Hastings/Bexhill musicians turn Bowie’s Let’s Dance into NHS fundraiser

Their new version Let's Dance For NHS is available to view on Facebook, with each of the musicians having recorded their contribution in isolation in lockdown.

#LetsDance4NHS is in aid of NHS Charities Together and can be enjoyed on the performers’ Let’s Dance For NHS Facebook.

Watch here

The song has been produced by Dennis G Preston and his wife Sarah. Dennis contributes vocals and guitar; and Sarah sings on the track.

“My husband is in a band called The Red Capz,” Sarah says, “and there are three of them in the band. It’s a newish band. They have all left bands and then at the start of this year they started this band, but then we had the lockdown.

“Because my husband has played music in the area for a while now, he wanted to do something and so we have been doing little videos. I am not a singer, but I thought I would give it a go. It has been just the two of us over the last six weeks, but we came up with the bright idea of doing something for charity. We got together a collection of musicians who are friends of my husband’s in the Hastings and Bexhill area, and we set up a page on Facebook, Let’s Dance For NHS. We invited people to send in videos of themselves dancing during lockdown.”

There are 14 musicians, each performing in isolation; and there are 22 dancers. It fell to Dennis to mix it all together for the finished product.

“And we are very pleased with the result. We are asking people to send in donations through the Facebook page and because it is Facebook, the money goes straight to the charity.”

It was an enjoyable challenge for the performers: “We have got musicians on there from all different genres of music, and lots of them are doing something completely different to what they would usually do. They wouldn’t usually be performing David Bowie songs.”

Musicians include: Andy Ferguson – saxophone; Andy Ingram – bass; David Asher – banjo, mandolin; Dennis Preston – vocals, guitar; Don Novak – drums; Jason Smith – drums; Jem Turpin – vocals, harmonica; Nick Shute – guitar; Paul Nardell – vocals; Phill Drew – drums; Sarah Preston – vocals; and Trevor White – vocals, guitar.

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