BGT’s The Neales release charity single for Father’s Day
A FAMILY four-piece from Birmingham who moved Simon Cowell to tears on Britain’s Got Talent in 2015 are releasing a charity single for Father’s Day.
The Neales, who made it to the final of BGT in its ninth series, have teamed up with Tesco for the single who will sell the single in their 750 stores for £1, with all proceeds going to British Heart Foundation and Diabetes UK.
Made up of dad Laurie Neale and his sons, James, Dan and Phil, The Neales have self-penned the single titled ‘I’ll Be There’ on independent label Zy Records with the backing of Tesco. The group entered Britain’s Got Talent last year after Laurie pestered his sons for years after suffering from a heart attack a decade ago.
Laurie Neale, 60, lives in Solihull and is a lawyer at ESN Solicitors. James, 30, is also a lawyer at DWF and Dan, 27, works at Deutschebank. They both live in Birmingham city centre. The youngest son, Phil, 26, lives in Hertfordshire as a brand manager for Tesco.
Speaking to TheBusinessDesk.com, James said that the single is about the importance of family and the relationship you have with your dad. He said: “We wanted to do a song that we felt represented a strong family bond. We’re doing this song for Father’s Day and raising money for charities that support research into a lot of things that affect fathers across the UK.
“Raising money will allow more dads to spend Father’s Day with their kids.”
The Neales are an unsigned act, but they are hoping that with the support of British shoppers, they could break into the UK Top 40. James said: “If things go well, then hopefully it will gather a bit of pace and people will realise what we’re doing.
“After all, the NHS did it at Christmas, Leicester City won the Premier League, it’s the year of the underdog and it would be great to raise a huge amount of money for charity.”
Tesco will have 150,000 physical singles throughout their stores from 10th-19th June and The Neales will go on a tour of selected stores during the first weekend of the song’s release.
The single is also available for digital download, which can be pre-ordered here.
Before Britain’s Got Talent, the family had never sung in front of an audience. James said: “BGT was an amazing experience, considering that my dad was the only one who sang beforehand. We really surprised ourselves on how well we did.”
“I think we did well because people related to our story and why we were there. Our dad had a passion and wanted to live his dream and through doing it, we’ve realised that it’s a dream that we all share.”
Members of the group have full time jobs, so time is of the essence when they practice. James said that this helps them through any bickering. He said: “The nice thing about doing it with your family is that you can have the arguments but you can’t get away from the fact that they’re your family and so we end up ironing it out fairly quickly.”
Since the group were on the ITV show, The Neales have performed at Blackpool Christmas lights switch on and Birmingham Law Society’s annual awards dinner as well as various charity events. James said that they wouldn’t have the opportunities to do what they love without the show.
He said: “We have had the opportunity to play at some fantastic venues like Birmingham Town Hall and we’ve met some fantastic people along the way. That’s what life is all about really. I don’t think any of us thought that we’d have the opportunities that we have had in the past year without the support we had on Britain’s Got Talent.”
