Interviews & Media Articles

Source: BBC Nottingham
Author: Unknown
Date: 12 Mar 2010

An online campaign to have a Christian number one at Easter has gained over 20,000 followers in its first ten days.

Church minister Alistair Kent started the campaign, to get Christian band Delirious? to the top of the UK charts, on social networking site Facebook.

Mr Kent wants to remind people that Easter is more than "bunnies, egg hunts and a school break".

He said: "It's the message of Christ dying for the sins of mankind and his resurrection that people need to hear."

The Nottingham pastor added: "What better way to get this message across than through the medium of music and the airplay that a number one chart position brings."

He is hoping for the support of the estimated 600,000 UK Christian Facebook users.

The pastor is asking people to download the single History Maker between Monday, 29 March and Saturday, 3 April.

The song features the lyric: "Well it's true today that when people stand, With the fire of God, and the truth in hand; We'll see miracles, we'll see angels sing, We'll see broken hearts making history."

The campaign was inspired by Rage Against The Machine's success in 2009.

The rock band topped the Christmas charts after a drive to prevent an X Factor number one.

At its peak 'Rage Against The Machine for Christmas No.1' had over 750,000 members.

The band's single, Killing In The Name, sold 500,000 downloads beating X Factor winner Joe McElderry's The Climb by 50,000 copies to clinch the top spot.

Like Rage Against the Machine, Christian band Delirious? have previously enjoyed chart success, with ten UK chart entries.

They were one of the UK's most popular Christian music bands but in 2009 they announced that, after 17 years together, they were going their separate ways.