Of Rowdiness And Reflection

I really enjoy singing with the Pinkies, and performing gives me a buzz I get excited about. But last night's gig with the small group was tempered by the knowledge that it was for World AIDS day. As has become near traditional now, we were supporting Positive Rainbow, a wonderful group providing assistance for people with AIDS in north London. Every year the story is the same though: government funding is steadily being cut for organizations just like this.

On the one hand, the battle against AIDS appears to be turning the tide. Sitting on the Victoria line on the way up to the White Hart pub where we performed, I read an article on the epidemic in the Economist which argues that since people are living longer with AIDS, and the overall number of people with AIDS has actually decreased, the epidemic has peaked. I am hoping against hope that this is the case, and I can see why the government has made AIDS less of a priority as a result, but the numbers mean nothing to an individual with the disease, or groups like Positive Rainbow on the front line.

That said, spirits were high last night, and I arrived at the pub to find some Pink Singers already helping themselves to the odd pint, while others were busy changing into the informal concert gear in the pub's kitchen. I've done a number of gigs with the small group before, but even so, swapping shirts next to the pickled onions was a new experience. The other novelty was actually seeing how big the small group was. Past gigs have had in the region of eight to twelve members, so it was a bit of a surprise to see so many.

The swollen numbers were due in no small part to the newbies, especially Charlotte, Amy, Kate, Gill P, Celso, Charles, Colm, Joey and Ben (I hope I've not forgotten anyone). They very gamely decided to come along and perform for the first time with the oldies, and were much appreciated. It certainly can't have been easy since they had to cope with the lyrics and music, and performing. I guess a bit of practice before Paris is always handy!

We belted all three songs as planned: You'll Never Walk Alone, Come What May and Abba Pink. Of the three I thought that Abba went down the best, although it was hard to tell from the relatively stoic faces of the audience. Performance-wise I thought Come What May was the best, the other two having a couple of missed entries, noticeable, hopefully, only to members of the choir.

Thankfully, we weren't the only performers that evening. There were a couple of drag acts as well which we got to see after our stint. The first artiste was incredibly funny, but really pushed very close to the line and occasionally crossed over into the non-PC territory. Even I wasn't spared her sharp wit, but I did enjoy her act very much.

Having some time to grab a drink and munch on party snacks also gave me a chance to chat with James M. He was telling me that despite having a really tough day, he was looking forward to this evening, just as a chance to unwind and sing a couple of songs. I couldn't agree more - there is nothing like getting together with friends, and the Pink Singers, because of our numbers, tend to bring our own party along with us. Love it!