Thoughts on the Nightingale 2002-7
2002
By November/December 2005 I was coming to Birmingham every Saturday
night. I used to leave Worcester on the night and try to get into The
Gale (Nightingale) before 10p.m. when it was free. I would spend all
night in The Gale then get the first bus home back to Worcester again.
I’d be in The Gale from 11 o clock in the evening till about 5 or 6 in
the morning and just dance as much as possible and make a complete and
utter fool of myself on stage. I used to come on my own. I just didn’t
care. I’m going to be myself and I don’t care who knows about it. I was
a bit out loud and proud. I’d had all my teenage years stored up did it
all in my early twenties instead.”
Comparison of the Nightingale from 2002 to 2007
When
Becky first went to the Nightingale in 2002 she recalls “Everybody was
just kind of like really happy. It has changed a bit. People seem to be
more imagey these days than they were. People didn’t give a shit
basically about what they looked like much so long as you were having a
laugh then you were sexy and it didn’t matter too much that you had the
designer top on or if you looked really good in those jeans or not.
Lots of alternative people not just kind of sceney people all the time.
More individuals that’s why I didn’t mind going on my own. Then, there
weren’t so many straight people there. You wouldn’t see lads in there.
Not so many groups of people. Now I see lots of groups of people going
out now, like hen nights even gay hen nights. I’ve seen straight people
going in the Nightingale more. I’ve seen fag hags, women who go along
in their little heels as they see gay men as some kind of fashion
accessory”.
Contributed by: Becky Tebbett, 27