(Review by Jess Kemp)
‘VARIOUS ARTISTS’ – ‘FABULOSO AT PRIDE’, PRESTON PARK, BRIGHTON 4.8.24 (DAY TWO)
Our venue for the whole of last weekend was Preston Park, Brighton. Situated to the north of Brighton it is the largest urban park in the city. ‘Brighton Pride’ took place over the 3rd and 4th of August in venues across the city, with the largest event culminating in the weekend-long charity fundraising event, in the park ‘Fabuloso’.
Relaxed and refreshed we made our way back to Preston Park to enjoy day two of the ‘Fabuloso activities. Read our account of day one HERE. The main stage had dominated Saturday’s music viewing for us, but Sunday saw the launch of the new ‘Alt/ Queer Stage’ to the North of Preston Park, with a line-up we had been looking forward to. We spent our day flipping between the two, occasionally having to decide between two acts, leaving us no time to venture to the other stages showing live music on the day.
There was a changeover of the stages on Sunday with the ‘Legends Presents: Miss Jason Cabaret Tent’ making way for the debut of the ‘Queer/ Alt Stage’. The ‘Diva Dance Tent’ made way for the ‘Partybag! Tent’. The ‘Sheila McWattie Woman’s Performance Stage’ became the ‘Family Tent’. The changes led to some confusion, as had the names of the tents on Saturday. Ideally both the ‘Queer/ Alt Stage’ and the ‘McWattie’ stages would form a second day to showcase more acts, and the ‘Miss Jason’ stage could have spread their twenty performers over the two days.
‘The Queer/ Alt’ stage is a welcome addition showcasing some of the best Queer acts going. Being the first year there were bound to be hiccups. However, there were a few that could have been ironed out in advance. The addition of a compere to introduce and look after the performers would have immediately resolved some issues that transpired. Headlining on the day was the legend that is ‘Peaches’. Originally advertised as a DJ set, which deterred many of her fans who would have preferred a live set. However, when we arrived at the tent it was clear that she was going to deliver a full live set, (albeit slightly parred down from some of the more extravagant performances she has given). A source of absolute ‘JOY!’ for us, but a disappointment to many who would have purchased tickets had they known.
The stage times were too short with thirty minutes being allotted to performers before the headliner. This resulted in one set being cut unnecessarily short and a second artist refusing to comply, running over their time, though this had little knock-on effect. The artists were informed to end their set abruptly and onstage in front of the audience, who were less than pleased. These may all be teething problems for the first year of a new tent, but they were important points that we hope are picked up on and rectified for the second year.
SUNDAY 4th AUGUST
UNDER THE IVY (Queer/Alt Stage 2:00pm – 2:30pm )
First to take the stage were the duo ‘Under The Ivy’, it was the band’s second time at Brighton Pride having played in 2023 on ‘The Breakout Stage’ as a five-piece.
This year the duo consisted of Paul Diallo (vocals) and Steve Parker (guitar). Based in Brighton, they supported ‘Jesca Hoop’ earlier in the year at Ironworks Studios Brighton and frequently play local festivals and venues.
The site was sparsely populated, with most staying near the main stage or drifting around the site taking in as much as they could before the main draws of gather day on the main stage to the south of the park. The quiet start to the day did not deter Diallo or Parker who steamed through a set of covers including Alannah Myles ‘Black Velvet’, ‘Fairground Attraction’s, ‘Perfect’, ‘Patti Smith’s’, ‘Because the Night’, Cutting Crews ‘(I Just) Died In Your Arms’, ‘Tamsin Archer’s’, ‘Sleeping Satellite’ and Madonna’s ‘La Isla Bonita’. The duo executed them perfectly smoothly running through their set gathering a smattering of passers-by. It was a shame that they didn’t offer more songs from their ‘23 album ‘Serenade’ rather than sticking to covers. We hope they return to Pride next year with a more eclectic set with original material.
