Musical thanks from the singer who got "the last ventilator"

Bristol-based singer Elles Bailey is hoping her Crawley and Shoreham dates this October and November will actually happen.
Elles BaileyElles Bailey
Elles Bailey

But as she says: “You just can’t possibly know.”

In the meantime, though, she is re-releasing a song from three years ago, a song which has suddenly got endless new meaning in these difficult days.

Called Help Somebody, the single will be out at the end of May, raising funds for Help Them Help Us, a charity which aims to support the welfare and wellbeing of NHS staff as they fight COVID-19.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

“It was written in 2017 when I was in America, but since then we have seen such an incredible outpouring of kindness.”

Elles wrote the song at a time when there was a hurricane, when the Syrian refugee crisis seemed to be at its worst and when there were fires in the western states of America.

“You switched on the news and you really felt the chaos of the world at the time but also you could see just how much people were helping and just how much we can all help by being the best person we can possibly be.

“The song was on my last album, but this just seemed a really good time to re-release it.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

“It just reflects how many people have stepped up and are helping their neighbours now and are being so kind, helping so many people in isolation.

“It has been really beautiful. I think that has been a silver lining that has come out of this crisis.”

And it strikes a particular chord with Elles.

“When I was two or three, I spent a lot of time in hospital with a mystery virus, and I got the last ventilator. I spent my birthday in a coma, and the anniversary was this March time.

“It always comes around in March and I think how lucky I am to still be here. But this year, with the whole coronavirus thing going on, it just really hit me that I got the last ventilator at Southmead Hospital.

“I got the best care. I got the best treatment.”

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Ahead of Help Somebody, Elles has released the new single Woman Like Me, on the label Outlaw Music

“Woman Like Me was written with my long-term touring guitarist Joe Wilkins and my good friend Tamara Stewart.

“The song is about being a confident, independent woman and about being comfortable in your own skin.

“Yes, there is a man in the story, but this song is most certainly about the woman! I aspire to be this woman: to break away from the torments of my own mind and society’s idea of how a woman should be.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

“It was recorded with my touring band as part of the Blacktop Companion sessions when we had 20 minutes to spare at the end of the session.

“Everything was done live and the only thing we added was to bring in Tania Hancheroff on background vocals to add some extra sparkle.”

Since then, of course, everything has changed. Elles has had to postpone her spring tour to the autumn.

“Everything feels quite complicated at the moment. You just don’t know if things are going to happen. I was on tour at the time.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

“We got home from a stint away and even on my last show, even before the government shut everything down, it just didn’t feel right to be touring.

“It was about a week before the government advised people not to go to pubs or clubs and it was all very confusing, but I just didn’t want any of my fans to get ill. It was all still new.

“We were not really knowing the effects of what coronavirus was, but I just didn’t want my fans to get sick because we were on tour. I decided to postpone it all then, and then they put out the advisory about not going to pubs and clubs and then four days later they shut them down.

“I remember it was on my birthday that I had to announce that the tour was postponed.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

“Those three days were not the favourite days of my life. But I just felt it was the right thing to do.”

Instead she opted to live stream, just Elles at her piano: “You have just got to find the confidence, to grab the bull by the horns and to connect with your fans, just me on my own with my piano.

“I was raising money for my musicians who were meant to be on tour with me for a few months. They have lost out on so much work with this. I wanted to raise some money for them to go towards some of their losses, and I am still raising money for them now.”

Hide Ad
Hide Ad
Hide Ad
Hide Ad
Hide Ad
Hide Ad

*************

A message from the Editor, Gary Shipton:

In order for us to continue to provide high quality and trusted local news, I am asking you to please purchase a copy of our newspapers.

With the coronavirus lockdown having a major impact on many of our local valued advertisers - and consequently the advertising that we receive - we are more reliant than ever on you helping us to provide you with news and information by buying a copy of our newspapers.

Our journalists are highly trained and our content is independently regulated by IPSO to some of the most rigorous standards in the world. But being your eyes and ears comes at a price. So we need your support more than ever to buy our newspapers during this crisis.

Stay safe, and best wishes.

Gary Shipton

Editorial Director