The Age of Consent – Bronski Beat
I didn’t know much about Bronski Beat, but I heard “Smalltown Boy” played at a party I worked this past weekend and I had to look them up. I’d heard the song before, but it’s one of those where I’d never checked out the artist or bothered to look up the name. I’m glad I did this time.
The Age of Consent refers to the laws governing various ages of consent for homosexual “behavior”; when the album was released in 1984, the age of consent to have gay sex in the UK was 21 but only 16 for straight sex. The liner notes for the album listed all of the ages of consent for homosexuality in various countries (the U.S. release censored these notes).
I’ve been thinking a lot about bravery, about what it takes to push for change against an unfriendly and violent public, and I find a lot to admire in this band of 20-something year old boys being openly queer in 1980’s Britain, pushing for change against homophobic laws that I’m certain were framed, at the time, as protecting the youth. And besides their clearheaded, outspoken messaging with the album title and notes, the music is excellent! Political and daring lyrics sung with the most beautiful tenor voice, all over perfect danceable beats. Jimmy Somerville was the lead singer (I’m happy to learn from his Wikipedia page that he’s still alive), and he’s one of my favorite singers I’ve heard recently. Noting here that I should check out his other band, The Communards, and his solo releases.
Lightsey 1 – Kirk Lightsey
I don’t think I’d ever heard of Kirk Lightsey before. This album cover drew me in when I saw it in a record shop – minimalist, but it has a striking monumentality to it even with the muted tones, and a nice film-grain texture throughout. The back cover has pictures of him laughing what seems like a genuine laugh, or at least a fake one where the contours of his face tell you he has laughed a lot in his life, deeply. He has a nice smile. I have a terrible memory for faces, but one thing I’ve learned over the years is that you can tell from the way someone’s eyes wrinkle, the way their mouth moves, how much joy they let into their lives. Even from the way he smiles on that back cover, I can tell how much joy this man has let into his life.
The piano playing confirms it for me. Another way I’ve learned to read people in the last few years is by how they play. And Kirk plays here with ease, tenderness, and sensitivity. There’s nothing that surprises me too much, but there’s plenty that makes me relax and sigh and sway. I’m excited to revisit this and learn more about his other work; we picked up another record of him covering Wayne Shorter songs (a dual piano record) and I’m interested to see if I like it as much as this solo work.
Had a great time cooking to this album. Pleasant, inventive dance music. Don’t know who Night Slugs is, don’t remember why I bookmarked this album (probably because of Karen Nyame KG, the name is familiar to me), but time for me to learn more!
a breath of life 
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