www.instagram.com/undertheivy_band
DANNY BEARD (Fabuloso Main Stage from 2:30pm)
Introduced by local legend and LGBTQIA+ superstar ‘Dolly Rocket’, Danny Beard was a welcome site on the main stage. The Liverpudlian, already a mainstay of the drag scene became the winner of the fourth U.K. series of ‘RuPaul’s Drag Race’ in 2022 being the first bearded contestant to do so. Danny Beard was already known to UK audiences having made it to the semi-finals in the tenth series of ‘Britain’s Got Talent’. Arriving at a sparsely filled festival site Danny was characteristically quick to attribute the scarcity of the Sunday crowd to everyone’s hard partying the night before, joking, “…it’s an honour to be the warm-up of the day.” After performing a cover of the song ‘Baby, Baby’ by Diana Ross, Beard dead-panned, “It could be worse, at least it isn’t Tia Kofi singing flat”. Whipping up the hungover audience to sing along, possibly slightly out of fear. Moving on to a cover of ‘Flowers’ by Miley Cyrus, Beard continued to showcase an excellent voice. We managed to catch their impressive cover of Madonna’s ‘Like A Prayer’ before making our way back to see Vanity Fairy on the Queer/ Alt Stage.
VANITY FAIRY (Queer/Alt Stage 3:00pm – 3:30pm)
We were beyond pleased when the bookers at Brighton Pride took up our challenge to secure the services of the fantastic ‘Vanity Fairy’ for a Sunday slot, after reading our review of their support set at Chalk with CSS – Review HERE. We were looking forward to seeing the Pride audience embrace this fantastic, act, featuring camp and kitsch retro styling and catchy tunes with a dose of honesty delivered with a cheeky smile and a glint in the eye which draws the audience in.
‘Vanity Fairy’ appeared to be sorting out some sound issues when we arrived. The park was still sparsely filled, most revellers having overdone it the night before at other Pride venues elsewhere in town and thus failing to rise early enough to enjoy the pure act that would undoubtedly appeal to many of them. Vanity Fairy inhabits the theme of this year’s Pride ‘JOY!’ revelling in all the things that bring a smile to the face during Pride including on-point glamour puss make-up, sequin spangled retro clothing and a nod to overblown theatrical gestures with a tongue firmly in cheek and a big wide grin while doing it all. This is no novelty act though; Vanity Fairy’s songs are as witty as they are clever and get their point across to connect with an audience. The musical composition features effortlessly catchy earworms and the two together can’t fail to work their way into your playlist.
Performing solo with only a backing track, Vanity Fairy’s set featured some of my favourite songs including ‘He Can Be Your Lady’, and ‘Love of My Life’. As with the last time we saw her, Vanity Fairy took the opportunity to throw playing cards with links to her Instagram page into the audience, this time they featured Cats on the reverse, but as with last time everyone was keen to make sure they had their favourite. Sadly, the set was cut short before the last track and current single ‘Top Of The Pops’ as the allotted time was up. Taking her leave with grace we hope that she will return to Pride again next year to entertain and charm the audience.
www.instagram.com/vanityfairydust
JAMES INDIGO (Queer/Alt Stage 3:40pm – 4:10pm)
We weren’t sure what we were likely to get from James Indigo when he made his appearance. The stage had been dressed with a DJ set up which left us wondering if we would be staying to review the whole of the set as we don’t traditionally cover DJ sets. We were impressed and intrigued as he made a point of talking to the act who went before him and congratulating them on a great set. Initially, Indigo’s DJ appeared further underlining the possibility that we might be heading elsewhere, as did the appearance of several latex-clad dancers attired similarly to Indigo himself.
It was only when Indigo took the stage with the others that it became clear that this was a complete outfit and that he was the lead vocalist. Hailing from Birmingham, this was James Indigo’s first trip to Brighton and Pride; he informed us at the start of the set. Now based in London, James Indigo describes himself on Instagram as a “Rapper /Songwriter”, which he reiterated later in the set saying, “It’s not easy being a black gay rapper/ songwriter you know”. The dancers that accompanied Indigo threw shapes in a classic NYC dance hall style as did Indigo himself. Coupled with his accompanying DJ, who goes by @Mstrszzz and Patrycja on Instagram, the ensemble made quite the impression on the club kids who were beginning to emerge dressed in similarly skintight attire. The set songs included, ‘Cxntour’, ‘Taste My Body’, ‘Red Light’, ‘Pussy’ and closed on the track ‘Rich’. James Indigo pens blatantly suggestive and channels deeply sexual energy in his tracks which have found a place at Torture Garden and delighted audiences across Europe. His latest track ‘But You Said We Had A Connection’ hints at a move towards a more introspective look and navigating the LGBTQIA+ scene looking for something more. We’re pretty sure this will not be the last time we enjoy a set from James Indigo at Pride, or indeed in Brighton and look forward to seeing him again soon.
