Gay Camberwell

by Layla

I feel as though we never leave Camberwell these days ("and why on earth would you", I hear you cry). The Camberwell Online Blog has been singing the praises of The Cambria's jazz night, every Monday, with a £10 deal on food and drink and jazz... so we thought we'd better check it out. Along with our lovely designer Sam (who is finalising the Gay Camberwell Launch Month flyers as we speak) and a particularly dedicated gay boy all the way from Southampton, we descended upon The Cambria, only to realise, much to our delight, that it is really quite gay. Indeed, it is gay-owned, gay-friendly, and bustling with gay people! I knew that gay-boy wallpaper was a dead giveaway... It's a great bar (and the food was very good). When the delightful Steve heard we were part of the famed Gay Camberwell posse, he lavished us with drinks, admonished us for not holding any launch events in his pub, and by the end of the night had agreed, nay demanded, to hold the Launch Month closing party at The Cambria. Hoorah! It's on Friday the 28th, folks, so put it in your diaries.  Roz and I are off to Eritrea the following morning (to check out the potential of gayeritrea.com... or maybe not), but are definitely up for seeing out Launch Month in style (I fear we shall be a tad hungover at the rather strict Eritrean airport customs)!

Last night was Camberwell Gay Book Group at the Castle where we discussed The Ballad of the Sad Cafe and I rather enjoyed meeting more locals while chatting about books in front of The Castle's roaring fire. Though really, is it winter already? I suppose if it absolutely has to be winter, The Castle's a good place to spend the season! Especially as we're hoping to restart a regular gay cabaret night, and maybe more events. I spoke to DJ "Uncle Jane" yesterday and she's very keen to get it going again (as well as DJing at our launch party). So that's something to look forward to in those dark winter months. Not to mention the South London Gallery who aren't participating in Launch Month only because they are concerned that they don't have enough time to pull off a really good gay event... but plan to do so early next year instead! I'm quite taken with one of our cutest Launch Month happenings: the little display of gay books being set up in Camberwell Library. It's all delightfully local, isn't it, this Gay Camberwell lark!