Tuesday, 19 July 2011

Manchester Pride - Big Weekend Acts

Big Weekend Acts!

15 Jul 2011

Pixie LottWritten by Andrew Roberts

Every year I seem to have the same Pride sequence of events:
  • Check which friends are going and then offer out my spare room on first come first served -it’s gone in case you were wondering, as has the blow up and the sofa.
  • Wait until the last minute to get my early bird wristband, not because I’m not keen, usually because I’m waiting to get paid.
  • Start to think about how drunk I’m likely to be and how little sleep I’ll have and promise myself that this year I will pace myself*. (*unlikely)
  • Decide what Fringe events to go and see. I’ve made my mind up early this time and will cover them in another blog.
  • Think about where to go on what night.
  • Hope the sun is out.
  • Finally I try to guess the line-up for the main stage headliners. I’ve never once got it right.
It’s that time when the acts begin to be announced and this year’s “Best of British” festival has an excellent line-up to please all musical tastes!
Following in the footsteps of previous acts like Sophie Ellis-Bextor and Little Boots this year’s lady of pop will be Pixie Lott! She’s had a string of hits, an album that has sold by the bucket load, countless live performances including T4 on the Beach most recently and various TV appearances including a spot on The X Factor judging panel. For such a young artist she seems to have really grabbed the pop buying public’s attention and her number 1s have proved it. I think she’ll be a great headline act.
There will also be two groups performing over the weekend. First up are the group that have had (allegedly) more in fights than Fleetwood Mac or Oasis, more combinations of members than The Supremes and are the most successful female recording artists of the 21st century. Yes it is version 4.0 of the Sugababes! They’ve always been the girl band that is totally acceptable to publicly like and in my opinion more edgy than Girls Aloud in their look and sound. I’ve seen them live at a festival and on their own tour. They were fantastic on both counts with incredible live voices. It’s been a shame that they’ve been in the pop wilderness for a little while, but I think they’ll be back as big as before. I’ve heard a clip of the new single “Freedom” and it sounds like they are back on form.
The second group to feature are Blue. The reformed band recently represented the UK at Eurovision and they seem to be riding the wave of new found popularity. I expect the guys to be quite a big hit, especially as they’re keen on whipping their clothes off given opportunities….Duncan in his pants anyone?
There will also be a host of other established artists including Patrick Wolf. Patrick currently has 5 albums under his belt and his recent singles “The City” and “House” have gained him well deserved exposure. He, for one, is someone that I’m really keen to see live.
Other acts include the new girl group Soundgirl. Their single “Don’t Know Why” is doing the rounds on the radio and is a very catchy summery pop song. They get extra brownie points from me for sampling Carly Simon. There will also be 80s legends Bucks Fizz (I hope they do the skirt move), Toyah Wilcox and Hazel Dean. Also appearing over the Big Weekend will be; Cosmo Jarvis, Santiago Street Machine, Twenty Twenty, Denise Black and the Loose Screw, Rowetta, Horse, Angie Brown, Rubika and Zukas Fontaine. No doubt there will be more names to be added in the weeks to come.
Not only is Pride a celebration for the LGBT community to be proud of who they are, it’s also a great weekend of music for all to enjoy!

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