GIRLI (Queer/Alt Stage 4:40pm – 5:10pm)
‘Girli’ (aka Amelia Toome) was the first act on the Queer /Alt Stage to enjoy a full audience in the tent. Benefiting from the arrival of those who had stayed out late partying the night before, she also brought her own young and dedicated audience, which are known as ‘pinkies’. Girli specialises in chronicling the trials and tribulations of queer youth; her chosen subject matter also covers feminism, sexuality, queer culture, and mental health. Her tracks provide her audience with a voice that many of them may not have found for themselves yet or allow her older listeners a brief return to their youthful folly and experiences.
The London-based artist has released several singles, five EPs and two studio albums. Mixing genres including ‘pop’, ‘electro-pop’, ‘pop punk’ and ‘pop rap’, Girli also incorporates samples from various sources including video games and news broadcasts. Her influences are promisingly diverse including, Tove Lo, Arctic Monkeys, Lily Allen, the Slits, MIA, Spice Girls, and more recently ‘90s Grunge and ‘70s Punk.
Stating that her songs are autobiographical this is perhaps why they resonate so firmly with her following. Bringing everything together Girli distills a sound uniquely her own, both effortlessly catchy, uplifting and ultimately honest. The set at Pride drew her loyal followers and also pulled in many newcomers who were passing in order to catch her energetic and explosive set. Cutting a striking though not unfamiliar image Girli owned the stage and beguiled her audience.
Taking the stage Girli introduced herself and informed the audience that she only had half an hour to perform so she was going to “…shut up and crack on!”. Refreshingly she also had a band accompanying her. The set included tracks ‘Nothing Hurts Like A Girl’, ‘Crush Me Up’, “About Having a Big Gay Crush on Someone” (‘Be With Me’) and ‘Friday Night On The Big Screen’, which resulted in especially screams from the audience. ‘Hot Mess’, which featured a choreographed dance. A standout track was ‘I Really F*cked It Up’, which has a great hook and a chorus that cannot be resisted. While there to me hints of other ‘similar’ artists, on occasion Girli’s nine-song set was a joy from start to finish. When she was told she had run over her allotted time, she threw caution to the wind and carried on regardless much to the pleasure of the audience.
Girli setlist:
‘Nothing Hurts Like A Girl’
‘Crush Me Up’
‘Be With Me’
‘Friday Night On The Big Screen’
‘Out Of Breath’
‘Hot Mess’
‘Really F*cked It Up’
‘More Than A Friend’
‘Matriachy’
GABRIELLE (Fabuloso Main Stage from 5:10pm)
Seemingly present at every festival Gabrielle remains a crowd-pleaser. We caught part of her set before heading back over to catch Lynks on the Queer/Alt stage. Though it delivered no surprises, well-known classics including ‘Give Me A Little More Time’ and ‘Sunshine’ offered an unchallenging polished nostalgia. The set also offered a trio of cover versions including Whitney Houston’s ‘I Wanna Dance With Somebody (Who Loves Me)’ which was performed by backing singers, as was her take on Ultra Naté’s ‘Free’, plus the other cover from her set being Womack & Womack’s ‘Teardrops’. Naturally Gabrielle always delivers the songs so well and bringing us right up to date the set also debuted the title track from her new album ‘A Place In Your Heart.’
Gabrielle setlist:
‘Thank You’
‘When A Woman’
‘Give Me A Little More Time’
‘Sunshine’
‘A Place In Your Heart’
‘I Wanna Dance With Somebody (Who Loves Me)’ (Whitney Houston cover)
‘Free’ (Ultra Naté cover)
‘Teardrops’ (Womack & Womack cover)
‘If You Ever’
‘Rise’
‘Out Of Reach’
‘Dreams’
LYNKS (Queer/Alt Stage 5:40pm – 6:10pm)
I had been told by several people to make sure I saw Lynks before this Pride set.
