Claire Chats To Tom Billington of Electric Umbrella Following Golden Buzzer Moment

Tom Billington joins Vibe again for another interview following Golden Buzzer success.

On 1st April, days after the incredible victory of scoring Simon Cowell's second golden buzzer, Tom Billington, co-founder of the charity, joins Claire in the studio to talk all things Electric Umbrella. Having previously interviewed Tom only a couple of months prior to their Britain's Got Talent audition, it is really wonderful to see the impression the charity have made on the public eye and British media with such an inspiring performance of 'Acceptance.'

Unfortunately, only Tom was able to get to the studio. Through working with predominantly learning disabled adults, Tom reveals how difficult it is for them and how disabled they really are when it comes to getting to certain places at certain times; they rely solely on other people. 

For those that don't know, the organisation was founded in 2012 by Tom and Mel Boda, becoming a charity in 2016. Tom explains that they initially worked with "a particular group of learning disabled adults in a yoga studio in South Oxhey; there were twelve of us, and we just had a bit of budget from the local council to do some music with this particular group." Tom reminisces, remembering that "there was just this wonderful feeling [...] we were writing songs and we realised we wanted somewhere to play that music." Looking around and feeling that there was a definite element of misrepresentation out there, a 'special needs disco' being one of the only things Tom says could have been put together at the time, the realisation hit that the community needed more, and so Electric Umbrella emerged. 

With the name being generated by picking random words out of a hat, Tom reveals that, although random, the charity has grown into the name; "the 'Umbrella' is really helpful in terms of how we talk about there being no one who is too disabled, less disabled, etc - it is an umbrella term, and the 'Electric' is because we are all as fizzy as that!"

Claire dives right into discussing the Golden Buzzer moment, coining it a "phenomenal piece of television" and noting that there was not a dry eye left in her house. Describing the audition as "a small chunk of who we are and what we are about", Tom explains how twenty three Electric Umbrella members took to the stage whilst even just locally around Watford and Hemel Hempstead, there are 200+ members; "it was barely 10% of our actual community," he adds. Also on stage, there were about twenty children from Sarratt school who had been involved in the programme and helped to write the song, and ten volunteers, resulting in around fifty people on stage. Claire asks about the transportation to the show, set in Blackpool, to which Tom reveals it was "three coaches from Watford, from the Pump House in Lower High Street, which is where we are based a lot of the time." Tom adds that the group stayed over for a night in a Welcome Break; a company which, across the country, are home to Electric Umbrella pianos. With seventy-two hotel rooms, Claire describes it as a "logistical nightmare", however, Tom asserts that there was a certain beauty in it, "there was a family who have never taken their child away with them; he uses a wheelchair" but as a community they were "able to show that this kind of thing is possible." Wonderfully, Tom explains that "they are now committed to going away all the time as a family." Stories like this really show how great of an impact Electric Umbrella are able to make. 

Discussing the catchy song that helped Electric Umbrella win their special moment, Claire queries the songwriting process. Tom reveals, "the way this has worked is that this is a collaboration between highly professional musicians and I say such as myself", "No you are! I've seen your resume!" Claire reacts. Tom continues, "I’ve been a highly professional musician since the late ‘90s. So the band that I was in that got signed, we started here in Watford back in 1998. That’s all I’ve done since really, I’ve just been writing songs, and we have a cohort of professional musicians that we work with and we see ourselves as the writers as the chef in a Michelin star restaurant. So you’re getting all the ingredients from the members, and these guys have got stories to tell. My job is just to take what they give me and then use every element of it, all the musical side, all of the lyrical side, all of the melodic side and the performative stuff and turn it into something essentially palatable for everyone else." And palatable it was! "I think I speak for the entire nation when I say it was palatable!" Claire exclaims, to which Tom shares an anecdote from the day that proves as such: "when we finished the song, I don’t know if I’m meant to tell you any of this but they had to re-record some of the judges reactions, because you couldn’t hear them, it was so loud! I think people just got what we were on about."

