GayNZ.com's London correspondant [well, our mate Geoff Bargas who is over there at the moment] files this round-up of the London Scene in the leadup to this weekend's London Pride celebrations. We're in the middle of a very unusual, experience for an English summer. It's actually warm! And there's blue sky! It's the kinda weather that has the British people moaning about air conditioning and feeling sweaty, while the rest of us bravely strip off into shorts, and moan about just how pathetically it compares to our summer back home. I live in Cambridge, one of the two famous college cities. Cambridge is beautifully historic, wonderfully posh, full of students, but oh so goddamn quiet. The one blessing is it's ridiculously close to London (just 45 minutes to Kings Cross) on a high speed, direct train, which makes day trips achievable. So, during the week I endure our three small, but perfectly formed, gay pubs (Stripper and cabaret on Fridays, which is great if you're into show tunes). I go to Wednesday night drinks at the gay student night at Kings College (very, very posh, but if you're not a Kings student, you can only get in if you dodge the security people). And on the weekends, I head to London for all the adventures the big smoke has to offer…and far more besides. A couple of weekends ago, London celebrated Soho Pride. For those that haven't been, Soho has London's largest concentration of Gay Pubs, centred around Soho's version of Sydney's Oxford Street, Old Compton Street. Now, at your average, ordinary Pride festival downunder, this would involve a night time parade, a big ole dance party, and Lesbians putting on Photo Displays of their dogs. Not in Soho! No, here they erect a stage, have speeches and the odd performer, and rely on everyone hanging out on the streets at the surrounding gay pubs. And do they ever. Thousands flock to the street and do just that. After all, there's a pub or bar for any scene imaginable. The G.A.Y. Bar for the dance queens, Comptons and the Lord Duncan for the rougher plaid wearing crowd, Rupert Street Geoff Bargas - 24th July 2003