| LOWER NORTH - WTF are you doing?! Seriously 18:26 - Jan 13 with 16161 views | unstableblue |
This is a town team that is missing its captain, it’s main central mid forward, it’s best forward. Playing against a very strong team. And we’ve clawed it back to 1-1.
And YET TO STILL DON’T SING?!
The lads need the support.
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| LOWER NORTH - WTF are you doing?! Seriously on 07:01 - Jan 14 with 1641 views | Slambo |
| LOWER NORTH - WTF are you doing?! Seriously on 23:22 - Jan 13 by WeirdFishes |
This is one of the funniest posts I’ve ever seen - but I wouldn’t expect much from someone in an area who’s only song seems to be about Chelsea. |
I thought no-one can hear us..?! |  |
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| The problem is that.... on 07:15 - Jan 14 with 1617 views | yorkshireblue |
| The problem is that.... on 23:13 - Jan 13 by textbackup |
I honestly think the only way PR gets decent is having BA, and anyone that cares for singing, to move next to away fans.
Problem is, the second that happens the stewards will be lobbing people out left right and centre |
Plenty of grounds have their loudest fans next to the away fans - either in the same stand itself, or the adjoining stand - Leeds, Huddersfield, Lincoln (both of whom have their own own version of BA with drums, flags etc.) |  | | |
| LOWER NORTH - WTF are you doing?! Seriously on 07:19 - Jan 14 with 1605 views | textbackup |
| LOWER NORTH - WTF are you doing?! Seriously on 06:46 - Jan 14 by Slambo |
Where do you sit mate..? |
Uppa North, Pioneer side.
Always look over at you boys, can see from like 2/3’s of the way up clapping like you are singing, but as you say, it’s a tall order I’d the lower, and upper north, on your side don’t contribute and join in.
There are occasions where they will, and the noise is great.
Just keep doing what you are, because even if few and far between, it’s will help.
(And out of interest, we’re the Germans in with you? I thought they’d help with the atmosphere, and previously they’ve sung a song or two of theirs, but wouldn’t have known they were in attendance yesterday) |  |
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| LOWER NORTH - WTF are you doing?! Seriously on 07:41 - Jan 14 with 1577 views | Reuser_is_God |
| LOWER NORTH - WTF are you doing?! Seriously on 07:19 - Jan 14 by textbackup |
Uppa North, Pioneer side.
Always look over at you boys, can see from like 2/3’s of the way up clapping like you are singing, but as you say, it’s a tall order I’d the lower, and upper north, on your side don’t contribute and join in.
There are occasions where they will, and the noise is great.
Just keep doing what you are, because even if few and far between, it’s will help.
(And out of interest, we’re the Germans in with you? I thought they’d help with the atmosphere, and previously they’ve sung a song or two of theirs, but wouldn’t have known they were in attendance yesterday) |
They were Cobbold lower under the Sunderland fans so probably blended in with the red & white. |  |
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| LOWER NORTH - WTF are you doing?! Seriously on 07:46 - Jan 14 with 1567 views | Buhrer |
From Block P, almost directly across, we hear BA great. They have improved the atmosphere BUT it seems there's no coordination with the North, and when noisy it can be a burble of different songs, at different times. The North.... have gone quiet. I'd be embarrassed to stand in the North silent. There's a lot of divs generally at footy. In our block if the North sings, we can join, but starting anything is ridiculously pointless. South stand, how can you take the stick and not really give it some? Or can we just not hear due to the obviously awful acoustics. Stop the over musicing in the ground. There's no space for organic noise. Split the North in half, put wire down the middle and get a fat lad leading.
In terms of an experiment, let's give BA some time, and our support, because they bring a lot if passion and noise.
BLOOOOOOOOOO ARMMMY!!
BLUUUUUEEEEEE ARMMMY! [Post edited 14 Jan 7:50]
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| LOWER NORTH - WTF are you doing?! Seriously on 07:51 - Jan 14 with 1563 views | Sawtrich |
I don't have a season ticket so move around the ground and sit in all the different stands. What you hear is massively influenced by where you are. I've been in Cobbold B and heard nothing but BA, not a peep from the away fans, then seen on here that the away fans were loud.
