England, My England: Dead Poets Society

England, My England is released on 5th July by Scott More Records.

Musical Style: Rock / Pop chant with a snippet of "Jerusalem" as the intro and frequent rousing bugles.

Over The Moon: The first thing you’d probably notice about the Dead Poet’s Society is that the bass player is none other than ex Radio 1 DJ Mike Read. The group apparently makes a habit of setting the words of dead poets to music, and that is exactly what they have done with England, My England. The original verse entitled Pro Rege Nostro was written by the 19th century by poet, critic and editor, William Ernest Henley, and became popular during the First World War for inspiring patriotism. This then is precisely the reasoning behind the band releasing the song as an England Anthem.

Sick As A Parrot: This song is getting a fair bit of media attention but it really fails to hit the mark. Vocalist Elliott Frisby has an undoubtedly beautiful voice, but his angelic tones and the formal Victorian lyrics make this sound more like something you’d hear sung by a Christian rock band on Songs of Praise than a football anthem.

Terrace Appeal: 3/10