As gay town begins to shake and tremble with excitement in anticipation of the album release of the year – G-A-Y The Album – on Monday 7th October, QX amassed a celebration of this iconic London club’s legacy, speaking to past performers on why G-A-Y is such a special venue to them. Plus we grab a chinwag with G-A-Y owner and overseer of the compilation, Mr Jeremy Joseph himself, on his thoughts and excitement ahead of release day!
Rachel Tucker:
“We had such a great night and it was such a brilliant atmosphere!”
A specially mastered G-A-Y remix of ‘Defying Gravity’, the song made famous by Rachel Tucker in Wicked, features on CD3 as sung by Kerry Ellis.
Matt Cardle:
“Last time I performed, the crowd were absolutely incredible. So warm and receptive. It’s always great to go back because it gives me an opportunity to find my eternally single manager Will a boyfriend!”
Matt Cardle last performed at G-A-Y with Spice Girl Mel C in August 2013. Mel C’s track ‘I Turn to You’ features on CD2 and The Spice Girls’ ‘Spice Up Your Life’ on CD3.
MKS:
“It’s always a really welcoming upbeat crowd. We know we’ll have a good time on that one.”
The Sugababes’ track ‘Push the Button’ (featuring Mutya and Kesha from MKS) is on G-A-Y CD2.
Atomic Kitten:
“G-A-Y was so much fun, it’s our favourite gig to do. We always get so nervous as we want to please the crowds there, but they just go nuts and make us feel amazing. So yeah, it was brilliant!”
The Saturdays:
“We always have fun, we always feel we’re having a right old time and a dance. Gay audiences are the best.”
The Saturdays’ track ‘All Fired Up’ features on CD1.
Little Mix:
‘We love performing at G-A-Y! It’s always such an amazing night. G-A-Y was the first big gig we did as a band and we always want to go back and perform there when we can. The crowd always shows us so much love. Happy birthday G-A-Y!’
Litte Mix’s track ‘Wings (the Alias Club Mix)’ features on CD2.
Alexandra Burke:
“I love doing G-A-Y because I can be outrageous and myself. On stage, I get sexier, I wear my leotard, I get my arse out.”
Alexandra Burke’s track ‘Bad Boys’ features on CD2 of The Album.
Iggy Azalea:
‘I think it’s such an amazing energy at G-A-Y! And it’s one of the only club venues I’ve performed at where I actually get a proper stage’
Mika:
“I don’t know if you’ve seen one of my shows, but that’s all there and I was inspired by G-A-Y. It was the funnest night in London. G-A-Y was the only place we could go and you could dance on your own andika
Diana Vickers:
“Oh, I LOVE G-A-Y! Every show I have done there has been mad, but I love mad! The crowd are always so up for it. It’s just one big party, really! No one is ever judging, people are just there to have fun. That’s the kind of gig I love.”
Dannii Minogue:
As Jeremy Joseph told us himself in his ‘Twenty Memories of Twenty G-A-Y Years’, Dannii Minogue is an incredibly special artist to G-A-Y, given that she was the first big act they booked to grace their stage. To celebrate their long-lasting and loyal relationship we got a quick interview with Miss Minogue herself about her fabulous memories of a very fabulous club…
What is your favourite memory from performing at G-A-Y over the years and do you remember from your first time there?
‘Baby Love’ was always a favourite to perform in the early days as I’d pull a guy up from the audience, sit him on a sofa and bump and grind with him on stage!
Have you watched any memorable artists perform at the club?
Kylie of course! If either of us were both in London at the same time we’d make sure we were soaking up the atmosphere and cheering each other on. It was always the best night.
One of your tracks, You Won’t Forget About Me, is on the GAY20 album. Are you proud of that ?
I love that they picked this track because the gay community have never forgotten about me, have always remained loyal and have always picked me up with open arms whenever times have been hard.
Do you have a birthday message for Jeremy and the gang?
Congratulations on 20 years of incredible passion and music. There is nothing a disco pop song and a balloon drop can’t fix! 🙂
Dannii Minogue’s track ‘You Won’t Forget About Me’ features on CD2 of G-A-Y The Album.
AND FINALLY…
Jeremy Joseph took the time to tell us a bit about how he’s feeling right now in the run-up to the 7th October!
How do you feel on the eve of releasing G-A-Y’s album?
Excited. Scared. Excited because it’s an amazing representation of G-A-Y. I think it’s amazing because it’s the first gay club that’s actually done a branded album that’s TV advertised. Obviously Trade did an album in the past, but this is TV advertised. It’s a full on release, readily available in supermarkets, HMV, iTunes, it’s gonna be everywhere. It’s being advertised in tube stations, there’s adverts going on TOWIE and Xtra factor this weekend, it’s sponsoring Daybreak Showbiz slot next week. Everything is happening and it’s just wow.
Are all the tracks on the album special to you?
No not all. When you do a compilation album they give you a list of 200 tracks with the hope you’ll pick 60, so it’s never ever everything you want it to be. There are tracks you desperately want on there that you can’t get on there because you’re working with one label and they have to work with lots of labels to get tracks approved and some artists don’t go on compilations, so you don’t get everything you want. It’s really hard and you have to compromise. You name one track you think is suitable but the label comes back and says you can have that artist but it’ll be this song. It’s very give and take to get to the final selection.
Can you give us a favourite?
I’m not going to because I have been asked that a lot, but it’s just impossible and it’s unfair on others. I don’t wanna prioritise anyone over anyone else. But one track that stands out and always will because it’s a G-A-Y anthem is Kylie Minogue’s ‘Better The Devil You Know’ which has been played at 12.30am for twenty years on a Saturday night at G-A-Y.
What will you be doing on Monday when it’s released?
I’m going to be on Instagram and I shall be going into every single shop taking photographs of it in all the shops. I’ll be in Sainsburys, Tescos and I’ll probably be picking them up and using them to cover whatever other albums are out. So I’ll be pretending to pick them up going ‘ Oh that looks interesting,’ and then covering a different album up. I’ll be in London, then going to Manchester to do the same (laughs).
• G-A-Y The Album is released on Monday 7th October nationwide in shops. You can pre-order the album now on iTunes and Amazon.co.uk
• This weekend goes mad for G-A-Y The Album at Heaven, under the Arches, Villiers Street, Charing Cross, WC2H 6NG! On Thursday 3rd October G-A-Y The Album Porn Idol hits the legendary gay club, Friday 4th October sees G-A-Y The Album Camp Attack stretch across its heaving halls and don’t miss the big extravaganza itself, G-A-Y The Album Launch Party on Saturday 5th October, 10pm-5am.
