for the
Act Art Festival. Great memories, i really love UK and British people, they are
so créative and free …



You can buy the "Spanish Summer Sex Party" EP here. For more info, visit: www.pierrepascual.fr. And you can find Pierre on Facebook.

Saltylips "If Ur A Bear (Niallist Mixx4Nick)"

Cross-posted from Niallism.



This is post on a new remix I have finished, and the story behind it. Sadly, last month saw the passing of the legendary Manchester gay scene character Nick "El Beardo" Elliot. I didn't know Nick for a very long time, but I found him to be super-friendly and a genuinely nice guy. He came to Joe and I's screening of "Paris Is Burning" and we bonded over a love of the film and vogue culture.

Nick was the dancer for the band Saltylips, who had asked me to remix one of their tracks ages ago. I had heard "If Ur A Bear (Put Ur Hands Up In The Air)" and liked it, but it was the passing of Nick that made me pull my finger out and get the remix done. I have had to put a bunch of other work to the side to get this finished, but I think it has been worth it. It's a bit housey, it's a bit garagey, a bit booty and ever so slightly voguey. I am happy with it. My intention was to make something that Nick would have danced to, and Saltylips have thankfully informed me that this is the case.



SALTYLIPS If Ur A Bear (Niallist Mixx4Nick) by theniallist

You can download the wav file of the track here: http://www.sendspace.com/file/7y727z

This link is only going to last for 7 days, so if you want it, download it now.

Even though it is months away yet (next January, Joe and I have decided), at the next Vogue Brawl we will be introducing a special "beard" category so people with facial hair can compete against each other. The category will be named in memory of Nick El Beardo, and seems a fitting tribute to a man who is much loved and missed.

MENERGY ANTHEM Company B "Fascinated"

Dropped by Jon Pleased Wimmin at last year's Hyperpride, I had forgotten all about this little doozy til I was reminded by a Magic Waves / IFM playlist. What a tune! And what crazy hair!!

CARRION - joint exhibition by Sarah Green & Gregor Laird

New joint exhibition by MENERGY's graphic design guru GREGOR LAIRD!

Fri 8th July (opening party) to Mon 1st August

Axolotl Gallery
35 Dundas St
Edinburgh, United Kingdom

Sarah Green's paintings - portraits and pictures of objects from her vast personal collection. Visit her blog: http://collectionsderien.blogspot.com/

Gregor Laird's illustrations - one section devoted to Michael Jackson (THRILLER.I.P), the rest to pictures of birds.
http://gregorlaird.blogspot.com/ & Mutate Design.

BE THERE!
x

New CHRISTEENE Video!!

She's back!! And this time she's "Workin' On Grandma":

CHRISTEENE "Workin' On Grandma" Music Video - watch more funny videos

That's some next level shit right there.

Now Optimized For Mobile Devices!

That's right lieblings, this site is now optimized for mobile devices, so should be easier to navigate on your iPhones, BlackBerrys, Android & Windows Mobile devices. :-)

9 year old voguing in 1991

And he's really good! Thanks to Growler for the link - WERK!

ME AT NINE, PERFORMING TO MADONNA IN SUMMER '91! from Robert Jeffrey on Vimeo.

Bad Taste Barbies "Working Up A Sweat (Niallist PumpMixx)"

Bad Taste Barbies are a hi-nrg, uber-trashy, disco-rock gang-bang hailing from the depraved back alleys of "the San Francisco of the North", Manchester. Led by the twisted brain of Kurt Dirt (above) they take inspiration from Divine, Rob Zombie, Madonna, My Life With The Thrill Kill Cult, Sylvester, the Cramps, Marilyn Manson and the Divine David, and they have been tearing it up something rotten on the live scene. I had the unlucky job of going on after them at last Halloween's Zombie Pride, something I never want to do again as my one man show is no match for their moobs-out, gymnatic, in-yer-face. audience cavorting! Their nrg level is so hi you'd think they live on a mixture of crack and viagra.



Thankfully BTBs liked my style enough that they asked me to do a remix, which I gladly accepted. The track "Working Up A Sweat" was fast enough already, but I upped it by about 20bpm, bolted on some cheesy 80s synths, some cowbells (of course) and channeled the power of Madonna's "Burning Up" for a sordid trip to a cruisy new-wave gymnazium:

BAD TASTE BARBIES Working Up A Sweat (Niallist PumpMixx) by theniallist

And get this - Angie Bowie liked the track so much that she retweeted it!! Wow, that means in the Kevin Bacon game I am now only 4 steps away from the God of Glam, king gender bender himself, David Bowie!!



For more Bad Taste Barbie action, check out their Myspace.
All together now - Seig Heil, Jeremy Kyle!

AKT Now Campaign advert

The new advert from the Albert Kennedy Trust is fantastic - brilliantly made, disturbing and powerful, it should hopefully make more people aware of the social issues facing gay people. Not least because of the appearance of Paul O'Grady, Sam Fox and Sir Ian McKellen among others:



For more info on the Albert Kennedy Trust and AKT Now, visit: www.akt.org.uk

Menergy Hearts Gomma

Just showing some love to the record label Gomma, and all the Gomma gang. These guys have been on fire in the last 12 months, here's a selection of tracks they have released:

DISKOKAINE - HALL OF SHAME (HANNELULAURI Remix) (buy it here)
This is like a disco orgasm to me - LOVE it!!



LE LE - NUMBER ONE GIRL (buy it here)
This is a bit more French house meets synth pop, but is nonetheless fantastic.



MUNK - LA MUSICA (buy the album here)
Gomma boss Munk has a new album out now called The Bird and The Beat - here's his latest single which is (no surprise) REALLY good:



For more funzies check out Gomma's blog.

"End Of The Arty Party" pics

As ever thanks to our brilliant snapper Michael James. The full set is here.

Next Menergy - June 18th, The Admiral w/ David Barbarossa (Hung Up!)

Reports of Menergy's demise have been greatly exagerated. It's the Art School that's getting blown to tiny smithereens, not us. We are relocating to the mighty Stereo from July (where we kick things off with HYPERPRIDE) but for June we're having a one-off shindig in the Admiral on Waterloo Street, with very special guest Glasgow disco legend David Barbarossa. It's also door queen Gazelle's birthday, so you know this is gonna be one helluva partay:

https://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=123096461102493