I also think we need to recognise that all grounds have flat periods. It's been a problem since all seaters came in and people can't congregate together on a terrace like in the old days. |  | | |
| LOWER NORTH - WTF are you doing?! Seriously on 07:59 - Jan 14 with 1542 views | Reuser_is_God |
| LOWER NORTH - WTF are you doing?! Seriously on 07:51 - Jan 14 by Sawtrich |
I don't have a season ticket so move around the ground and sit in all the different stands. What you hear is massively influenced by where you are. I've been in Cobbold B and heard nothing but BA, not a peep from the away fans, then seen on here that the away fans were loud.
I also think we need to recognise that all grounds have flat periods. It's been a problem since all seaters came in and people can't congregate together on a terrace like in the old days. |
Yeah, since being in A Block I’ve not heard a single song sung by away supporters all season. | |
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| LOWER NORTH - WTF are you doing?! Seriously on 08:03 - Jan 14 with 1536 views | lazyblue |
| LOWER NORTH - WTF are you doing?! Seriously on 23:11 - Jan 13 by Sparky85 |
What, and sit next to the away fans and make zero noise???
No thanks |
Make an effort then , it’s fine in the corner and if you want away fan ‘banter’ it’s the only place to sit obviously and not as far away as possible in the north. |  | | |
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| Fair points on 08:31 - Jan 14 with 1485 views | Dyland |
| The problem is that.... on 06:45 - Jan 14 by Slambo |
Section 5 can hear us well enough but are in complete denial about it. We have folk in there who chirp away on social media saying they can't hear us, only to contradict themselves the very next message saying we only ever sing the same song over and over again. Also had a bloke message in section 5 the other day asking for words to 'that song you were singing, something 'the only club with history''...
But you're not wrong - it does get trapped up there a bit. We've still got a solid flask and blanket brigade down at the front who clearly didn't get the memo and have just hung around from last season. They contribute nothing and just absorb whatever noise we make...
You're being naive of you think the atmosphere worsened since we went up there. It's been flat in the North Stand for a long, way before 25 lads moved out of there. As I keep saying, anyone who truly knows what the North Stand is like knows that our move to A Block acting as a catalyst to ignite the North was always a pipe dream. All you can do is create one area - somewhere, anywhere - where fans can go nuts if they want to. Anything else is just a bonus... |
I agree with Blooters about atmosphere bizarrely being worse recently but...
A) it's possibly subjective perception as much as anything, b) an infuriating new attitude among a significant minority of fans (long term i.e. talking LN) that are used to winning in style over last year and find it hard to gather themselves and think straight when human beings, however well paid, inevitably don't perform week in week out like robots and c) I totally agree with you that the issue is a large swathe of the lower north being effectively "non-singers" for the best part of good two decades.
I honestly don't think there's a solution, in the short term. Part of me thinks it would be funny if we started turning up with books to wave at the (pretty fair imo) chants of "football in a library", but not sure the players would find that especially inspiring. |  |
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| LOWER NORTH - WTF are you doing?! Seriously on 08:33 - Jan 14 with 1481 views | sotd78 |
I'm 65. I've been a ST most of my life. I currently sit lower west stand whatever it is now called. The family section with my now grown up daughter. We join in songs and yesterday I'd say fan wise Sunderland won the first half and we the second. It kind of reflected what happened on the pitch. Like most grounds including even the famed Liverpool Kop there's quiet periods in all games. What you get for the lack of passion that you seem to seek is stoic support that saw us through ten plus years of turgid football. We actually quieten down the tutters. Portman Road has always struggled for headless noise. Even Sir Bobby called us zombies. But we're pretty loyal zombies.
You'll not really get a major singing section that everyone can join in until you put in rail seating and unreserved places. It'll take a redesigned Cobbold to make that possible perhaps. Until then we are what we are. |  |
| Blue shirts/white shorts - sotd78 |
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| LOWER NORTH - WTF are you doing?! Seriously on 08:34 - Jan 14 with 1476 views | Slambo |
| LOWER NORTH - WTF are you doing?! Seriously on 07:19 - Jan 14 by textbackup |
Uppa North, Pioneer side.
