Status Quo challenged by folk legends' new song
- Published
Nathan Carter, Mick Foster and Tony Allen have teamed up for a Status Quo classic
"I said to Mick, you know that track Burning Bridges? We could replace the fiddles with two accordions and that would be good craic wouldn't it?"
That is what Tony Allen said to his musical partner Mick Foster when they decided to cover the song made famous by Status Quo.
Teaming up with Nathan Carter, Irish country and folk singers Foster and Allen have taken on a rock classic and transformed it into a foot-stompin' country show tune.
And Tony said the inspiration for the whole thing came from a chat in a Belfast pub.
'All the great ideas originate in a pub'
"I was in the Opera House in Belfast for the Charlie Landsborough concert last year," he told BBC News NI.
"Nathan Cather was there and we went across to the pub after the show and I asked him to do a song with us and he said 'yes'.
"And that's how it all came about."
Nathan Carter features in Foster and Allen's Burning Bridges
Foster and Allen, who have been together for 42 years, are more synonymous with songs such as Bunch of Thyme, Old Flames and After All These Years.
So was the decision to cover a rock song controversial?
Tony said it wasn't hard to convince his musical partner Mick Foster, as he is a massive Status Quo fan, and they'd heard the acoustic versions of Status Quo songs.
Mick Foster is a big fan of Status Quo
The hardest part was finding time to record the track.
"Eventually we got Nathan into the studio because he is a very busy man," said Tony.
Tony Allen riffs on the peace bridge
The video was mostly filmed in Belfast, with a few highlights from the peace bridge in Londonderry.
Tony thinks Belfast is an "absolutely beautiful" city, and didn't always get the credit it deserved.
The music video was filmed all in one day
"We've been playing in Northern Ireland for the guts of 40 years.
"We used to play in the old arts theatre for full weeks at a time and we still play the Grand Opera House; we'll be up there again next March.
"I could spend any day of the week in Belfast, its just a lovely city."
The music video for 'Burning Bridges' is a whistle-stop tour of Belfast