What a plonker!

I have one good thing to say about SS and that was he didn't swear. I remember Adele at the Royal Albert Hall years ago effing and blinding.

And last year a singer called Raye also performed there with a huge orchestra and choir. As soon as she walked over to the microphone she screamed the magical words 'Are you f***ing joking!'

After that the songs were all full of anger, bitterness, foul language and vocal gymnastics. To be honest, I couldn't even understand what she was wailing on about, even though I had sub-titles to decipher the words!

The orchestra were amazing, the choir sang beautifully, except they were effing and blinding too!

If he wants to dress in a dress OK but it seems very odd in my book especially as he has a beard as well. AND it's in the RAH. It's not for me but if people like it he's not doing anyone any harm.
Just a thought! Women singers often wear trousers!!!!!!

Yes, Yes, Yes to Doodledog 's comment - especially the George Michael bit ! Gay should never become a gimmick.

JaneJudge

I'm going to come out as a heterosexual female
literally, nobody cares

Yes, exactly. I quite enjoyed the show - he does have a good voice, but at times I thought the mic had a loose connection as I couldn't hear him very well. His 'gender' and sexuality (whatever semi-bisexual means) are irrelevant, and I don't know why he has to make such a big deal of either. Homosexuality is hardly a unique selling point in the music industry, is it?

I would love to be able to see George Michael perform again - he would have been amazing with backing like that. We all knew he was gay, but that was neither here nor there. It made no difference to his singing or performance.

I'm in no way suggesting that gay performers should keep it to themselves - it is part of who they are and nothing to be ashamed of. But there is no need to make every performance about that. Reassuring as it was to hear SS say he wasn't planning to 'get his bum out', that should have gone without saying, IMO

I'm going to come out as a heterosexual female
literally, nobody cares

There is also gender fluid where people change from one day to the next. There are even You Tube videos to help people identify themselves as gender fluid. The world really has gone barking mad.

At one time the BBC were teaching young children that there were 100 different genders. I think that has stopped now.

I love his voice, am really not bothered about what he wears!

Non binary means you acknowledge that there are only two sexes. If your birth sex doesn’t get you enough attention, but you don’t want to give it up, say you’re non-binary.
There are even people who are inventing weirder statuses for themselves because non-binary is so passé now.

JamesandJon33

Sam Smith isn’t gay, is he? I believe he is non binary. If that excuses his dress sense!!!

He’s certainly something

Chestnut

Well I recorded Sam Smith, so I could fast forward but hear enough to get the idea. Which I did. I thought he had a disappointingly weak voice and the songs mostly sounded the same. Not really impressed, especially when he started prancing around in his fluffy red dress. The climax of the show was when he added a hat with huge devils horns, and starting singing Unholy. Couldn't keep away from his Satanic leanings for one night.

Says it all really doesn’t it? 😬

Sam Smith has a good voice, I do like listening to him. But I too pass in watching him perform.

Sam Smith isn’t gay, is he? I believe he is non binary. If that excuses his dress sense!!!

Well I recorded Sam Smith, so I could fast forward but hear enough to get the idea. Which I did. I thought he had a disappointingly weak voice and the songs mostly sounded the same. Not really impressed, especially when he started prancing around in his fluffy red dress. The climax of the show was when he added a hat with huge devils horns, and starting singing Unholy. Couldn't keep away from his Satanic leanings for one night.

Is anyone truthfully enjoying ‘Songs from the Countryside’ being performed at the moment?

Even my dog has decided to have an early night! 😱

I didn’t watch, but this afternoon I caught the end the the Proms on Radio 3, Mass in Troubled Times by John Pickard. I was very troubled by it. Just glad my choir didn’t have to sing it. Unsingable. Sorry.

Well, he definitely needs some kind of therapy! He obviously didn't learn the difference between singular and plural pronouns… Or maybe he has cloned himself. Perish the thought.

He has said that he identifies as semi-bisexual.

I out him on to hear his voice but was disappointed, its not very good. As for the other nonsense perhaps its his theraphy..

They can cross dress and behave any way they want as long as I don’t have to watch .

Poppyred

I love his voice but can’t be bothered with all his shenanigans….

This.

I often listen to him, although he can be a bit whiny and his lyrics (specially the early ones) needy, he has a good voice and the production etc of his albums is (IMO) good.

I can't bear to watch him these days, though, and his earlier neediness has turned to exhibitionism as he got more successful.

We were quite enjoying it even though we couldn't always make out the words to the songs. Then he turned up in his huge raspberry meringue of a frock, he looked quite ridiculous, so I read my book with him as background music

The Beeb has been including a night of modern music featuring different pop genres for a while now. Remember last year’s excellent Northern Soul concert?

You may not like Sam Smith’s voice or his shenanigans and I always struggle with they/them pronouns (can’t be bothered if I’m honest) but if I’d switched over I would have missed the BBC Concert Orchestra’s excellent arrangements of his hit songs and the very accomplished LJ Singers who backed him.

For me it was more than just a Jock in a Frock!

I love his voice but can’t be bothered with all his shenanigans….

I had to turn him off, his voice is nothing special.

Maybe he’s worried his voice isn’t good enough to keep him in the limelight, hence the other attention seeking actions.

I think he’s wrong about his voice, but a jock in a frock isn’t appealing enough to make me watch.