WELSHPOOL’S firefighters are aiming for a Christmas number one after teaming up with fire service personnel from around the country to release a charity single.
A dream which began over a year ago during a few pints in a Welshpool pub edged a step closer for the group, known as the ‘Fire Tones’, who joined with stars from TV’s The X Factor and The Voice to record their version of Band Aid’s “Do they know it’s Christmas?” earlier this month.
The single is set to raise money for the Firefighters Charity and the Band Aid Charity Trust, with Welshpool firefighter and organiser Chris Birdsell-Jones saying their efforts are already gathering momentum ahead of a launch on December 1.
“It started when we were in a bar in Welshpool around this time last year – the first song that came on was ‘Do They know It’s Christmas?” said Chris.
“As we sat there everyone in the bar was singing along or tapping the bar and it got me wondering if we could do something for charity.
“I said it out loud and everyone told me I was dreaming! But a couple of days later there was a film on called ‘Daddy’s Home 2’ and the song is on the soundtrack so I took it as a sign and got to work.”
With the necessary permissions in place the group set about widening their search for talent from within the fire service to contribute to the single.
Former winner of The Voice Stevie McCrorie agreed to take part along with Andy Quinn, the star of BBC’s Michael McIntyre’s Big Show and a firefighter with Nottinghamshire Fire and Rescue Service.
They were also joined by The X Factor contestants Marc Higgins, from Southampton, and Richard Ryan, an on-call firefighter from Worcestershire.
An appeal also led to principle Anthony Greaves from BIMM Music College in Birmingham donating session time at their newly built recording studio and firefighters from across the country drove and flew in to record the vocals in a hectic 12-hour recording session, masterminded by producer Steve Osborne and expert vocal coach Louise Warren.
“We wanted to honour the spirit of the original recording so we wanted to get it all done in one day, just as they did with the original Live Aid single," added Chris.
“I must admit I was nervous on the day because you’ve put all this work in and you’re wondering things like ‘is that person going to turn up?’ and ‘is this actually going to work?’
“But on the day it was just incredible, they played it back to us in the studio and it was ‘Wow, this isn’t just a bit of fun, they can really sing.’”
With more than 40 fire service personnel involved, they had to move out of the studio and go on a stage to record the chorus parts, where BBC Wales filmed the final recording session.
And with the single now edited, polished and fully produced, it will now be released on i-Tunes, Spotify and Amazon music with the firefighters also planning to sell CD's which increase the amount of money which is generated for charity.
With firefighters from all over the country including a raft of star names involved, the 'Fire Tones' reckon they could be on to something big, but Chris says however much they raise, it will have been worth it.
"I'm over the moon to have worked with such a talented group of people, and I feel proud and honoured to have been involved with such a fantastic project, whatever we manage to raise.
"But the hard work starts now," he added.
Do They Know It's Christmas by the Fire Tones will be released online on December 1.
You can follow the group on Facebook or on Twitter @tones_fire
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