From the Brixton riots to the first UK Black Pride, meet Sutara Gayle: artist and activist
Sutara Gayle has been a defining force in UK culture for over 40 years.
“My first act of activism? I’d say it was on school grounds with bullies taking liberties with somebody that’s not confrontational. I’m bullying the bullies… That’s my first act of activism,” says Sutara of that earliest memory of standing against injustice.
Born in Brixton, London in April 1963, Sutara Gayle has been known by many names: born Lorna Gayle, later Lorna Gee – Reggae icon and Lover’s Rock queen – now crowned Sutara, meaning Divine Star – the name given by Mooji, her brother and spiritual teacher. An actor, music artist, and human rights activist, she has empowered Black and queer communities through her art for over 40 years.
“I’d say the 1981 Brixton riots was when I realised that, ‘Wow, we’re being taken advantage of, we’re at a disadvantage, and we’re looked upon unfairly. There was so much brutality in those days. I saw things happen right in front of my eyes,” she recalls. “I felt that collective rage for the first time in my life.”
Then, in 1985, armed officers invaded her sister Cherry’s home and shot her, claiming mistaken identity. It was an event that left Cherry in critical care and with life changing conditions – sparking the ‘85 Brixton riots. Sutara led marches demanding justice for her sister, fighting a system that tried to deny her human rights.
But she rejected violence: fire bun fire, nah ri! Instead, Sutara used her voice. “My music, it’s a form of rebellion. It’s a part of being visible, a part of being acknowledged,” she says. Back in the ’80s and ’90s, Sutara’s music broke racial barriers and helped Black artists gain reverence, especially in the underground scenes. Her music career began young. “I was growing up on the sound systems… I started at 13-14 years old and was supposed to be laying down in my bed.” Instead, Sutara was, “dancing in the Blues dances,” and the shubeens. These events, due to racism and safety concerns, were often community-led and took place in unlicensed venues. While on remand as a teenager, she heard her single ‘Three Weeks Gone (Mi Giro)’ playing through radio for the first time. That was when she turned her life around, vowing to focus on her art.
“Brixton is a vibrant, colourful, beautiful place,” she says of the south London neighbourhood. However, growing up queer in Brixton was complicated. “I kind of hid things… growing up in an environment where being queer was not a ‘good thing’. It was frowned upon… The family that I grew up with were staunch Seventh-day Adventists.” She laughs, “I came out to my mum when I was about 35 years old.” Her mum replied, ‘D’ya tink mi born yesterday?’”
She made a big impact around the world in the rare groove, reggae, revival, and hip hop scenes, gaining recognition and friendships with icons we still revere today, including Angela Bassett – who came to see her show, who she was “able to hug and kiss” – to Judy Mowatt, Bionic Rhona and Super Cat.
Her song ‘Got To Find A Way’ won Sutara a BBC London Radio Reggae Award for Best Female Artist in ’85 and ’86. Additionally, she won Best Female DJ at the Tamika Reggae Awards in New York in ’92. Her latest single ‘Closet’ is undeniably queer-coded, but the message is freedom for all.
The early noughties saw Sutara run queer night Blessence. UK Black Pride co-founder Lady Phyll was “religiously there.” Sutara helped organise the first official UK Black Pride in Southend and in the years that followed. “When they [Lady Phyll] did the first UK Black Pride in Southend, I said to all my Blessence network… Let’s go support this… I performed at it. I judged a swimwear competition… I had a hand in getting a lot of the artists back in the day, like Janet Kay and some of Lover’s Rock artists to perform.”
“Black Pride, for me, was an extension of what I was doing…” The events began as women-only, but soon, “…the queer Black men started knocking on the door: ‘We like dis music too.’ And we couldn’t keep the guys out. It grew into something great.”
Creating “sacred spaces” like her club night Blessence and UK Black Pride, and building visibility for Black queer people is core to Sutara’s activism. “It’s about going out and showing your colours that one day… If your family can’t know, for that one day you can shuck-out! That’s why I think we create these spaces.”
For Sutara, activism is community building through every song, performance, and event. “I got up to see how many people were a part of it,’ she says. “It was about bringing that all together… If you don’t see it, you create it yourself! I remember leaving on the coach and saying, ‘This could be a yearly thing y’know.’ I’ve been a part of UK Black Pride from the whole conception and growth… from Victoria Park to Vauxhall.”
Acting entered Sutara’s life age 35, but despite being accepted into drama school, a grant she depended on was cut. That did not stop her. “I did a big old fundraiser. Louisa Marks, Carol Thompson, Tippa Irie, Winston Reed, Janet Kay, Victor Romero Evans – all of them performed at this gig. It was called Artists Supporting the Arts,” she says. Despite being five years over the age requirement, the headmaster at Webber Douglas Academy of Dramatic Art saw her, putting her forward for a DADA award which later allowed her to enrol. “I’m not waiting to be invited. I’m building the table and bringing a sound system. By the time I finished drama school, I had nine different agents interested.”
Presently, her play The Legends of Them, directed by Jo McInnes, is a bold solo show blending theatre with music and memory – an autobiography, from Reggae stardom and incarceration to spiritual awakening. Commissioned by Hackney Showroom with Brixton House, it premiered in 2023 and played the Royal Court Theatre in 2024, winning Best Performance Piece at the Offies ‘24 and gaining numerous positive reviews including five-stars from The Stage. The show returns from August 7th to 10th at Brixton House. Sutara’s life shows how Black pride and activism through art creates visibility, community, and change. “It was so worth it, and I will continue,” she says as tears well-up in her eyes. “We just want to be free and to say, ‘This who I am.’ So, with everything I do, I have us in my heart, man.”
Legends of Them is at Brixton House, 7-10 August, and in Edinburgh, 19-24 August. UK Black Pride is on Sunday 10 August.