It's the battle for Christmas number one that we never knew we needed.
Alongside the usual Mariah Carey, the new Band Aid offering, and this year's John Lewis advert tune by The Verve, Sheffield's Reverend and the Makers are making their mark and there is real excitement building online. As the odds shorten on the potential surprise winner, frontman Jon McClure spoke candidly to the Mirror about his hopes for the tune, which has been released in support of The Samaritans - a charity that is very close to his heart.
He revealed the push for Christmas Number One was started by comedian Lucy Beaumont. Describing how she started a "one woman campaign" he confessed he feels it has "no chance" when it's going up against the likes of Band Aid and Tom Grennan, as well as Richard Ashcroft. However, he is happy to try.
"She's started her own campaign, bless her," he told The Mirror. "It's mental isn't it? I only know her from Twitter, but she's just like, 'I don't care'. She went, 'very good songs need to be heard.'"
After the video landed online, Lucy quickly shared it with her followers. Tagging in a number of radio stations, she wrote: "Been saying for ages why doesn’t someone bring out a proper Christmas tune!"
Jon revealed how "loads" of his mates have already placed money on the track topping the charts this festive period, but insisted "it's never gonna happen". He said: "I mean, listen, who knows if it gets a lot of tele and some momentum, maybe we can have a pop, but there's no chance."
However, he revealed another dream he has been manifesting - for his song and video to become a John Lewis advert. This year saw the department store giants use a tune by Richard Ashcroft's The Verve. But, Jon's dream is something many on social media are well behind, with a real buzz brewing. "What I'd love is for John Lewis to go, 'you know what? You're right. This should be advert' and just whack it all over tele That's the big dreams," he confessed.
Image:
Ed Cooke)Image:
Dave J Hogan/Getty Images)But he claims instead, John Lewis had different ideas, and made a cheeky request to him.
Speaking of their Late Night Phone Call tune and the heartwarming video that accompanies it, Jon said: "I think part of the reason it's blown up is because everybody loves the video so much. What I wanted to do is I wanted to do the John Lewis advert but they never asked me. And so I've been thinking to myself, why don't I just make it anyway and then they'll see it and think, 'you know what, it's better than our advert, why don't we just make it the advert'."
He then joked: "So if they are reading, come on John, do the right thing lads."
The video was choreographed by Jon's pal, Jonathan Butterell, who directed Everybody's Talking About Jamie. "We cordoned off a road in a terraced street in Sheffield," he said, explaining how Butterell choreographed "a Busby Berkeley kind of dance scene". The shoot sees Jon serenade a woman outside of her home as he asks about her "sweet apple crumble".
However, he admitted the biggest success by far is that his work is helping to gain recognition for the Samaritans, a charity he is supporting with the tune. "I'm just glad the Samaritans are going to get a bit of money and a bit of attention," Jon told us.
"I think, in my head, that if one person can see this and ring Samaritans and it will save their life, even if it will just make someone feel better for a bit, then we've done our job. That's kind of what I'm after. And if I get some recognition, and John Lewis have it, or it gets to number one or whatever as a result of it, then lovely. But that's not why I've done it."
Explaining how the charity will benefit from the single, Jon admitted he didn't want to get into how the streaming payments work, labelling it "cr*p", but he said: "What we're going to do is me and the record label and my manager are just going to write them a big fat cheque, and, chuck some extra in to bump it up.
"More than that, it's not even a money thing with Samaritans. There is an element of that, because they need to fund the buildings that they use, but everybody's a volunteer. It's just about awareness, more than anything. It's about saying here's that number, and if you need it, ring this number."
The song has had huge celebrity backing, with the likes of Oasis' Liam Gallagher and Line of Duty star Vicky McClure sharing it on their social media accounts, as well as the Libertines.
*If you're struggling and need to talk, the Samaritans operate a free helpline open 24/7 on 116 123. Alternatively, you can email jo@samaritans.org or visit their site to find your local branch
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