The Alarm team up with the Red Wall for Wales’ Official Euro 2020 song
David Owens
Welsh rock legends The Alarm have teamed up with football supporters from around Wales to record the official Wales Euro 2020 song.
‘The Red Wall of Cymru’, performed by The Alarm and members of the Red Wall, will be released on Friday, May 28.
The song has been written by Alarm frontman Mike Peters, who has involved fans from across Wales as part of the recording process.
Peters and The Alarm recorded the song in Wales’ legendary Rockfield studios, then following the recording, the inspirational musician, a three time cancer survivor who has shared the stage with rock legends including Bono, Bruce Springsteen, Bob Dylan and Neil Young, travelled the country, meeting fans in 11 different locations, from Cardiff to Caernarfon, to be part of the song.
‘The Red Wall of Cymru’ celebrates the fan base of the Wales national team and the importance of the fans, whilst celebrating past glories and acknowledging an exciting future for the national side.
The song will be released as part of a three track Alarm EP available on CD, stream and download, which also includes the tracks ‘Red Dragon Tattoo’ and ‘Spirit of ‘58’ – a special reworked version of The Alarm’s classic song ‘Spirit of ‘76’ which lyrically celebrates Wales only appearance at a World Cup in 1958.
All three songs were written by Peters and well known Wales fan, author and commentator Bryn Law.
Bryn said of penning football anthems with one of his heroes: “I had an amazing day last year, just before the lockdown kicked in when I got invited over to Mike’s to work on it with him. I literally couldn’t believe I was sitting there swapping lines with one of my musical heroes. To see my name on the sleeve, wow.”
Meanwhile a Record Store day vinyl with alternative demo versions of the songs will be released on Saturday, June 12, the same day Wales will face Switzerland in their opening game of the postponed Euro 2020 tournament.
Peters admits that writing a Welsh football anthem has long been an ambition of his.
‘Passionate’
“As a passionate and lifelong Wales supporter, I have always wanted to write a song that might in some way, capture the passion and commitment of the Welsh fans,” he says. “I hope that The Red Wall of Cymru can find its way into the hearts and minds of our nation during these difficult times. By involving the fans in the recording, I hope the music will lift the spirits of our players as they take our Welsh hopes and dreams into the empty stadiums of Euro 2020 and know that we are all there with them in spirit.”
Proceeds from the record will go to the Love Hope Strength Foundation, co-founded by the singer.
The charity works in partnership with cancer specialists to give more people in Wales and across the globe access to life-saving cancer treatment and life-changing cancer support programmes, and to help reduce the number of preventable cancer deaths.
To raise funds for the charity Peters will be walking 177 Miles along Offa’s Dyke from north to south Wales carrying his specially commissioned Wales / Red Wall of Cymru guitar with him all the way whilst raising money for Love Hope Strength.
“Through ‘The Red Wall of Cymru’ we have been able to combine four passions: Wales, football, music and supporting people in Wales that are tackling a cancer diagnosis,” says the singer.
“I very much believe that cancer isn’t just a critical health issue, it’s a human issue that touches all of us. I live with leukaemia and my wife Jules faced a breast cancer diagnosis just a few years ago. Having received early diagnoses and excellent care ourselves, we’ve long been advocates of ensuring that others can reduce their risks of cancer and benefit from early detection and quality treatment.”
‘The Red Wall of Cymru’ is released on Friday, May 28. Find out more here.
Fans
The fans that contributed to the recording process and their stories:
• Rhian Davies & family – Wrexham – Daughter and grandchildren of Dai Davies, the former Cymru goalkeeper that sadly passed away earlier this year.
• Charlotte Williams – Newtown – An open transgender person wanting to celebrate the Red Wall’s diversity.
• Brad Evans & friends – Llandudno – Owner of the Llandudno Junction flag which hasn’t missed a Cymru game in 10 years.
• Begw Elain – Nantlle Vale – The Ardal Leagues’ youngest media officer at 16 years old. As well as being an avid follower of the men’s and women’s national teams, Begw promotes her local side on social media through photos and self-edited video clips.
• Anwen & Rhodri Charles & family – Cardiff – Anwen and Rhodri took their 6-month-old son to the Belgium match during Euro 2016, where they were spotted on Match of the Day. Now with the addition of a one-year-old daughter, the family are part of the Red Wall again for Euro 2020.
• Steve Ward & family – Bridgend – Steve has followed the national team away since 1997 and is also an avid Alarm fan. Steve celebrated his 50th birthday by being recorded for the song.
The fans contribution were recorded at:
Aberystwyth – Park Avenue
Caernarfon – High Street
Cardiff – Grange Gardens
Carmarthen – Richmond Park
Conwy – Conwy Castle
Merthyr – The Red House
Monmouth – Rockfield Studios
Newtown – Latham Park
Belle Vue – Rhyl
Swansea – Ashleigh Road Playing Fields
Tenby – North Beach
Wrexham – The Racecourse
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