Since our creation, Drum and Blaze has been deeply committed to defending and celebrating LGBTQ+ rights. From our earliest performances, we’ve proudly participated in every Gay Pride, Trans Pride and Bear Pride in Brighton, using our music to bring people together in joy, solidarity, and protest.
Our mission has always been clear: to create a safe and inclusive space for everyone, to support our LGBTQ+ allies, and to use our voice, rhythm, and energy to stand up against discrimination and injustice.
Every beat we play is a declaration that love, equality, and freedom belong to all of us.

In 2023, we proudly joined forces with the Brighton & Hove City Council LGBT Workers Forum to create a bold, collaborative parade entry that amplified Pride’s theme, “Love, Protest and Unite.” Together, we stood in powerful solidarity with LGBTQ+ people across the world who continue to face persecution simply for being themselves.
We used our platform to raise awareness of the 64 countries that still criminalise homosexuality and the heartbreaking fact that, in several nations, the death penalty remains a threat for LGBTQ+ individuals.
Through our music and presence, we declared that love is not a crime, and that no one should live in fear because of who they are or who they love. We marched, drummed, and shouted together:
We are all free to love. We are not criminals.

Building on our commitment, 2024 saw us once again collaborate with the Brighton & Hove City Council LGBTQ+ Workers’ Forum to bring to life a dynamic and unified Pride entry under the theme “We Love Because They Can’t.” This message resonated deeply with our belief that LGBTQ+ rights are fundamental human rights – rights that protect dignity, identity, and the freedom to love openly. Through our music, we called for unity in the face of rising intolerance and division. We stood with all those whose voices are silenced and reaffirmed that our strength lies in our solidarity. Together, we sent a powerful message: 
when we stand as one, no one stands alone.

In 2025, inspired by Brighton Pride’s electrifying theme “Ravishing Rage,” we brought our loudest and most defiant performance yet. As global attempts to silence the LGBTQ+ community intensify, Drum and Blaze stands unwavering – using our music and presence to declare that we will not be erased.
Our diversity is our strength. Our love is our power. Our right to exist is non-negotiable.
Every drumbeat this year has been an act of resistance, a celebration of identity, and a promise to every member of the LGBTQ+ community: We are here to stay – to be seen, to be heard, and to be celebrated.