‘Psychogeography’ out 23rd February
Leave a reply
Category Archives: Cross-dressing
Album Review: Anna Secret Poet- Shoutin’ Into The Void
“You can learn a lot from dead things “, Anna Secret Poet sings in ‘Dead Things’, “including how to live”. This is a very Anna line: seemingly throwaway, but really profound. The canny Scots singer-songwriter, drag performer and weaver of pithy tales returns with an album that meditates on the darkest corners of our psyche, […]
Album Review: Anna Secret Poet- Shoutin’ Into The Void
Shoutin’ Into the Void!
I’d like to talk to you about my new album ‘Shoutin’ Into the Void’! I’m finally set to release it into the wild on Friday the 10th of February – almost 2 years to the day since my last album ‘Pity Party’ came out. You’ll be able to access it across all the usual digital platforms plus my Bandcamp page and I’ll be doing a limited run of CDs so if you want one please let me know.
I won’t be launching it with a gig and also I haven’t done any press at all for it. It’s too stressful and I don’t really know anyone who could write about it or promote it so I’ll just have to talk about it incessantly myself!
For anyone that simply can’t wait that long to hear it or perhapsd would like to review it I have a link to a folder on my Google Drive where you can stream/download it for free. It can be accessed from here 😉.
This may be my last as I’m not sure that I have much music left in me nor the will to keep organizing it all by myself. I’ve never had the knack for promoting myself and what little motivation I did have before has all but ceased. In spite of this I believe I’ve created a solid set of songs that should hopefully be able to speak for themselves and I look forward to taking you all on a fun musical journey on the 10th of February, love Anna xxx
Religious Ecstasy (New Single!)
On Monday the 17th of January I released a new single. It was meant to be on the 28th but due to an admin error it came out earlier than expected. I’ve came to terms with this as I would have been unable to keep up with all the necessary advertisements anyway. I’m rotten at self-promotion and always have been. It has nearly been a year since my last album ‘Pity Party’ and the stats are slowly decreasing with each release so I decided to try something different this year. I plan to release a song a month and ‘Religious Ecstasy’ is the first of this experiment.
I wrote it around the time of my birthday last year when my thoughts turn more inward than at any other time of year and unusually for me it came out really easy. I’ve been having problems in recent times with songs. Melodies and tunes I have plenty of but something to sing over those melodies – that’s another matter.
In lieu of typed lyrics here is a scan of the final draft from my current notebook. There is also a chart at the bottom of the page which details the layout on my 16 track recorder and the whereabouts of all the overdubs.
The photo for the cover was taken by my friend Deborah O’Leary who can found on various sites operating under the name @pixels.glasgow
Aside from being found on all the usual streaming sites you can also get it from my Bandcamp page where you will find my entire discography. Not only that but you get an exclusive Bandcamp-only bonus track which is a cover of the T-Rex song ‘Life’s a Gas’.
‘Religious Ecstasy’ on Bandcamp
Here is the Spotify link!. It’s also on Apple, Amazon, Deezer, Tidal, TikTok, Youtube etc…
(Aspiring) Model Citizen
My life doesn’t feel like it has changed too much since Lockdown, as far as my day to day working existence is concerned. The commute to my job still happened it’s just that there were less passengers joining me. Creatively though if affected me most. We weren’t able to do live shows anymore which had become my raison d’etre these past few years. A chance to go out as Anna and have fun on stages at the same time. I did some online shows but they weren’t the same. Part of me did enjoy the fact that some of them allowed you to pre-film your set and send it in which was less stressful than hoping the internet didn’t cut out during your livestream.
