It's an absolutely incredible feeling to be through to the Britain's Got Talent 2014 - Live Semi Finals.
***Watch London Gay Big Band and vote for them this Saturday 31 May in the live semi finals! ITV 7pm***
When we founded the London Gay Big Band three years ago in a damp and dingy basement of a London bookshop, we could never have dreamt of the amazing journey that we have been on, culminating in our upcoming Semi Final performance this week on the World's most prominent Talent show and a global stage!
As the only LGBT Big Band in the world, we are proud and privileged to showcase our unique style, music and energy to the entire nation. With Conchita winning this year's Eurovision song contest, the Zeitgeist is absolutely right for another LGBT and gender-stereotype breaking act to be showcased on national television and on digital platforms across the globe. We take our responsibility very seriously, proving that the gay scene is so much more than many of those pre-conceived stereotypes that are so often still prevalent amongst society. Our Band is about about making music. Creating a community spirit. Supporting each other. Breaking boundaries. And bringing something fresh, new and exciting to the LGBT scene and beyond. So if there's one thing you do this week - watch Britain's Got Talent, and make your vote count! Let's show our nation the true diversity, variety and spirit of the LGBT community. Kate Coole (trumpet): "I think this is a chance to show people that being gay is not just about clubbing. There's a whole lot more to LGBT life, and making music is just one example. "It's been such a rollercoaster of a ride. We've played for large crowds before, but performing in a TV studio - with the cameras, the lights, the sets - is another thing altogether; an incredible experience. Very exciting!
"Thinking back to our audition at Hammersmith Apollo, among all those other acts auditioning, and now being one of the lucky ones to get through to the semi-final shows is just amazing."
Vince Walsh (trumpet): "We're not in a competition, we're in an experience and loving it.
"How do I feel about trying to play in front of 10 million people? I'm not the one trying to dance in diamante-encrusted heels.
"Do I think we'll win? We've won just by being here. Millions of people get to hear what we do. That's why we play.
"People forget that Big Band and Jazz music are about fun and emotion. Well, we're here to remind you." Stuart (sax):
"If being on prime time TV gives a sign to our international LGBT brothers and sisters that things can be better, then we have done our job."It don't mean a thing if it ain't got that swing and we are swinging into those semi-finals with all the love we can give!
"I am so proud of what we have achieved as a band, and BGT lets the whole nation share it with us."
Watch their first performance on Britain's Got Talent here
by Stefan Doering, Manager and Co-Founder of the London Gay Big Band
As the UK's first wave of same-sex newlyweds settle
happily into married life, The L Project gears up to repeat their
success of 2012 with a second LGBT charity single, We're All Human,
to be released this May. Recorded by a diverse group of LGBT artists,
every penny earned from the song will be donated to LGBT charities who
work to promote diversity and equality. On hearing a rough cut of the new song, recorded
during February LGBT history month at Dean Street Studios in London, one
of The L Project's collaborators described it as "We Are The World,
but for the gays!". The passion among the 19 artists - this time both
male and female - can be heard in every beat and every note, with
consensus among them that this is "even better than the last one". The L Project's previous song It Does Get Better, released in 2012, made number 11 in the official UK indie charts, despite all the artists being unsigned. The song also topped the iTunes and Amazon charts for over a week, and received coverage in leading international LGBT
magazines and local BBC radio, all without any professional promotion.
That song continues to raise funds, through download sales, YouTube
views, related merchandise, and royalties, to help prevent LGBT bullying
in schools. Georgey Payne, the songwriter and producer of We're All Human,
says, "Since the first song we've built up a massive network of support
through social media. This time we hope that the mainstream media will
pick up our story, so that even more people will download the song, and
be part of changing the lives of LGBT people who need support. Some of
that help will be financial, as we give every penny earned to the
charities - including royalties - but we also have lots of stories about
people all over the world being helped just by hearing the words and
knowing there are people like us who care." The UK might have progressed a lot since 1999, when
the country had the a largest number of anti-gay laws in the world, but
others aren't so fortunate, as highlighted during the SOCHI Winter
Olympics. As the media outrage fades over Russia's attitude towards the
LGBT community, The L Project steps in to help keep the flame alive.
"It's easy when you're part of a majority to take
the view that because you don't experience an issue, there isn't a
problem. But the evidence is undeniable. Media stories focus people's
attention for a while, but when the stories stop, people become
complacent, and inadvertently become complicit in allowing things to not
only continue, but potentially worsen - not just in Russia, but in
India, Uganda and around the world," says Sofia Antonia Milone, who runs
the project alongside Georgey and who also collaborated on the lyrics
of the new song. "Of course the LGBT community would prefer human rights
to be based on the simplicity of being human, rather than having to be
fought for and listed separately in law," Georgey adds. "That's what we
wanted to get across with this song, and we want that message to reach
far and wide." The benefiting charities this time include the
Russian LGBT Network which helps LGBT victims of abuse in Russia, and
also Mermaids, the UK's youth Transgender charity. The L Project plan to release an official video to
coincide with the song's release, preceded by a series of
behind-the-scenes videos on Youtube. These videos will show some of the
less visible contributors to the project: videographers, photographers,
hairstylists, and runners, all of whom worked tirelessly and - just like
all the artists - for free. The L Project will also be playing a sneak preview of We're All Human a short time before the official release. The preview will be made available via a secret link on Facebook and The L Project website, www.thel-project.com.
As the only LGBT Big Band in the world, we are proud and privileged to showcase our unique style, music and energy to the entire nation. With Conchita winning this year's Eurovision song contest, the Zeitgeist is absolutely right for another LGBT and gender-stereotype breaking act to be showcased on national television and on digital platforms across the globe. We take our responsibility very seriously, proving that the gay scene is so much more than many of those pre-conceived stereotypes that are so often still prevalent amongst society. Our Band is about about making music. Creating a community spirit. Supporting each other. Breaking boundaries. And bringing something fresh, new and exciting to the LGBT scene and beyond. 
Stuart (sax): 