Along with their backing dancers ‘Lynks’ live act and persona have to be seen to be fully appreciated, though the new album. ‘Abomination’ is infinitely listenable on its own as are previous EPs and singles. Lynks live is an experience you don’t want to miss. In a music scene always hungry for something new Lynks has the flurry of a ‘buzz’ around them, and rightly so. Lynks Afrikka, now known as just ‘Lynks’ is a drag artist performer with their tongue firmly in their cheek. Lynks’ tracks ponders sexuality, politics and art. Cleverly blending drag, theatre and dance pulling on the sartorial influence of Leigh Bowery and coating everything with a wry comedic edge, Lynks became known as the “most popular queer industrial drag comedy pop act of 2019”. Musically there’s a touch of Peaches (there are also elements of some of the act’s staging), Confidence Man, LCD Soundsystem and a smattering of Soulwax Lynks has developed a cult following across the UK.
They played at Pride last year asking for their return with “improved costumes” to quote Lynks themselves. The ten-track set was a whirlwind from start to finish. Every track delivered, the staging was professionally smooth and yet retained a knowing quirkiness. The dance routines were high energy with not only the dancers, known as ‘The Lynks Effect’, but also Lynks moving at speed around the stage, without ever pausing for breath. The buzz around the performer ensured that a large audience gathered, there was simply no way you could walk past Lynks without stopping and many a passerby was drawn into the tent asking us who was performing as if experiencing a new musical revelation. There’s something infectiously uplifting about Lynks music, never in danger of taking themselves seriously. One track is a recipe for Béchamel sauce, (‘How To Make A Béchamel Sauce In 10 Steps (With Pictures)’), the lyrics quite literally are the recipe read out, albeit potentially suggestively. However, to those who have suggested as such Lynks say’s “To them I say get your mind out of the gutter and get it into the minimal techno groove of classical French cookery.” During the Pride set however Lynks actively acknowledged the more salacious aspects of their set, in particular the song ‘(What Did You Expect From) Sex With A Stranger’ stating that his aunt was in the audience listening.
Most, though not all of the set featured tracks from the new debut full-length 2024 album ‘Abomination’, released in April this year. Rather than list tracks I urge you to download or purchase a hard copy of the album in your preferred listening medium at the earliest opportunity. Lynks can be next seen at the Green Man Festival, followed by an appearance at Shambala.
Lynks setlist:
‘Abomination’
‘Pedestrian At Best’ (Courtney Barnett cover)
‘CPR’
‘(What Did You Expect From) Sex With A Stranger’
‘How To Make A Béchamel Sauce In 10 Steps (With Pictures)’
‘New Boyfriend’
‘Everyone’s Hot (And I’m Not)’
‘Use It Or Lose It’
‘Str8 Acting’
‘Silly Boy’
S CLUB (Fabuloso Main Stage from 6:40pm)
Originally ‘S Club 7’ the band were formed in 1998 by Simon Fuller after he was fired by the Spice Girls. Breaking up in 2003 after the departure of Paul Cattermole (who died last year of heart failure), only to reunite again in 2014 and 2023. The group reunited for a 25th anniversary tour after Cattermole’s death without Hannah Spearritt, who departed in 2023 just before the tour commenced. The remaining members changed their name to ‘S Club’.
The band has sold more than 10 million albums worldwide, a staggering amount for the ‘Bubblegum Pop’ group who never really seemed to go away entirely. We caught the first four songs from their set before returning to the Queer/ Alt Stage to watch Peaches headline.
Seeming strangely preserved in time, but also older, the remaining members gamely performed the songs that they have been singing since their late teens. Still able to deliver the light bouncy tracks they are best known for as well as the dance routines, they must by now be able to perform in their sleep backwards, the group fell back into the stage school smiles with ease. The four tracks we saw were ‘S Club Party’, ‘Love Ain’t Gonna Wait For You’, ‘You’re My Number One’ and ‘Sunshine’. Always crowd pleasers they provided something for everyone in front of the main stage audience. For those that are wondering what the full S Club set was, it’s listed below.
