A Sligo band had a moment they will never forget over the weekend when they were joined on stage by Sophie Ellis-Bextor.
Bluemoose was playing her hit song 'Murder on the Dancefloor' at Paddy Reilly’s Bar in Zurich on Sunday where the singer happened to be in the crowd and hopped up to join in.
'Magical moment'
On Lunchtime Live today, band founder Tony Ward said “it was a magical moment” that took the group completely by surprise.
“We started the song and then we saw this lady approaching the stage,” he said.
“In my head, I was going, ‘This is funny, here’s a Sophie Ellis Bextor lookalike coming up for her 15 minutes of fame.
“But the closer she got, I said ‘Oh my God, this is actually her.’”
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Mr Ward said he did a “double take” when she asked to sing.
“She mimicked to me and mouthed that this was her song and asked if she could get up and sing with us,” he said.
"The minute she started singing, her voice was so recognisable, I said this is actually the lady herself.
“It was a magical moment and we didn’t even know she was in the city doing a gig, it’s just one of those things you’d never think would happen.”
'Luck of the Irish'
Mr Ward credited the “luck of the Irish” for making it happen on St Patrick’s Day.
“There was nothing planned, it totally random,” he said.
“We were speaking to her crew later and she sent us a message inviting us to her concert in Zurich last night but we had a schedule in Ireland and flew back yesterday morning.
“Her crew said they had sourced an Irish bar to have a pint of Guinness on St Patrick’s Day.
“They said there was no way [Sophie] would have gotten up on stage, only the vibe was there and she recognised the band was decent and we’d be able to carry it with her – thanks be to God.”
Mr Ward, whose band regularly performs in Switzerland, said it was a “lovely moment” they will never forget.
