THE FULL FATT SOUND
We’re starting a choir in Birmingham.
The Full Fatt Sound is a semi-professional* queer choir specialising in performing contemporary and popular music. The aim of the choir is to bring together queer singers from across Birmingham to come together and make a beautiful collective sound, packed with sexy harmonies and good vibes.
This is not a ‘community choir’ (there are already great community choirs in Birmingham and we’re not trying to step on their toes). We recognise that for a lot of queer singers it’s rare to have a space to be together and make music, despite this being essential for our development and wellbeing. Lots of choral environments are very traditional, or are attached to religious practice which we know can be difficult for queer people to navigate.
We really want to emphasise the performance of choral music - we currently perform with live keys and a DJ and dancing - we’re bringing audiences together with a gig-like atmosphere - our aim is for the choir to perform at nightclubs & festivals as well as more traditional settings.
The music we perform is drawn on a wide range of genres from club-classics to folk, rock, R&B, jazz, soul, pop, and original compositions pulled together around a particular theme or idea. The music we choose to perform is shaped by the members of the choir, their interests, the sounds we make, and the various contexts we might perform in.
Why are we doing this?
We recognise that for a lot of queer singers it’s rare to have a space to be together and make music, despite this being essential for our development and wellbeing. Lots of choral environments are very traditional, or are attached to religious practice which we know can be difficult for queer people to navigate.
We’re living through increasingly hostile times and on a personal level, there’s something that feels really important about having a space to come together, sing, and be part of a collective queer sound right now. So it feels like there’s a space for a new choir to emerge.
We’re hoping to use our performances as ways to fundraise for local queer causes (eg. gender-affirming surgeries, individuals in crisis etc.), so we hope that the choir can be a way to directly support our local community.
FAQS
What do we mean by semi-professional?
To start with, the choir will be unpaid. Everyone involved is giving their time voluntarily to make it happen because they want to do it and want to be a part of it. However, we are aiming for a professional quality sound and performance.
Our intention is that we will work to a point where we are able to pay singers for gigs (eg. if we’re booked at festivals/events) - but we want to be upfront that it will take some time to get to that stage, so it’s an intention rather than a promise.
How do I join?
we held auditions in Feb 2025 and again in August 2025 (current dealing to apply is tuesday 12th August). We will hold auditions again in 2026. Join the Fatt Projects mailing list or follow the @FullFattSound on instagram for future announcements.
Do I need to be a professional singer to join?
No, you don’t need to be a professional singer to be part of the choir (although you absolutely might be and some of our members are). We understand that people sing for lots of different reasons and everyone will be coming from different kinds of experience, so you don’t need any formal singing training or experience to be a part of the choir.
Here’s what you do need:
to be a confident singer, and comfortable singing in front of people. Ideally we want everyone to feel able to take on singing solo if desired.
to be able to sing to a good standard, have good musicality, and to feel comfortable singing a harmony line with others.
to be able to bring your personality to singing and feel comfortable performing in front of other people.
To identify as LGBTQ+ or consider yourself an active ally to our community.
Full Fatt Sound is probably not the place to try singing for the first time. We are ambitious with the music we perform and the sound we make together.
Please note you must be over the age of 18 to join the choir, there is no upper age limit.
What kind of voices do we looking for?
We don’t have a fixed idea of who can or should sing in a choir, we want to do lots of different styles of music and create different vocal sounds so we’re going to need a range of singing styles. Don’t worry that you sound too much like one thing or another, we want this choir to be a place where the unique qualities of your voice are celebrated.
The choir is split into four vocal parts - Soprano, Alto, Tenor & Baritone. If you aren’t sure which voice part you sing, we can help you figure that out in rehearsal.
We particularly want to connect with singers who haven’t felt comfortable in other choral settings including trans, non-binary and/or gender non-conforming singers whose vocal ranges may not match traditionally gendered voice parts - we hope this will be a space where you are able to bring your full self to singing. Voice parts will be based on range only and are open to people of any gender to sing with the part they are most comfortable with.
Do I need to be able to read music?
No, you do not need to be able to read sheet music - although if you are able to read music this will be helpful. We provide everyone with sheet music and lyrics to follow, but we teach the parts by ear and repetition, we also provide recorded demo-vocal tracks with your specific harmony on to listen to and practice. No-one will be expected to sight-read.
What is the rehearsal commitment?
We rehearse every Monday evening (apart from bank holidays) from 6:45-9:30pm at Birmingham REP Theatre, B1 2EP.
Is there a cost to being in the choir?
No, there isn’t a membership fee or a cost to being in the choir. However, as the choir is currently running without funding we will ask for people who are able to do so to contribute towards the costs of printing etc. (this is done on a pay what you can/solidarity basis).
Is the rehearsal venue accessible?
The REP building has good accessibility, and step free access throughout. Our rehearsal space is on the 2nd floor, which is accessed via a lift. If you have any specific questions about access please email hello@fattprojects.org and we’ll get back to you asap.