The BBC has struck upon a new wheeze to make the Proms accessible and inclusive: it has booked famously ‘non-binary’ singer Sam Smith. The pop star, best known for cavorting on stage in ill-fitting outfits, is joined in this year’s line up by Florence Welch. A disco prom will also take place, which for those of us of a certain age immediately brings back memories of the grotesquely naff ‘Hooked On Classics’. Robert Newman, who founded the Proms over 100 years ago, must be spinning in his grave.
Smith’s inclusion is a remarkably odd decision by the BBC: yes, his appearance will sell seats and draw eyes. But then so would any concert by these artists. Does their appearance really make pop fans expand their musical horizons? I consider it doubtful in the extreme that anybody has ever thought ‘well I enjoyed that performance by Stormzy, so I think I’ll nip out and buy some platters from Chopin and Schoenberg’.
Smith is a walking example of how fame and riches can do very odd things to even the dullest people
Pop music is all about tiny bits and a quick rush of feels.
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