26 May 2015 UKTVs premium entertainment channel Watch today revealed more musical names signed for its new series, Singing in the Rainforest, which sees musicians leave their creature comforts behind and embrace life with remote tribes from all around the world.
The new names who will embark on a once in a lifetime trip are, nineties indie band Happy Mondays, former Busted singer Charlie Simpson and pop-rock band Scouting for Girls.
In this brand new formatted documentary, Pills n Thrills and Bellyaches band, Happy Mondays visit the Embera Drua people of the Upper Chagres River in Panama. Known as the keepers of the rainforest this indigenous tribe have lived a subsistent life in the interior of Panama for centuries. The aim of the trip is for the Happy Mondays and the Embera to write a piece of music together that reflects both cultures, but the Happy Mondays havent written anything new in over 20 years so they need to get their own house in order first. Can they put aside creative differences and perform a piece of music or will old habits die hard?
Former Busted singer Charlie Simpson visits the home of the San Bushmen in the Grashoek Village in Southern Africa, a tribe widely believed to be the first humans on the planet. Charlie learns about the San peoples ancient traditions and their modern struggles, which inspires his creativity. But when he gets to work with the San singers he quickly discovers that a collaboration with the outside world has never been attempted before and they are worlds apart, as he struggles to find common musical ground.
Pop-rock band Scouting for Girls visited Hetmali Village, home of the Huli Wigmen in Papua New Guinea. Lifelong friends Roy Stride, Greg Churchouse and Pete Ellard embark on a life changing journey as they perform their track Shes So Lovely, to an audience unlike any other theyve performed to before. After a few days of living together the group learn about the Wigmen traditions and after a Huli jam session writer Roy gets to work on a track. But collaborating with a tribe that had never even written music before Roy struggles to get them to work to his exacting standards.
The three acts join previously announced stars Myleene Klass and Glasvegas. Myleene visits the Ulithians of the remote Pacific Island of Mog in Micronesia where her grand piano is shipped on to the tiny island reachable only by boat and with no running water or electricity to create a desert island recording studio. And Glasvegas visit the Waorani of Bameno, Ecuador where the group taste the local homemade alcohol and experience the extreme weather of the wild rainforest.
ENDS About Singing in the Rainforest Each episode of Singing in the Rainforest (5x60), produced by Gogglebox Entertainment, a joint venture with Sony Pictures Television, takes well-known artists and bands out of their natural environment and challenges them to immerse themselves in tribal life for one week, with no creature comforts to fall back on. They will be exposed to rituals, customs and above all the tribe s musical culture and, in turn, the artists will present their style of music to the tribe.
The visiting musicians have only one week to battle bugs, sleep deprivation and bridge cultural differences to develop original music that can be played in a concert with the tribe. Their mission is to record a track, blending two musical cultures, which can be sold to raise money for the tribe they have been visiting. Can these successful acts operate entirely out of their comfort zone and compose a unique piece of music or will tropical illnesses, insect bites and exhaustion get in their way?
About UKTV UKTV is the multi-award winning media company that reaches over 42 million viewers every month.
UKTVs eleven imaginative brands - UKTV Play, Dave, Watch, Gold, Alibi, Yesterday, Drama, Really, Home, Eden and Good Food - include the most popular non-PSB channel in the UK and account for 9% of the British commercial TV market. The companys most recent financial results showed record-breaking year-end revenue of £278m, and EBITDA of £67.4m. It invested a record £125m in programming and related launches last year, and is becoming an increasingly significant investor in UK creativity.
UKTV has a truly innovative model, curating brand-defining commissions, high-profile acquisitions and the very best of BBC, alongside programmes originally shown on ITV and Channel 4. The network embraces technology to deliver inspired channels to audiences through Freeview, Sky, Virgin Media, BT, TalkTalk, YouView and UKTV Play, and distributes its highly valued original programmes to 200 territories.
Now celebrating its 22nd year at the forefront of digital television, UKTV - an independent commercial joint venture between BBC Worldwide and Scripps Networks Interactive, Inc. (SNI) - is proud to be the only British television broadcaster to be recognised by Best Companies.
corporate.uktv.co.uk / press.uktv.co.uk / @uktv_press
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26 May 2015 UKTVs premium entertainment channel Watch today revealed more musical names signed for its new series, Singing in the Rainforest, which sees musicians leave their creature comforts behind and embrace life with remote tribes from all around the world.
