If you haven’t already, I strongly recommend that you read my review of my first-ever experience of Brighton Pride (available at https://rhysreviews.com/2023/08/08/brighton-pride-day-one-experience-review/) which was based mostly in the cabaret stage watching a wonderful array of drag performers. Due to this fact, I was able to evade the torrential terrible rain that plagued the event as the cabaret stage was one of the few venues to be undercover. While day one mostly took place on the cabaret stage, the majority of day had me standing amongst the hordes of people watching for the headline acts to grace the main stage.
The first act to officially open the main stage was one of the most successful bands to come from Ireland B*witched. I have to admit that going into their performance I didn’t know now how successful they really were and if challenged I would probably only be able to name one song (which I will come to later!) The set started with one of the performers talking about how Brighton holds a special place in their hearts as it was the place that made their family feel safe and welcomed. One of my favourite tracks in their set would have to be their rendition of an Abba medley that was performed back at the Brit Awards in 1999 alongside Billie Piper, Tina Cousins, Cleopatra and Steps (who I will also talk about later) which had the audience singing and dancing to their heart’s content. This was a fantastic way to start the final day of pride as the energy of the crowd instantly lifted as iconic musical motifs echoed through Preston Park. As previously mentioned I really only knew one specific song by B*witched which is the iconic C’est La Vie and this track had the audience going absolutely crazy! This is a song one of the most played tracks whenever me and my friends create party playlists and so to see this song amplified to a massive crowd of fans was extremely exciting. What was clever however is that the band decided to cleverly mix this song with Galway Girl by Ed Sheeran which really hammered home the Irish influences of b*witched themselves!
Despite not appearing on the lineup for the main stage itself, one of the acts I was most excited to see at Brighton Pride was the wonderfully eccentric Lynks who has made a name for themselves creating queer-centric dance/electric tracks while wearing his iconic drag-infused outfits and classic face mask! While this is not the type of music I usually like to listen to, their music is created in such a way that makes you want to dance while the lyrics are the perfect blend of satire and political messages. On top of the genius creation of the songs themselves, Lynks and their dancers delivered constant high energy, sensual choreography which was a spectacle to watch live! My favourite performance from this set would have to be Silly Boy which is a satirical commentary on toxic ‘straight’ masculinity as it talks about the adage boys will be boys, going out to fight and mistreating women. My favourite lyric however would have to be “Nobody cares that you’ve watched pulp fiction” as everyone on the stage busted out the iconic dance from said movie. The fact that Lynks and his team were able to create a full-on production spectacular with just a sparkly sofa (which I want for my home) is absolutely incredible and goes to showcase the true extent of talent on the stage!
Almost four years ago British drag race was gagged when it was announced that the iconic Ru Paul’s drag race would be branching out to create a British version of the show. The eventual winner of the first-ever season was the iconic the Vivienne who was since gone on to appear on a plethora of TV shows including the Bridge hosted by Ross Kemp, dancing on Ice and master chief. Most noticeably however she was the first international queen to appear on the all-winner version of drag race all-stars where she showed that British queens can hold their own against the highest calibre of American drag! She even paid homage to her appearance on all-stars season seven when she performed the song “Bitch in heels” by Dianne Warwick which is the song she performed on the show during the talent show challenge. This sassy song worked perfectly on stage as the Vivienne strutted up and down the stage alongside her guitarist Ryan Keen (who also accompanied Danny Beard in a recent tour which you can read about at https://rhysreviews.com/2023/06/11/danny-beard-performance-review/) Her act at Brighton Pride began in a hilarious fashion as she stole a microphone to introduce herself in the style of Jennifer Coolidge which the audience went wild for! This performance came to an end with an incredible rendition of I would do anything for Love by Meatloaf which not only was emotional due to the recent passing of this iconic artists but was also likened to the fight for LGBT rights!
If you know me in real life then you will know that one of my favourite celebrity interaction stories is the night I went clubbing with John Barrowman, Matt Evers and H from Steps. What started as a normal Tuesday night karaoke event ended up with us all thrown into a makeshift VIP section in a different club with our own personal bouncer making sure that the ordinary clubgoers could not invade our space. Having seen John Barrowman perform previously I know he was a very energetic and eccentric person and Matt Evers was the same, whereas H was much more calm and subdued. Although I am aware of the impact the band Steps has had for many years, I have never actually sat down to watch one of their performances so this interaction made me wonder what H would be like on stage and day two of Brighton Pride gave me all the answers! Steps were the headline act of the final day and so the excitement in the air was palpable as the amazing Clair Richards, the icon Lisa Scott-Lee, the amazing Lee Latchford-Evans, the brilliant Faye Tozer and my friend H graced the stage and from the moment they stepped onto to the moment they stepped off the stage the audience went wild! Steps had brought with them a fabulous selection of their greatest hits that had the audience screaming the lyrics at the top of their lungs. My personal favourite tracks were Tragedy and 5, 6, 7, 8 as it tapped into a wonderful sense of nostalgia as everyone busted out the iconic dance moves. The audience were also treated to some previously unseen covers as the gang performed Rain on Me and a snippet of Unholy which was an absolutely perfect choice for the audience at Pride! On top of all this, we were also treated to a virtual appearance from the drag race judge Michelle Visage as she landed her voice for the song her and Steps created last year called Heartbreak in this city. While Steps are known for their high-energy, dance-centric pop tracks they also made sure to pay their respects to the queer community including an extremely powerful speech (followed by an emotionally powerful performance) dedicated to the LGBT+ community. While Steps was a band I never thought I would be able to see live, this act was the perfect way to end the Brighton Pride weekend!
Overall, my experience of the second day of Brighton Pride was mostly focused on showcasing established and world-famous acts. Both B*witched and Steps were two nostalgic acts that I never thought I would see performed live but both of them delivered wonderfully entertaining acts. My personal highlight was finally seeing the eccentric Lynks live as they delivered an extremely sensual and intensely high energy (that I was tired just watching, never mind performing) that was an absolute spectacle to watch! I would rate day two of Brighton Pride 5 out of 5 stars!
Rhysreviews 
2 Comments