Girls Germs is a popular grrrl-tastic DJ night held every few months in London. A celebration of women’s creativity and proof that girls making music is more than just a faddy trend, all the songs played are by women, and there are zines and cakes to boot! We sat down with DJ Gianna to talk about the Capital’s LGBT scene, how to get people dancing and why she loves living in East London.

How long have you been a Londoner for?

Well, I was born in London and spent my early years here, but after living ‘Up North’ for most of my life, I finally moved to East London just over a year ago.

How did you get involved with Girl Germs?

I met Girl Germs creators Lydia and Laura through taking part in various feminist activities, including helping to organise Ladyfest Ten. Previously, I had been promoting and DJing at nights in Leeds, so I was itching to get involved in the London scene. After realising we had a shared vision of putting on more grrl-friendly nights, I joined the Girl Germs team early this year.

Where have you had your best nights out in London?

I love going to Unskinny Bop at The Star of Bethnal Green. It’s a great atmosphere and they play plenty of danceable 90s tunes.

What are your favourite local hangouts?

The Victoria in Mile End is my favourite local pub and is where we held the last Girl Germs. It’s a great venue that puts on everything from gigs to jumble sales, and has some of the friendliest staff in East London.

What London events are you looking forward to?

Well I’m going to Lovebox this year, which should be good – the line-up is great and I’ve never been able to stroll home from a festival in ten minutes before! I also can’t wait for Ladyfest Ten. This year marks the ten year anniversary since the very first Ladyfest, and we’ll be celebrating it in London in style. It’s a DIY, non-profit festival that celebrates women’s talents and creativity. Expect some big names in music, film and the arts coming to North London from 12th to 14th November!

What are the best songs to get everyone on the dancefloor in London?

Kate Bush – ‘Hounds of Love’ is a classic and always gets people singing along. Also, it’s an obvious choice but no one can resist dancing to Le Tigre – ‘Deceptacon’.

What song do people always request that you simply cannot stand?

Katy Perry – ‘I Kissed a Girl’. Even with a heavy dose of irony, it’s still bad.

What do you think of London’s LGBT scene?

Like most LGBT scenes, I think it often caters more to men than to women. Part of the reason we created Girl Germs was because we were frustrated that a lot of alternative music scenes were male dominated. What we’ve tried to do is create a grrl-safe space where women, trans folk and people of all genders and persuasions can dance to ace tunes without having to conform to ideals of coolness.

What London places do you think are seriously underrated?

I’m a big fan of cinema and London has so many independent cinemas that I’m in the process of discovering. Close to me is the Genesis cinema at Stepney Green. It’s cosy, cheap, and the 80s décor just adds to its charm!

And what places are completely overrated?

For nights out, I find that some of the bars in Shoreditch can be over-priced, pretentious and close way too early.

How would you spend a long summer’s day in London?

I often sit in the sunshine in Victoria Park with a picnic and a good book. Currently I’m working my way through Charlie Brooker’s back catalogue.

I generally love American traditions, and watching the 4th July fireworks while chowing down barbeque last month was no exception. However, for someone who possesses a mammoth ego, a birthday that falls on that most widely celebrated of unofficial American holidays, 31^st October, and a boyfriend from New York are an unfortunate combination.

Last year, he had a Halloween party in his apartment. Most of my British friends had recently returned to the other side of the pond, so only a few could make it. As a result I didn’t know most the people there and spent the evening chatting to a werewolf, the Times Square naked cowboy and Paulie Bleeker from Juno. I had fun, but did very little in the way of celebrating my actual birthday.

Last year, I put my foot down. I wanted to go out for dinner with Anthony – no parties, no dressing up, just me, him and a restaurant where they didn’t serve chicken wings. Unfortunately this became the cause of a) fights, b) passive aggression – “I thought you might WANT to spend time with me, as we NEVER SEE EACH OTHER” and c) guilt trips – “You know, this’ll be the first time in 28 years I haven’t dressed up for Halloween” (knowing his mother, this is no exaggeration – I can picture him clearly aged 1, in a pumpkin costume, clutching an Almond Joy in one hand and a Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup in the other while cracked out on high-fructose corn syrup.)

Eventually I got him to agree to my plan of Halloween a deux, but there were setbacks. Having overlooked the prominence of the holiday in America enough to be baffled by my boyfriend’s attachment to it, I’d also forgotten the parade which dominates most of the village i.e. where all my favourite restaurants are located. Should we have managed to make it to the right side of 14^th St, it was unlikely that we’d be able to get a table.

