Charlie Simpson Enters Guinness World Records By Performing At -30C In Siberia - Watch Now
Friday, 30 November 2012
Written by Jon Stickler
Freezing on stage is a nightmare for any performer, but it almost became a reality for Charlie Simpson as he performed the World’s Coldest Ever Gig, in Oymyakon, Siberia. The singer/songwriter, and former Fightstar front man, took on brutal -30˚C temperatures to perform the Jägermeister Ice Cold Gig, which has officially gained entry into the Guinness World Records!
Charlie and his three-strong support team travelled for four days to reach the remote Siberian village known as the ‘pole of cold,’ famed for being the coldest, permanently inhabited place on the planet. Performing in front of curious locals, he played a solo, acoustic set of tracks from his album, 'Young Pilgrim'.
Temperatures in Oymyakon are so extreme that few visitors are able to bear more than five minutes out in the elements. However, in order to set the world record, Charlie had to play his set for a full 15 minutes, whilst only taking up to 30 second breaks between songs.
Charlie said: “This has been a trip of a lifetime and a gig unlike anything I thought I’d ever experience in my career. The town has no TV or radio, so they’ve had little to no contact with rock music before. This was definitely a world first in many respects!
“It was unbearably cold and playing guitar with gloves on wasn’t an option. We had to pack hand warmers into my sleeves before the performance to keep my blood warm and stop my fingers from getting frostbite. It was hard for the whole team but the experience has definitely brought us all closer together and we’re all firm friends now.
“The trip was tough, but it feels amazing to have set a world record and we’ll be celebrating with a few ice cold shots of Jägermeister now we’re home.”
Unlike a rock concert back home, there was no big entourage or luxury digs. The trip to Oymyakon takes 4 days and includes long drives through sparse, freezing countryside, taking in the infamous Kolyma Highway, or ‘Road of Bones,’ one of the most treacherous roads in the world. Nights were spent in the company of local villagers, who had kindly offered the team space to sleep in their homes.
Levison Wood, expedition leader and director of expeditionary company, Secret Compass, said: “There are all manner of things that can go wrong when travelling in conditions as freezing and remote as this, so hats off to Charlie for completing the record. We tried to prepare the team as much as possible with a few training sessions inside a giant freezer in the UK, but you can never recreate the real danger we faced whilst out in Siberia.”
Tom Carson, Jägermeister music manager, added: “One of our biggest concerns was Charlie’s guitar, as they are not designed to be exposed to those temperatures. We were warned that it might just disintegrate because the glue won’t be able to withstand the cold. That’s certainly not a factor we’ve ever had to consider with our other gigs.
“We’re extremely grateful to Charlie for accepting the Jägermeister Ice Cold Gig challenge and being fully behind the attempt. We’ve worked with Charlie for several years now as part of our Jägermusic programme, so we were always confident he’d be able to pull it off.”
To see pictures and video from the gig visit www.facebook.com/JagerMusicUK. Jägermeister Ice Cold Gig set-list is as follows:
1. Down down down
2. Cemetery
3. Barricades of heaven (cover)
4. Farmer and his gun
Comparable temperatures:
Jägermeister Ice Cold Gig, Oymyakon: -30˚C
Average Winter temperature at North Pole: -34˚C
Coldest ever recorded temperature in the UK: -27˚C (Braemar, Aberdeenshire 01/10/1985)
Recommended temperature of average home freezer appliance: -18˚C
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