United in disharmony

THERE is nothing Lesley Bill likes better than a good singsong.

But with a rather less than perfect singing voice, she was limited with her options for giving it full throttle.

So when she shared her thoughts with pal Chris Frost, the pair hatched a barmy idea to set up a singing group — Good Vibrations — for people who can’t sing.

Lesley spoke to Marina Berry, in the hope that more non-singers will join the group.
GOOD Vibrations does exactly what it says on the tin.

Members spend two hours every Thursday night singing their hearts out, knocking their feelgood factor straight off the scale.

Lesley runs Mossley cafe and sandwich shop LL’s Kitchen, in Manchester Road, with her sister, Lynda Quarmby.

The sisters turned their back on their old lives six years ago to follow every middle-aged woman’s dream of opening a tea shop.

That came out of a shared dream, a well of enthusiasm, and a bottle of wine.

And it is that “let’s do it” attitude which resulted in the setting up of Good Vibrations — a rather ironic title given the pitch-perfect harmonies of the Beach Boys song.

Lesley explained: “We have around 16 members altogether, and it’s split about 50-50 between those who can sing a bit and those who can’t.

“It’s not bad going, seeing as we only started a few weeks ago, and the one thing everyone has is fun.

“It doesn’t matter whether people can sing or not, it’s the fact they enjoy singing that counts.”

Lesley, who lives with husband David in Carr Hill Road, Mossley, was quick to admit: “I can’t sing. I would never be allowed to join a choir but I do love singing.”

The idea for the group came when Lesley (51) and Chris (53), also from Mossley, were at a “Last Night of the Proms” concert.

“I was at the front singing my heart out, and Chris said ‘You really can’t sing can you?’” recalled Lesley.

“I said no I can’t, but I am very loud and I love singing.

“Then we got to talking about there being nowhere to go to sing, so I said should we set something up and it all went from there.”

They have enlisted the help of a singing teacher who, while she can’t work miracles, can, said Lesley, “put us on the right road.”

“She has us singing scales and gets us all to start off on the right note.

“We don’t expect to get any better, but without her, none of us would even start a song by singing the same note — we all have a different doh for Doh a Dear,” she laughed.

Each session kicks off with a bit of fun, with people singing answers to questions, and some effort is made in the first hour by people who want to improve their voices.

But true to its ethos, the second hour is dedicated solely to having a good sing.

“It’s almost like a group karaoke,” said Lesley, who has one grown-up daughter and two grandchildren.

“We sing all sorts of songs, and it’s a case of putting tissues in your ears if you don’t want to hear everyone.

“We try our best, but for the impossible ones, like Whitney Houston’s ‘I Will Always Love You’, we just go for it and have a really good time.”

The singing group has so far mainly caught the imagination of women, but Lesley wants to see more men join the ranks.

“We had a man come twice but he didn’t come back again. We would love to see a few more men,” she said.

Members currently range from 18 to 82, although there is one younger teenager who attends with her mother.

There is no upper age limit, and Lesley and Chris have ambitious plans to “entertain” residents of homes for elderly people with concerts.

“We will not pressurise anyone to join in a concert if they don’t want to, that’s not the idea, the group is just for fun, but it’s just a thought if that’s what people want to do,” said Lesley.

l Anyone interested in joining Good Vibrations can go along to its weekly meeting, every Thursday, at Mossley Community Centre, Roughtown Road, from 7 to 9pm, or ring Lesley for more information on 01457-835241.