The Choir with No Name Brighton has recorded a music video of ‘Run’ by Snow Patrol.
The song became their anthem of togetherness as they supported each other through the challenges of the pandemic. The choir involves homeless and marginalised people run in partnership with BHT Sussex.
The Choir with No Name Brighton first opened its doors in Autumn 2018, offering a safe, welcoming space for people affected by homelessness and marginalisation in the city. Pre-Covid the choir rehearsed weekly in the city centre, followed by a hot meal together, and performed gigs across the city, including at the iconic Brighton Dome.
When Covid struck, the choir moved their rehearsals onto Zoom to make sure that they could stay in touch and keep singing together each week. During lockdown, many choir members experienced extreme isolation, bereavement, anxiety and loneliness. Their weekly Zoom singalongs kept them going and kept them together.
Choir member Katie said:
“We started rehearsing [‘Run’] at the Open Market in Brighton – it’s very soulful and upbeat. Shortly after that, one of our choir members passed away unexpectedly and we sang it at her memorial service. We decided we’d like to record it as a choir, to create something together because of all the lockdowns and everything that went with that – not really being able to spend time together, singing or socialising or eating dinner together as we used to.”
Choir Director, Freya Wynne-Jones, said:
“After months of singing into a screen, we wanted to create something that gave our members an opportunity to get back to doing what we love. ‘Run’ felt like the obvious choice for everyone. Not only had the lyrics meant so much to us whilst singing into empty space without the feedback of each other’s voices in our ears, (“even if you cannot hear my voice, I’ll be right beside you dear”) but it was also a song which had rooted itself deeply into our hearts having come together virtually to sing it on the evening of learning we’d lost a dear and valued choir member.”
The videography is by David Clarke, and audio was recorded and mixed by Pabs at Tidy Studios. It was shot at St Pauls Church, Brighton in August 2021.
Photo: BHT Sussex
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