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Ooberfuse - Fall
Purchase | www.helpforheroes.org.uk | www.ooberfuse.com
Horus Music. All profits donated to Help For Heroes.
To mark the centenary of the start of the First World War, London band ooberfuse, along with Help for Heroes and Strictly Come Dancing’s Chelsee Healey, release a moving musical tribute to fallen war heroes. FALL, inspired by the selfless sacrifice of millions of soldiers around the world, explores the emotional impact of the horror of war not just on front-line soldiers but also on those left behind on the domestic front.
Cherrie Anderson, front woman of the band, explains: “We were honoured to work with Chelsee Healey of Waterloo Road / Strictly Come Dancing in the song’s video. Chelsee movingly portrays the wife of a soldier who has to cope with the emotional trauma of saying farewell to her hero, uncertain whether she will ever see him again. In FALL, we chose to explore the emotional impact of war not just on the soldiers fighting on the front line but on those left behind struggling to come to terms with the long-lasting absence of loved ones. Help for Heroes does incredible work helping servicemen and women and their loved ones fight against the long-lasting physical and emotional impacts of war. A hundred years on from the start of the First World War we hope our song provides an alternative soundtrack to the centenary commemorations.”
Bryn Parry, CEO and Co-Founder of Help for Heroes says: “Help for Heroes is all about ‘doing your bit’ for our wounded. The money raised by FALL will be used to provide practical and direct support to those who have become wounded, injured or sick in service. The war in Afghanistan may be nearly over but for many memers of the Armed Forces and their families, the battles are just beginning and we won't let them battle alone. This year’s anniversary events for WW1 and D-Day remind us how important this is and the shared respect between the veterans of all generations. On behalf of everyone who will benefit from your support, thank you.”
Hal St John from the band adds: “By remembering them, we dignify the sufferings and death of the soldiers who fell in battle 100 years ago, defending the freedoms we now take for granted…the present moment floods to life with an all too easily forgettable meaning. Staring at the poppy blankets stretched out across the killing fields it is impossible to allow the fatalism and despair eating away at the modern soul to take a hold. We owe it to those who went before us not to let go of hope for the future…so much blood spilt by nameless unknown soldiers so that we may live in freedom. We must not, through our forgetfulness, rob their sacrifice of its enduring value. FALL resurrects the dangerous memory of those who have fallen in battle encouraging us to resist the triumphalism of the victorious.”
Tom Sands of Substantial Films, who directed the video for FALL shares his thoughts: "When I first heard the song, I found it very moving. The pace of the song also suggested to me a different approach from the fast cutting and frenetic storytelling we see so much of. Taking these two elements I decided to try and create a filmic narrative that would communicate the heartfelt emotion in the song. It struck me that while we often see the perspective of a soldier at war, we much less often see who he may have left behind. By using imagery that highlighted both the similarities in the screen couple's lives, but the huge gap in experience, I hope to make people consider the more far-reaching implications of war."