Wigan musicians in musical reply to bomb terror

Standish musician Lucy Farrimond, who appears in the Chets release of Dont Look Back In Anger

Around half a dozen young people from the borough appeared in the new release of Oasis’ song Don’t Look Back in Anger by Chetham’s School of Music.

The school has a special affinity with the track as footage of the students singing it inside the police cordon after the horrific suicide bombing went viral.

The institution has now recorded a new arrangement of it and released it six months after the attack, also hoping to raise funds for the British Red Cross UK Solidarity Fund.

The song features the talents of two current Chets students from the borough and four Wiganers who have now left: singers Lucy Farrimond and Molly Noon and trombonists Gemma Riley and Harrison Maund.

Lucy, who is now studying at the Royal Northern College of Music in Manchester, spoke of the night in March when the attack happened and of recording a song with such an appropriate message.

Lucy, 19, said: “There was something very special about doing the recording. The whole school came together really well to show some defiance and solidarity.

“It’s for a great cause and the meaning of the song is about staying strong and always thinking of love not hate.

“The attack was very emotional. I actually heard when it went off. We were evacuated to the basement of Chets and watched the news that night.

“The next day it was completely silent because we were inside the cordon. It was just a really weird atmosphere. Normally it’s so busy with everybody rushing about so the silence was the most hard-hitting thing.”

The project came together during the summer with the new song featuring a small vocal ensemble and then the massed voices of the entire school, head Alun Jones giving everyone an afternoon off lessons for the recording.

The arrangement of the song for trombone ensemble, a small band and voices was put together by ex-Chets student Joshua Hickin, with head boy Matthew Wilson directing and friend of the school Chris Mann producing the video.

To view the video, search for Don’t Look Back in Anger 2017 on the ChethamsSchool account on Youtube.