Britain’s first gay anthem? Why the UK’s pioneering LGBTQ+ protest band reunited

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09/03/2024

There is a little bit of gay in everyone today,” sing Michael Klein and Gillian Bartlam, the lead singers of Everyone Involved, a collective of musicians formed by Klein and the UK Gay Liberation Front (GLF) activist Alan Wakeman. “Gay is natural, gay is good, gay is wonderful,” the song continues. “Gay people should all come together, and fight for our rights!” The aptly titled A Gay Song is thought to be the first LGBTQ+ protest song to have been recorded on vinyl. It was written by Klein and Wakeman, then recorded in London in 1972, with backing vocals from GLF members – only five years after the partial decriminalisation of male homosexuality in England and Wales. Now, the anthem has been rerecorded by the original members of Everyone Involved, as part of an exhibition of the same name by London-based artist Ian Giles. A film of the recording session, when the band reunited at RAK Studios in London, is currently screening at Southampton’s God’s House Tower, alongside wall hangings by the artist. The hand-stitched quilts and cartoon-like paintings pay decorative tribute to the queer rights movement, while also creating an intimate, cosy feeling for the audience.

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