Performance

Al Head (they/them) is a queer, nonbinary musician, writer, performer and workshop leader. They are one of the original creators of Queer Spirit Festival.

They sing their own songs and recite the occasional original poem. They are the author of 'Queer Deity, Sacred Slut'.

Online: alhead.co.uk

Location: Village hall

ΛlanΛsound is a Brighton-based non-binary singer-songwriter/performer. (They/them)

Their pop songs are cheeky and catchy, their performances are glittery and entertaining, and they know how to work a crowd!

They have previously performed at venues like Royal Vauxhall Tavern, The Glory, and every year they sing at Prides all over the country and abroad.

Online: youtu.be/FO9lg4hBkIo

Location: Dance tent

I am an independent singer-songwriter, taking notes from Folk, Pop and Indie.

My musical influences include Dodie, Joni Mitchell and Laura Marling. My music tells the tales of my recent travels, and adventures in love and connection, with the occasional deep dive into something darker.

Online: instagram.com/anyapailthorpemusic

Location: Orangery

Journey into the metaf-arse with a plethora of maximalist characters.

Arkem takes you through the hole story from the big bang via the origins of humans in a comedic romp from the micro to macro.

As sometimes seen at the Edinburgh Fringe, the Royal Vauxhall Tavern, the Young V&A and Glastonbury’s The Rabbithole.

Online: youtube.com/@arkemarkus

Location: Big top & Walkabout

Hot off the back of being banned from a national drag competition.

Astro is currently releasing their first EP 'I Hate Cabaret' a collection of heart-warming gay sex songs.

Singer and songwriter of anarchic fag-pop anthems such as ‘Let’s Never Have Kids’ and ‘F***ing Around the World.’

Online: astroxoxo.com

Location: Dance tent

Baba Yagga is a multimedia drag artiste and Diva inspired by a shamanic trickster from ancient Slavic Folklore.

A first (and probably last) generation Czech immigrant trying to survive in post-Brexit Britain, Baba uses lip-sync, movement and soundscapes to create bizarre, satirical and candid performances exploring themes of identity and belonging in our progressively unstable world. - oh yeah she's also hilarious and really sexy ????

Online: @baba_yagga_official (Instagram)

Location: Big Top

Advanced lo-fi twerks and breaks for connoisseurs. Tempo madness. High heels.

Time signatures seldom heard by human ears. Monster riffs. The sickest beats imaginable. Obsolete technology. High glamour. Uninhibited booty shaking.

Have fun, keep fit, learn how to count. 

Online: bambiredux.bandcamp.com

Location: Dance tent

Duo of queer friends crafting catchy original songs with an Americana vibe that weave harmonies and quirky lyrics with acoustic guitar and bass, capturing the essence of love, loss, laughter, (wander)lust and limerence.

Online: Spotify

Location: Orangery

Short or longer statements on topics that I find important.

Mostly a critical or sarcastic comment on how people in general in society deal with items such as racism, sexual preference, gender diversity, poverty, etc.

Sometimes also the hurt of dealing with insanity of society in everyday life.

Location: Village hall

Big Boys Camp are Rob Des Roches on Keyboards,Laptop and vocals with Stew Simpson on Guitar and Vocals.

BBC are a Grungetronica Elctropunk duo from London Ontario (Canada) and Newcastle Upon Tyne (UK) but both now based in Forest Gate, East London. 

BBC are raw sexual energy with a grungy heartbeat that you can dance (and do other stuff) too. This is something one should not watch with Mother.

Online: soundcloud.com/bigboyscamp

Location: Big Top

Head Honcho of Performance at QS, Blossom also likes to sing, sometimes Queer folk songs, and sometimes 20th century classics from his huge repertoire of covers.  

Whatever the vibe, Blossom probably has a song for it.

Location: Orangery

Bright Hawk mesmerizes with original music on the Hang PanArt handpan.

Her unique performances captivate audiences, offering a soothing and enchanting musical experience.

Location: Orangery

Chakra Kant will sing and play the most famous Pop and Soul songs with a spiritual touch and a sexy groove that will make us all sing to the heavens.

Online: facebook.com/davidyzhakihealing 

Location: Village hall & Walkabout

Dare’s songs come from the heart, with themes around love, light breaking through the darkness, expansive thought processes, finding the lessons in difficult times, and fully expressing oneself in truth and authenticity.

