Gay & Lesbian

Café de Paris

Few venues have such a glitteringly glamorous pedigree as London’s most famous and beloved ballroom, Café de Paris. Since its launch in 1914, ‘the Café’ has played host to the top names in Hollywood, including Orson Welles, Fred Astaire and Vivien Leigh, London society, royalty (using the secret staircase from the balcony to Rupert Street) and, basically, anyone who was ever anyone. The Café itself starred as the backdrop to the newly-restored 1929 film ‘Piccadilly’, a sumptuous silent tale starring the beautiful bisexual Anna May Wong, Marlene Dietrich’s flirting partner in ‘Shanghai Express’ and it was the venue for Dietrich’s show-stopping six-week London tour debut in 1954, introduced by Noël Coward, no less, with the much-quoted: ‘Though we all might enjoy seeing Helen of Troy as a gay cabaret entertainer, I doubt that she could be one quarter as good as our legendary, lovely Marlene.’
Feature continues

I was truly shocked to learn that the Café archivist had never heard of the famous ‘Marlene Dietrich Leaned Here and Helped Save London Night Life’ gold plaque, which, along with the live CD, commemorated the most successful cabaret show in post-war London. And what’s more, no-one on the staff could find, or even remember it. It is assumed to have been removed in the 1996 restoration which, after decades of neglect since the ’50s, heralded a new lease of life for the old girl.

Boasting such a history of camp credentials and decor, it isn’t surprising that gay promoters have adopted the Café as a velvet and crystal-chandeliered home from home. The ’90s saw the Café hosting the lesbian and gay club Sex (inspired by Madonna's tome), and providing the glamour for the first Lesbian Beauty Contest, and now g3, the free monthly, national publication (independently published by Sarah Garrett and Linda Riley), is set to become part of the Café’s illustrious history.

This Sunday, the g3 girls join forces with 100% Babe to celebrate not only the organ’s sixth birthday, but International Women’s Week. The gilt-edged fundraiser includes a Battle of the Bands (9pm-10pm) between Axe Girl (spunky, acoustic -rock threesome), Bee Stings (featuring femme-fatale lead singer Valkyrie) and Joanovarc, whose reputation as the hottest girl band is spreading like wildfire. After the battle is won, top female DJs including J-Luv, Kacey and Suze E-T play until 3am.

The six years since g3’s launch have been been filled with hard work. In 2001, ex-Pink Paper writer Garrett spotted a gap in the market for a magazine aimed solely at bi and lesbian women. ‘I was concerned that there wasn’t much coverage for women. The office was in my bedroom and the sales room was in the kitchen. The first issue was just 48 pages and we got into trouble for featuring a naked lady on the front. We are now the second biggest gay publishing company in the UK. Of course there are only two… just kidding!’

The initial circulation of 5,000 is now up to 30,000 – and growing. Nowadays, g3 (short for ‘Gay Girls’ Guide’) is freely available in shops, bars, clubs, cinemas and anywhere else they can think of throughout London and also available online. It’s also big in China, apparently. Sarah says plenty has changed since g3 was launched: ‘Most people’s thoughts about lesbians were that they were either feminists, highly sexed – as seen in tabloid papers – or the extreme of butch/femme dykes. In 2007, awareness of the lesbian scene has completely shifted. Nowadays, the public recognises that there are all different types of lesbians, in all different walks of life.’

But is Sunday’s party more a fundraiser for the magazine, a birthday party, or an International Women’s Week celebration? ‘All of them,’ says Smith. ‘We rely on advertising revenue and, although there are a lot more events, services and businesses aimed at the lesbian market – the mag has become really popular with mainstream advertisers such as Peugeot, the Metropolitan Police and Wimpy Homes – we still need funds to ensure that g3 remains free.’

Co-hosting the party is Sue Wade, the familiar face behind 100% Babe, and an old hand on the scene since the infamous Heds, the original lipstick-lesbian club, in the decadent ’80s. Sue hasn’t always been the hostess with the mostess in swanky venues like the Café de Paris: ‘In the early days only seedy clubs, and even seedier owners, were interested in renting space to lesbian nights. The first club I hired was a basement strip dive which had a notice on the door saying “Leave your firearms at reception”. Providing a safe space for girl-to-girl contact with great music, entertainment and fun has always been my priority, and the Café de Paris is an exclusive glamorous venue with a fantastic soundsystem, great dancefloor, and space for a thousand girls. Oh, and girls with guitars are hot!’

I am certain that Marlene would agree with her.

The g3 Sixth Birthday Party is on Sunday March 11 at the Café de Paris. See www.g3magazine.co.uk also for more info.
‘Marlene Dietrich Live at the Café de Paris’ is available from www.hmv.co.uk priced £4.99.