The Sydney Gay & Lesbian Mardi Gras Festival kicks off tomorrow, which means you’ll be going gay clubbing, like a lot. While the parade doesn’t start until the end of the month, there’s still a whole bunch of performances and events that’ll be coming to a hotspot near you. As a result, we know you’ll be listening to a lot of iconic pop music to get you in the mood.
Speaking of gay icons, we discussed the Gay Man’s Choir’s tribute to Laura Dern on this episode of It’s Been A Big Day For…
And while you should definitely have Cher, ABBA and Arethra Franklin on your Mardi Gras playlists, the festival is always a good excuse to discover some new, queer artists that are singing about queer stories. So, here’s a bunch to get you started:
Cub Sport
In this Brissy band, the frontman (Nelson) and keyboardist (Netterfield) are married, making for one sweet, sweet discography. If you want to hear the most romantic song of all time, I definitely recommend you check out ‘Party Pill’ where the two duet, singing about the first time they met.
Ms Blanks
Ms Blanks is a Brisbane rapper empowering the trans-community with bop after bop. Each single she drops is politically charged with the aims of shedding a light on gender and racial inequality in Australia. I guarantee you, chucking on ‘Good Good D’ will get anyone onto the dancefloor.
Collarbones
After meeting on a post-rock online forum, these two have been making music for over a decade now. Their most recent album, Futurity, is their best to date. Be sure to add ‘A.I.’ to your playlists, it’s the ultimate, techno party-starter.
Montaigne
In an interview with Frooty, Montaigne discusses her queerness, saying: “Representation is very important to me. But I also don’t want it to be ‘this person is queer’. I want it to be ‘this person is queer, and all these other amazing things’.” Well, Montaigne is not only a queer artist that’s pumping out amazing pop music, but she’s also going to representing Australia at this year’s Eurovision competition. Couldn’t get more iconic than that, hey?
Imbi The Girl
This non-binary artist makes the most introspective music out of any artist I know. Their vulnerability, coming through their melodic rap, is so extremely captivating, one listen simply isn’t enough. If you’re looking for a tune to get you started, for sure get into ‘swell’ and enjoy the subsequent deep dive.
G Flip
Since the first time we heard G Flip’s voice, we haven’t been able to stop listening. Her love songs about her girlfriend are pure pop perfection. Personally, whenever I try to deep dive into her discography, I get stuck with ‘Drink Too Much’, it’s too good to not be repeated. What are you waiting for? Go stream this producer, drummer and vocalist right now!
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