Bronski Beat
Date: 11 July 2025
Recipient: Bronski Beat
Location: Big Chill (formerly The Bell)
Bronski Beat were awarded the latest PRS for Music Heritage Award, commemorating the band’s significant contribution to British alternative music at the site of the band’s first-ever live performance, Big Chill (formerly The Bell).
The King’s Cross pub was a landmark of countercultural London in the early 1980s and played a key role in the rise of Bronski Beat, who gave their debut performance there in 1983.
This marked a turning point for the outspoken and openly gay band of Steve Bronski, Jimmy Somerville, and Larry Steinbachek, who signed a recording contract with London Records the subsequent year after just nine live gigs. That year saw them release hit single Smalltown Boy and Age of Consent, their highly influential debut album which sought to push back against the legal, social and cultural stigmatisation of LGBTQIA+ identities at the time.
What a wonderful honour. Humbling too. I remember the performance well… twice in fact! I need to give a mention to Bernie and Martin, the DJ-in' duo who started a night called Movements at The Carved Red Lion on Essex Road, then to The Pied Bull at Chapel Market and finally The Bell. It wasn’t just a night out. It was social, political and creative history being made. It was a movement. Young LGBTQIA+ people wanting something different and it met that need. It was different and exciting and we, Bronski Beat were part of that. So this honour is for all who were on that journey with us. Thank you.
The PRS for Music Heritage Award ceremony, the 20th in the long-running series, included the unveiling of a commemorative plaque and live performance by British artist, writer, and performer, Tom Rasmussen, in honour of Bronski Beat frontman, Jimmy Somerville.
Bronski Beat literally created the space for gay and queer musicians to both be out, and to sing and make music about the way we live. It’s easy to take that for granted today. Personally, as someone with a falsetto which betrays my gender and sexuality (in the best way) Jimmy also made it okay for people who look like boys to sing, swoon, scream and cry. It’s a proper privilege to be in that lineage with Jimmy.
Independent venues like Big Chill are a vital part of the creative economy and play a role in sustaining the pipeline of future songwriters and performers across the country. Bronski Beat’s debut performance here in the 80s, and their subsequent success and social impact, is a clear example of how local venues can help shape national and international culture. Supporting venues like this is essential to ensuring the long-term health of the UK music industry and the success of the creators it depends on
