As Take That celebrates the release of their latest studio record and the twentieth year since they first squeezed into the leather waist-coats and learnt how to head-spin, Louis Barabbas & The Bedlam Six show that it’s not all about the Take, but also a bit about the Give.

Last Summer, Louis Barabbas & The Bedlam Six were asked to be a part of BBC Manchester’s 40th Birthday celebrations (along with label-mates Richard Barry and Becca Williams). The project, entitled 40x40, saw forty of the best new bands on the Manchester circuit rearrange and record famous songs with a Manchester connection - each song being specially chosen to represent a year in the life of the Radio Station.

Chris Long, Producer of BBC Introducing, says: “We were asked for ideas to celebrate 40 years of BBC Radio Manchester and the idea instantly popped into my head for 40 of the acts that I work with on BBC Introducing to cover 40 Manchester musical moments. We’re trying to showcase the fantastic musical history we’ve got and the brilliant musical future in Greater Manchester.”

At first it seemed that The Bedlam Six had been given a rather short straw - their year was 1993 and the song was Take That & Lulu’s cover of Dan Hartman’s disco classic “Relight My Fire”. Not exactly Music’s finest hour!

Louis accepted the challenge with relish, however, and quickly knocked the pop classic into a lounge-shaped barfly lament with a generous helping of customary Barabbas filth. The band then spent a day in Nether Alderley’s Kasbahn studio (which is run by Bedlam bassist Dan Watkins) and put together this five minute dirt-swing epic that couldn’t be further from Take That’s chart-topper if it tried.

“We’re all rather fond of this strange little number” says composer Louis, “we thought it a shame to just let it disappear after BBC Manchester’s birthday celebrations fizzled out so we’re letting people download the mp3 and they’re free to do what they like with it. We don’t own any rights to the song and, what with our new record and preparing for a big tour, we really don’t have the time to chase up the legal side so there will be no money changing hands and no email addresses bartered… it’ll just be there for anyone who enjoyed listening to it on the radio over the last few months.”

“Relight My Fire” is now available to download free from the Debt Records Shop.

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