12 MARCH – 25 MAY 2025

Granary Square, London

JIMMY SOMERVILLE AND
BRONSKI BEAT

EXHIBITION

In 1984 Jimmy Somerville’s first band, Bronski Beat, released their debut album, The Age of Consent. The album title was a response to the age of consent for gay men which at the time was 21 in the United Kingdom. For heterosexual relationships the age of consent was 16. This exhibition presented a new set of materials donated by Jimmy Somerville to our collection. It included T-Shirts from the ACT-UP campaign, a customised Levi’s jacket, hand typed lyrics to Bronski Beat track ‘Screaming’ and posters for ‘Smalltown Boy’. In our screening room we were pleased to present the short documentary Why? (2024); a reimagined video for Bronski Beat’s enduring LGBTQ+ anthem, originally released in 1984.