Inclusivity is so vital in society, but more needs to be done. Tom notes that since he has started the organisation, he has realised that "this touches everybody"; "everyone knows somebody who experiences social isolation through no fault of their own so this is not about changing people to suit society. I'm a real big believer in that there is nothing wrong with anyone, anyone! There is nothing wrong with any of us, we are perfect as we are. We have created this world where a lot of people just do not fit. There is no way for them to function within the bounds of society that we have created and we are all affected by it. I have found in working in an inclusive environment where you're really thinking about the needs of every single person in the room [...] everything gets better for everyone. If you create a system that works for all [...] everyone benefits and I can't think why a society that looks like that isn't absolutely irresistible to people."

Ensuring that everyone feels comfortable, Tom explains that he aims to create an environment "where no one can fail." In order to achieve this, Tom admits that the group "don't rehearse"; "we never rehearsed that performance." Inspiringly, "the Electric Umbrella way is to make a situation where people can't get it wrong and therefore people are just able to express themselves and be authentic." Everyone wants authenticity and Tom describes himself as being able to sense when people are not being themselves; "most people can", he says. Asserting that this is what is so amazing about the authenticity of the community, Tom states, "if you try and bend them to fit through your hoops, you're not going to get what you want out of the situation [...] when you bend society around them, you get this incredible thing that happens and that is what we showed you on telly. If we create an environment where everybody wins, where everyone feels comfortable and there is a lot of trust involved, that's when the good stuff happens."

Following on from this, Claire asks, "were they themselves after you got the golden buzzer?" and Tom jokingly replies, "no, some of them disgraced themselves" to which they both laugh. Tom continues, "It was a beautiful thing, really it was a moment for our guys to be able to celebrate an achievement that most other people will never get. With our members and people we've worked with for so long now. Within their families, their brothers, their sisters, they're all achieving societal things like GCSES, getting their first job, moving out, simple basic human things that we all sort of expect to be able to do but with our guys, they don't have those opportunities [...] their milestones are totally different. So this was a moment to say, we've just done something together, and the important bit is together, that for the families particularly has been really, really important and for our guys, they should be incredibly proud of themselves."

Interestingly, Tom admits that it was not his idea to go on the show, he has been "fighting the idea of doing something like this for many years." Revealing that he "certainly didn't want the story to be told in the wrong way", Tom expresses his anxiety around the idea, worrying that the group would be seen as a "pity parade". "I reckon five, six years ago they would have dealt with this differently", Tom adds, "I think there's been quite a shift in how disability and how difference is being seen and being portrayed in the media [...] recently we are leaning in towards this idea that we should be celebrating differences and I can wholly get behind that."

Noting that Britains Got Talent have "looked after" the group well, Tom presents an Electric Umbrella phrase, "meet me where I am." Saying, "if everyone could just meet people where they are rather than expecting people to go over hot coals to get to you [...] then together you could do this thing", Tom emphasises the importance of his aforementioned point that people should not be forced to change; change eliminates the authenticity, and, therefore, brilliance of these people. He asserts that Britain's Got Talent have done just that, "they've been very good and they've really listened to our needs."

If you would like to learn more about Electric Umbrella, have a listen below to the full chat with Claire, or check out our other interview with Tom Billington from a few months ago here. 

You can also look at the Electric Umbrella website for further information.

Also, if you would like to help out, there's loads of different ways to get involved. In Tom's own words: "Every single person can be a bit more Electric Umbrella, every single person in their life can be a bit more creative, a bit more accepting, a bit more tolerant, a bit more understanding, a bit friendlier [...] all of those things. [...] Getting involved in a practical level... we need volunteers all the time, online too, so wherever you are in the country. If you know somebody that you think might be a suitable performer or member of our band, then you can get us in touch with them as well. We have a big online programme [...] Electric Umbrella TV which happens every Monday night."

However... the biggest way you can get involved right now is by voting for the team! Help us demonstrate the community we have in Watford and prove our support for the charity and the great work they do.