Somewhere For Me Actually Gay Men's Chorus
10TH AUGUST 2011: 30 GAY MEN SIGN £1MILLION DEAL WITH UNIVERSAL
Universal Records today announced that they have signed a 30 strong Gay Men’s Chorus to join the label that is home to U2, Grace Jones, PJ Harvey and Paul Weller. The first ever major record deal for a gay men’s chorus, an alternative choir, The Brighton & Hove Gay Men’s Chorus will release their debut album of alternative music in October.
The Brighton & Hove Gay Men’s Chorus will release their eponymous debut album on 3 October 2011. In a move to dispel the clichés surrounding what one would expect to hear from a gay men’s chorus, the album will feature a variety of unique interpretations and alternative arrangements of alternative / rock singles and B-sides, by artists such as Ian McCulloch (Echo and the Bunnymen), Radiohead, Neil Young, The Enemy, David Bowie and Nine Inch Nails. The album will also feature one original song.
This announcement coincides with one of the biggest dates in the UK gay calendar – Pride Brighton & Hove – which hosts its annual Parade and Park Event on Saturday 13 August. The Brighton & Hove Gay Men’s Chorus will be performing on the Live Stage on the Saturday.
From barman to baker, teacher to travel agent, The Brighton & Hove Gay Men’s Chorus have come a long way since forming six years ago by John Hamilton and Jason Pimblett. The overall aim of the Chorus was to provide a community for gay men to share experiences, have fun but most importantly develop and learn vocal abilities and embrace new styles of music not often associated with the gay community.
£1 Million Record Deal’…. the headlines screamed. Sadly it was not to be...
£1 Million Record Deal’…. the headlines screamed. Sadly it was not to be, however the first gay chorus ever to be signed to a major record label haven’t given up. Although the deal with Universal Records failed to release their debut album, it was recorded and the Actually Gay Men’s Chorus have now released it themselves.
Somewhere For Me, features covers from artists such as Nine Inch Nails, David Bowie and Neil Young. The Chorus decided to change the name of the album to the first track of the same name, because it sums up how they all feel about Brighton & Hove. This is the first time this track,which was written by Thea Gilmore has been recorded and released on disc.
Jason Pimblett, the musical director has created a choir with a unique sound; big and round, but in no way bottom heavy.
The album includes covers of Radiohead’s top 5 hit No Surprises, David Bowie’s No 1 hit Heroes, the melancholic Hurt originally recorded by Nine Inch Nails and later covered by Johnny Cash, the Ian McCullough album track, Playgrounds & City Parks and The Last Goodbye from the second album by UK indie boys, The Enemy.
The album also includes a previously unreleased song by acoustic singer/songwriter Thea Gilmore, the hauntingly beautiful and upliftingly triumphant title track Somewhere For Me.
Each song on the album is given a unique twist by the choir’s arrangements and performances. You know who is singing as soon as you hear a track. Their sound is unmistakable.
For this album, the Actually Gay Men’s Chorus have explored a completely new repertoire of material moving away from the material you might expect a ‘gay choir’ to sing.
The choir’s diction is first class, articulation rhythmical, intonation throughout very secure and their awareness of their ensemble singing is quite brilliant. The arrangements are sophisticated, showcasing the main strength of the choir, which is their ‘big’ sound. Importantly, they never make the mistake of being too heavy in their lower registers.
On many of the tracks, the choir reach the highest level of interpretation and performance.
Somewhere For Me features covers from artists such as Nine Inch Nails, David Bowie and Neil Young. The Chorus chose to name the album 'Somewhere For Me' after the first track of the same name because it sums up how we all feel about our home, Brighton & Hove. This is the first time this track has been released and it was written by Thea Gilmore.
John Hamilton said ‘It was an amazing experience recording the tracks for Universal, and now we have an incredible album to show for it. We’re very happy with the results and have received great feedback from people who heard us perform at Brighton Pride and Student Pride, we hope everyone will enjoy it as much as we do.
We have also won a community award in the 2013 Golden Handbags for the album.
