Lesbians seem to be everywhere in pop culture: with Chappell Roan gracing the charts, the Lionesses winning the Euros, and increased prominence in TV and film. There is a visibility which has never existed before; it has been dubbed the “lesbian renaissance.” And yet, where have all the lesbian bars gone?
I Was Dancing in the Lesbian Bar, the one-woman show by Holly Redford Jones, explores what it means to belong to the lesbian community in 2025, with simultaneously more exposure and fewer bars than ever before. Moreover, Jones proves that anywhere can be a lesbian bar if we really put our minds to it. Her quick wit, electric guitar, and pure lesbian ambition are the ingredients of a hilarious and joyous show about queer identity, community, and belonging.
Jones’s comedy is sharp and charming, at times almost accidental and off the cuff, but always endearing and heart-warming.
She tells the story of growing up queer: confused, awkward, never quite fitting in, and growing into queer spaces — playing women’s football or, ahem, dancing in a lesbian bar. It is a celebration; an ode to the physical spaces of queerness which appear to be rapidly declining in a world where nightlife struggles, and digital spaces dominate the meaning of “community”.
Musical interludes allow Jones to show off her guitar and vocal skills, as well as adding a dynamic edge to the show. Songs like Dusty Springfield (noted lesbian)’s ‘Spooky’, Gerry Rafferty’s ‘Right Down the Line’, and even Ghostbusters accompany the title track to truly bring the lesbian bar to life.
Discussion of Section 28, the Thatcher government’s anti-LGBTQ laws which were in place until 2003 (!), acts as a moving reminder of the lesbians who have come before, and the path that has been forged to get us where we are today. There is no pretence that progress is finished, though: Jones tells us that more people believe they have seen a ghost than a trans person, and extends this metaphor to illustrate the work we still have to do.
Whilst these moments act as moving reminders of the hardships queer people have faced (and continue to face), Jones never strays far from the playful, and the balance of fun and politics feels spot on.
The true star of the show, however, hails from Jones’s native Chesterfield: the crooked church spire. Maybe Jones can strive to be the second-best lesbian to come out of Chesterfield, after the bent spire.
I Was Dancing in the Lesbian Bar is running until 24 August at Belly Laugh at 61 Underbelly Cowgate.
Buy tickets here.
Image courtesy of Dawn Kilner, provided to The Student as press material.
