The Pinkies are taking to the stage at the historic Spitalfields Market, East London on Sunday 7th December to raise funds for Get Connected, the UK’s only helpline service dedicated to under 25s. One of our altos, Rachel is also a Get Connected Helpline Officer. Here she explains why the cause is so important to her and how she’s lucky to be able to combine two of her passions.
“Wooohoo it’s nearly Christmas! Or bah humbug the Christmas lights are up… kind of depends on how you feel about the festive season. It comes at us from all angles whether we like it or not, but many of us will enjoy some aspect of the occasion or the silliness that Christmas brings. There are some people that will find this time of year particularly hard – maybe because they are homeless on the streets and the cold has become too much, or the family arguments get worse, or the feelings of isolation are increased by everyone else seeming to be having a great time.
That’s why a helpline like Get Connected is so important – open 365 days of the year 1pm-11pm – the volunteers listen and support young people up to the age of 25 to discuss what they are going through and then look for specialist services that may be able to help them further. This year The Pink Singers have decided to support this vital charity at the Connected Christmas event at Spitalfields Market Fun Day on Sunday 7th December for an afternoon of carols and Christmas themed craft activities for all the family.
I am privileged to work for Get Connected and sing with the Pinkies and It’s amazing to be able to bring together two of my passions like this and raise money for such a brilliant cause! Get Connected helped connect more than 150,000 young people in crisis to the support they so desperately needed last year and the demand for our service just keeps on growing. I’d like to say a huge thank you to my fellow singers for giving up their time to raise such vital cash for this fantastic charity”.
Richard Greer, Chair of the Pink Singers, adds:
We’re really excited to be joining forces with Get Connected this festive season – it’s a chance to do something we love for such a good cause!
You can join in the festivities from 11am-4pm it is free admission but all donations are welcome and will go directly to Get Connected. Find out more at www.getconnected.org.uk
Following on from last year’s sell out concert A Night at the Movies, we’re heading back to Cadogan Hall on Saturday 10 January to celebrate some of the most gifted composers, songwriters and entertainers ever to grace our globe. We’ll be performing songs from artists such as U2, Michael Jackson, Joni Mitchell and Edith Piaf, as well as classics from composers including Mozart and Monteverdi. Our special guests are the Mallorca Gay Men’s Chorus. This 40-strong male voice choir, led under the musical direction of Joan Lainez, inject wonderful harmonies and Latin passion into the evening. Buy tickets now online or by calling the Cadogan Hall box office on 020 7730 4500. Legends: homage to the greats Saturday January 10th, 7:00pm Cadogan Hall (nearest tube: Sloane Square) Oh, and don’t forget our charity single with Bright Light Bright Light is now on sale. Buy it now and help raise funds for Elton John AIDS Foundation!
Pop artist Bright Light Bright Light records a charity single with the Pink Singers and it is released in November for World Aids Day.
Since 1983, we Pink Singers have been entertaining and educating through music, from backing Bronski Beat on “The Age of Consent” to performing at No. 10 Downing Street to celebrate equal marriage, as well as the Stonewall Equality Show in 1995 at the Royal Albert Hall.
As the UK’s longest-serving LGBT choir, many of our members have been directly affected by HIV/AIDS, so when pop sensation Bright Light Bright Light suggested that we release a charity single together for World AIDS Day we jumped at the chance.
You can listen to a taster on the SoundCloud stream below, and whilst the single is released on November 24th you can pre-order now so please do. At least 20p from each download will go to the Elton John AIDS foundation. Have a listen and let us know what you think in the comments.
Simon and Hsien have written a bit about how the collaboration came about…
Rod Thomas in Avalon Cafe, Glastonbury 2007 . (Pic: Simon P)
Simon: I think the first time I saw Bright Light Bright Light live was at Glastonbury festival back in 2007 (then performing as Rod Thomas). I’ve been a big fan since, following his work, seeing his performances in London and following his recent move to New York from afar.