I called Babbo to test the water:

“A table for two on the 31^st? You mean Halloween? Sorry, we’re all booked out that night.”

“It’s not Halloween, IT’S MY BIRTHDAY” I barked, before hanging up.

The day itself came and we stayed uptown. We had breakfast at the delightful Viennese Café Sabarsky at the Neue Galerie. We returned to his apartment to find a delivery of balloons from my little sister. She had also ordered Magnolia cupcakes which never arrived, but it’s the thought that counts. Shame on you, though, Magnolia. We pottered across the park, past Strawberry Fields, where a couple dressed as John and Yoko were having their photo taken. We ordered burgers at Shake Shack and were given a free serving of Spiced Pumpkin custard because Anthony told the man behind the counter that it was my birthday, then ate them on a bench outside the Natural History Museum. We stopped at Duane Reade to buy Tootsie Rolls on the way back, then sat on his stoop giving them out to the well bred trick or treaters of the Upper East Side.

Dinner was at JoJo on 64^th St. Anthony ordered champagne and pretended he actually wanted to be there and was generally adorable and perfect. It had been a perfect day. Never satisfied, I wanted to go for drinks at the Carlyle on the way home. He was sceptical.

“Aww babe, it’s 50 bucks just to sit down in that place.”

Eventually he relented. Leaving the restaurant, however, a car sped through a nearby  puddle, soaking me from head to toe (fans of Flight of the Conchords may note that he was not “walking on the outside of me” at this point). Retribution on me for making him miss his favourite holiday and testing him to the limit? Maybe. It was pretty funny though. We went home to shower and pass out in front of the Phillies game.

Photos by derek purdy and  thebrokenone used under a Creative Commons License

In London? In August? If you get tired of sunbathing (or sitting inside in the rain, depending) here are some top events we suggest you check out.

Notting Hill Carnival – Any round-up of things happening in London in August has to start with Europe’s largest street party! This two day fiesta sees over two million people head to West London on the last weekend of August to celebrate Caribbean culture. There are parades, booming soundstages and jerk chicken galore – it’s quite an experience, but not for the faint of heart!

UK Air Guitar Championships – Who would have thought that a ’sport’ that started in bedrooms up and down the land would ever turn into a national event? Watch in awe as the axe masters of the air throw shapes, pull faces and generally go all out in the hopes of winning the UK title and the chance to compete in the world championships! It’s happening on Friday 6th August at the O2 Academy in Islington, and proceeds go to the Teenage Cancer Trust.

Great British Beer Festival – The British have a deep love for their beers – after all, it’s what we drank instead of water for hundreds of years. That said, most of the lagers you’ll find in an average London pub will be European, although ales, if served, are commonly British. If you want to find out more fun facts about the world’s third most popular drink (after water and tea) and of course, sample lots of it, head down to Earl’s Court between 3rd – 7th August for ‘Britain’s biggest beer festival’. Hic!

Photos by fchouse and mckln used under a Creative Commons License

Previously on the blog, Nik Vestberg posted a photo essay on New York in the Summertime. Photographer Hemmy Hardwick has now shot a ‘twin’ post on London.

Most England flags (and pride?) vanished overnight on 27th June, but these were still  flapping away last weekend.

Cycling aimlessly in gusts of dry dusty wind that rush between tower blocks.

Water slaps goosepimpled skin and tickles the soles of the feet.

All photographs by Hemmy Hardwick used under a Creative Commons License

We’re back for our monthly event round up. Here are our top tips for what’s going down in New York in August.

Dragon Boat Festival

London has the Oxford-Cambridge Boat Race, over in NYC there is the decidedly more colourful and Oriental Dragon Boat Race. An ancient Chinese tradition that occurs on the fifth day of the fifth lunar month (well, or closest weekend), teams from all over the world eat rice dumplings and then race across Meadow Lake on boats shaped like Dragons. There will also be demonstrations of martial arts, arts and crafts and a celebration of all things Chinese, and it sounds like a fun day out for all the family!

Harlem Week

We wrote about Harlem Week last year, and its back and bigger than ever in 2010! A borough-wide celebration that began in 1974 with Harlem Day, there is a whole schedule of events planned, with this year’s all singing all dancing Harlem Day falling on August 15.

Fringe NYC

The largest multi-arts festival comes to New York between 13th – 29th August.  Theatre companies from all over the world will be converging on twenty venues for an incredible 1,200 performances over three weeks. As with any fringe festival, the quality will vary wildly, but there is also the chance to discover a real hidden theatrical gem.

Images by akwebb and dale_harris used under a Creative Commons License