Well there could not have been a camper, more exuberant start to the festival than Brighton Gay Men’s Chorus‘ (BGMC) Eurovision spectacular. The choice of songs ranged from classics to the comic and back again and as an ensemble they were on top form.
The music team of Joe Paxton and Tim Nail gave us some extraordinarily effective arrangements of Eurovision pop that took pop romps and turned them into moving ballads. The feast of competition classics was bolstered by a clutch of ABBA numbers, not winners, but no doubt it was the Skandi popsters that put the heart back in the competition which had, 40 years ago this year, become somewhat jaded, so fair enough!
The evening opened by placing us on a flight to a Eurovision event, with the choir dressed as flight attendants and the captain Roger Gently, addressing us over the speakers. It was a joke that ran throughout and with stewards of conference delegates interrupting the music from time to time, and doing it well!
First number of course had to be Flying The Flag, the UK’s 2007 entry by Scooch that back them seemed awful but in this full on presentation made me think that it deserved to do far better. Next Bucks Fizz of course with Joe Paxton in scary bondage boots doing the classic reveal, enough said.
BGMC always deliver a set of excellent solos and the first on this occasion came from Christopher Furlong-Jones who delivered Is It True? with confidence and style, setting the bar high.
Boom Bang-a-Bang next and we were all in the mood, Lula inn. 1969 and all these years on, god I feel old, and the song is as good as ever.
Rod Edmunds next turning Brotherhood Of Man’s 1976 piece of nonsense into a moving ballad, Save All Your Kisses For Me was never done better.
Jonathan Taylor, who normally delivers something comic, this time nailed the Cliff Richard hit Congratulations, a cheesy number but done with class. And we have all come to expect something of quality from Andrew Farr, this time Barbara Pravi’s Voila. Farr truly masters that very French style, taking a chanson (me, apologies) to extraordinary heights that had the audience on their feet.
Graeme Clark, a quality singer and interpreter of song, gave us a real slice of Eurovision with Ding-a-dong and pulled it off, but for me it was nowhere near a good enough number for a singer of his quality. Part one ended with a thunderous Super Trouper.
And back for part two we had Gina G’s Just A Little Bit, a great reminder of how good British entries have been over the years, this qualified by Love Shine A Light, and we’re off on a second half that confirmed my feeling that the choir are really on top form, perhaps in part being so comfortable with the material being performed.
Ben Fowler next with Arcade, once more a totally convincing performance. Then Rise Like A Phoenix, packed with passion and drama, softly rising into full on power – excellent.
Yanis Sfakianakis gave us Molitva, an appropriate change of pace and tone after Conchita’s classic, and again a beautiful rendition.
After a bit more ABBA, Nick Ford was charged with singing the 2022 entry by Sam Ryder, the one we should have won, and in a sense we did as it brought the competition home to Liverpool. Space Man is no easy ride, soaring falsetto riffs are not easy but for Ford no issue and he simply nailed it, note perfect throughout but also making it his own.
No BGMC gig would be complete without humour, gags and sketches yes, but also a comedy song and last night we got good old Clodagh Rogers’ Jack In A Box. Four members of the chorus, comically choreographed and camp as the proverbial row of tents in silly dickies and pointed hats, had us laughing with joy.
Finally Heroes and then Euphoria, big bold anthems punched out with strength and conviction, enough to promote two encores. After a long week of theatre this was the boost that I really needed – fun, fine singing and passion. One thing I did note from last night’s programme is that the choir can swing, no, behave, not that kind of swing. What I mean is that they can deliver a song with pop rather than choral phrasing, it makes a huge difference to me, and they really can do it.