‘VARIOUS ARTISTS’ – ‘BRIGHTON & HOVE PRIDE’, PRESTON PARK, BRIGHTON 6.8.23 (DAY TWO)
The report below is about the choice happenings on Day Two of Pride. If you missed our review of Day One from Saturday 5th August, then simply click HERE.
It’s my first time at Brighton Pride’s Fabuloso event in Preston Park, slightly on principle. To most, Pride is either a protest for LGBT rights or a celebration of how far we’ve already come, and the slow decline of free events during Brighton Pride has firmly placed the event in the latter category.
Equality isn’t an unworthy thing to celebrate, of course, but it’s been frustrating for many of us in the community to be priced out of an event that’s meant to be for us. Given all this, I was nervous that Fabuloso would be nothing but corporate, more Tesco floats than pride flags, but I’ll happily admit I was wrong.
Yes, there were corporate stalls and overpriced food, but something that struck me was how respectful all the allies in attendance were, on and off stage. Everyone really did seem to treat the space and the guests around them with warmth. I saw people fixing the glitter and complimenting the outfits of strangers with the care you’d give to a friend.
Main stage artists like Louise and Melanie C exemplified this attitude brilliantly, both expressing authentic gratitude for their LGBT fanbases.
I wasn’t all that familiar with Louise’s music, but her joyful attitude while performing and steadfast pop hooks seemed ideal for the sunshiny stage. An understated stage presence with just a few backup singers gave Louise a humble sort of universal appeal, while shining a spotlight on a belting voice that could impress from right at the back of the field. Audiences both young and old quickly got in the groove for her brief but upbeat set.
Louise setlist:
‘Super Magic’
‘So Good’ (Eternal song) (Reimagined mix)
‘Stay’ (Eternal song) (Reimagined mix)
‘Naked’ (Reimagined mix)
‘In Walked Love’ (Reimagined mix)
‘Together Again’ (Janet Jackson cover)
‘Just A Step From Heaven’ (Eternal song) (Reimagined mix)
‘Let’s Go Round Again’ (Average White Band cover) (Reimagined mix)
‘Arms Around The World’ (Reimagined mix)
For pride-goers looking to keep the tunes coming between main stage sets, you couldn’t ask for better than the PolyGlamorous dance tent. PolyGlam is a queerly beloved staple in Brighton nightlife, characterised by a rotation of go-go dancers and monthly colour themes that its ever-growing crowd go all out to obey. Their organisation of the dance tent fit their ethos perfectly; think screaming colour, body diversity, and non-stop beats in genres ranging from hyperpop to 00s R&B.
A personal highlight was the Chocolate Box set, a celebration of Brighton’s Black drag performers previously hosted at Club Revenge. Soundtracked by DJ Mimi, the cool confidence of drag hosts Raine and Tyler Nol seemed infectious to the crowd. Revenge, if you’re reading this, please bring this night back! Scarlett Shaney of local sapphic-centric club night Gal Pals also maintained a roster of modern dance classics.
The performers at the smaller stages weren’t to be underestimated either. Lynks, for example, turned out a loyal crowd with their showmanship (a very gendered term but we move) and self-aware approach to dance-pop.
Lynks is everything homophobes make us all out to be: absurd, catty, and irreverently horny – and they’re loving every minute of it. New single ‘Use It Or Lose It’ blends open desire with layers of existentialism, all under a thumping nightclub beat that bores into your soul and warms it like the bright lights of your favourite dance spot.
Then, for reasons only Lynks likely knows, they perform a song about making a Béchamel sauce very, very suggestively. Their fresh approach to the club banger proves that queer people really do contain multitudes.
Shoutouts are also due to Lynx Shower Gel, the aforementioned singer’s backing dancers who stormed the stage in leather, mesh and very little else and never once relented in their energy. This trio had bills to pay and they came to earn, embodying club kid culture with charisma and drama.
