The Age of Consent 40

Tonight’s show features a powerhouse line-up of Bishi, Lulu Manning, Planningtorock, Tawiah, Tom Rasmussen, Tony Njoku and the Pink Singers, alongside a specially curated queer house band performing bold new arrangements of the record.

An unashamed portrait of radical queerness in 1980s Britain, The Age of Consent was a pivotal moment in LGBTQIA+ cultural history. Jimmy Somerville, Steve Bronski and Larry Steinbachek took the charts by storm with era-defining hits ‘Smalltown Boy’ and ‘Why’, and their new brand of bold, political synth-pop.

Under Thatcher’s repressive Conservative government, against the backdrop of the miners’ strike and the early onset of the AIDS crisis, this music acted as a beacon of hope for a generation of disenfranchised LGBTQIA+ youth.

With current anti-trans legislation and rhetoric in the press, and the ongoing battle to ban conversion therapy, the fight for LGBTQIA+ rights continues. Against this backdrop, The Age of Consent is presented 40 years on, with its message still more relevant than ever.

For one night only, The Chateau presents this piece of musical and political history from 1980s Britain, live and reimagined through the voices of ground-breaking queer and trans contemporary artists. Join us for a musical celebration, and a collective call to action for the work still to be done in the fight for queer and trans liberation.

The house band includes KK Brown (percussion), Maxie Cheer (drums), Chris Clarke (harp), Tom Foskett-Barnes (keys/musical director/arranger), Alley Lloyd (bass), Evelyn May (synths) and Hanna Mbuya (tuba).

Panels from the UK AIDS Memorial Quilt are on display in the Queen Elizabeth Hall Foyer throughout the evening. The quilt is an irreplaceable piece of social history. It tells the stories of many of those lost in the early days of the HIV/AIDS epidemic in the 1980s and 1990s.

Lovingly handmade by family, friends and lovers, the UK AIDS Memorial Quilt holds the memory of approximately 384 people within its 42 blocks, each of which is 12ft by 12ft. The UK AIDS Memorial Quilt is archived at HIV charity Positive East.

Curated and produced by Laurie Belgrave for The Chateau, with curation consultancy by Lulu Manning.

Lulu Manning is an artist who embraces sound as an embodied force, rooted in her fascination for the voice as a vehicle for expression. She has opened for artists Jools Holland, Holysseus Fly and Tom Rasmussen, and has performed in jazz clubs including Ronnie Scott’s as well as queer spaces.

Tallinn-based singer-songwriter, composer, producer, DJ and director Planningtorock has spent over a decade queering sound and sharing visions. They have four critically acclaimed studio albums of queer dance to their name, and have collaborated with artists including Lady Gaga, Robyn, Christine and the Queens and Romy.

Tom Rasmussen is a London-based artist and prominent figure in the LGBTQIA+ community, known for their dark dance music that blends pop, queer club culture, and their experiences as a former drag performer. Their debut album, Body Building, was released in 2023 to critical acclaim.