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Newton sizes up the balloons before his flight - Picture by
Dave Hogan |
Newton 'sees red' before his balloon flight - Picture by
NikSchnell |
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Singer-songwriter Newton Faulkner has lived up to the title of his hit single ‘Dream Catch Me’ by performing an unbelievable radio session in the clouds, thousands of feet above the Swiss Alps in a Virgin hot air balloon.
The dreadlocked singer played tracks including latest single ‘Teardrop’ to an intimate audience of just thirteen lucky people, soaring in the sky close to the town of Gruyère – famous for it’s Swiss cheese. |
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| Newtons balloon heads towards the mountains - Picture by Nik Schnell |
Newton Faulkner hits a high note in his
Virgin balloon - Picture by Dave Hogan |
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After struggling to get his guitar out of its case in the unusually cosy concert environment, Newton still managed to pull off a dazzling performance which was recorded for national pop and rock station Virgin Radio. The gig was punctuated by loud blazes from the balloon’s burners while the high altitude and cold temperatures meant Newton had to continually warm up his hands and retune his guitar in order to pull off his light-fingered guitar playing.
The gig was part of a major one-off ballooning event hosted by Virgin Balloon Flights, which normally provides pleasure flights from launch sites around the UK, and is believed to be the first time a radio session has ever been recorded in a hot air balloon. |
| The gig balloon in flight - Picture by Nik Schnell |
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| Virgin Radio DJ Ben Jones hosted the gig for lucky competition winners and interviewed Newton high above the clouds. Speaking during the gig Newton said: “I’ve done all kinds of gigs in all kinds of places including a moving train but this the ultimate. This time next year I’ll have to perform in outer space to top this!” |
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Not only that, the dreadlocked singer celebrated turning twenty- three with the amazing gig - in the giant hundred foot Virgin Balloon, the biggest birthday balloon ever!
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After a soft landing and a champagne toast, Newton continued the celebrations with an impromptu gig in a chocolate-box Swiss Chalet tucked away in the heart of the mountains which he proclaimed was his “birthday present to himself”. He went onto perform, in his words, ‘the ridiculous’, by pulling off an unbelievable rendition of Queen’s Bohemian Rhapsody which left the audience open-mouthed. He was rendered speechless himself as he was presented with a platinum gold disc by DJ Ben Jones marking half a million sales of his number one album ‘Hand Built by Robots’. |
| Newton Faulkner enjoys the post flight celebrations with Virgin Balloons Flights PR team Alex Hardie and Alex Ferguson |
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Kenneth Karlstrom, Virgin Balloon Flights’ chief pilot, who flew Newton’s balloon said: “Every hot air balloon flight is an unforgettable experience but this has to be in my top 10 and I’ve been flying for nearly 30 years. Newton is a fantastic performer and it was a dream come true for everyone onboard.
“This was a fantastic team effort by everyone at Virgin Balloon Flights with the balloon crew, pilots, event organisers, local Swiss advisers and the PR team all giving 110% to make this happen, so congratulations must go to all who were involved. We would also like to thank Newton, everyone at Virgin Radio and Song BMG for all their help.” |
| Chief Pilot Kenneth Karlstrom looks on as Newton
Faulkner performs - Picture by Alex Ferguson |
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The full Unplugged and Airborne session with extras is available to watch online at www.virginradio.co.uk
If you would like to follow in Newton Faulkner’s footsteps by taking an amazing Virgin Balloon Flight click here
For press enquires contact PR Manager Alex Ferguson on 01952 212760 or email : alexf@virginballoonflights.co.uk |
| Virgin Balloon Flights Switzerland crew after launch |
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