Only Men Aloud is a male voice

choir A choir ( ), also known as a chorale or chorus (from Latin ''chorus'', meaning 'a dance in a circle') is a musical ensemble of singers. Choral music, in turn, is the music written specifically for such an ensemble to perform or in other words ...

from

Wales Wales ( ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by the Irish Sea to the north and west, England to the England–Wales border, east, the Bristol Channel to the south, and the Celtic ...

. The choir came to national prominence in the UK when they won the ''

Last Choir Standing ''Last Choir Standing'' is a 2008 talent show-themed television series produced by the BBC in the United Kingdom. Broadcast on BBC One in July and August 2008, the series saw amateur choirs competing each week to be the 'last choir standing'. The ...

'' competition run by

BBC The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a British public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, England. Originally established in 1922 as the British Broadcasting Company, it evolved into its current sta ...

television during 2008.

Overview

The choir was formed by Tim Rhys-Evans, a classically trained singer and former musical director of

Welsh National Youth Opera WNO Youth Opera (WNYO) ( Welsh: ''Opera Ieuenctid WNO'') is a training and performance programme for young singers aged between 8 and 25. It forms part of the youth wing of Welsh National Opera, with Youth Opera groups in South Wales (Cardiff), No ...

. It originally had 15 members and is based in

Cardiff Cardiff (; ) is the capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of Wales. Cardiff had a population of in and forms a Principal areas of Wales, principal area officially known as the City and County of Ca ...

. Following ''Last Choir Standing'', the choir signed a five-record deal with

Universal Music Universal Music Group N.V. (often abbreviated as UMG and referred to as Universal Music Group or Universal Music) is a Dutch– American multinational music corporation under Dutch law. UMG's corporate headquarters are located in Hilversum ...

and released their first album. They performed with

Josh Groban Joshua Winslow Groban (born February 27, 1981) is an American singer, songwriter, and actor. His first four solo albums have been certified multi-platinum, and he was charted in 2007 as the number-one best selling artist in the United States, ...

The Royal Variety Performance The ''Royal Variety Performance'' is a televised variety show held annually in the United Kingdom to raise money for the Royal Variety Charity (of which King Charles III is life-patron). It is attended by senior members of the British royal f ...

in 2008. The choir embarked on their first UK tour in April/May 2009 with singer and soap star

Amy Nuttall Amy Abigail Nuttall (born 7 June 1982) is an English actress and singer. She is known for her roles as Chloe Atkinson in the ITV soap opera ''Emmerdale'' (2000–2005), housemaid Ethel Parks in the ITV/ PBS period drama ''Downton Abbey'' (201 ...

joining them as a special guest. The performance at the Cardiff International Arena featured a one-off performance with

Bonnie Tyler Gaynor Sullivan (née Hopkins; born 8 June 1951), known professionally as Bonnie Tyler, is a Welsh singer. Known for her distinctive husky voice, Tyler came to prominence with the release of her 1977 album '' The World Starts Tonight'' and its ...

. In October 2009, the choir held auditions at the

Wales Millennium Centre Wales Millennium Centre () is Wales' national arts centre located in the Cardiff Bay area of Cardiff, Wales. The site covers a total area of . Phase 1 of the building was opened during the weekend of 26–28 November 2004 and phase 2 opened on ...

, Cardiff to find two new members to join them. Later that month the choir's second album, ''Band of Brothers'', went straight to number one in the UK Classical Charts, where it remained for three weeks
TV choir top of classical chart
The album went on to win the NS&I Album of the Year 2010 at the Classical Brit awards. The choir embarked on their second UK tour in December 2009. Their special guest was Welsh soprano Gwawr Edwards. In 2010, the choir was given its own Welsh-language television series, ''Only Men Aloud'', on S4C. In May 2010 Tim Rhys Evans embarked on a new project, to revive the male voice choir tradition, by forming

Only Boys Aloud Only Boys Aloud is a Wales-based boys' choir founded by choral director Tim Rhys-Evans. Only Boys Aloud finished third in the ''Britain's Got Talent'' competition in May 2012 and released their debut album in November 2012. History Only Boys ...

The boys made their first public appearance at the Ebbw Vale Eisteddfod in Ebbw Vale and received three standing ovations for their renditions of Calon Lan, Sosban Fach and Don't Stop Believing. Only Men Aloud! completed a 16-date UK Christmas Tour in December 2010. Their special guest was West End singer, Katy Treharne. The show at the CIA in Cardiff also featured Only Boys Aloud who sang "Don't Stop Believing" and "You Raise me Up" with Only Men Aloud! Only Men Aloud! were also the musical guests on the Christmas Day 2010 edition of BBC One's ''

Strictly Come Dancing ''Strictly Come Dancing'' (commonly referred to as ''Strictly'') is a British dance contest show in which celebrities partner with professional dancers to compete in mainly Ballroom dance, ballroom and Latin dance, Latin dance. Each couple is ...