Location: Orangery

Dunya is a Glastonbury-based DJ and musician who loves connecting to her Moroccan roots by fusing together the mystical sounds of the Middle East with big bass.

Her dynamic mixes weave transcendental sounds, dark basslines and a fusion of Middle Eastern, North African and South Asian electronic music.

Online: instagram.com/dunyalamrhari

Location: Dance tent

Think The Fool from Tarot channels Barbie and Tom Waits in the weekend's most concerning séance.

5 octaves of delight sing songs with names like “50 shades of Graham”, “Baby Bitch”, and “Steve Redgrave’s Ouroboros Disco”. 

The greatest shamanic journey since S Club 7 went to Miami on CBBC.

Online: soundcloud.com/etherealmaterial

Location: Village hall

International Performance Poet Finnegan performs his passionate spoken word for adult audiences around the world.

Online: finneganthepoet.com

Location: Village hall

FOSSILHEADS are a theatrical/ musical/ comical/ operatical female duo on a musical mission to raise climate change awareness with their unique songs that put the "Oooh" in "existential dOoom"! 

Online: fossilheads.co.uk

Location: Big top

Ginger Snapz is a bearded drag performer from Norwich, bringing high energy. They are a neurodiverse individual and this identity may come through during performance!

Following sold out quiz nights and gracing local Norwich stages, QS will be the first time Ginger Snapz will be performing outside of Norfolk!

Location: Big top

I'm a 30 year old, born in the 90s and refuses to leave. Love pandas, mixing but above all, that 90s big beat and house sound. Constantly either in the studio or spinning for a Irish DJ crew known as "Creative Collection". 

Expect Beats, panda heads and ill behaviour.

Online: youtube.com/@hardwaresound

Location: Dance tent

Hyacinthe Hennae is a french choreographic artist, actor, singer and performer living in Brussels.

In "Minute", they revisit and correct what History pretends or conveniently forgets in a queer humorous performance celebrating the anniversaries of the present day.

Be ready to laugh at their ludicrousness and to be surprised by their peculiar historical discoveries...

Online: facebook.com/hyacinthehennae

Location: Big top

I hail from south seas and want to take everyone on a journey through Polynesian dance.

Come experience my Islands through the eyes of my people and let the power of hula softy transport you to my beloved Pacific ocean.

Location: Big top

Izzy Ahee, a celebrated U.S. drag king, is known for their high energy, spiritual messages, and gentle manners.

Through music, lip sync, and audience interaction, Izzy brings uplifting spiritual messages to the stage, creating an engaging and memorable performance.

Location: Big Top

J Fergus Evans is a multi award-winning writer and performance artist.

They deftly weave poetry, theatre and installation into tapestries saturated with lived experience and half-imagined fantastical landscapes. 

Their work has been presented at some of the UK’s most prestigious venues including The Southbank Centre, TATE Modern, and The Lowry.

Online: youtu.be/uUhEo2ygXfQ

Location: Village hall

Poet, performer and playwright Jordan Charles shines on screen on Starstruck and 'All Together Now'.

He hosts iconic POC Cabaret collective The Cocoa Butter Club, appearing in prestigious spaces such as Glastonbury and Wilderness Festivals. 

He recently previewed his debut musical OYA, an African fantasy that will delight audiences everywhere.

Online: instagram.com/iamjordancharles

Location: Big top

Following the recent trend of ageing artists touring their earliest albums, leopard Zeppard  presents 'Tender Wonder,' (1993)

Songs and stories written and recorded in those heady joyful days of discovering  queer sanctuary in the Tennessee woods while coming to terms with the sadnesses of friends passing on to the gathering in the sky

Online: leopard.bandcamp.com/album/kinda-thingy

Location: Orangery

Lou C is a genderqueering poetitian.

Strap on and tuck in for Packed House, a show that queers every which way and then some, a captivating voyage of witty, profound, life-altering experiences.

Deeply thought-provoking, Lou bears their soul in a way that is raw, sexy, honest, and yet still manages to be humorous.

Online: youtu.be/gyedZmh1SXk

Location: Village hall

Mica Sinclair is a multi coloured power house of creativity, a musician that lights up the world of others with her deeply felt profound off the wall spontaneous creations. 

