Life on the front line inspires new album

Stellar line-up of songwriting talent inspired by nurse’s photographs of NHS staff

Anew album celebrating frontline workers and documenting a poignant moment in time is being released next month.

Curated by Chris Difford of Squeeze, the Song Club album features a stellar lineup of talent and is inspired by the work of NHS nurse Hannah Grace Deller.

In addition to being a paediatric matron Hannah is a talented photographer who, throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, has been documenting her and her colleagues’ experiences.

When Hannah’s photographic work was featured on the Channel 4 programme ‘Grayson’s Art Club’, it grabbed the attention of Difford, the Grammy nominated and double Ivor Novello Award winning lyricist.

Difford said: “Lockdown provided some great TV moments and this was one of them. Inspired by her work, I asked all of my co-writing chums to use her photographs as inspiration for songwriting. Together we have created a body of work to raise funds for the frontline workers – it has been so inspiring to hear the results. My aim is to document this strange time we are living in and, I hope, bring inspiring songs to the ears of many.”

Difford’s co-writing chums are a host of worldclass, award-winning songwriters – including Nick Heyward, Graham Gouldman, Beth Nielsen Chapman, Mark Nevin, Julia Fordham, Robert Vincent, Judie Tzuke, Kimmie Rhodes, Judith Owen and Kathryn Williams.

Hannah said: “I hope that the voices of all the unsung heroes, their efforts and sacrifices are heard in this music. For me this record is a thank you to all my colleagues on the frontline, from the porters and domestics, to the doctors and nurses – I’ll never forget how we all stood side-by-side on the frontline fighting this illness together.” Working on the Frontline, the first single from the album, is available now, performed by the Bafta nominated actor and singer Jessie Buckley. Visit https:// slinky.to/SongClub for more information about the album, which is released on October 23.

Photos: Hannah Grace Deller