Instead, over these past 15 months or so I’ve been honing my self portraiture and editing skills in the house. I even managed a little outdoors shoot back in September, sort of as a trial run for a proper photoshoot in that area with a professional. I got some good shots! I can’t remember if I’d shared them here before but anyway…
You see I really wanted to give modelling a try. I’d worked with photographers before and really enjoyed the experience so I couldn’t wait for Lockdown to end. Having joined some groups in Facebook and contacting local togs via Instagram I amassed a list of folk that I would like to work with and who were willing to shoot me. It was a little difficult as not everyone is perhaps comfortable with what I do – ie a man dressed as a lady. Here are some of the highlights of the last 3/4 months of shoots.
That first one with Paul was a great wee session. It was partly in aid of my friend Evelyn who needed a model as part of her portfolio for college. She had prepared a short pinup style wig and brought some props so we shot that look too. The next week I met up with Rhys who goes under the name Boundless Photography and shot in the Botanic Gardens for about an hour just before it rained heavily. I love some of these pics!
In May I took the unusual step of taking 3 weeks off of work. I was pretty fed up and wanted to fill it with vegetating and creative endeavours. To that end I managed to arrange 3 shoots during that time. Sadly covid travelling restrictions killed one of them, and the rain rained on my pinup picnic shoot with the amazing Femme Castratice (which hopefully one day we can rearrange). That left one but it was a great one! A lady called Karen whom I met over Facebook wanted to take me to this lovely woodland stream and an abandoned waterworks. I couldn’t refuse! The dress was from Poundland and the headband cost more than the dress 😄
Karen also suggested I climb into an upturned bin and naturally I obliged!
In June I had another week off which I populated with another 3 photoshoots. Again all with people I’d never met and they were all great fun too. On the Monday I met up with Jasmine of JLD Photography in the Merchant City in Glasgow. We had a wee wander and took some informal snaps. The dress I’m wearing was bought from a charity shop in Liverpool a few years back.
On the Tuesday I met up with Deborah O’Leary of Pixels Glasgow in the grounds of my work. The scene of my self shoot from the Autumn. I knew she liked old buildings so lured her to the one near my work. We got on really well and I feel sure we’ll remain friends and hopefully create some more fab art together soon! This time I wore my new green playsuit from Poundland 💚
Finally on the Friday I met up with Roslyn Walker, a model and photographer I had long admired and was excited to work with. We met in Victoris Park in Glasgow. I managed to smap a strap on my gorgeous Collectif dress getting out of the car but we shot around it. I was so very pleased with these images and consider some of them to be publication worthy 😍
I have a few more shoots lined up in the coming months and I can’t wait to share them with you. Not sure if I’m deluding myself but I kind of don’t care. Hopefully I’m breaking the mould in some way – bloody moulds 😄 Who needs them?
Review: Anna Secret Poet- Pity Party
Another larky album from Anna Secret Poet- drag chanteuse and mischief maker, that’ll be hilarious, right? After all, she has a way with a zinger and a singalong punky chorus. No, actually. This album, which was recorded during lockdown, is full of introspection. And it’s really wonderful. Don’t get me wrong, it’s still filled with […]
Review: Anna Secret Poet- Pity Party
For the Love of Dots
I decided to treat myself to some new dresses the other week which coincided nicely with some time off work. Lockdown has been busy for me as I’m a key worker so time to glam up is very rare indeed especially with the lack of shows and performing. This resulted in a very lively home shoot which I’d like to share some highlights of in this very post!
The first dress is a Hellbunny one which I have coveted for over a year. Funds made from some recent online gigs contributed to these wonderful purchases. I wouldn’t normally spend around £40 on a dress but this one had foxes on it and is stunningly cute 🧡🦊🧡
The whole vintage pinup style has been floating my boat in quite a serious yet playful way of late. Around April I invested in a wig highly reminiscent of Bettie Page and I can’t stress how much fun I’ve been having with it!
The next outfit was put together around a skirt I purchased from Primark for £3. The top and shrug were both from previous sales there over the years. I wanted to recreate that demure 50s preppy look I sometimes see on Instagram…
The next look I tried was with a polka dot top I’ve had for years and a black skirt I’ve had for like 10 years (which sadly is very tight these days lol). I ventured out onto the stairs for more natural light.
