NEWS
NEWS
The major Trans Mission concert took place at London’s OVO Arena Wembley yesterday evening on Wednesday March 11, drawing around 10,000 attendees along with a wide range of performers who gathered to show their support for the transgender community. Below is a breakdown of what took place during the event, including live performances, notable moments and important speeches.
The special one night event was put together by Olly Alexander alongside Mighty Hoopla founder Glyn Fussell. The aim was to send a clear message that transgender people deserve recognition, appreciation and celebration, while also showing that the entertainment world stands firmly behind them.
Olly Alexander at Trans Mission, Wembley. CREDIT: @robynskinner7
Rahim Redcar at Trans Mission, Wembley. CREDIT: @robynskinner7
The show carried the official theme A Night of Solidarity For A Lifetime Of Change. It also focused on fundraising for charities, with proceeds divided equally between the Good Law Project and the transgender support organisation Not A Phase.
Artists who took the stage included Rahim Redcar, who performed songs originally released by Christine And The Queens including Full Of Life and Deep Holes. Kate Nash also appeared, performing her new track GERM along with her well known song Foundations. Former NME Cover artist Rose Gray delivered performances of April and also introduced a brand new track titled Straight From The Club To Your Heart.
Sophie Ellis Bextor later performed her popular track Murder On The Dancefloor. Wolf Alice, fresh from their recent BRIT Awards victory, performed stripped back versions of Leaning Against The Wall and Don’t Delete The Kisses. Olly Alexander also performed a selection of songs from Years and Years.
Before Olly Alexander took to the stage, legendary actor Sir Ian McKellen introduced him and delivered Shakespeare’s The Strangers’ Case speech from Thomas More. This is the same speech he recently performed on The Late Show With Stephen Colbert and it touches on themes surrounding immigration and how society treats those seen as different.
Additional performers included Beverley Knight, Gottmik, Kae Tempest, MNEK, Sugababes, Beth Ditto from Gossip, Tom Rasmussen, and Queen vocalist Adam Lambert. Romy from The xx also appeared for a short DJ set alongside HAAi and Jasmine.4.T, while Jasmine.4.T also welcomed Jacob Alon as a surprise guest during the night.
Alongside Sir Ian McKellen, several other well known figures spoke during the evening including Jordan Stephens, Nicola Coughlan, Russell Tovey, Tia Kofi and Green Party co leader Zack Polanski among others.
“Tonight we are here saying ‘We will not be blamed, we will not be distracted,’” Polanski said as he addressed the crowd at Wembley. “As a gay man, I know that when they come for one of us, they come for all of us. We will all stand together.”
One of the evening’s most emotional highlights came when Caroline Litman took to the stage. She wrote the book Her Name Is Alice, which tells the story of her transgender daughter who died by suicide. During her heartfelt speech she honoured her daughter’s memory before introducing Beth Ditto and activist and model Munroe Bergdorf. The moment ended with a standing ovation from the audience.
Beth Ditto at Trans Mission, Wembley. CREDIT: @robynskinner7
“You have always seen a link between music, art and politics. When you look at people who make art, usually marginalised communities are right at the forefront of those spaces,” Olly Alexander told NME backstage, sitting alongside activist and the founder of Not A Phase, Dani St James.
“Music brings us together… Something like tonight, while it is so positive and so joyful and celebratory, it’s also about working out how we can turn it into change moving forward.”
Adam Lambert also spoke with NME backstage and shared why he believes gatherings like this are important for raising awareness while also strengthening unity and understanding.
“These are the kinds of events and causes that I will always put my energy into. Being an artist is amazing because we can use our platforms to affect the greater good and create a ripple effect,” he said. “If you don’t [speak out], you’re letting members of the community down. It’s a human rights issue. If you can look in the mirror and say that you treat people how you’d want to be treated, that’s a simple way of putting it.
“Everyone deserves respect and everyone deserves the safety of being able to exist. Trans people are no exception to that.”
Adam Lambert at Trans Mission, Wembley. CREDIT: @robynskinner7
The concert also comes after musicians including Charli XCX, Self Esteem and Wolf Alice previously signed a public statement supporting the transgender community within the UK music scene last year.
This came shortly after the UK Supreme Court decision on April 16, where judges ruled unanimously that under the Equality Act the legal definition of a woman is determined by biological sex.
The statement was written by Tom Rasmussen together with Tom Mehrtens, Head Of Music and Entertainment at SATELLITE414, representing voices from across the UK music sector. Support also came from Olly Alexander and Martha Kinn, Manager and Founder of Kinndred Management.
Many other artists and industry figures also voiced their backing for those impacted by the ruling. Among them were Scissor Sisters, Perfume Genius, Garbage, Rachel Chinouriri, JADE, Lambrini Girls, Billy Bragg and others who publicly shared their support.
