Category: Blog Page

The Age of Consent 40

19 October 2024, 6.30pm and 9.30pm, Queen Elizabeth Hall

Forty years on, Bronski Beat’s defiant debut album, The Age of Consent, is reimagined by queer and trans artists of today at a one-off concert. And just like the original, The Pink Singers will be there to provide backing singers.

Tonight’s show features a powerhouse line-up including Luca Manning, Planningtorock, Tom Rasmussen plus more to be announced, alongside a specially curated queer house band, performing bold new arrangements of the record.

An unashamed portrait of radical queerness in 1980s Britain, The Age of Consent was a pivotal moment in LGBTQIA+ cultural history.

Jimmy Somerville, Steve Bronski and Larry Steinbachek took the charts by storm with era-defining hits ‘Smalltown Boy’ and ‘Why’, and their new brand of bold, political synth-pop.Under Thatcher’s repressive Conservative government, against the backdrop of the miners’ strike and the early onset of the AIDS crisis, this music acted as a beacon of hope for a generation of disenfranchised LGBTQIA+ youth.

When recording the album, Bronski Beat needed some backing vocals and reached out to the newly-formed Pink Singers. We are thrilled to be asked to play a role in celebrating the legacy and ongoing message of this seminal album four decades later.

For one night only, The Chateau presents this piece of musical and political history from 1980s Britain, live and reimagined through the voices of ground-breaking queer and trans contemporary artists.

A musical celebration, and a collective call to action for the work still to be done in the fight for queer and trans liberation. Plus, join us for a free after-party in the Queen Elizabeth Hall Foyer following the event in the Queen Elizabeth Hall.

With current anti-trans legislation and rhetoric in the press, and the ongoing battle to ban conversion therapy, the fight for LGBTQIA+ rights continues. Against this backdrop, The Age of Consent is presented 40 years on, with its message still more relevant than ever.

Luca Manning is an artist who embraces sound as an embodied force, rooted in her fascination for the voice as a vehicle for expression. She has opened for artists Jools Holland, Holysseus Fly and Tom Rasmussen, and has performed in jazz clubs including Ronnie Scott’s as well as queer spaces.

Tallinn-based singer-songwriter, composer, producer, DJ and director Planningtorock has spent over a decade queering sound and sharing visions. They have four critically acclaimed studio albums of queer dance to their name, and have collaborated with artists including Lady Gaga, Robyn, Christine and the Queens and Romy.

Tom Rasmussen is a London-based artist and prominent figure in the LGBTQIA+ community, known for their dark dance music that blends pop, queer club culture, and their experiences as a former drag performer. Their debut album, Body Building, was released in 2023 to critical acclaim.

BUY TICKETS

Standard entry from £25.00 (plus £3.50 booking fee)
Early Show: Doors 6pm / Show 6.30pm
Late Show: Doors 9pm / Show 9.30pm
Afterparty: 11pm – 1am in QEH Foyer (free entry to ticket holders)

Book as early as you can to ensure the best choice of tickets. Ticket prices may be adjusted without notice to reflect demand. Age guidance: For ages 14+. Concessions 25% (Limited availability)

Bronski Beat | South Bank Centre

Read more about how The Pink Singers recorded the backing vocals on Age of Consent here.

Launch of the ‘Sing it Pink’ Podcast

Aunt Nell Ltd has launched the new trailer for their upcoming documentary podcast Sing It Pink – The Story of The Pink Singers. 

The series tells the story of London and Europe’s longest-running LGBTQ+ choir, The Pink Singers, who celebrated their 40th-anniversary last year. 

The podcast will share the group’s diverse journey that reflects 40 years of change and growth for queer communities in the UK, as well as unlocking hidden stories of LGBTQ+ grassroots community music making from the 1980s to today. 