I should point out that these photos have been edited slightly here and there but nothing has been to my physical person. I only ever play about with lighting, contrast and saturation and in some cases like the above I have softened the image slightly. It gives it a more classic look I think!
Next up was another Primark dress, this one I inherited from my wife last year. It didn’t photograph so well but I got a few good shots in it…
For the last outfit I tried I switched to a red curly wig that I have had for 4 years now and is in bad shape but I love it for these pinup looks. Especially with this polka dot wiggle dress from Collectif!
Finally I have playing around with a couple of apps and editing myself into a variety of situations – mainly horror – and I thought you may like to see them if you like that sort of thing 😉
I sincerely hope you are all okay! I’m trying to be around a bit more again and get back into posting so I hope to catch up with you all soon 😘
Article 7 : Anna Secret Poet “No Brainer” LP revue.
Thank you to Riffs N Spliffs for this ace review of my new album! Please do give it a wee read and perhaps give the album a listen 🙂
***Another article within a week of the last one? What could this mean? Have I suddenly become less lazy? Or am I just underemployed because of the lack of gigs due to Covid19? Probably a bit of both to be honest. But also I bumped into Anna Secret Poet last week and she kindly sent me this LP a few days ago. So I though to myself, let’s spin it up and see what we have. Gender bending Rock ‘n’ Punky stuff for a start as well as some other genres on this damn fine 12 track LP – “No Brainer” is what we got.***
“No Brainer” LP Cover
Back in December 2018 when people could still attend gigs sans hazmat suits and a measuring tape/cattle prod combo I was down at the 13th Note, Glasgow to see a few bands play. As I walked into the sound check…
View original post 1,266 more words
Feelin’ Blue
I got blue hair the other day. After initial doubts as to whether or not I could pull off putting together an outfit ended up being a lot fun! First I started out with a cute sweater and black skirt combo…
…but that was perhaps too cutesy. On the advice of some friends I was encouraged to rock it up a bit. I dug out my fishnets, disco boots and New Look tartan dress and prepared to do so 🖤
I always knew there was a rock chick inside of me pleading to be let out! I ended up wearing it out to my show at The Ice Box later that night. It wemt really well and I think my outfit may have had something to do with it 🤘
Also in the last week my new video went live on Youtube. It’s the title track from my forthcoming album ‘No Brainer’ which was filmed by Iain Mutch of WalkerandWilliam in Victoria Park, Glasgow. Follow the link below to view 😉
Anna Secret Poet – No Brainer (Official Video)
The album itself will be out on Monday the 6th of April across all reputable digital platforms and my own Bandcamp page.
No Brainer
On Monday the 6th of April I plan to unleash my latest album called ‘No Brainer’. I’d like you to know that the making of it has equally caused me great stress and unfettered joy and I can’t wait to share it!
Here’s how it’ll look…
The songs featured are variously about anxiety, goth girls, drunken confessions, the mystery of the missing sock, fake smiles and voyeurism. A little something for everyone hopefully!
The final tracklisting is as follows;
OVERTHINKER ANTHEM
POKE THE BEAR
A WEEK WITHOUT WORRY
B-MOVIE
WHERE DOES THE OTHER SOCK GO?
DRUNK ENOUGH TO TELL
NO BRAINER
GOTH GIRLS
EVERYBODY’S CHECKING EVERYBODY ELSE OUT
UNEXPECTED TENDERNESS
TEMPORARY SMILE
SHOOBY DON’T
I recorded it at home apart from one track where I went to a rehearsal studio so I could record real drums. For the most part I’m pleased with how it sounds. Vocals are always the hardest to do especially when I’m belting it out at full volume.
It should be available across all the usual digital platforms from April along with all the rest of my discography. Just search for ‘Anna Secret Poet’ and you’ll find me!
Confessions of Anna Secret Poet 