Always look over at you boys, can see from like 2/3’s of the way up clapping like you are singing, but as you say, it’s a tall order I’d the lower, and upper north, on your side don’t contribute and join in.
There are occasions where they will, and the noise is great.
Just keep doing what you are, because even if few and far between, it’s will help.
(And out of interest, we’re the Germans in with you? I thought they’d help with the atmosphere, and previously they’ve sung a song or two of theirs, but wouldn’t have known they were in attendance yesterday) |
Yeah, sorry mate, you said in another message. We get people from the Alf Ramsey message 'oi sit in the Alf Raamsey roight next to the away faans an they're all oi can heeyuh - sing up Blue Aaaction!'
We're doing alright. A Block knows, B Block knows, section 6 knows and most of section 5 knows, even if they're not ready to admit it to themselves yet. We can't do it all, and sometimes we forget that. We need to do just do our thing and welcome anyone else in who wants to join the party. I just hope the club continue to back it - put something in the ST renewal packs or something. My concern is they go 'right BA, we've given you your singing section, now leave us alone' and then over time the same process happens like with the NL - fans just linger on in there forgetting what they're there for. As I keep saying, in all-seater stadia the club MUST be proactive - encourage singers to come in, encourage non-singers to relocate. The Cobbold redevelopment could solve SO many problems, but the club has to get it right...
Yeah, they stuck the Germans down under the Sunderland fans. There're about 100 spots still in A Block, surprised they didn't stick them in with us... | |
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| True this on 08:37 - Jan 14 with 1472 views | Dyland |
| LOWER NORTH - WTF are you doing?! Seriously on 07:59 - Jan 14 by Reuser_is_God |
Yeah, since being in A Block I’ve not heard a single song sung by away supporters all season. |
If you sit in L block (assume Texters is there as well) it's completely different. Last night e.g. all I could really hear was Sunderland in the first half. Second half the crowd pulled themselves together and there were groups getting going top right of UN and even in the Pioneer.
The only way it will change is if, well, everyone all over the ground starts singing. Which ain't every gonna happen.
Sawers makes the fundamental point that all grounds have flat periods (from home fans) in many if not most games. And that imo will only become more prevalent the more (FOOK OFF) Sky change kickoff times and traditional fans eventually stop going and everyone at games (cos if their team is doing well the seats will be sold, generally) claps and yells occasionally but aren't singers. | |
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| LOWER NORTH - WTF are you doing?! Seriously on 08:47 - Jan 14 with 1449 views | DJR |
| LOWER NORTH - WTF are you doing?! Seriously on 20:25 - Jan 13 by Sparky85 |
While I agree with your main point that the atmosphere was not great today, why is this all aimed towards lower north??
The whole stadium was quiet today. Fully appreciate what BA do in section A, but the noise doesn’t travel well to section 4 (where I am). By the time a song gets to us it’s stopped. There’s a few lads in my section that get things going but this again I am assuming doesn’t travel well to the other side and section A.
The fundamental issue I think is that most of the stadium doesn’t bother getting involved which makes the general atmosphere quite poor. Having the away fans so far away doesn’t help.
That’s my 2 pence worth anyway
The whole stadium needs to get behind the team. Not just a few sections |
Yesterday, it didn't even seem to travel to section 3 which is at the same level and right next door to section A. |  | | |
| LOWER NORTH - WTF are you doing?! Seriously on 09:00 - Jan 14 with 1427 views | BanksterDebtSlave |
There was a definite nervousness about the crowd yesterday before a ball had been kicked which we commented on walking to the ground.