Online: sites.google.com/view/micasinclair/home

Location: Village hall

Music In Our Underpants is the punk rock musical comedy duo of Kieran from hardcore punk band the Restarts and Collin from the alterno-pop crew Juha.  Described as "The Bert and Ernie of Punk Rock, they also happen to be husbands.

Music In Our Underpants began as a lockdown music video series to make friends laugh, and has since become a live gigging act - essentially two singing punk clowns on the road.

Online: youtube.com/@MusicInOurUnderpants

Location: Big top

Nicola Beck (aka Great Aunt Tranni) is a word-wrangling neurodiverse ecoqueer, a performance poet who beguiles audiences into hearing her messages about inclusivity, humanity, and the fundamental importance of life, with a combination of humour, vulnerability, anger and sassiness.

Online: facebook.com/PoemsNPics

Location: Village hall

Nina Love has been DJing for 9 years now, across the South West for events such as Devon Sessions, Yarty Party and Funkagenda (Bristol), as well as hosting radio shows for Love Summer Radio, Garage House Radio, and now on Back2House Radio.

Expect feelgood House & Garage vibes!

Online: mixcloud.com/nina-casey/nina-loves-summer-2023

Location: Dance tent

Nuisance, aka Dex Chait Grodner, aka Chanukah Lewinsky, is a queer Jewish writer, performance artist and theatre-maker.

Online: @dexpresents

Location: Big top

Unleash your inner performer at the Queer Spirit Open Mic! Whether you're a seasoned singer, a budding poet, or have a story to share, this is your chance to take the stage and celebrate yourself and our community.

Don't be shy – come raise your voice and be a part of the magic!

Location: Village hall

Following in the footsteps of her trans ancestors as spiritual practitioners, Penelope channels folk medicine music from the Goddess, bringing forth the teachings the earth and the divine needs us to hear to heal our connection to nature, each other, our spirits and the world soul.

Online: youtu.be/CHYcVtXRZqQ

Location: Village hall

A performance about carrots and various other things.

Online: instagram.com/p/CwW5gDxI-2Y/

Location: Village hall

Qweaver, based in the UK, has been publishing and performing for over 10 years.

Where day seeks night, joy greets sorrow, soul meets soul, here they live and create.

Radical faerie, queer activist, magic guide, they relish poetry’s subversion, its dance between meanings and mystery, power to inspire, to open minds, grow community.  

Online: facebook.com/kevinjacksonpoetry

Location: Village hall

RichHard & Larry from the scandinavian dragking group Gutta (The boys) will finally perform at Queer Spirit!

We are here to give you what you don’t know that you want! 

We are rude, shameless, political, queer and with great vision and aim to laugh at and disturb gender norms! Let’s open up our channels together and lean into the night!

Online: gutta.world

Location: Big Top

Roary Skaista is a non-binary autistic singer-songwriter.  Their music blends a folky sound with up-to-date lyrics that challenge audiences on current issues.

From emotive yet well-researched environmental songs to raucous audience participation numbers about lesbian pirates, their music is sure to have you thinking and singing along in equal measures!

Online: roaryskaista.bandcamp.com

Location: Village hall

The fluidity of Rob's queer music floats through indie rock and grunge cabaret. His music has earned him a fan base on both sides of the Atlantic.

Rob is co-founder of Forest Gayte Pride in East London. He has performed at the RVT, Luna Lounge, 3 Queer Spirit Festivals, Pride (Camden) and the Fiddler's Elbow (Kentish Town) to name some.

Online: robdesroches.com

Location: Dance tent

Sutra (Shaun Hill) is a poet and movement artist exploring what improvised movement with living systems can teach us about the ongoing climate crisis.

Expect an embodied space to root, rest, and hold both the beauty and the grief, with post-capitalist dreaming, and soul-finding imagery.

Easter-egg:
throughout the festival Sutra will be sharing his improvisational poetry and dance practice “loop & line” in deep intimacy with the site's magnificent trees. An eco-somatic prayer of gratitude for this living earth that heals him; a reciprocal spell to release shame and be seen breathing into our many limbs. Come, seek Sutra amongst the trees. 

Online: instagram.com/warmbloodedthing

Location: Village hall

Join sing for your supper during our dinner queue for some rousing queer folk songs.

We will also aim to perform again throughout the festival.

Location: Walkabout

Their first collaboration was the viral gender song, Nothing's Binary which they released to coincide with Exeter Pride 2017. A year later, they released Slugs and Spice to celebrate gender free sins.

