London homeless choir release debut album

 The Choir with No Name. Photo: PR

Founded in 2008, the choir will be promoting the album by supporting world-renowned band Coldplay at two gigs this December. The choir's success in London means plans are beginning for UK-wide expansion into other UK cities, starting with Birmingham in 2011.

The album was recorded at Livingston Studios in North London in September (home to The Magic Numbers and Bjork, among others) and features tracks such as Radiohead's "Street Spirit", and seasonal favourite The Pogues and Kirsty MacColl's "Fairytale of New York". The choir's first music video has also just been cut - a cover of Bonnie Tyler's "Total Eclipse of the Heart", by music video director Chris Cottam.

The choir's initiator Marie Benton said: "I founded the choir because singing makes you feel good about yourself and the world. I was determined that the members wouldn't be short-changed on the quality of the music; they've been short-changed on so many other things in life. Our album's amazing, and Chris's video captures the members' beautiful and quirky personalities in all their glory. We're really excited about sharing them with the world."

Choir member Dean Johnson commented: "We've worked really hard and we're really proud of ourselves. Nothing can express how I felt when I first walked into the recording studio. I was electrified. It was better than winning the lottery."

And on wider UK expansion, Benton continued: "Our London choir has proved to us time and again that the choir works.  We'd love to be able to expand that to help homeless people across the UK, and so our plan is to pilot another choir in Birmingham from Spring/Summer 2011, and prepare for a wider roll out across the UK in 2013.  In Birmingham what we need first is to recruit the right Choir Director - someone with real passion, musical talent, drive and ambition, and above all a good sense of humour!"

The Coldplay "hidden gigs" in Liverpool and Newcastle are part of national homelessness charity Crisis' campaign to highlight the too-often hidden problem of homelessness. The Newcastle show will be hosted by TV's presenting duo Ant and Dec, and Liverpool's by Peter Kay. 1000 people will attend the sell-out gigs and both as-yet-unannounced venues have been hand-picked by Coldplay for their intimate nature.

To download the 'Album with No Name' go to: www.itunes.com/choirwithnoname.

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