The highly-produced, multi-voice documentary draws from archive news clippings, live recordings and first-person testimonials, as well as interviews with members of the choir past and present. Episodes will feature the following stories: 

  • The founding of the choir in 1983, and the queer grassroots music scene in the 80s
  • Performing at Stonewall and Terrence Higgins Trust benefits and in London Lighthouse wards at the height of the HIV-AIDS crisis
  • The diversity of the choir, from women’s rights and inclusion, to the group’s first trans members 
  • Interviews with musical directors past and present on arranging music for queer and trans voices
  • The choir’s activism in the UK and abroad, including travels to India to march against Section 337, marching in Warsaw and Kyiv Pride 2022, and at London Trans+ Pride 
  • Love, marriage, and the story of LGBTQ+ relationships today told by members of the choir

The series is produced by Rachel Byrne, with assistant producer Marnie Woodemeade, and the executive producers are Tash Walker and Adam Zmith for Aunt Nell, and Chris Scales for the Pink Singers. Tash and Adam previously produced The Log Books, a documentary series that tells the story of Britain’s queer history through handwritten notes made by volunteers at Switchboard. The Log Books won Gold in the Best New Podcast category at the British Podcast Awards 2020.

Tash Walker, Co-director and Co-founder of Aunt Nell, said: 

We’re so thrilled to partner with the Pink Singers to tell the full story—in intimate audio—of their incredible history. We’ve made it our mission to produce timeless podcasts filled with improbable connections and human stories.

When we heard about the powerful story of the Pink Singers, and the depth of their archive, we knew it would make for an extraordinary podcast series.

Sing It Pink has been carefully and lovingly crafted by producer Rachel Byrne. We’re so grateful to the choir for working with Rachel and trusting us all to make something special.”

The podcast comes as The Pink Singers received a National Lottery Heritage Fund grant of £94,625 for their Sing It Loud, Sing It Queer project, which will archive and celebrate the 40-year history of the choir, working with the Bishopsgate Institute.

The National Lottery Heritage Fund’s Dynamic Collections campaign has also funded a short documentary film made with Happenstance Films titled A Magical Journey of Queerness, showcasing a brand-new composition to celebrate their anniversary year. In addition the choir has also released a new album of their early live recordings, The Pink Singers: Hope Machine.

Chris Scales, Chair of the Pink Singers at 40 Project, said: 

Forty years on, despite great progress for some, others in our community are still fighting for their right to even exist. Raising up our voices together in song for what we believe in feels more important than ever, and by learning about the trailblazers who led the way before us I hope we can find hope and inspiration to build a better future”.

We’re excited to unlock the story of the Pink Singers and look back on our journey, from a small gay group singing for our rights, to a diverse choir of over 90 LGBTQIA+ people today. This new series shines a light on the many wonderful ‘Pinkies’ who have sung with us over the decades, uncovering their grassroots queer activism and bravery striving for a better world in difficult times.

The Trailer for Sing It Pink – The Story of The Pink Singers will be available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Acast and more on 12th July 2024.

Tickets for The Pink Singers’ summer concert – “Everything’s Coming Up Pinkies A Musical Theatre  Spectacular” are out now.

Performing at London Lighthouse, January 1991

Recruitment: Trustee

We are recruiting for the position of trustee to commence September 2024. Please see the role description and requirements below. A PDF version of the role description can be found here.

Renumeration: Non-remunerated but The Pink Singers will pay reasonable travel and other expenses.
Start Date: September 2024
Duration: Three year term, renewable once.

About Us

The Pink Singers is the longest running LGBTQ+ choir in Europe. The choir was established in 1983 to march in London’s Gay & Lesbian Pride and we’ve been singing, marching and campaigning ever since. Our aim is to share the joy of music within our community in the UK and around the world and use our voices to raise awareness of LGBT+ issues and fight for equality.

More information including our charitable aims can be found here.

Key Responsibilities

  • Attend monthly trustee meetings and contribute to discussion bringing your particular skills or experience to the table.
  • Support the volunteer leadership team who run the choir with advice and support.
  • Lead on actions or workstreams, engaging with volunteer working groups from the choir members where needed.
  • Be a visible and responsible representative of the charity and choir.
  • Ensure the charity operates in line with its constitution and meets its legal and financial duties as set out by the Charity Commission.

