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":

RANDOM SIGHTS + SOUNDS

Neil Tennant and Chris Lowe, collectively known as Pet Shop Boys, have been creating music together since 1981. Throughout this time, the British music duo have never strayed too far from their original sound: electronic dance music. Pet Shop Boys have just announced their upcoming fifteenth studio album, "Nonetheless", due out in April. With producer, James Ford, the Boys continue to explore the diverse emotions that makes us human through dance-oriented beats and their sound has expanded to include orchestral string arrangements. The first single, "Loneliness" from the album takes me back to the time of their breakout song, "West End Girls" which will be celebrating the fortieth anniversary of the original dance club version with the song re-recorded two years later and becoming a worldwide pop music smash.



Here is a collection of recent dance songs which includes the latest from Charli XCX (with a wild, crazy music video that I love); the inspired pairing of Sia and Kylie Minogue; another sexual, dance-floor ditty by Kim Petras from her recent EP, "Slut Pop Miami", a sequel to her 2022 release; Olly Alexander of Years & Years just dropped a romantic, beat heavy track and the latest dance anthem from the queer performer, Vincint.

Miley Cyrus has dropped a new song yet it's not actually new. Back in 2013, Cyrus teamed up musician, Pharrell Williams during the recording of her "Bangerz" album where the pop star played with a more musically funky style. An outtake from those sessions, "Doctor (Work It Out)" has just been released. Why is this song seeing the light of day at this particular moment in time? Who knows and who really cares because "Doctor" sounds just as fresh as if it were recorded yesterday. For the music video, Cyrus seems to be channeling  Las Vegas showgirls who stomped on the casino stages like Ann-Margaret and Lola Falana (look 'em up) back in the '70's, right down to the choreography. 

Frankie Goes to Hollywood burst on to the music scene back in 1983 with the song, "Relax" which not only topped the charts in their native Britain but became an international sensation. But what made this band really stand out beyond their popular music was that they were unapologetically queer, which was not at all common by pop artists to reveal at this time. Two following singles, "Two Tribes" and "The Power of Love" impressively also reached number one on the UK pop chart . Not long after this incredible success, Frankie Goes to Hollywood imploded and went their separate ways in 1987. In the recent film, "All of Us Strangers", filmmaker, Andrew Haigh effectively uses Frankie's ballad, "The Power of Love" to close out his deeply moving dramatic fantasy about loss and acceptance. Haigh has stated that this song was an important part of his music playlist from his youth in the '80's during a time when he was trying  to come to terms with love and his identity as a gay teenager.

RANDOM SIGHTS + SOUNDS

In the summer of 2017, Calvin Harris released "Funk Wav Bounces, Vol. 1", a dance-pop-hip-hop collection that featured a number of impressive all-star vocalists which included Frank Ocean, Katy Perry, Travis Scott, Nicki Minaj and Ariana Grande. This volume proved to be a big global success with five hit singles. Now the Scottish DJ/producer feels it's time for a follow-up volume with "Funk Wav Bounces, Vol. 2". This is his first studio album in five years and due out later this summer. The first single, "Potion" has just dropped and features Brit-pop star, Dua Lipa and rapper, Young Thug. This funky Caribbean-flavored track teams Harris with Lipa for the first time since their smash hit, "One Kiss" back in 2018 while Young Thug appeared on the track, "Heatstroke" with Pharrell Williams and Grande from the first volume.



June is LGBTQ+ Pride month and to celebrate, here is a collection of talented artists, spanning different musical genres, who also happen to be out and proudly queer:













And while I do not watch "Stranger Things", I have heard that the show's current fourth season has used Kate Bush's 1985 tune, "Running Up The Hill (A Deal With God)" to great effect, helping to propel this song back up the charts across the globe. The song was Bush's highest charting in the US, reaching number thirty on the pop chart in it's initial run but now the British artist has her very first top-ten hit here. I have long admired the work of Kate Bush with her bold experimental style and offbeat sonic textures. And I loved the video for "Running Up The Hill" which features the singer performing interpretive dance. Alt-rock performer, Meg Myers had released her version of Bush's song in 2019 (and her cover is also benefiting from this resurgence) which maintains the spirit of the original yet is still distinctly innovative.