RANDOM SIGHTS + SOUNDS

I can't believe it's been forty years since the release of Bronski Beat's "Smalltown Boy", a distressing lament of a young man looking back on having to leave home because he's gay. This openly queer British band named after keyboard player, Steve Bronski also featured Larry Steinbachek on percussion and vocalist, Jimmy Sommerville released this 1984 single at a time when gay themes were beginning to appear in mainstream music and films although largely in Europe as the US was still many years behind seriously engaging in such discourse in pop culture. In between their songs of heartbreak, Bronski Beat also offered some much needed queer pride and political defiance to the music scene. 

When I first heard "Smalltown Boy", I was shocked and ecstatic to hear something I could connect with expressed so vividly and direct. While I personally didn't have this experience, I could fully understand and actually knew people who were having to go through this trauma. And while we have made some great advances since this song's release, sadly "Smalltown Boy" still resonates with gay people who feel forced to leave their homes in order to be their authentic selves.

Their first album, "The Age of Consent" (which also featured another hit, "Why?") was their only album together with Sommerville leaving in 1985 to join another band, The Communards before going on to have a solo career. But Bronski Beat continued on with a couple of new lead singers over the years and a popular 1985 dance track, "Hit That Perfect Beat" before coming to an official end in 2018. Here are Bronski Beat's first two singles, with both reaching the top ten on the UK pop chart:





To celebrate Pride month, here is some new music by gay musicians: Adam Lambert has a sexy new single, "Lube" from his upcoming EP which will feature an exploration of queer sexuality and liberation as well as providing vocals to a special dance track from Vincint, "Another Lover" that will appear on his upcoming EP; an up-and-coming artist, Benjamin Elgar with his new single, "Shameless"; Ben Platt, who first found fame on the Broadway stage with his Tony Award winning role in "Dear Evan Hansen", has released his third studio album, "Honeymind" with the romantic video for the single, "Cherry on Top" features his fiancé, fellow actor, Noah Galvin And "A New Bohemia", the third single from Pet Shop Boys' latest album, "Nonetheless" which is a lovely ballad with the video directed by filmmaker, Andrew Haigh ("Weekend", "All of Us Strangers") and features actor, Russell Tovey:

And a new biopic, "Back to Black" is out in theaters now on the brief yet tumultuous life and career of the electrifying British vocalist, Amy Winehouse. Named after her breakthrough, international hit 2006 album and directed by Sam Taylor-Johnson, the film tends to fall into the standard beats of a contemporary cinematic biography yet it remains thoroughly entertaining with star, Marisa Abela convincingly portraying the complicated pop singer. But in the film, I discovered why Winehouse's 2003 debut album, "Frank" never reached these shores until after her follow-up became a mega success including winning the Grammy Award for Album of the Year.

While "Frank" had generated interest and awards in Britain and throughout Europe, the label still didn't feel it was just enough to warrant an expanded release, leaving Winehouse pissed and frustrated. Having loved "Black", I quickly got my hands on the album (which the title is indeed a reference to Sinatra who was one of Winehouse's early musical influences) as soon as I could, really enjoying it's singular blend of jazz, neo-soul and hip-hop. Yet I do tend to agree that the overall album was not nearly as cohesive and persuasive as "Back to Black". There are definitely some standout tracks with my favorites being "Stronger Than Me" and "Fuck Me Pumps":