MEMBERS of a Birmingham bagpipe band is set to make history by sharing the stage with global music stars Westlife for their last television appearance together.
Birmingham Irish Pipes and Drums will be screened performing with the record-breaking boyband on ITV’s Westlife: For The Last Time tomorrow night.
The 20 musicians will accompany Nicky Byrne, Kian Egan, Mark Feehily and Shane Filan as they sing their 2001 number one hit Queen of My Heart.
The West Midlands band, which formed in 1998, was ‘headhunted’ by Westlife’s musical director, Steve Anderson.
He found them on the internet and signed them up for the show, which was recorded at ITV studios in London early last month. Among the audience members are Westlife manager Louis Walsh, Aston Villa goalkeeper Shay Given, comedian and actor Bradley Walsh, and the show’s presenter Christine Bleakley.
Bill Grigg, pipe major of The Birmingham Irish Pipes and Drums, said it had been an “honour” to perform with Westlife, who hold the record for the most entries at number one by a debut act.
“We represent Birmingham all over the UK and abroad all the time, but I must say I was stunned to receive a call from ‘Team Westlife’ to record a TV show with them,” he said.
“It was a great honour as we know it is likely to be one of the last appearances of Westlife together.”
The band includes bagpipe player Mr Grigg’s two sons – 19-year-old Joel and 12-year-old Oran – and other younger members, including Jake Coughlan, aged 11, Thomas Coughlan, aged 14, Eilish Staunton, aged 16, and Joel Grigg and Michelle Conway, both aged 19.
“We were told we might need to do two takes, but they said after the first one that one had been great, and we didn’t need to do it again,” added 50-year-old Mr Grigg, of Hillaries Road, Erdington.
“And when we were walking off the stage Mark [Feehily] from Westlife said to the audience “give it up for the band” and the applause was really, really loud. It felt brilliant and we were all just buzzing.”
Source: birminghammail.net
No comments:
Post a Comment