Fan-written single as The Christians play Brighton

Inspiration for Andrew Langridge struck after a building contract for his company, Chelsea Construction, took him to the remote Scottish island of Tanera Mor. Andrew explains: “My client, the owner of the island, bought it to gift to a charity that devotes its time to rehabilitating armed forces members suffering from PTSD and other mental illness struggles. It really struck me the selflessness of the anonymous island owner who was doing so much to help people recover in a nurturing environment... I think the song, coupled with (The Christians’ frontman) Garry Christian’s immaculate vocals, captures the spiritual calming quality of the island perfectly.”

Garry was delighted to accept the challenge: “This guy from London called Andy comes to our gigs and he's a great guy. He's a fan of the band and he came to up to us. He was chatting about this guy that bought the island in the Outer Hebrides and he was saying that he was going to use it as a rehabilitation place for ex-servicemen who had maybe lost a limb or two, the things that happen in war, or have come away from it with PTSD and just need some peace and rehabilitation. We were talking to him and he said ‘I've got this song.’ He sent it to us. He did a little demo of himself playing it. I just love the sentiment. It's all very poetic.”

The new single comes as The Christians head out on tour with dates including St George's Church, Brighton on June 13: “They just point me in the right direction and it's great. I was looking at the dates that we're doing and it's quite an extensive tour.”

It’s also a sign that it’s all back to normal after the horrors of the pandemic: “They were a terrible, terrible two years for everybody. We managed to do something. We did what we called shed gigs and in a way I suppose the great thing for us was that those two years were very creative. Myself and Joe would end up in the studio and write and we've got a lot of stuff to record now. We just need somebody with a lot of money to say ‘Go into this big studio!’ But we've certainly got a few albums’ worth of material that we can record.”

The fact is the band is still going strong just a few years short of 40 years since their debut: “It's that cliché, isn’t it. You think where on earth did the time go. I look at photos of myself maybe 35 years ago and think what's happened. Or rather what's happened to the rest of the band? I look just the same... in my mind!” But the enjoyment is still just as strong: “There's a point where you just don't care. I sing the songs and I put 100 per cent into doing that but really it's the stuff in between, the monologues between the songs. I definitely chat more. In the early days it was all a bit nervous and there was a bit of anxiety before going on and doing my stuff but now it's just great. I love it. I wouldn't be doing it otherwise.”