One night at a rehearsal of one of our spin off groups Barberfellas, I played one of his songs to Hsien, who then got in touch to suggest we might work together…
Hsien: I’ve been following Bright Light Bright Light for a while now because I love his brand of electronic music. It always occurred to me that combining his considerable vocal talents with those of the Pink Singers would be a collaboration made in heaven, so you can imagine my excitement when Rod said ‘yes’ to the suggestion. I was even more thrilled when he made an offer to record a charity single together for World AIDS Day to raise funds for the Elton John AIDS Foundation.
Performing at the London Lighthouse in 1989
Through singing with the Pink Singers I am well aware how devastating a diagnosis HIV/AIDS can be. In the late 80s the choir was based at the London Lighthouse, a hospice for those with AIDS, and has many stories of friends who were lost there. Even now we have members living with HIV who continue to feel stigmatized outside the choir, so it was a natural fit for us to perform on this single.
Rehearsal day!
Simon: putting the track together was easy – I rustled up some simple vocal arrangements together really quickly, we secured some space at a local school, and about 25 of us from the choir came together to record the choral parts. It was great fun, and we all left with the anthem firmly lodged in our brains…
Hsien: hearing our voice parts being laid down one late summer Saturday afternoon was incredible, and listening to them get expertly mixed into the final track you now hear was truly eye-opening. ‘Everything I Ever Wanted’ has a great upbeat sound, but at the same time there lurks a melancholy tinge; it is that fusion of celebration and regret which makes it so irresistible.”
It is has been a privilege collaborating with a talented singer-songwriter like Rod, and a pleasure hearing the final work come together so brilliantly. We hope that ‘Everything I Ever Wanted’ will raise much needed funds for the Elton John AIDS Foundation, and help support their frontline programmes of work helping those living with or affected by HIV/AIDS.
Philip In the first of a series of blog posts leading up to our next concert, Legends – Homage to the greats, tenor Philip Rescorla explains why David Bowie is his favourite musical legend: Singing “Under Pressure” with the Pinkies at our last concert reminded me that it was my love of music legend David Bowie that once got me thrown out of the Coleherne, a popular and notorious gay pub in Earls Court. My partner Martin, my best friend John and I had got tickets for Bowie’s 1973 world tour which reached Earl’s Court Stadium on 12 May. The shows, which included songs from both his Ziggy Stardust and Aladdin Sane albums, were theatrical affairs with Bowie stripping down to a sumo loincloth, and simulating oral sex on lead guitarist Mick Ronson’s instrument! Bowie concert, May73 To get in the spirit of the occasion we decided to wear make-up just like Bowie did on his album covers and minced gaily into the Coleherne for a pre-gig drinkette. To our bewilderment the barman refused to serve us as “only women wear make-up (sic)”. Oh the irony: the Coleherne had prided itself on attracting a bohemian clientele in the 1930s before becoming a gay pub in the late fifties. In the event we popped into the ABC Café down the road where the tea ladies loved our look. The Coleherne’s attitude was even more bizarre when you remember that Bowie had declared himself bisexual in an interview with Melody Maker in January 1972. Later that year Bowie, with flaming red hair and a skin-tight body-suit, appeared on BBC’s Top of the Pops with his song Starman, watched by 14 million people. Last year, Dylan Jones editor of GC Magazine, published a book arguing that this remains a crucial moment in cultural history. It certainly had a huge impact on the fledgling gay community and made it easier for people to make tentative steps out of the closet, if only as Bowie fans! More recently he has underplayed this aspect of his life but that’s not surprising. Bowie has reinvented himself many times over the years (as musician, style icon, artist and actor) as revealed in a major sold out retrospective at the Victoria and Albert Museum last year. I still play his albums regularly and remember when “Ziggy played guitar” and the Coleherne, now no more, didn’t like men with make-up.
The auditions are over, the new season has started and we have a host of newbies eager to earn their cherry popping rights in time for our next concert in January. But how have the first few weeks of the season been going for our new Pinkies? We asked soprano Alicia, altos Jen and Ali, and bass Paul to spill the beans.
Why did you want to join the Pink Singers?