They also need to switch Hey Jude off rather than playing it right up to kick off. |  |
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| LOWER NORTH - WTF are you doing?! Seriously on 09:16 - Jan 14 with 1378 views | WeirdFishes |
| LOWER NORTH - WTF are you doing?! Seriously on 07:01 - Jan 14 by Slambo |
I thought no-one can hear us..?! |
I heard you once yesterday, singing ‘Omari from Chelsea’. Not sure how any genuine supporter of any club would include another club’s name in a song about a player, especially Chelsea. |  |
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| LOWER NORTH - WTF are you doing?! Seriously on 09:20 - Jan 14 with 1366 views | goperryrevs |
Sat in lower Alf Ramsey behind the goal, and first half wasn't great. You can hear blue action, but it's this faint noise in the distance - as people have said, acoustics and where you sit makes a huge difference.
I'd love to sing more, but it's very difficult to get a chant going without a critical mass of people. Which is what blue action is.
I understand the frustration with other supporters, but really as that critical mass, you're where the power lies. So keep going. And thanks.
I don't think the move has helped. But the reason the north stand was historically the noisiest stand was because the away fans were there. Honestly, a move to SAR would probably make a massive difference. Or even if an offshoot group of BA moved there.
There are two other things that I think would help, if you want to get more people singing.
1. Keep going with one song.
It takes time for the songs to spread around the ground. Often by the time they get to SAR, you're already on to the next song. When you stick with one song and keep going, it really does raise the atmosphere as it spreads around the ground.
2. Song choice. If the atmosphere is flat, start one of the more simple songs. For example, I've seen a lot of people on here begging for the amazing grace Ipswich song. But I've yet to hear it. Coupled with 1, I do think if you started it, and kept going for a few minutes, it'd spread round the whole stadium, as it used to. | | | |
| LOWER NORTH - WTF are you doing?! Seriously on 09:31 - Jan 14 with 1344 views | Plums |
| LOWER NORTH - WTF are you doing?! Seriously on 08:33 - Jan 14 by sotd78 |
I'm 65. I've been a ST most of my life. I currently sit lower west stand whatever it is now called. The family section with my now grown up daughter. We join in songs and yesterday I'd say fan wise Sunderland won the first half and we the second. It kind of reflected what happened on the pitch. Like most grounds including even the famed Liverpool Kop there's quiet periods in all games. What you get for the lack of passion that you seem to seek is stoic support that saw us through ten plus years of turgid football. We actually quieten down the tutters. Portman Road has always struggled for headless noise. Even Sir Bobby called us zombies. But we're pretty loyal zombies.
You'll not really get a major singing section that everyone can join in until you put in rail seating and unreserved places. It'll take a redesigned Cobbold to make that possible perhaps. Until then we are what we are. |
Even back in the 80's and early 90's when I used to bring my air horn to games in the old North, there was rarely more than half the stand singing. E block I think it was in Pioneer (bottom section of the upper right seats) used to make an occasional racket and Churchmans would wind up a baritone 'Come on You Blues' at corners at that end. That was it. In my 45+ years, it's never been a place where all four stands roar the boys on.
Once the seats went in and the roof came off, it was properly spoilt and hasn't recovered.
Blue Action do a great job but with modern ticketing (we just used to turn up and stand where we wanted), I can't see it improving. [Post edited 14 Jan 12:17]
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| LOWER NORTH - WTF are you doing?! Seriously on 09:34 - Jan 14 with 1335 views | Sparky85 |
| LOWER NORTH - WTF are you doing?! Seriously on 08:03 - Jan 14 by lazyblue |
Make an effort then , it’s fine in the corner and if you want away fan ‘banter’ it’s the only place to sit obviously and not as far away as possible in the north. |
I think you’ve missed my point. My comment about the away fans wasn’t about banter. It’s about distance between them and our noisy sections not being able to bounce off each other which automatically creates a better atmosphere. I used to be SAR upper before moving to lower north as I couldn’t stand songs being aimed at us not making noise and there was no reaction. A few people tried but that was it.
I miss the years when the whole stadium would join in | | | |
| LOWER NORTH - WTF are you doing?! Seriously on 10:40 - Jan 14 with 1258 views | chrice |
| LOWER NORTH - WTF are you doing?! Seriously on 09:20 - Jan 14 by goperryrevs |
Sat in lower Alf Ramsey behind the goal, and first half wasn't great. You can hear blue action, but it's this faint noise in the distance - as people have said, acoustics and where you sit makes a huge difference.
