Reviews

Elisabeth Mahoney reviews Out in South London for the Guardian on 24 March 2010:

Out in South London, a half-hour LGBT magazine programme on the wonderful Resonance 104.4 FM, is ambitiously wide-ranging. “It’s very, very hectic,” host Rosie Wilby told listeners on Monday night. There were two studio guests – election candidates Stephen Twigg and Jonathan Fry – plus poet Nick Field, an interview with Joel Gibb from the Hidden Cameras, lots of fine tunes and a chat with the programme’s reporter, Suzi Ruffell. Or, as Wilby introduced her, “my co-lesbian”.

It’s a likable listen that reminds you how much mainstream radio ignores the core issues, audiences and concerns that this programme addresses. In format and tone, it sounds a bit like Radio 4’s Saturday Live, and Wilby has a fine voice and manner for radio. Yet each item is focused around issues of sexuality, and this focus is admirably sustained. “I really feel like the sexuality infuses your music,” Wilby told Gibb. “There’s not a lot of queer rage expressed in popular culture,” he replied. “There’s a bit of that, and lots of tenderness,” he said of his music.

The discussion with the political candidates looked at gay rights and oppression across Europe, but also at being openly gay at Westminster. We heard about a recent Queer Question Time at London’s Vauxhall Tavern (“it was a very lively evening,” said Fry). In another subversive spin on a BBC programme, Out in South London will broadcast a special Desert Island Dykes edition in a couple of weeks.

But should this kind of programme be on a national, mainstream network instead? Should it feature on Radio 4, for example, which offers a daily programme for women, even though the rest of the station’s output is very female-friendly? I wondered, listening, whether its target audience appreciates a dedicated slot – or indeed a whole station, as with Gaydar Radio – or would prefer more representation across all programming. A bright, strong show on an alternative, quirky network is one thing, but where to take it next?

 

Listed as the Critics Choice in Time Out London – Out In South London – Events & meetings – Time Out London

 

Katie Bennett-Hall reviews Out In South London for Planet London on 5 February 2013:

My inner geek was in esctasy as we spent half an hour in the Resonance FM Studios watching a wonderful line up on South London’s LGBT music and culture radio show Out in South London.

Ably helmed by comedian/musician/podcaster Rosie Wilby, each week we hear about the current hot LGBT cultural delights. If you haven’t tuned in yet, and I highly recommend you do, as this magazine format show has something different and for everyone each week, then download the podcasts as there’s plenty to catch up on. It’s an informal and informative affair, and there’s frankly nothing else like it out there.

This week was a treat in particular as in store was a live performance from Erin McKeown, whose haunting bluesy electrifying ‘The Jailor’, from the latest album, left us wanting more. And after a short interview we were rewarded again with the more up tempo, but retrospective in tone ‘Histories’ that brings together the theme and essence of the album in one track (before she had to dash right off to a gig at the Green Note in Camden).

Erin has played throughout the Lesbian circuit (cue much reminiscing about venues such as Southopia), and is well worth a listen to. The new album incorporates a more political/activist slant than previous albums, and I found these messages brought a real intensity to the lyrics and the performance that was appealing and intriguing.

Erin self produces, and as a modern technophile, finds that collaborating and working on tracks with other singer-songwriters is an easy process – you don’t even have to be in the same city.

It was a packed show, and not only was there a live performance, but two further interviews. We heard from Ira Sachs, live on the phone from New York (more of that modern technology) about his new film ‘Keep the Lights On’ – an honest look at the gay male relationship in New York.

 

In 2013 Out In South London won the Golden Kitty Award from MyLesbianRadio.com for best LGBT podcast.