Lighthouse is delighted to announce new-drag superstar Bimini and queer club culture DJ collective Horse Meat Disco are set to bring the party as they headline the evening concert and late-night after-party at the first ever Poole Pride on Saturday 8 June.
Drag queen, artist, author, recording star, model, and a much-heralded champion of inclusion and self-affirmation, Bimini is a new cultural icon for the 21st century. They first found global fame as the breakout star of RuPaul’s Drag Race UK, a perfect launch pad that has seen them dominate press and social media with their irrepressible sense of style and fashion.
Within months of appearing on Drag Race, Bimini secured a book deal with Penguin that saw their hilarious guide to transforming your life, Release the Beast, become a Top 10 Sunday Times bestseller; while their rowdy pop song God Save This Queen has clocked up more than a million streams on Spotify, spearheading the release of a series of successful tracks ahead of Bimini’s first EP, last summer’s When the Party Ends.
Initially established in 2004 at The Eagle gay bar in London’s Vauxhall, Horse Meat Disco has evolved into a powerful force in the wider queer and club culture. Co-founded by James Hillard and Jim Stanton, and encompassing residents Severino and Luke Howard, a typical HMD set blends classics, Italo disco, house, oddities and punk funk, to conjure their initial spirit of “a queer party for everyone”, including, but not limited to, “Homos and Heteros, club kids, bears, fashionistas, naturists, guerilla drag queens and ladies who munch.”
They have made appearances on every notable club scene around the world and have long been a key fixture at festivals including Glastonbury, Bestival and Festival No.6.
“The reaction to Poole’s first ever Pride has been amazing, and Bimini and Horse Meat Disco are just going to take it to the next level,” says Tim Colegate, Head of Programming at Lighthouse.
“Bimini is perfectly placed to work up the crowd and HMD will keep them going well into the night, so bring your dancing shoes!
“Even more importantly though, we want to create an amazing event that all of Poole can be proud of. So, I’m delighted that we can bring these trailblazing LGBTQ+ icons to Lighthouse to really cement the idea that Poole Pride is a safe space where everybody is welcome, and you can come as you are. That is what Pride is all about.”
O Beach Ibiza resident, Hed Kandi/Ministry of Sound artist and all-round in-demand horn blower, Ellie Sax; well-known LGBTQ+ advocate and fantastic DJ talent Woody Cook (he learned from the best after all – dad Fatboy Slim and mum Zoe Ball) will be on hand to keep the party moving, while firebrand rave legend Charlotte Devaney will play the transition slots between the acts.
“We are so proud of this fantastic line up, but Poole Pride is about more than any one individual; it’s about creating a space for everyone where people can be themselves, come as they are, and crucially, enjoy some first-class entertainment – something that Lighthouse is very used to,” adds Tim.
“Poole is a major conurbation and, as a much-cherished part of life in the town, Lighthouse is perfectly placed to host its first ever Pride event… and we’re going all out to make it a day we'll never forget!”
Planned in consultation with a community steering group that includes members of the LGBTQ+ community, Poole Pride will include free-to-see performances and activities throughout Lighthouse, including the outdoor theatre where CBeebies star Chris Jarvis will host a family-friendly talent show ahead of the Proud Pooches dog show. In the Concert Hall, inclusive educationalists Pop’n’Olly will host a daytime crafting session and the Sherling Studio plays host to Life’s A Cabaret with Outspoken, the Pride Slam, Dorsetborn’s Writing Out Loud and the Come on Out Cabaret showcasing local LGBTQ+ artists.
A queer film festival will run in the week leading up to Pride as well as, ‘Wed Didn’t Know if It Was a Party or A Revolution’, a month-long exhibition, presented in partnership with AUB, in association with Bournemouth University and LUSH, honouring influential gay activist John Chesterman who was closely involved in the formation of the Gay Liberation Front in 1970 and whose ideas underpin the modern Pride movement.