I'd love to sing more, but it's very difficult to get a chant going without a critical mass of people. Which is what blue action is.
I understand the frustration with other supporters, but really as that critical mass, you're where the power lies. So keep going. And thanks.
I don't think the move has helped. But the reason the north stand was historically the noisiest stand was because the away fans were there. Honestly, a move to SAR would probably make a massive difference. Or even if an offshoot group of BA moved there.
There are two other things that I think would help, if you want to get more people singing.
1. Keep going with one song.
It takes time for the songs to spread around the ground. Often by the time they get to SAR, you're already on to the next song. When you stick with one song and keep going, it really does raise the atmosphere as it spreads around the ground.
2. Song choice. If the atmosphere is flat, start one of the more simple songs. For example, I've seen a lot of people on here begging for the amazing grace Ipswich song. But I've yet to hear it. Coupled with 1, I do think if you started it, and kept going for a few minutes, it'd spread round the whole stadium, as it used to. |
100% agree with keeping going on one song for longer. SBR can hear Section A but it’s not like it’s a wall of noise. Takes a while for people to catch on what it is and that will be the proactive people first and then it’s going to take a couple of rounds before the more reluctant get involved. | | | |
| LOWER NORTH - WTF are you doing?! Seriously on 11:21 - Jan 14 with 1209 views | Medblue |
| LOWER NORTH - WTF are you doing?! Seriously on 09:20 - Jan 14 by goperryrevs |
Sat in lower Alf Ramsey behind the goal, and first half wasn't great. You can hear blue action, but it's this faint noise in the distance - as people have said, acoustics and where you sit makes a huge difference.
I'd love to sing more, but it's very difficult to get a chant going without a critical mass of people. Which is what blue action is.
I understand the frustration with other supporters, but really as that critical mass, you're where the power lies. So keep going. And thanks.
I don't think the move has helped. But the reason the north stand was historically the noisiest stand was because the away fans were there. Honestly, a move to SAR would probably make a massive difference. Or even if an offshoot group of BA moved there.
There are two other things that I think would help, if you want to get more people singing.
1. Keep going with one song.
It takes time for the songs to spread around the ground. Often by the time they get to SAR, you're already on to the next song. When you stick with one song and keep going, it really does raise the atmosphere as it spreads around the ground.
2. Song choice. If the atmosphere is flat, start one of the more simple songs. For example, I've seen a lot of people on here begging for the amazing grace Ipswich song. But I've yet to hear it. Coupled with 1, I do think if you started it, and kept going for a few minutes, it'd spread round the whole stadium, as it used to. |
Keeping it simple is 100% the way forward. Not everyone in the ground wants to sing ‘ITFC - we’re the blue army’ for 20+ minutes when simpler and more direct chants like ‘ Blue Army’ and ‘KMK’s Blue and White army’ work better and have historically got more people involved.
Blue Action song choice is pretty poor and most of the time they are generic songs that every team’s support in the country sings- watch any Chanpionship game on Sky and you can hear them all sung. | | | |
| LOWER NORTH - WTF are you doing?! Seriously on 11:42 - Jan 14 with 1161 views | Brads |
Agree that we must make it better.
Whole of A-block sounded raucous for first quarter from where I was (back middle of upper north). Then seemed to drop off a bit until second half. Assumed that might have been because the kids sobered up & only the hardcore BA members sing relentlessly, which you often can’t hear from further away.
Unfair to expect half a block to out-sing a 2,000 bank of away fans or the entire north when it gets going. Problem with the latter is it’s not often enough. Probably best to accept that there isn’t a perfect solution though.
Since section 5 in the middle won’t be an option for a singing section under the current ownership, hopefully the club do expand the north into the corner when the Cobbold is eventually redeveloped, as suggested earlier in the thread, & that creates enough space to enable the separate elements to unite with a hub in a semi-decent location.
Sounds like the best bet for now is to get more singers in A-block. I prefer the view from behind the goal & was put off when we went in A for the Fulham cup game (there were alot of kids singing absolute nonsense about the ref etc) but guess it wasn’t the usual crowd tbf. Previously tried it for the Burnley game trial and it was great.
