A dressage rider and livery yard manager said being part of a group that earned the golden buzzer on Britain’s Got Talent (BGT) was “the most surreal experience of my life”.
Chloe (Flo) Dawes, who has competed at small tour, runs Nupdown Equestrian livery yard in Gloucestershire with her mother Ali. Both are in the Hawkstone Farmers Choir, which earned its direct ticket to the BGT semi-finals on Saturday (21 March).
The group, of singers from across the country, gave a performance of Elbow’s One Day Like This that brought tears to eyes, the audience to its feet and judge Amanda Holden straight to the golden buzzer.
“It was like an out-of-body experience,” Flo told H&H. “You almost didn’t realise she’d pressed the golden buzzer; I saw her do it, but I’d felt so elated just from the singing on its own, the audience going mad throughout the song, then suddenly all this gold stuff appeared from the roof. It was like I wasn’t even on the stage but watching it from somewhere else. It was honestly the most surreal experience of my life.”
Hawkstone Famers Choir auditions
Flo said she is a classically trained singer, and when she saw Hawkstone advertising for singing farmers on Facebook, she and her mother decided to audition.
“We both got in; thank god for that as it could have been slightly awkward!” she said. “So we’ve both been doing it for about a year and of course because we run the yard together, we have to find freelancers for when we do go off, which has been a bit mad.”
Flo explained that the singers are so spread out across the country, they do not get the chance to rehearse together often.
“Lizzy Dean’s our choirmaster and she’s just magic,” she said. “Simon Gwilliam is the one who puts everything together; they’re both incredible, the talent is unreal. So they send us our parts to learn, for a six- or eight-part harmony, and for BGT we had two days to rehearse.
“We’re all farmers or riders and all over the country so can’t really leave to get together very often. Me and Mum, especially in winter, work 6am-8pm, seven days a week. So we get emails saying ‘Can you rehearse?’ months in advance to try to arrange cover and childcare and everything.”
The Hawkstone Farmers Choir had made adverts for the brewery, then an email arrived asking who wanted to be involved in BGT.
“I was thinking ‘This is fun, I hope it doesn’t stop’, then the BGT thing happened and it’s gone absolutely mad,” Flo said.
Flo and her mother Ali are both in the choir.
The Hawkstone Farmers Choir also aims to raise awareness of mental health among farmers and the rural community.
“Not just in farming, with all of us,” April said. “We have a livery yard but we have owners, so I often won’t see anyone other than Mum for weeks and it’s the same for the farmers. You do feel down, and you know your mental health does take a hit. So if – or should I say when – we win, we’ll be donating a big chunk of that to rural mental health charities. That’s what we’re trying to push really. Every single person in the choir has a story of it affecting them in some way.
“What I find; I used to be in Young Farmers, so there were weekly meetings, and Pony Club had regular meet-ups – organised fun. Then you grow up a bit and you’ve still got all your contacts and friends but because that organisation, the weekly meeting, or rally or whatever, doesn’t happen any more, you say ‘I’m too tired, I’m going to cancel’. Or you go to a competition, have to rush back as you’ve got five more to ride when you get back, and don’t spend the time that you would.
“Having the choir, although we don’t see each other that much, we’ve got this big group chat that we’re always on, and the meet-ups and everything; it sounds a cliche but we’re all genuinely good friends now. And you realise how important was that sort of thing when you’re younger, but you don’t do for yourself when you grow up.”
The audition that aired last weekend took place before Christmas, so Flo and Ali had to keep their experience quiet for months, but can now talk about it.
“I’d been so, so nervous, then got on stage in front of however many thousands of people and then there was this weird sense of calm,” Flo said. “I felt super excited; I think because it’s a choir, you’ve got that community around you, then as we started singing, I don’t know what came over me, I burst into tears halfway through the song.
“I’m not the most emotional person, as us horsey people usually aren’t, but I was blubbing, and that was before the golden buzzer! We were just ecstatic about the whole situation.”
Flo said the choir’s semi-final date has not yet been confirmed, nor has the song they will perform, but they are due to meet to practice in a few weeks. And she is looking forward to the experience, whatever happens.
“We’re just going to try to ride the wave,” she said. “As Simon said to us, most professional singers don’t have the opportunity to sing on a stage like that in their careers, just go and enjoy it. And it really is the most incredible thing. We’re going to the Apollo next, and we’re all just ‘What the hell is happening in my life?’ Whatever happens, happens. I don’t think choirs usually do that well but we’re just going to go and enjoy it, have a lovely time and sing with our mates. I can’t wait.”
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