Halloween Queeriosity

Once upon an evening dreary, while you pondered, weak and weary,

Over many a quaint and curious Pinterest costume inspo board --

While you nodded, nearly sleeping, suddenly your phone went beeping,

And to your feet you went a-leaping, leaping in delight and awe.

"Tis Queeriosity!" you shrieked, "with DJ Future Fight and more! --

Only he can fill the floor!"

Poster for Halloween Queeriosity 2016; artwork courtesy of Nuclaire Art. 

Quoth the Raven "there will be cheap drinks and prizes for the best costumes - for more info see the Events Page."

Apologies to Mr Poe for this one, who I suspect is spinning in his grave. Which is very in the spirit of Halloween, I guess.

Queeriosity & The Return Of The Human Pyramid

A few Saturdays ago, Glasgow was filled with rainbows. It wasn't a leprechaun infestation or an unfortunate incident in a paint factory - it was Pride! GRD played host to two games of roller derby: a mixed teams game (Magic vs Science) & Soy Division vs Vagine Regime UK. For those not in the know, VR are a pick-up team made up of LGBTQ people from across the country and so it seemed appropriate they come out to play on that particular weekend.

Human pyramid, obvs. 

After two quality roller derby games (game report here for those interested), everyone stripped off the safety gear, applied liberal amounts of glitter and got down to some serious partying at Queeriosity. Naturally, there was a human pyramid because why not? If you ever get the chance, you should ask our Sadie O'Hades for her top facts about human pyramids because she seems to know more than most.

Queeriosity is GRD's own club night, hosted at Garnethill Multicultural Centre. The brainchild of one of our skaters, Haberbashery, it's a fun, inclusive night out which also helps to raise funds for the league so we can keep doing what we do and put on more events as well.

Want to have as much fun as these guys? Come along next time & join in! 

If having a lovely time sounds like your kind of thing, keep an eye out for the next one which will be at the end of October for Halloween-based awesomeness.

Queeriosity 3

Queeriosity is GRD's very own club night. It's the brainchild of current Irn Bruiser's co-captain Lindsey Watson (though you may know her better as Haberbashery #40).

Prawn & Habs on their DJing debut. 

With the third Queeriosity fast approaching to tie in with the Science vs Magic and Vagine Regime vs Soy Division games on 20th August (get your tickets here), I caught up with Habs to find out more.

• Hi Habs! So, tell me: just what is Queeriosity? What's it all about?

Hi! Well, Queeriosity is an inclusive club night aimed at anyone who wants to have a nice time while enabling others to have a nice time too! Everyone is welcome at Queeriosity as long as they are respectful of others. You definitely don't have to identify as queer to enjoy the night.......but it helps ;)

• Where did you get the idea from to start your own club night and what makes it different to the rest?

While GRD has always worked really hard to raise funds for travelling to competitions, I wanted a more sustainable way to raise funds and raise awareness of our league. Roller derby has always had inclusiveness at its heart and I thought, "what says roller derby more than a bunch of queers having a great time to some amazing tunes?!"

Something that I've always found strange is that a lot of gay clubs or queer nights play only one kind of music. I wanted Queeriosity to be the name of the night but with different themes throughout the year (our last one was 90s night).

It's also been scheduled early enough that it could either be the start of a great night and at the end you can head off to somewhere else awesome (we're trying to do it on the same night as Push It, Glasgow's premier queer club night) or it's so good that you don't feel like you're missing out if you go home when Queeriosity finishes at midnight!

Our astounding lip sync competition hosts, Freya & Hamish. 

• What's your favourite Queeriosity moment/memory?

OOOOHHHHHHHH good question! It's so difficult! I always have the best time! And two out of three so far have been on my birthday so it's normally extra special!

If I had to pick it would probably be the last one. It was a 90s night and I was DJing with my partner in crime Prawn (a former Irn Bruisers jammer and all-round good guy). We were new to DJing so kept getting too excited about dancing and kept missing our cue to start the next track!

• And what's the next step in the big Queeriosity plan?

As you can imagine, Queeriosity loves dressing up so we've got a BIG Halloween night planned! It's happening on October 29th and will feature the usual great tunes, great drink offers, some lip synching and best dressed prizes!

• Finally, why should everyone buy their tickets and come along on 20th August?

Well, it's Glasgow's Pride, we have the ever-dapper DJ Future Fight throwing out some amazing bangers, cheap booze (£2 for a spirit and mixer!) and I'LL BE THERE! Lets go dancing!

Queeriosity will take place on 20th August at Garnethill Multicultural Centre, following two awesome roller derby games earlier in the day (event info here). From previous experience there will be sparkles, dancing, possibly someone dressed as a vulva and most definitely the best time of your life!

Belle from Beauty & The Beast, Heather & an orange Lycra unicorn. Because Queeriosity {there is, however, no obligation to come as a mystical creature unless you wish to do so} 

Queeriosity strikes again!

First came the Drag Party 1 & 2, then this fabulous bedazzled beast morphed into Queeriosity - now with Haberbashery & Prawn knocking out some of the best tunes of the 90s! Who knew how well Alanis Morrisette went with B*Witched and the Venga Boys?!

Prawn and Habs, providers of quality music and entertainment.

There were glowsticks, a hula hoop, plenty of dungarees and more grunge than you could shake a stick at! It fast became apparent that some of us could get a degree in All Saints lyrics and enthusiastic dancing and the tunes just kept on coming!

Thanks are due to all the volunteers who made this event possible - from setting up, stocking the bar, staffing the event and not forgetting our talented DJs! We're grateful, as always, to the Garnethill Multicultural Centre staff for letting us use their space.

I told you there were glowsticks.

But don't be too sad if you missed it - there's another one planned for August (details to follow) & you too could be part of the awesomeness that is Queeriosity. We aim to provide lots of fun, good times and tunes, and most importantly a safe space for everyone to enjoy themselves. Why not come along next time and see for yourself?

Queeriosity #2: 90's Night

Come as you are, as you were, or as you'd want to be to our 90s themed fundraiser night tomorrow!

Image courtesy of Nuclaire Art. 

It's not too late to get advance tickets for £2 from our website , or just £3 on the door (free for asylum seekers and refugees).

 "But just what delights will I get for my hard-earned cash?!" I hear you cry! We'll have Habs & Prawn playing some of the finest 90s tunes ever heard, in a space where everyone is welcome AND there's a bar. It's going to start early and end at midnight, so perfect for a pre-club warmup if you so desire.

From personal experience of past events, expect to dance until your feet feel like they might fall off but have no regrets (even if everyone finds out you know every word ever sung by the Backstreet Boys).

All the money raised goes straight back into GRD, allowing us to continue being the best we can be & is partly used to arrange future events.

Speaking of which, our Maiden Grrders take on Blackpool Roller Derby on 21 May & you could be there taking in all the action! And did you know that we're hosting a boot camp with the one & only Stefanie Mainey from London Roller Girls on 22 May?! Get your ticket now or regret it!