Chaps Choir at Union Chapel with Choir With No Name, 17 December 2013

Ever wondered what 50 blokes singing a Georgian Wassling song sounds like? Well now you know! 

A huge thank you to the wonderful Choir With No Name who invited us to support their Christmas Extravaganza at Union Chapel on Tuesday.What an incredible experience and what a brilliant project to be involved in. The choir - which now counts chapters in Birmingham and Liverpool, as well as North and South London - has been established to provide people on the edge of society with all the positive support that I've discovered since joining Chaps. It's an exciting, positive project to feel involved in, it provides a strong sense of community and it gives you the simple, uplifting pleasure of singing in harmony with other people. The Choir With No Name also share a meal after every practice, which is a lovely idea. 

Between the two London and Birmingham choirs we were treated to a very merry medley of Christmas classics, tender carols and even a festive version of The Specials. There was humour, There were brave soloists and there was plenty of tinsel. Before the finale we were introduced to Suzanne, who became homeless after struggling with her drinking but has now been with Choir With No Name for five months. She said, “the more I think about going there, and concentrating and doing what I’ve got to do, the better I feel. So the best thing I ever did is join the choir”. Here's their website where you can sign up to support the charity as a 'groupie': www.choirwithnoname.org 

I volunteered to run the Chaps Choir social media for the evening and was over-whelmed by all the Chappreciation from the audience. I think we can now count Janet Street Porter as a fan, as well as quite a few other women who apparently want to grow beards so that they can join us. Not bad for our second concert! Here's the Storify: