Following the parade towards Preston Park where the magnificent FABULOSO Fundraiser Festival was being hosted, Brighton, for the weekend, had become a bubble bursting with beautiful people partying, protesting and painting the streets in colour. Bus stop roofs were occupied and laden with people catching up and enjoying rooftop drinks whilst streets were buzzing and bustling with pure joy, fans and fabulousness.
Joining FABULOSO’s mainstage Saturday lineup included community treasure Beth McCarthy, British drag queen and singer, Tia Kofi, vocal group, House Gospel Choir, multi- award winning actor and musician and LGBTQ+ icon, Billy Porter, disco queen and sensation, Sophie Ellis-Bextor, and headlining British pop icons, Girls Aloud.
McCarthy kicked of the afternoon with energy, passion and engaging lyricism. “How can anyone hate a good bi?”, her Instagram tagline, epitomized her honest and emotive set that was a flurry of rock and roll pop, whilst Sophie Ellis-Bextor captivated the crowd with her sparkling and nostalgic anthems, ending the set with the forever loved hit, “Murder On The Dancefloor.”
Gracing the catwalk stage with theatrical magic, Billy Porter stole the audience’s attention with a musical and visual landscape of both new album old-school disco tracks, (“Black Mona Lisa”), and revisiting his 90s originals, putting on a show that led to many ‘Ooohs’ and ‘Aaahs’ and plenty of outfit envy.
British pop idols, Girls Aloud finished the night in glamour, gold and style with a plethora of their brilliant and dazzling classic hits including “Love Machine,” “Sound of The Underground,” “Call The Shots” and “Something New” whilst dropping a surprise Madonna cover of “Material Girl,” outstanding vocals and dance routines that left Brighton Pride in both wonder and admiration.
Whilst dance tents and surrounding stages buzzed with a life of their own, FABULOSO successfully saw a Saturday full of smiles, moments of pure joy and union for all part of, and supporters of, the LGBTQ+ community.
