Hayling Island artist St Lundi releases festive single, Alone Over Christmas, to support Trussell Trust's Portsmouth food bank

Archie Langley, who performs as St Lundi, is releasing Alone Over Christmas with all proceeds going to the food bank, which is run by The Trussell Trust.

As previously reported, the number of food packages given out by the Portsmouth branch leapt by a shocking 68 per cent in a single year. Between April and September 2022, the charity’s city food bank gave out 6,865 parcels. By the same period this year, that had leapt by more than two-thirds to a record 11,571. The charity’s nationwide network of food banks has handed out a record nearly 3m packages in the past year.

Archie had been sitting on the single since writing it in 2021, and had been looking for a cause to help.

“You think about the increase in Portsmouth alone, and it's insane, but then you think about the bigger picture across the UK and so on, it's quite wild.

“My eyes weren't open to this until we decided to support them – we knew that the food bank was in need but I didn't know how much in need until I went to meet them. They showed me how they run things there and it's quite incredible – they have so many volunteers helping them. The food they have in that room for just that week is quite crazy.

“It shows the kind nature of the people there, but one of the women, Ruth, said that it's also letting people who don't know it's here and might need it what’s available to them.”

Archie wrote the song with his friend, fellow songwriter Johnny Hockings in April 2021.

“It was actually a really sunny day when we met up, and I told him: ‘We're doing this Christmas song’, and we wrote it there and then. We fell in love with it – it's one of my favourite songs I've written, actually. We just held on to it for the right moment. Me and my manager were talking and said why don't we do it for this? And it just felt right.”

They had the idea of getting a local choir involved early on, and it features Hayling Youngstars and Havant’s The Vox vocal group.

Renowned local musician Amba Tremain leads The Vox, and Archie is full of praise for her help.

"She managed to get them all together in a couple of weeks, it was amazing. She's a bit of an angel to me and has really helped bring it together. When I started in Portsmouth back in the day, she was one of the first people to support me, so it was really cool to have her on board.”

The song’s atmospheric video was directed by Oli Brotherhood, also known as Mumbo Jumbo, at Quay West Studios in Gosport, with many of the choirs’ members taking part.

Recalling the shoot, Archie said: “There were quite a few moments that night, where I was getting goosebumps.

“There was one boy who came up to me and said: “You know my granddad.” It turned out he used to babysit me, and I had no idea his grandson was going to be there in the choir. There was another girl, her dad was one of my dad's best friends and they were round our house all the time – his daughter was now in the choir. It made it feel more like a community coming together then I've ever felt in my life.

“And the fact that they all sounded so good was the cherry on top. I can't overstate how good these people were. Coming from Hayling Island myself, I never really felt like there was much of a musical scene on Hayling. But then to see all these people, and you realise there is so much talent there.”

The team behind the single have big ambitions for it and are embarking on a busy promotional campaign, visiting schools and businesses and making public appearances as well as pushing the song to local and national radio.

“How great would it be to have a Christmas number one?” adds Archie, “I know that's reaching for the stars, but we're ambitious. It’s going to be a busy couple of weeks, but I’m putting everything into this.”

Aside from a spot at Victorious Festival in the summer, St Lundi will be performing his biggest headline show in the area so far when he plays The Wedgewood Rooms on December 15.

"We've got some cool things planned for the show and some great supports,” he will be joined by Marley Blandford and Olly Hite. “It should be a really good show – and kids will be allowed to come too. I went to that venue so many times growing up to watch bands play, so to put a show on there myself is really cool. But I also have really big ambitions for where I want to play in Portsmouth. I'd love to do Fratton Park one day...”

To download or stream the single, go to linktr.ee/stlundi.

For more on the Trussell Trust go to trusselltrust.org.