Entertainment

The town of Leek celebrated England’s World Cup progress with a Vindaloo march

It’s hard not to sing along.
It’s hard not to sing along. It’s hard not to sing along.

With England progressing to their first World Cup semi-final in 28 years fans back home are keen to celebrate the team’s achievements.

And nowhere more so than in Leek, Staffordshire, where a Vindaloo march summed up the occasion.

The call was put out on Facebook to followers of Leek TV, a local independent amateur production company, and while organisers expected a small turnout, around 600 are said to have attended.

Well what can we say. What a great turnout. I love the fact that Leek is an amazing town.No other town could pull this off.THANKYOU to everyone for turning out, a big thankyou to Tim Burgess and Jason Sales for supplying the music system.LTV – Be proud #itscominghome #vindaloo #england #worldcupPosted by Leek TV on Sunday, July 8, 2018

“We just thought that if England win the quarters we should do something big to celebrate,” said Nigel Maycock, who runs Leek TV with his friend James Lockett.

“We thought about (Is This The Way To) Amarillo, that Peter Kay did, but then Vindaloo was chucked in and there was no contest.

“We just wanted to support England and get behind them,” he added of Gareth Southgate’s team, who beat Sweden 2-0 in their quarter-final match. “We put an SOS out on social media and the rest is history.”

There comes a moment in life where you just have to let yourself go and go for it. That moment has arrived.ENGLAND are…Posted by Leek TV on Sunday, July 8, 2018

The march offered a different flavour to the usual videos of flying beers and spontaneous verses from Three Lions, while the fantastic weather no doubt aided the turnout.

“We didn’t expect the numbers,” said Nigel. “We thought maybe 50 or so but there’s a lot of good spirit and momentum in the England team at the moment.”

England will face Croatia in the semi-finals for a place in their first final since 1966, and it sounds like the people of Leek are feeling positive about the Three Lions’ chances.

“We had a great day here in Leek,” said Nigel. “The vibe was ace and we all believe it’s coming home.”