Reading this thread makes me think that now’s the time to re-locate & get the youth next to me to come too. Got the impression he wanted to before but goes on his own and he said everyone knew each other up there (don’t think so) so he was a bit too apprehensive to go solo. At least that’d be another two in a section that’s at least trying to make an impact… |  | | |
| LOWER NORTH - WTF are you doing?! Seriously on 11:49 - Jan 14 with 1140 views | yorkshireblue |
| LOWER NORTH - WTF are you doing?! Seriously on 11:21 - Jan 14 by Medblue |
Keeping it simple is 100% the way forward. Not everyone in the ground wants to sing ‘ITFC - we’re the blue army’ for 20+ minutes when simpler and more direct chants like ‘ Blue Army’ and ‘KMK’s Blue and White army’ work better and have historically got more people involved.
Blue Action song choice is pretty poor and most of the time they are generic songs that every team’s support in the country sings- watch any Chanpionship game on Sky and you can hear them all sung. |
Just so I understand, you want chants like ‘blue army’. But you don’t want generic chants other clubs have? | | | |
| LOWER NORTH - WTF are you doing?! Seriously on 12:23 - Jan 14 with 1069 views | kpblues |
| LOWER NORTH - WTF are you doing?! Seriously on 09:20 - Jan 14 by goperryrevs |
Sat in lower Alf Ramsey behind the goal, and first half wasn't great. You can hear blue action, but it's this faint noise in the distance - as people have said, acoustics and where you sit makes a huge difference.
I'd love to sing more, but it's very difficult to get a chant going without a critical mass of people. Which is what blue action is.
I understand the frustration with other supporters, but really as that critical mass, you're where the power lies. So keep going. And thanks.
I don't think the move has helped. But the reason the north stand was historically the noisiest stand was because the away fans were there. Honestly, a move to SAR would probably make a massive difference. Or even if an offshoot group of BA moved there.
There are two other things that I think would help, if you want to get more people singing.
1. Keep going with one song.
It takes time for the songs to spread around the ground. Often by the time they get to SAR, you're already on to the next song. When you stick with one song and keep going, it really does raise the atmosphere as it spreads around the ground.
2. Song choice. If the atmosphere is flat, start one of the more simple songs. For example, I've seen a lot of people on here begging for the amazing grace Ipswich song. But I've yet to hear it. Coupled with 1, I do think if you started it, and kept going for a few minutes, it'd spread round the whole stadium, as it used to. |
Maybe Slambo could persuade Blue Action to start Ipswich to Amazing grace.
Result : Guaranteed all round stadium noise.
(Just don't quicken it!) | |
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| LOWER NORTH - WTF are you doing?! Seriously on 12:34 - Jan 14 with 1035 views | pointofblue |
| LOWER NORTH - WTF are you doing?! Seriously on 09:00 - Jan 14 by BanksterDebtSlave |
There was a definite nervousness about the crowd yesterday before a ball had been kicked which we commented on walking to the ground.
They also need to switch Hey Jude off rather than playing it right up to kick off. |
I actually think the music is dreadful in the build up to the match and half time. There's nothing there to galvanise the crowd or get them to join in. Playing the likes of Voulez Boys, Just Can't Get Enough and Don't You Want Me Baby is all well and good after a win, but how about before the game to try and get the crowd going. When was the last time they piped Singing the Blues into the stadium?
Blue Action can self start, but the rest need a push. There's nothing there to do it other than a half-hearted attempt before kick off. | |
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| LOWER NORTH - WTF are you doing?! Seriously on 13:28 - Jan 14 with 940 views | Vegtablue |
| LOWER NORTH - WTF are you doing?! Seriously on 12:23 - Jan 14 by kpblues |
Maybe Slambo could persuade Blue Action to start Ipswich to Amazing grace.
Result : Guaranteed all round stadium noise.
(Just don't quicken it!) |
It's a shame older singers didn't pass this on or a middle generation take up the mantle. My long-term memory isn't strong but I can't remember hearing it, so either I've forgotten or it's been absent for over 20 years. | | | |
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