Folk Band’s Christmas Single Honors RNLI Volunteers

A festive single by the folk band Police Dog Hogan, co-written by two Devon songwriters, aims for chart success this Christmas. The song, titled “Pull Away,” acknowledges the dedication of RNLI lifeboat crew volunteers. Chris Hoban, a songwriter, and James Studholme, the vocalist for Police Dog Hogan, both hailing from Devon, collaborated on the track. Their inspiration stemmed from the RNLI’s 200th anniversary, intending the song as an homage to individuals who have endangered their own lives to rescue others at sea over the last two centuries. Mr. Hoban stated: “I think people understand when they hear this song that it’s about people.” He elaborated, “It’s about the people in the RNLI, it’s about the people on the shore, and it’s about the people who are being rescued as well.” He added, “So, it was really interesting writing it, and watching the point of view change, and it does that in the song, and the celebratory aspect I think is really appropriate for Christmas.” James Studholme commented: “The band and I were so inspired by the fact that RNLI lifeboat volunteers are on-call, ready to drop everything to go to the aid of others at sea if the call comes in.” Mr. Studholme indicated that the song aimed to portray the experience of a Christmas Day rescue during the 19th Century, a period when lifeboat crews relied on rowing to reach those in distress at sea. Mr. Studholme further remarked: “Every time a crew went out on a shout, there was not necessarily an expectation that they would come back. “He continued, “You know, down here we obviously all remember the Penlee Lifeboat disaster, and so there is that poignancy – and another of the things we discussed in the song was this idea of the people left behind waiting and thinking about what’s going on out there, is just as much of the story as the lifeboat crew doing the rescue.” The Penlee lifeboat, named Solomon Browne, deployed into hurricane-force winds on 19 December 1981, responding to the cargo ship Union Star, which was in peril off the coast of Cornwall following engine failure. The incident resulted in the loss of sixteen lives, along with both vessels and their crews. For updates, follow BBC Devon on X, Facebook, and Instagram. Story ideas can be submitted to spotlight@bbc.co.uk. Copyright 2024 BBC. All rights reserved. The BBC disclaims responsibility for the content found on external websites. Information regarding our external linking policy is available.