Originally staged in 2024 to celebrate the record’s 40th anniversary, The Age of Consent was re-energised, revitalised and reinterpreted tonight by contemporary queer and trans artists. It seems incredible today that when Bronski Beat released their debut album in 1984, the legal age of consent for gay men in the UK was 21, compared to 16 for heterosexuals and lesbians. This disparity was not rectified until 17 years later in 2001.
The video for Smalltown Boy was bold and hard hitting when it appeared from nowhere to hold to account homophobia while addressing the dangers of being gay in 1980s Britain.
The show was introduced by Laurie Belgrave of The Chateau Collective, who would be the band for the evening. A harp, beautifully played throughout the show by Chris Clarke, was joined by percussion, sax, bass and keys before an offstage voice sang the opening of Why. Tom Rasmussen appeared, full bearded and resplendent in his kilt, easily hitting the high notes made famous by Jimmy Somerville. The orchestration was spot on, boosted by pulsating bass and synths.
Between songs, vintage interviews were played with people discussing sexuality and it was very pleasing to know that Margaret Thatcher’s voice can still cause instant booing throughout the auditorium.
With Sans Soucis beautifully reimagining the Gershwins’ It Ain’t Necessarily So, encouraging the audience to join in with the chorus before heavy bass and beats ramped up the volume and speed, it looked like the album was being performed in order. That was disproved when David McAlmont entered, hand on hip, singing Need A Man Blues and instantly owning the stage as industrial beats banged away. His voice was, of course, perfect despite claiming in earlier posts that he was unable to reach Somerville’s high notes.
There were more talking head recordings about the meaning of love and people embracing their own sexuality before Bishi, wearing a beautiful rainbow dress, played a sitar introduction that was taken over by Faye Thompson’s saxophone as she sang No More War. Clarke’s harp cleverly played the melody to Small Town Boy, exquisitely backed by the seven piece Chateau Collective.
Enter David Hoyle from the back of the auditorium, chatting to unwitting audience members and, spotting a Keith Haring t-shirt, proclaimed “Art can change the world!” Following a spot of trouble getting onto the stage, it was nice to hear his perfectly placed “I came in the wrong door” double entendre quip. He quoted Shelley’s The Masque of Anarchy, a powerful radical poem inspired by the Peterloo Massacre, as an introduction to Memories (from the expanded CD release) which was sung/spoken in Marlene Dietrich style accompanied beautifully by harp and Faye Thompson’s bass clarinet.
Keeping it political there were recorded chants of “gays for Palestine” ahead of the stage lighting up for a Tom Rasmussen original that was tenderly sung as Tom Foskett-Barnes’ stripped back, simple repetitive keys played a refrain over thudding industrial drums and Clarke’s ever-present harp. This song was a good fit with the album’s songs and built to a big bold finish with Rasmussen’s voice soaring to its close which received a well deserved standing ovation.
All the principal vocalists returned for Small Town Boy, on which Rasmussen took the lead with McAlmont, Bishi and Sans Soucis making a stellar backing vocal group. Another beautiful arrangement, again showcasing Clarke’s harp.
Another set of offstage voices highlighted the dark days of the 80s where rent boys were normalised and the gay community had to come to terms with the horror of friends dying of AIDS in their twenties. This provided the perfect introduction for David McAlmont to sing The Communards’ For A Friend. I say sing but he totally inhabited the song, expressively acting it out then effortlessly holding an exceptionally long note to finish.
Bishi came on to the unmistakably joyful opening notes of I Feel Love and everyone was out of their seats as the singer absolutely owned this disco anthem. Planningtorock performed with a hooded dancer on crutches throwing themselves around below the stage to a Latin percussion jam before the night ended with (what else?) an absolutely banging disco arrangement of Small Town Boy with pumping bass and drums stopping for a brief harp interlude before returning to full throttle as all performers took to the stage and the audience danced away.
The band played on as the vocalists left the stage and shouts of “Trans rights now” rang out across the auditorium. A fitting end to honour a classic album that highlighted social and political issues to a dancefloor-filling hi-energy beat but with the clear knowledge that we still have a long way to go to have an equal society.
The Age of Consent,
Brighton Dome Concert Hall, Saturday 2nd May 2026.
