 |
| ID: David Bowie and Marc Bolan performing 'Standing Next To You' on Marc, 1977. |
Anyone who knows me knows how big a melomaniac I am. I think I speak for everyone when I say I cannot live without music. It’s my life and joy. I’m always on the hunt for new vinyl to add to my collection, and I spend the majority of my student loan on concert tickets (and then wonder why I’m always broke). Getting my Spotify Wrapped at the end of each year is my equivalent of Christmas morning. But how many of my favourite artists are queer? Let’s take a look at some of my go-to queer artists through the decades and see!
The 70s Glam Era - T.Rex, Queen, and David Bowie
We’re starting strong with some of rock n’ roll’s queer pioneers, Marc Bolan of T.Rex, Queen’s Freddie Mercury, and the starman himself, David Bowie, alias Ziggy Stardust. T. Rex’s ‘Electric Warrior’ was my top album last year, and I’ve got the vinyl and Spotify stats to prove it. I love T.Rex so much that I even have a Gay Saint blog post on Marc Bolan that you should totally check out after reading this one! Although David Bowie may be the most memorable figure of Glam rock, it was actually T.Rex (Marc Bolan in particular) who pioneered the movement, being one of the first rockstars to dress androgynously, as well as talk openly about his bisexuality.
 |
| ID: from left to right, Bill Legend, Mickey Finn, Marc Bolan and Steve Currie, the four members of T.Rex. |
Queen is particularly special to me because they were one of the bands I grew up with. At my local village hall, the parties truly began when ‘Don’t Stop Me Now,’ or ‘I Want to Break Free’ came blaring through the speakers.
Whilst they would go on to become one of Britain's biggest bands, global fame and stardom were not their original career paths. Before achieving their worldwide fame, all four members were highly educated. Freddie Mercury had a degree in Art and Graphic Design, Brian May a degree in Astrophysics, Roger Taylor a degree in Dentistry, and John Deacon a degree in Electronic Engineering. Deacon's expertise in electronics would soon become useful, as he used his know-how to build specialised equipment for the band, most notably the 'Deacy Amp' for May.
 |
| ID: from left to right, Brian May, John Deacon, Freddie Mercury and Roger Taylor, the four members of Queen. |
And as for Bowie, well, the name speaks for itself. My mum played me ‘Space Oddity’ one day, and that was it. I was hooked. I soon got into Ziggy Stardust, Hunky Dory, and Aladdin Sane. Bowie also did frequent collaborations with other artists, perhaps most notably with Queen for their hit 'Under Pressure,' as well as co-writing 'Lust for Life,' with Iggy Pop whilst they were both living in Berlin in the late seventies. Music was not the only art form Bowie was known for. He also received cult status for his performance as Jareth the Goblin King in Jim Henson's Labyrinth.
 |
| ID: David Bowie performing onstage during the Ziggy Stardust era. |
The 80s New Wave - Culture Club and Frankie Goes to Hollywood
Moving forward to the eighties, the New Wave was taking the music scene by storm. Guitars were out, and synths were in, as was Frankie Goes to Hollywood, whose hit single ‘Relax’ was famously banned from all BBC broadcasts. They thought that banning it would reduce awareness, only to find it had the opposite effect. ‘Relax’ went straight to No.1, despite the BBC’s fruitless efforts, as did their other singles, ‘The Power of Love’ and ‘Two Tribes.’ Unfortunately, Frankie disbanded in 1987 due to disagreements, though in 2023, they reunited to perform at the Eurovision Song Contest, which was hosted in their hometown of Liverpool.
 |
| ID: from left to right, Peter Gill, Paul Rutherford, Mark O'Toole, Holly Johnson and Brian Nash, the members of Frankie Goes To Hollywood. |
Culture Club were another major queer pop act of the eighties. Fronted by the fabulous Boy George, together they blended pop music with soul and reggae, along with a little bit of rock too, which gave us the classic ‘Karma Chameleon,’ as well as ‘Do You Really Want To Hurt Me,’ and ‘Time (Clock of the Heart).’ Years later from their New Wave days, the band are still going strong, touring across the US, Europe and the UK this year.
 |
| ID: from left to right, Boy George, Jon Moss, Mikey Craig and Roy Hay, the four members of Culture Club. |
The 90s Britpop Era - Suede and Blur
 |
| ID: from left to right, Mat Oseman, Brett Anderson, Simon Gilbert, and Bernard Butler, the four members of Suede. |
Despite the 90s being at the height of lad culture (thanks, Oasis), London band Suede brought androgyny and sleazy, sexually ambiguous lyrics to a music scene that was at the time singing about drinking ‘sugary tea’ and driving around Primrose Hill because ‘the view’s so nice.’ Although Blur are the culprits behind the words ‘sugary tea,’ they did give us what is perhaps one of the best bi anthems of all time, ‘Girls and Boys,’ where the chorus blurs (pun intended) the lines between gender roles and sexuality.
 |
| ID: from left to right, Dave Rowntree, Damon Albarn, Alex James and Graham Coxon, the four members of Blur. |
Today - Chappell Roan and Lady Gaga
 |
| ID: Lady Gaga during her Fame era, holding a synthesiser. |
I don’t think I can finish this blog post without mentioning some of today’s most acclaimed queer artists. As well as glam rock, my childhood was also soundtracked by Lady Gaga’s iconic album The Fame, and now also The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess by Chappell Roan. Gaga’s MTV performance of ‘Paparazzi’ belongs in a museum. As much as I adore some good old rock n’ roll, I need a bit of girly pop on the side too.
 |
| ID: Chappell Roan, holding a bouquet of flowers and a trophy |
So that’s a who’s who of my favourite queer artists! See below for a carefully selected playlist that features them all!
20th Century Boy - T. Rex
Rebel Rebel - David Bowie
Don’t Stop Me Now - Queen
Relax - Frankie Goes To Hollywood
Karma Chameleon - Culture Club
Animal Nitrate - Suede
Girls and Boys - Blur
Poker Face - Lady Gaga
Super Graphic Ultra Modern Girl - Chappell Roan
By Alisha (she/her)