Music / LGBT Bristol
Meet Lynks: The ‘agent of gay chaos’ born from Bristol’s indie music scene
Performer Lynks is taking the internet by storm, with videos on Tik Tok and Instagram boasting millions of views.
Lynks has become instantly recognisable by their collection of masks and their lyrics that detail LGBT+ life.
Topics range from getting hot boys’ numbers through to tongue-in-cheek commentary on straight culture.
is needed now More than ever
Bristol24/7 caught up with Lynks ahead of their packed-out show at SWX, which was the second date in an international tour.
“The shows keep getting more ridiculous. I had someone yesterday describe it as the low budget indie music world version of Beyonce’s Renaissance tour,” said Lynks, speaking about their performances.
“There’s an insane amount of gimmicks and needless costume changes.”
Playing across a range of venues, Lynks admits the high energy shows can often get pretty hot and sweaty.
The artist feels simultaneously proud and a bit bad in a way seeing their audiences drenched in sweat. “But, it’s healthy to get a sweat on – it’s like a sauna. If you’re drinking alcohol, I reckon you sweat out all the toxins. It’s a wellness experience. It all balances out, so it’s just like a regular day,” they remarked, through chuckles.
Lynks is known for their array of masks, which are worn throughout their live shows – photo: Mars Washington
How Bristol inspired the Lynks project
The project was created in Bristol, when Lynks was attending university in the city. During this time, there was a thriving, experimental student music scene.
Promoters were booking wacky, out-there performers. Lynks said without seeing these artists, the entire project might not have been created in the first place.
“It was so normalised to see performances that pushed boundaries. When I went to London, I jumped headfirst into the scene there, but I think that was due to the confidence I’d grown here in Bristol,” Lynks told Bristol24/7.
“My time here was so fun and special. Holding onto that silly energy when you perform can be difficult once larger crowds turn out to see you.
“I think being back in Bristol, where the Lynks project started, is important to tap back into that fun, lighthearted energy. That energy is why people have come, and what they want from you. So, that’s what I’m going to be channelling on the stage today.”
Lynks’ music touches on harder to broach subjects, which are approached with a signature touch of humour.
“When you think about creating a performance – everyone likes to laugh. It can be scary to perform if you’re being very serious and sincere. The only way to see success could be moving people to tears. But, if you’re just going there to have a good time, to make people dance and laugh – it’s more fulfilling to me,” said Lynks.
Their creative process revolves heavily around live shows. With concepts beginning with how they will appear on stage, and then working backwards from there.
Lynks continues to push boundaries both in style and music – photo: Mars Washington
Talking about their identity, Lynks said: “Such a high percentage of songs are written about love. It brings out the best, worst and most intense emotions for us. If you’re a queer person and you want to write about what everyone else writes about – sex, love, partying – you can’t really write about that without bringing your sexuality into it.
“There’s so much of being queer that just hasn’t been in music yet. There are songs on the album which I do feel bring a perspective that hasn’t been in the public realm yet.”
Songs range from discussing queer hookup culture (or ‘ordering a man like you’d order a curry’) to perceptions in the queer community that ageing means you’re less desirable.
Lynks has their eyes on a Grammy in the future – photo: Lily Lytton
Lynks explained that if you’re from a minority group, like the queer community, then identity is very central in how you view the world. It forms your perspective, they said, and to not bring that perspective into your music would make it a bit more generic and less personal.
When asked about where they saw the project going next, Lynks added: “I’ve reached a lot of milestones already. I just wanted to be able to do it as my job. So now that I’ve done that, I guess, Grammy? Why not, yeah, a Grammy.”
Lynks is currently on tour around Europe. Find out more via: www.lynkslynkslynks.net/tickets. Their album Abomination is available to stream now, on platforms including Spotify and Apple Music.
Main photo: Lily Lytton
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