Lynks setlist:
‘Hey Joe (Relax)’
‘Use It Or Lose It’
‘Pedestrian At Best’ (Courtney Barnett cover)
‘Everyone’s Hot (And I’m Not)’
‘Silly Boy’
‘How To Make A Béchamel Sauce In 10 Steps (With Pictures)’
‘Str8 Acting’
Back at the main stage, the sun was starting to set and a more seated crowd were gathering for the really big names of the day. Melanie C’s set garnered huge crowds, because obviously – who’s missing that?! Mel C’s voice truly has not changed in years.
Being team Sporty Spice I’m probably biased, and my Baby Spice-loving girlfriend may disagree, but her voice was one of the more resonant in a group setting. It’s clear that she still maintains that power almost thirty years into her career. Mel C is a consummate performer whose vocal gravitas makes her almost perfect headliner material. Mel made a comment about being apprehensive to fill the huge main stage alone, but both her and her audience knew that her genuine love of the music she makes could stand alone.
Her more recent songs have definitely evolved with the landscape of pop music, with entries to her set inspired by the rave revival we’re undergoing as well as the drum machines and tropical synths that fill DJ sets in Love Island season. There was even a vaguely Alanis-Morissette-esque acoustic track that let her show the snarlier side to her voice, filled with righteous anger. Something else I noticed during this set that really brought me joy was Fabuloso’s use of an interpreter, giving customers of all abilities the opportunity to spice up their life.
Melanie C setlist:
‘Anymore’
‘Blame It On Me’
‘Gypsy Woman’ (Crystal Waters cover)
‘Never Be The Same Again’
‘Overload’
‘Touch Me’ (Rui Da Silva feat. Cassandra cover)
‘Goin’ Down’ (Acoustic, shortened)
‘Northern Star’ (Acoustic)
‘When You’re Gone’ (Bryan Adams cover) (Acoustic, shortened)
‘Spice Up Your Life’ (Spice Girls song) (Acoustic, shortened)
‘2 Become 1’ (Spice Girls song)
‘Who Do You Think You Are’ (Spice Girls song)
‘I Turn To You’
By the time headliners Steps arrived, the entire festival seemed firmly parked around the main stage. With a brief introduction from drag host The Vivienne, who had proven herself a charming entertainer in her own right earlier with her own main stage performance, the stage lit up in anticipation of the bubblegum pop hitmakers.
Steps’ set was a fundamental throwback, right down to the late-90s neon colours that heralded their entry.
Opening track ‘Love’s Got A Hold On My Heart’ filled Preston Park with a insistent, syrup-sweet beat characteristic of the Eurodance era, and the infectious joy of the band spread fast. More than that, though, Steps’ performance summed up the general vibe of Brighton Pride more than anything else I’d seen that evening.
Their outfits of rainbow fringing were delightfully camp, and the fact that they wouldn’t look out of place in the crowd itself showed Steps to be understanding of the community they were performing for.
Brighton Pride aims to be an event that can bring joy to all, and even the most melancholic of us can’t help but mime along to their ‘Tragedy’ dance routine.
Steps setlist:
‘Love’s Got A Hold On My Heart’
‘Neon Blue’
‘Better Best Forgotten’
‘Something In Your Eyes’
‘5, 6, 7, 8’
‘Last Thing On My Mind’ (Bananarama cover)
‘Tragedy’ (Bee Gees cover)
‘Heartbeat’
‘It’s The Way You Make Me Feel’
‘Summer Of Love’
‘Rain On Me’ (Lady Gaga cover)
‘Here And Now’ / ‘You’ll Be Sorry’ / ‘After The Love Has Gone’
‘Deeper Shade Of Blue’
‘What The Future Holds’
‘Heartbreak In This City’
‘One For Sorrow’
(encore)
‘Scared Of The Dark’ / ‘Unholy’ / ‘Better The Devil You Know’
‘Chain Reaction’ (Diana Ross cover)
‘Stomp’
