ANDY BELL – TORSTEN THE BAREBACK SAINT

Openly gay and HIV-positive, Erasure’s Andy Bell has decided to take on a new persona, an “age-defying polysexual” – hence the controversial Torsten The Bareback Saint title. Performing as such at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in August, he’s released a CD of the songs “in character” which comes with a 36-page booklet. While This Gay Thing Isn’t Working is a hi-energy workout reminiscent of Andy’s 1980s Erasure heyday, the rest is mostly brooding ballads. All of them come with a positive gay sensibility including trips to the sauna and getting too many calls from an admirer (Mobile Fucked). Andy’s got his tongue stuck firmly in his cheek – you decide which one.