Thus their identity was forged! Now, Billie & Kimwei bring you their very first full queer half hour of queer songs in all the ways!

Online: youtube.com/watch?v=T7-rsd9zFW4

Location: Big top

Discotheque leopard calls us onto the dance floor with disco classics, HiNRG bangers and obscure 45s.

Original mixes of 12ʺ wonders and 3-minute heros all ripped from spindictorleopard’s vinyl collection to evoke the halcyon days of the gay disco era.

Online: mixcloud.com/leopardzeppard

Location: Big top

Stew Simpson (He/Him) is a Geordie Queer singer/songwriter mostly known for his work with Indie Folk Alt band Hadrian's Union and Big Boys Camp.

Alt Folk, acoustic, eccentric, Neurodivergentleman, likes tweed and punk and has a thing for bears. 

Online: stewsimpson.co.uk

Location: Orangery

Sutra (Shaun Hill) is a poet and movement artist exploring what improvised movement with living systems can teach us about the ongoing climate crisis.

Expect an embodied space to root, rest, and hold both the beauty and the grief, with post-capitalist dreaming, and soul-finding imagery.

Easter-egg:
throughout the festival Sutra will be sharing his improvisational poetry and dance practice “loop & line” in deep intimacy with the site's magnificent trees. An eco-somatic prayer of gratitude for this living earth that heals him; a reciprocal spell to release shame and be seen breathing into our many limbs. Come, seek Sutra amongst the trees. 

Online: instagram.com/warmbloodedthing

Location: Village hall

Taiko for Pride - bringing this amazing performance art that originated in Japan to celebrate our community with joyful sound at Pride events.

We play with big sticks, called 'bachi', and come to spread love.

Online: taikowales.com/taiko-for-pride

Location: Big top

Sab is a multidisciplinary artist working at the intersections of animism, ritual, mythology, gender-fluid and species-fluid experience, and trauma.

Their practice explores communing with the natural world in the here-&-now, as well as with timeless mythos, through their neuroqueer/ mad experience, as a way to defy linearity, scarcity and individualism. 

Location: Village hall

Started Dj-ing in 90s at house parties and pirate radio.

Has played numerous clubs in the UK, US, Berlin, Ibiza and France, has an eclectic and wide ranging influence ad appreciation, tho primarily playing house and techno.

Online: facebook.com/The_brain-115777820548988

Location: Dance tent

Part ritual, part gig, part theatre, The Great Big Women's Song Sanctuary brings connection, redemption and celebration to stories of women’s historic grief and shame, transforming them communally into healing and power.

Come ready to laugh, cry and, most importantly, sing.

Online: youtube.com/channel/UCfKQHjHcKgz7xtQoJva-KNQ

Location: Village hall

Do you love Blues music but can't stand all those heteronormative and misogynistic lyrics? Never fear! The Pink Notes are here!

A brand new Blues Band to bring a rainbow to your blues skies, with songs like a Vauxhall-cruise-scene version of Rollin' & Tumblin' and The "I Can't Find No Queer Blues” Blues, plus hot up-to-the-minute versions of songs from uncelebrated LGBTQ+ Blues singers of the past, such as Prove It On Me by the great Ma Rainey. 

Location: Dance tent

Theo Dussek the Pirate Troubadour is an indie-folk singer from Hertfordshire.

Pirate by way of fashion and lyrical expression; both are highly influenced by the romance of the seas.

Online: theodussek.com

Location: Orangery

Last year Val Entine brought poetry to QS.

Returning to Queer Spirit, this year they are here in a musical capacity, bringing nostalgia-inflected mid-tempo tech house to the Dance Tent.

Location: Dance tent

Venn Smyth is the unashamedly queer pop music maker from Scotland via Manchester.

His music has scored No. 1 on the LGBTQ Music Chart and he reached the finals of Brighton's Voice of Broadway, semis of London's Pride's Got Talent and Una Voce per San Marino competitions.

Online: youtube.com/@vennsmyth

Location: Orangery

True Jazz at its core is a reflection of the freedom we all aspire towards. It's fresh, it's open, it's queer as f**k.

Join Brummie saxophonist and NYC tap-dancer for a night to forget everything you thought you knew about 'Jazz'.

Online: @xhosacole  @libertystyles

Location: Big top