August 22, 2012
Alison Moyet to Star at Manchester Pride
Mark Thompson READ TIME: 2 MIN.
MANCHESTER, England - Former Yazoo star and singing legend Alison Moyet to headline Sunday night Gaydar Main Arena stage as part of the Big Weekend festival.
Almost exactly thirty years since her first appearance in the UK pop chart, Manchester Pride, in association with dating/social networking website Gaydar, announced the addition of former Yazoo vocalist, solo performer, and actress Alison Moyet to lead the Sunday night Gaydar Main Arena line-up.
An Essex girl born to a French father and English mother who left school at 16, became famous at 21 as singer in Yazoo, and released her triple-platinum solo debut, Alf, at 23. She found fame hard to handle at such a young age, but hindsight has helped her appreciate those experiences.
"For a while in the mid-80s, it was amusing to be a pop bitch, but that changed, and it stopped being enough. Now I am able to put my early work into context and find pleasure in the innocence of it. It matters to connect with your audience and these songs have had their place in more lives than my own."
Between 1984 and 1987, Alison was Britain's biggest female solo star. Covers of 'That Ole Devil Called Love' and 'Love Letters' confirmed her reputation as an interpreter of classic songs, while her own self-penned hits like 'Love Resurrection' and 'All Cried Out' as with Yazoo's 'Nobody's Diary and club anthem 'Situation', illustrated her gift as a songwriter.
She won Brit Awards, performed at Live Aid, toured extensively and broke the Billboard Top 40. After that, she started to explore what she could do with her wonderful voice, a powerful but sensitive instrument that never forgot its Essex roots, but looked to experiment in a world beyond.
In the last decade, Alison has taken other career turns. She has played Mama Morton in the West End hit musical, 'Chicago'; acted with best friend Dawn French in the Kathy Burke-directed play, 'Smaller'; narrated jazz documentaries for Jazz FM; reformed Yazoo with Vince Clarke for a triumphant reunion tour in 2008; and recently toured the UK as the guest of the Academy Award-winning French composer, Michel Le Grand.
Alison also performed two songs at a tribute concert for Kirsty MacColl, which took place at the Shepherd's Bush Empire in 2010. 'Head' and 'Walking down Madison' will feature on 'A Concert for Kirsty MacColl', a recording of the night, which is scheduled for physical and digital release later this year.
Alison and her band will be performing songs from both Yazoo and her solo career. She is joined on the Gaydar Main Arena stage by 'The X Factor' finalist Amelia Lily, who will showcase her debut single, 'You Bring Me Joy'.
Manchester Pride is an award-winning festival for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people. The Big Weekend running from 24 - 27 August 2012. Early Bird weekend tickets are �20.00 and day tickets �12.50 until Thursday 23 August 2012.
Big Weekend tickets are available at manchesterpride.com or by calling 0871 230 3450.
For more information on Manchester Pride visit www.manchesterpride.com
You can also follow the festival on Twitter: @manchesterpride
A long-term New Yorker and a member of New York Travel Writers Association, Mark Thompson has also lived in San Francisco, Boston, Provincetown, D.C., Miami Beach and the south of France. The author of the novels WOLFCHILD and MY HAWAIIAN PENTHOUSE, he has a PhD in American Studies and is the recipient of fellowships at MacDowell, Yaddo, and Blue Mountain Center. His work has appeared in numerous publications.
