Synth pop trio Bronski Beat’s 1984 debut The Age of Consent is a rarity in musical history – an album that both defined a generation and challenged the status quo. Its four singles, and particular lead single ‘Smalltown Boy’, have endured with astonishing resonance, offering home to all listeners dreaming of escape from their familiar surroundings and situations.
Every track on the album places the listener ‘in the room’: they are in it, living it, rolling inside each song’s thematic meaning. Through the blue-eyed wonder of singer Jimmy Somerville’s vocal pirouettes, they too take the punch of hate in ‘Why?’, question the bible with alongside a male voice choir on ‘It Ain't Necessarily So’, and watch the same crappy TV advertising on ‘Junk’. They are part of the trade-off between lust and commerce in ’Love and Money’ and the heated near climax of ‘Need A Man Blues.’
40 years later and The Age of Consent remains as prescient and vital as ever as it did on its original release; truly transgressive - defiant, queer, and laden with hooks. To celebrate this important anniversary, London Records revisit the album across a series of expanded formats, uncovering sonic archival gems, new mixes, essays and more.
5 Discs in wallets (4 audio CDs and 1 DVD)
The Age of Consent [16 Tracks]
- The original album, plus 6 bonus tracks [7” versions and radio edits]
Hundreds & Thousands [11 Tracks]
- The original remix album, plus 5 bonus tracks
Consent Extended – The 12 Inches Plus [11 Tracks]
- Rare 12” versions, US Club Mixes, B-sides
Ignore at Your Peril – The Rarities Plus [19 Tracks]
- Radio sessions, previously unreleased early versions, and studio sessions
DVD – The First Chapter – The Videos Plus [10 Tracks]
- Restored music videos
- Top of The Pops performances
- Original TV adverts
24-page booklet featuring rare and unseen photos, and essays by:
- Tom Rasmussen
- Lesley Chow
- Lucy Robinson
- Barnaby Ashton-Bullock