What we offer in return


Community – First and foremost, joining us as a trustee means becoming a ‘Pinkie’ and being part of a hundred-strong community of beautiful, diverse, inspirational LGBTQ+ people and allies who come together to sing, share and spread joy. We are our own chosen family.

Impact – As a trustee you get to influence the high-level and long-term direction of the choir and ensure that it is meeting its charitable objectives to share the joy of music among the LGBTQ+ community and raise awareness of LGBTQ+ rights. Our choir makes a real difference to people’s lives in the UK and around the world.

Growth – The trustees are a friendly and supportive group of seven people, all with skills which we are happy to share. The role would give you the opportunity to develop things such as leadership, governance, management, finance and communications skills and also increase your experience in the music, performing arts and charity sectors. We are happy to mentor people with little or no experience of being a trustee.

Essential Requirements

  • Excellent communication skills with the ability to challenge and question decisions and operational processes.
  • Willingness to learn to about charity governance.

Desirable Requirements

  • Experience managing sizeable budgets and operations.
  • Experience of fundraising.
  • Experience of marketing.
  • Experience of developing business strategy.
  • Knowledge of the charity sector.

We particularly encourage applications from women, the trans and non-binary
community and ethnic minorities.

Expectations

We expect our trustees to:

  • adhere to The Pink Singers vision, values and constitution.
  • be committed to equality and inclusion for everyone.
  • abide by The Seven Principles of Public Life: selflessness, integrity, objectivity accountability, openness, honesty and leadership.

Application

If you are interested in applying for this role, please fill out our brief application form here or if you have any questions, please send an email to Chris at
trustee.ccliaison@pinksingers.co.uk.

We look forward to welcoming you into the Pinkie family!

Everything’s Coming Up Pinkies: A Musical Theatre Spectacular

Concert: Saturday 20 July 2024, Cadogan Hall, Sloane Square.

Concert: Saturday 20 July 2024, Cadogan Hall, Sloane Square.

BUY TICKETS

Join the Pink Singers, Europe’s longest-running LGBT+ choir, at Cadogan Hall for a celebration of all things musical theatre!

‘Everything’s Coming Up Pinkies’ will feature songs from a range of musicals, including A Chorus Line, Company, Les Misérables, and Cabaret as well as a celebration of queer musical theatre stories with songs from Rent, Fun Home, Kinky Boots, The Color Purple, and many more.

This concert will be conducted by Olivia Doust, the Pink Singers’ newly appointed Musical Director and will feature a guest performance from Ballet in the Park. 

You won’t want to miss this singing and dancing spectacular so get your tickets now! VIP tickets include a free programme, glass of bubble and slice of rainbow cake!

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Duration: approx. 2 hours (including a 20 minute interval) 

John Flinders, Accompanist, to leave the Pink Singers

We are very sad to announce that our wonderful accompanist, John Flinders, will be leaving us. This coming season will be his last after being with us since October 2011. 

For 13 years, John has helped elevate our vocal skills with his phenomenal work in the music team. Not only has he supported us by keeping us in tune each week in rehearsals, but he has guided us through tremendously challenging repertoires and arrangements with care and incredible precision. For this we are eternally grateful. 

 “My time with the Pink Singers has been a thrilling experience and I have so many happy memories that I will treasure. I have played music that I would never otherwise have known, in world-class arrangements by our own arrangers; I have visited and given concerts in countries that I had never imagined visiting, and met wonderful people, in the Pink Singers and in other choirs, that I would never otherwise have encountered.” – John 

The Pink Singers wish John an abundance of good fortune and luck in the future. He has been a truly unique, caring and guiding asset to us all and we are so thankful for everything he has given to us. We hope to see him soon at future concerts, cheering us on in the audience.

We will miss you, John! Lots of Pinkie love, always.

Photo credit: Neil Cordell