S Club setlist:
‘S Club Party’
‘Love Ain’t Gonna Wait For You’
‘You’re My Number One’
‘Sunshine’
‘You’
‘Stronger’
‘Bring The House Down’
‘Friday Night’
‘Don’t Stop Movin’’
‘Bring It All Back’
‘Two In A Million’
‘Alive’
‘Never Had A Dream Come True’
‘Reach’
PEACHES (Queer/Alt Stage 7:00pm – 8:10pm)
The headliner appearing for the first year of the Queer/Alt stage is a legend for the LGBTQIA+ music scene and wider community who has been performing since 1990. Undoubtedly inspiring acts like Lynks and many, many others ‘Peaches’ (aka Merrill Nisker) is one of those extraordinary artists that comes along who is now referred to on a one-word basis, she is now quite simply ‘Peaches’. The rapper, singer, and producer also features as a guest vocalist on many other artists’ albums and has appeared in films. Never one to pull punches probably her most referenced track ‘F*ck The Pain Away’ from her second album ‘The Teaches Of Peaches’ released in 2000 remains a perennial on dance floors, soundtracks and playlists worldwide. The song established her identity as a sex-positive feminist by disregarding gender norms and using sexually explicit lyrics.
Originally advertised as a DJ set, we were over the moon when we arrived to find a pared-down version of the staging Peaches uses for a live set. We wouldn’t believe it until Peaches took the stage in full costume, one of the many changes during the whole set. Peaches is renowned for her stage shows, often more set art pieces than straight forward stage frequently pushing societal and gender norms and flipping things on their head there is never a dull moment in a Peaches set, even on the parred down version of the current stage set, up you can never truly be 100% sure of what to expect, even if you know her act well. Not only did Peaches deliver a full high-energy live set, but she also played a wholly unexpected fourteen songs. If you have not as yet enjoyed the pure pleasure that is Peaches, then I encourage you to do so at your earliest opportunity.
Peaches setlist:
‘Vaginoplasty’ (from 2015 ‘Rub’ album)
‘I U She’ (from 2003 ‘Father F*cker’ album)
‘AA XXX’ (from 2000 ‘The Teaches Of Peaches’ album)
‘Flip This’ (a 2020 single)
‘Hit It Hard’ (from 2006 ‘Impeach My Bush’ album)
‘Operate’ (from 2003 ‘Father F*cker’ album)
‘Rub’ (from 2015 ‘Rub’ album)
‘Pickles’ (from 2015 ‘Rub’ album)
‘Boys Wanna Be Her’ (from 2006 ‘Impeach My Bush’ album)
‘Dick In The Air’ (from 2015 ‘Rub’ album)
‘Mommy Complex’ (from 2009 ‘I Feel Cream’ album)
‘F*ck The Pain Away’ (from 2000 ‘The Teaches Of Peaches’ album)
‘Private Dancer’ (Tina Turner cover)
(encore)
‘Lovertits’ (from 2000 ‘The Teaches Of Peaches’ album).
PRINCESS SUPERSTAR (Partybag! Takeover Stage 8:30pm – 9:00pm)
We caught the tail end of the NYC dance hall legend that is Kevin Aviance finishing off his DJ Set just as we arrived to catch ‘Princess Superstar’.
We had planned to see if it was possible to catch Princess Superstar after when she suggested that’s who everyone should go and see after she had finished.
The American rapper and DJ is best known for her tracks ‘Perfect’ and ‘Bad Babysitter’. The former track is probably best remembered for the video accompanying the ‘Perfect (Exceeder) Mason and Princess Superstar’ version as well as the remixed version of the track which was everywhere in 2007. A ridiculously short and under-attended set, Princess Superstar still performed as though the tent were full to bursting. Riotous good fun, the set put wide grins on our faces as we skipped away singing the lyrics to ‘Bad Babysitter’, the icing on the cake of a great day at Pride.
Next year’s Pride will be taking place on Saturday 2nd and Sunday 3rd August 2025. Limited pre-sale tickets are available now for ‘Fabuluso’ which is Brighton & Hove Pride’s 2-day official fundraiser event – details HERE.
