In our Liverpool podcast, we troll past the Albert Dock to wave at the sailors, as we vada the reviews for the bars and clubs of Liverpool’s gay quarter, popping into The Poste House, Masquerade Bar, The Lisbon, G Bar and Navy Bar 2.1 … Along the way we encounter Philip Olivier, The Cheeky Girls and Cecil in his shorts…
Fun Facts about Liverpool
Liverpool is the birthplace of The Beatles and home to the biggest cathedral in Britain and to the Grand National at Aintree.
“Scousers” is the nickname given to the city’s inhabitants. The term is derived from “scouse,” a type of stew traditionally eaten by sailors in the area, which is made with lamb or beef, carrots, potatoes, and onions, and is often served with crusty bread, pickled red cabbage, or beetroot.
Liverpool was the first UK city to import a banana and also has the oldest Santa’s grotto – originally called the Christmas Fairyland – which has been in operation since 1879.
You might also be interested to hear that in 1953 Liverpool-born Lita Roza was the first woman to top the UK singles chart, with ‘How Much is that Doggy in the Window?’!
The Liverpool Gay Scene
Liverpool is of course a city with a vibrant queer history and the birthplace of many a scene legend. 1980s pop provocateurs Frankie Goes to Hollywood and Pete Burns both began their careers gigging in the city, whilst April Ashley, Britain’s first trans woman to undergo reassignment surgery, was born and raised here. Liverpool-based soap opera Brookside gave us, in 1994, the UK’s first pre-watershed lesbian kiss and – just as importantly – launched the career of Philip Olivier, a man whose chiselled torso was a staple of top shelf gay mags throughout the noughties. (Younger listeners may want to conduct a google image search to learn more about Philip’s contribution to gay culture).
In 2011 Liverpool was the first British city to officially recognise a gay quarter, with rainbow street signs erected around Stanley Street, and, since 2004, its played host to the world renowned LBGTQ+ arts festival Homotopia.
Of course, no mention of Liverpool’s gay scene would be complete without doffing one’s cap to scene legend Paul O’Grady, who hailed from nearby Birkenhead and gifted to the nation the blonde bombsite herself, Lily Savage.
The Poste House
Originally opened in 1820, The Poste House – commonly known as The Postie – is one of Liverpool’s oldest pubs. Located in Cumberland Street and trading from noon until 1am daily, this intimate back street boozer, set over two floors, is known for its old school charm and original features, including a stained-glass window. When the venue was saved from demolition in 2001 by a group of loyal regulars, press officer Mike Carr said “If a pub is in a prime site, it will get plenty of passing trade, but the Poste House is a pub for regulars – and those in the know. It really is like walking into the perfect living room.”
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/postehouse/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/postehouse/
Address: 23 Cumberland St, Liverpool L1 6BU
Masquerade Bar
The original Masquerade, known as The Mazzie, was a legendary underground club located on Cases Street in the cellar of a disused Chinese restaurant and, in its 70s and 80s heyday, was frequented by the likes of Paul O’Grady, Holly Johnson and Julie Goodyear. When the original Masquerade closed in the late 1980s, the current venue opened on Cumberland Street and was named in its honour. Priding itself on being “Liverpool’s friendliest gay bar”, it’s open seven nights a week, till 3am at weekends, with a regular rota of drag queen DJs, karaoke and cabaret acts.
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/masqueradebarliverpool
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/themasqueradebar
Address: 10 Cumberland St, Liverpool L1 6BU
The Lisbon
According to its Google Profile, The Lisbon is a traditional basement bar serving drinks, burgers and ciabatta to a gay crowd.
The Lisbon is an original Victorian chop house/ gin palace with beautiful ornate ceilings, wooden panelled walls and swinging chandeliers.
Opened in 1888, it is now known as Liverpool’s oldest gay bar and is Grade II listed – as indeed may be some of its clientele, the landlady observing in a recent interview: “There are customers that have been drinking here since the 60s …”
Many of the reviews comment of its grand architecture but also say that it’s a great place to dance to cheesy pop and have a game of snooker, if you’re that way inclined.
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lisbonbarliverpool
Address: Lisbon Buildings, 35 Victoria St, Liverpool L1 6BG
G Bar
G Bar is Liverpool’s longest running LGBT+ Nightclub and is famous for its afterhours clubbing experience – going from 10pm every Friday and Saturday night until 7am the following morning!
G Bar has three rooms of music and a strong representation for both house music and drag artists throughout its extensive DJ line up.
Former residents include one half of producer duo Camelphat and Ru Paul’s Drag Race UK season 1 winner, The Vivienne who is sadly no longer with us. Situated in a 19th century shoe factory, Union Street Bar spans three floors, with four different areas, and offers entertainment seven nights a week.
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/GBarLiverpool
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/gbarliverpool
Address: 1-7 Eberle St, Liverpool L2 2AG
Navy Bar 2.1
Navy Bar bills itself as Liverpool’s premium dance bar and night club with its motto “Come One, Come All”. It’s open on Fridays and Saturdays with drag queen cabaret, tribute acts, cocktails classes, Drag Race themed parties and much more.
Website: https://thenavy.co.uk/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/navybar2.1/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/navybar2.1
Address: 7 Stanley St, Liverpool L1 6AA
Visit www.theonetofiveguide.com for our Gay Scene Guides to: Newcastle, Brighton, Leeds, Soho, Cardiff, Birmingham, Manchester, Edinburgh, Blackpool, Glasgow, Belfast, London and Liverpool. And finally, please remember that even if we are a little tongue in cheek in our podcast, we do love each and every venue on the scene, and we urge you all to get out there and support your local gay bars!