A cover of Pink Floyd's 1975 classic Wish You Were Here, featuring a choir of over 100, will air this evening at 8pm (GMT) to raise money for musicians and crew hit by the effects of the pandemic and a lack of government support. Money raised will go to Helpmusicians.org, AgeUK, Mind and the NHS (the link to donate is below)
It's the brainchild of DeeExpus bassist David Anderson, with the aim to use the single not only to fundraise for musicians and crew but also to raise awareness of the crisis facing them during lockdowns, highlight the serious effect this is having on everyone’s mental health, and, most importantly, the people who have been lost throughout this pandemic.
“Everyone is missing someone," says Anderson. "Wishing they were here. Whether it’s people we’ve lost to the pandemic, friends who’ve passed and we couldn’t say goodbye to, or just isolated from friends and family. I think everyone globally has felt the need to express this, and I felt this choir would provide an outlet. I wanted the song to have 100 voices – it seemed important to reach that number, as it matched the feelings of those involved and there are few things as moving as so many people singing with such emotion.”
The final video track features 113 members of the ‘choir’, not only from the UK but also contributions from the Netherlands, Germany, France, Italy, Greece, New Zealand, North and South America and Canada. The vocals of all the choir were recorded using phones and computers, plus 25 members of the choir also recorded individual videos; all the elements were then edited to the final version you see today.
The video single will be launched on YouTube at 8pm on 24th January 2021. The video link below will go live at 8pm.
Voluntary donations can be made here.
