Sapphic Bird’s Eye View of … Pink

© David Gabber / Photorazzi

In the gay musical icon stakes, if Madonna is the queen, and Kylie is the princess, Pink is well on her way to becoming the duchess, but if singing ability alone were the stakes she would surely triumph because her voice is one that far outstrips her older, much loved peers.

Pink is amassing a loyal following of her own in the UK: predominantly female and predominantly Sapphic (if the cheer that welcomed her “Dear Mr President” line, “what kind of father would hate her own daughter if she were gay…” is anything to go by). Her show though, is cleverly put together, appealing to her audience on all levels. For the young impressionable teenage girl, she exudes ‘brainy attitude’, epitomised by her wig, sunglasses and long leopard-spotted, coat-wearing rendition of “Stupid Girl”. For heterosexual men and lusting, love-struck lesbians alike, “Fingers” did the talking for her (what that woman can do wearing a bikini suspended above the stage in a fishing net is pure fantasy-fodder, believe me!). And for the musical connoisseur in you whether straight, gay, young or older, her voice just speaks for itself. It may not be everyone’s cup of tea, but – likened to the late Janis Joplin’s – it is one not to be ignored.

For an hour and three quarters she belted out song after song, interspersing “I’m Not Dead” tracks with some of her “Missundaztood” classics like “Just like a pill”, “18-Wheeler” and “Family Portrait”. She even fitted in “There you go”, a throw-back to her first album, “Can’t take me home”. Midway through the show, she slowed things down with a mini-acoustic session – what she calls her ‘campfire set’ – launched with a heartfelt cover of Bob Marley’s “Redemption Song” – broken by a fit of giggles as she spotted an adoring fan waving her cardboard campfire flames and throwing a bag of marshmallows onto the stage “I think I’ve told my campfire story too many times before,” she laughed. The mini-set included “One that got away” and “Dear Mr President”. She chomped marshmallows between songs, “I don’t share!” she teased the begging audience. There was just her, her 2 backing singers – fantastic singers in their own right –accompanied by a single acoustic guitar, and they sounded fantastic. I’ve said it before, but I’ll say it again – her voice can raise the hairs on the back of your neck!

The stage was a simple one, but I can’t think of a minute when I wasn’t engaged with the whole show. Her costume changes were done quickly, her 5-piece band stayed onstage throughout (except for the campfire set), as did her backing singers, she was accompanied by 3 female dancers; and when there was aerial ballet to be done, there was Pink, doing it for herself, and without a safety net! (Aerial ballet – or tissu – is aerial gymnastics where the gymnast is wrapped in a long ‘sash’ suspended from the ceiling.) She looked good – who’d have thought she was so supple? And you have to hand it to her she knows what she’s doing, in more ways than one. Not only is she an adept and confident aerial gymnast, but she knows exactly what her audience wants to see. The roof nearly came off as, during her encore, she and one of her female dancers did the splits on top of each other; suspended in a sash swing, Pink launching into a few bars of The Eurythmics’ “Sweet dreams are made of this…,” ‘sitting’ on her upside-down colleague … did I mention the phrase ‘fantasy-fodder’ already?

All in all, this was a memorable night from the hardworking support act Mudbone, through the hilarious winding-up-the-audience Sheila’s Wheels ad all the way to the Sweet Dreams injected “Let’s get this party started” finale; a scintillating performance by a singer who is confident in her ability. She remained unfazed when her ear-pieces failed to work right at the outset: “The sound’s f****d up! I can’t hear a thing, does it sound alright?” she asked the audience and when it screamed its affirmation she carried on, hitting every note, ear-pieces hanging uselessly around her neck. She isn’t afraid to let her humour shine through, nor is she averse to poking fun at herself and there is something endearing about that. She has an opinion on many things and her music reflects her views, not least her staunch support of gay rights. Longevity is not the norm for musical artists of today, and it remains to be seen whether it is a term that will apply to Pink in the future, but right here, right now, from a Sapphic bird’s viewpoint, this is an artist well worth catching.