''. They sang a specially-arranged version of "Silent Night" and "I'll Be Home For Christmas". In 2011, Only Men Aloud released their third album called ''In Festive Mood'', made a 15-date UK Christmas Tour and released ''Only Men Aloud - The Book''. ''In Festive Mood'' entered the UK Classical Charts at Number 8. A BBC Wales series, ''Only Boys Aloud: the Academy'', was devoted to

! On 27 July 2012, Only Men Aloud performed at the opening ceremony of the

2012 Olympic Games The 2012 Summer Olympics, officially the Games of the XXX Olympiad and also known as London 2012, were an international multi-sport event held from 27 July to 12 August 2012 in London, England, United Kingdom. The first event, the ...

. They performed on Caliban's Dream, as the

Olympic cauldron The Olympic flame is a symbol used in the Olympic movement. It is also a symbol of continuity between ancient and modern games. The Olympic flame is lit at Olympia, Greece, several months before the Olympic Games. This ceremony starts the Olymp ...

was lit. The track is featured on the soundtrack of the ceremony, '' Isles of Wonder''. It was digitally released as a downloadable track on iTunes at midnight on 27 July after the ceremony. It was the highest placed track from the soundtrack on iTunes in the UK, reaching no. 5 when the charts were announced on 29 July. On 5 August, it entered the main charts at number 12. Tim Rhys-Evans was awarded an MBE in the Queen's Birthday Honours list in June 2013. He was awarded the honour for services to music and for charitable services. In May 2013, It was announced that Only Men Aloud would go through a radical restructure later in the year to become an eight piece group. The decision was made for logistical reasons as they looked to expand their global appeal. At the end of September 2013, the new look line up was announced and the new eight piece group performed two shows in the Elgar Rooms,

Royal Albert Hall The Royal Albert Hall is a concert hall on the northern edge of South Kensington, London, England. It has a seating capacity of 5,272. Since the hall's opening by Queen Victoria in 1871, the world's leading artists from many performance genres ...

. In 2014 they made a 12-date spring tour of Wales, a summer tour of the Midwest of the US, and a 12-date UK Christmas Tour. Another two-part TV series for S4C was shown in December. In February 2015, Only Men Aloud cycled from Cardiff to Paris for charity, arriving in time to sing the Welsh National Anthem on the pitch before the France vs Wales RBS Six Nations game.

Line-up

Wyn Davies, David Fortey, Paul Rothwell, Steffan Hughes, Niall Allen, Craig Yates, Huw Euron, Stephen Hamnett. Previous members include

David Thaxton David Thaxton (born 12 May 1982) is a Welsh singer, actor and musical theatre and opera performer. He starred in the Donmar Warehouse's ''Passion (musical), Passion'', for which he won the 2011 Laurence Olivier Awards, 2011 Laurence Olivier Awa ...

(''

Les Misérables ''Les Misérables'' (, ) is a 19th-century French literature, French Epic (genre), epic historical fiction, historical novel by Victor Hugo, first published on 31 March 1862, that is considered one of the greatest novels of the 19th century. '' ...

'', ''

Passion Passion, the Passion or the Passions may refer to: Emotion * Passion (emotion), a very strong feeling about a person or thing * Passions (philosophy), emotional states as used in philosophical discussions * Stoic passions, various forms of emotio ...

''), Alan Winner (''

Gone with the Wind Gone with the Wind most often refers to: * Gone with the Wind (novel), ''Gone with the Wind'' (novel), a 1936 novel by Margaret Mitchell * Gone with the Wind (film), ''Gone with the Wind'' (film), the 1939 adaptation of the novel Gone with the Wind ...

''),

Noel Sullivan Noel Sullivan (born 28 July 1980, as Noel John Hayes) is a British singer and actor from Cardiff, Wales. He was a member of the British pop group Hear'Say. Like the other members of the group, he won his part through the ITV talent show ''Pop ...

(

Hear'Say Hear'Say were a British pop group. They were created through the ITV (TV network), ITV reality TV show ''Popstars (British TV series), Popstars'' in February 2001, the first UK series of the international ''Popstars'' Media franchise, franch ...

)!, David Mahoney and

Jon Robyns Jon Robyns (born 8 December 1982) is a British stage actor, who is best known for playing Jean Valjean in ''Les Misérables'' and the title role in ''The Phantom of the Opera'' in London's West End. Early life Robyns was born in Manchester a ...

(''

Avenue Q '' Avenue Q'' is a musical comedy featuring puppets and human actors with music and lyrics by Robert Lopez and Jeff Marx and a book by Jeff Whitty. It won Best Musical, Book, and Score at the 2004 Tony Awards. The show's format is a parody ...

'', ''

'').

Discography

Albums

Singles

As featured artist

Awards

Classic Brit Awards The Classic BRIT Awards (previously Classical BRIT Awards) are an annual awards ceremony held in the United Kingdom covering aspects of classical and crossover music, and are the equivalent of popular music's Brit Awards. The awards are organ ...

British Phonographic Industry BPI (British Recorded Music Industry) Limited, trading as British Phonographic Industry (BPI), is the British recorded music industry's trade association. It runs the BRIT Awards; is home to the Mercury Prize; co-owns the Official Charts C ...

References

External links

WebsiteOfficial Record Label WebsiteBBC profile
{{Authority control Boys' and men's choirs Musical groups established in 2000 Welsh choirs