'Sing Like You Mean It' is a community choir based in Beckenham, South East London.

On 24th May 2025, the choir had the amazing opportunity to record their version of James Bay's song Hold Back The River at the Church Studios in Crouch Hill - such an amazing experience!

With the release of the single we aim to raise money for Brain Tumour Research which is a charity close to the hearts of a large number of our members.

Music can evoke a range of emotions and the lyrics of Hold Back The River can be perceived by the listener in many ways. A song that those who are finding themselves locked in an unchosen journey can resonate with. 'Hold back the river' signifies the unstoppable force of time and trying to recapture memories or change the course of events.

As time went on through the process of rehearsing and recording this single, it became evident just how may of us have lost someone to, know a survivor of or know someone with a brain tumour. The common theme with all of us is that there is not enough information or awareness around the disease and people think it is much less common than other cancers.

One in three people in the UK knows someone affected by a brain tumour. This disease is indiscriminate; it can affect anyone at any age. Brain tumours kill more children and adults under the age of 40 than any other cancer yet just 1% of the national spend on cancer research has been allocated to this devastating disease since records began in 2002.

Brain Tumour Research is determined to change this. It is the only national charity focused on finding a cure for all types of brain tumours. Help fund the fight. Together we will find a cure.