Faggamuffin Bloc Party

‘We are inspired by our very own community’, Faggamuffin Bloc Party told us, when we asked who influenced their work, ‘by the voguers, promoters, DJs, dancers, and individuals who have broadened our scope of understanding of what is accessible and possible for us as LGBTQ+ Black people’.

Since first establishing themselves in 2018 the collective has been working to increase the visibility of QTBIPOC Pride at carnival, and are keen to champion those who’ve driven their work forward. ‘We want to shout out our mentors who strive to create opportunities for us and our community to exist; Something To Aim For, Pax Nindi, Tropical Isles, Nzinga Soundz, and Black and Gay Back in The Day. And we also want to shout out to our colleagues who are pushing boundaries and existing authentically within Soundsystem and Carnival contexts; Black Obsidian Sound System, Sistermatic, Queer Bruk, Jungle Kitty, SWAGGA and Wile Out Brum. And we also have to give a big mention to UK Black Pride for continuously striving for more for our community’.

As the latter two words of their name suggest Faggamuffin Bloc Party are all about delivering the best music and vibes of true carnival, so it’s no surprise when they tell us, ‘to be honest every Faggamuffin Bloc Party is memorable.’

But standing out among the stand-outs is undoubtedly their 2019 Hackney Carnival stage, where it’s estimated as many as 4,000 people turned up at the day’s peak. ‘Nothing can match that energy, on and off stage. We were surrounded by our community, allies, and supporters, and there was a synergy created amongst our carnival and LGBTQ+ community that was unmatched. In the final ten minutes Lady Leshurr shut down the stage with an incredible performance, zero crumbs left’.

If you’re a Southbank Centre, or Meltdown, regular then you may remember Faggamuffin Bloc Party from Grace Jones’ festival last year when they made their Southbank Centre debut. ‘It was an incredibly memorable experience,’ Faggamuffin told us, and one they’re looking forward to replicating this summer. ‘The Southbank Centre is an integral part of London's cultural landscape, and its curation of Christine and the Queens’ Meltdown is exquisite, featuring some of the best talent London has to offer. We’re happy that Faggamuffin Bloc Party can add to that ever growing landscape of diversity and inclusion, with Black people and People of Colour's experiences centred within that celebration’.

And what are they planning for this year’s festival? ‘We’re coming to show the world – but especially the Black and Brown LGBTQ+ individuals – that we can take up space and celebrate ourselves within the traditions of our history and ancestry. We are a celebration of their push towards freedom and liberation and we rejoice.’ 

Faggamuffin get the honour of opening this year’s festival on our Riverside Terrace on Friday 9 June, and they’re getting set to go all out to deliver a memorable and impactful first night. ‘We’re going to be busy’, they told us, somewhat understatedly. ‘We’ve two live performance sets by Lady Lykez and Carter the Bandit, DJ sets by our very own DJ Biggy C, Donnie Sunshine, and the incredible Janelle Wynter, hosted by Rhysspieces & Anairin, with a special appearance by our co-founder Bad Lay-Dee. We are also honoured to be joined by Taboo, Clapped and Webster who are members of the Ballroom community, and are coming to slay and shut down the stage’.

‘We’re looking forward to seeing bodies moving, dancing, smiling, showing what Faggamuffin Bloc Party invokes for our community. We cannot wait to give the Southbank Centre a taste of the levels of energy we bring’.