Ali
Ali: I went to the last concert (Notes from a Small island) and thought the standard of singing was very impressive; I hoped I’d be good enough! Also there was a sense of fun that exuded from the stage and I thought it seemed like a great thing to be part of. Paul:Two years ago, I inadvertently found myself at a party. There was a Pink Singers connection and much of the choir were there. Afterwards, my husband Ben decided to audition. I had too many other commitments at the time, but that’s all changed now and I figured it was my turn to try out!
Paul (left) meeting fellow Pinkies at the newbies’ party
Jenny: I’ve had for like, ever, a bitter feeling of regret not to play music, or sing, or compose or, well, be musically involved. I love music, just, so so so much, I MUST be a musician, you know? I’ve always thought I should sing – add a French accent on top of that, and you’re like, oh oui, oui! I love singing (if someone up there has filmed each time I was alone in my car/bedroom/bathroom… they’ll know). When my friend Rachel, a long-time Pinkie, advertised available spaces in her LGBTQ-friendly choir, I thought, “this is the opportunity I was waiting for.” And I made it happen. Alicia:I’m from Montréal, Québec and moved to London in September. Moving abroad can be pretty scary and I wanted to find my ground as quickly as possible. When I look back at my planning notes, the Pink Singers were at the top of my list!
How did the audition go? Was it a bit like the X Factor..?
Jenny
Jenny:I’m not sure about the X Factor, does the The Voice count? The audition had two parts- singing in a small group and then showing off your own singing skills. The second part freaked me out! There was a really great soprano singer auditioning before me and she sounded awesome. It froze me. I was too scared to sing at the appropriate volume and of course, ended up out of tune. Obviously, my pretty face saved the day. 😉 That wouldn’t have happened on The Voice. Ali:Quite nerve wracking – took me back to doing aural tests in music exams! Paul: The audition was very nerve wracking. I’m not a particularly technical singer and my sight reading is atrocious, but clearly I must have done something right! Having to impress the judges, Simon, Mel and Cheryl – sorry I mean Murray, John and Oli, was no mean feat…
How have your first few weeks at rehearsals been going?
Paul
Paul:The first few weeks have truly been magical. The warmth and welcoming nature of the whole choir has made the process very easy. The repertoire for me is very challenging; some days I wake up in the morning and the first thing that goes through the mind is a German Mozart lyric or a vogue dance move. (I think I’m developing a problem). Last week at rehearsal though, singing ‘And So It Goes’, there was a point where I put down my music, turned my head, listened to the choir and I thought, this is special. I’m proud to be a part of it. Ali:I love the eclectic range of music we sing, it’s part of what attracted me to the Pink Singers. In one rehearsal we’ll be singing Brahms, then Joni Mitchell and learning choreography for River Deep Mountain High! It keeps me on my toes!
Is being in the Pink Singers what you expected so far?
Alicia
Alicia: It’s great – I was very amused at all the similarity with my home choir and also pleased with the structure and differences; it’s teaching me a lot and I feel very supported. I’m looking forward to performing with the group in January!
Jenny: It is hard work, but I’m enjoying the experience a lot! Being part of the choir is fun and rewarding, and no one has ever told me off for being an awful singer! Having to master 19 songs to be able to perform ‘off-copy’ is a lot of pressure, but it’s all worth it and there is incredible joy both in singing and in hearing yourself improve, as well as a great feeling of being part of something bigger. Ali:It was daunting walking into a group of strangers but the welcome from everyone in those first few weeks was amazing and made me feel like I’d found something rather special.
And finally, how was the newbie party?!
Paul:the newbie party didn’t disappoint. I was given a sticker with Northern Ireland on it and the rest of the night, my quest was to unite the Kingdom, so thanks to Hester’s Scotland we made it half way! It was a great way to integrate, not just the newbies but the whole choir with each other.
My lasting memory was at the end of the night as I was making my way down the road towards King’s Cross. Behind me in the distance I could hear a drunken choir’s rendition of ‘My Heart Will Go on’ wafting into the sky. At that moment, I realised that my Sundays are not going to be the same again..!
of the Pops
