During a special ceremony that was held at The Big Chill in London last month, PRS for Music were proud to present Bronski Beat with the latest PRS for Music Heritage Award.
Marking the twentieth time that a PRS for Music Heritage Award has been presented, the venue of the ceremony held special significance as the former site of The Bell pub — the venue where Bronski Beat first played live in 1983.
To mark the occasion, M sat down with a host of contributors — Andy Bell (Erasure), Tom Rasmussen, Sally Herbert, Barney Ashton-Bullock and London Records’ Will Larnach-Jones — to explore Bronski Beat’s lasting influence on music, LGBTQ+ culture and the UK.
You can watch our mini-documentary, Bronski Beat: Smalltown Boys to Heritage Heroes, below.
In a statement about the award, Bronski Beat frontman Jimmy Somerville — who makes a special appearance in our film — said: ‘What a wonderful honour. Humbling too. I remember the [Bell] performance well… twice, in fact!
‘I need to give a mention to Bernie and Martin, the DJing 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.
‘This honour is for all who were on that journey with us. Thank you.’
