Nicki French on her Pride rider: ‘Plenty of white wine!’
Stars come and go but you’ll always find one or two legends of the pride circuit on the bill. Former Eurovision and Total Eclipse Of The Heart hitmaker Nicki French is one of those guilty pleasure stars we love to see every time. Here she shares her pride secrets…
What prides are you taking part in this year?
I have a few booked in already. In a few weeks I fly to Gran Canaria to perform at Maspalomas Pride. In June I’ll be in Gloucester for the 10th anniversary of Gloucestershire Pride (Saturday 13th), which I’m honoured to be headlining, and the following day (Sunday 14th) I travel to Blackpool for their Pride celebrations, where I’ll be doing a show at the Flying Handbag in the evening. In July I’m doing Bristol Pride (Saturday 11th) PLUS their after-party, and on Sunday 16th August I’ll be appearing at the Golden Cross in Cardiff as part of the closing celebrations there. A few others are yet to be confirmed – but I’m looking forward to the ones that are in already!
What’s the best thing about doing pride events?
Oh, there’s usually such a ‘feel good’ factor about prides – particularly when the sun is shining! There are usually quite a few acts on, and it’s always great to chat to people backstage you may not have seen for a while. Free hospitality is always a bonus too! I always love to watch other artists perform, so they’re great for that.
Which has been your favourite pride?
I enjoy them all, I truly do – but if I had to pick one for a special ‘affinity’, it would probably be Cardiff. I was at the very first one, with possibly only a few hundred attending. I was then invited to return each year and watched it grow into a HUGE event – and now it’s one of the biggest. When I first started performing on the gay scene, the Red Dragon in Cardiff was one of my first ever proper ‘regular’ gigs. I absolutely love the city and I’ve sung duets on the Main Stage with Dr Bev and the lovely Faye Tozer too! So Cardiff definitely has special memories for me.
Have you had any disasters at prides?
The only thing that kind of went wrong was at Reading one year, where I was booked to be the headline (ie. last) act. A couple of the acts before me overran and the organisers had had to agree with the local council in advance that the generators supplying the electricity would be switched off at a certain time. So I did my opening number and suddenly was told, ‘We have to stop now.’ I couldn’t believe it, and neither could the audience. I hadn’t done Total Eclipse OR Don’t Play That Song Again – the two that I was known for! So I ended up just belting them out a cappella and apologising.
Do you think pride is a good place for romance?
I wouldn’t really know – I’m straight! I guess it’s as good a place as any though. Certainly a lot of partying tends to carry on in the clubs and bars where the pride is being held, so anyone looking for romance will know that those bars and clubs will be fuller than usual…
Can pride events be bitchy environments?
From my experience, the atmosphere backstage is usually pretty good. No, extremely good. Yes, there are some ‘divas’ – but they miss out on the fun as they’re too busy making their demands and keeping themselves to themselves. Most of the acts love to chat and catch up with one another backstage – it’s great fun, and people are very supportive of one another! I do want to also say, when a backstage area is run well, it’s such a relief for the artists. The backstage staff/organisers have a difficult job, they have to look after all the various artists that arrive, make sure they don’t disappear when they’re supposed to be ready to go on stage AND they have to keep everyone happy, all the while running around making sure things are as near to schedule as possible. They are hardly ever thanked – so I’m saying a HUGE thank you to them all here!
Do you have a rider?
Not really, anyone who knows me will just make sure there’s plenty of water and white wine backstage for me! The only other thing I need to be near is a loo – and a mirror to do my make up. A lot of the artists are only at a Pride event for a short time, as the performances are shorter than a normal show. Surely there’s no real point in stipulating this chocolate bar or that soap must be in their dressing room area. The dressing room areas are usually shared anyway, or at least time restricted! Are prides a glamorous place for their glam stars? [laughs] There have been some wonderful hotels over the years, but then again, some have been not-so-wonderful…
Have you had any bad audiences?
I would like to say no. I think they’ve always given me a good reaction! Do you have pride ‘groupies’? No – but I have a few fans from many years ago who have become friends, and if they can, they’ll come to a Pride event, or a show in a club – to show support! I once had a group of fan/friends who all came over to see me perform at Milwaukee Pride in the USA! A couple of others followed me over to Brazil and saw me do some shows there. Not Pride events, but the fact they organised their holiday to coincide with my shows took my breath away!
What can we expect from your pride shows this year?
Well, now that I’m back in the studio working with Mike Stock, I will be performing the brand new track we recorded some months ago, This Love, to promote that, along with a new mix (by the wonderful Matt Pop) of my Eurovision song, Don’t Play That Song Again, and of course, I’m pretty sure Total Eclipse of the Heart will figure in the set list every time too!
More Pride info: To book Exclusive Gay Travel packages visit Marriottweekends.co.uk/pride