Gary Barlow: On Her Majesty's Service Page #5

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The whole time we've been

planning the track

the one thing we always said was,

"Wouldn't it be a dream

"to go to Sydney and record

in the Opera House?"

And so it's such a pleasure for us

to be here today.

So thank you, everybody, for coming.

The most amazing bit of being here

is if I remind myself

of being stood on the edge of that

slum, recording the Slum Drummers,

this is another world to them.

This place doesn't exist.

I feel lucky every time I record an

orchestra because it's such a treat.

People pay money for tickets

like this, and we're front row.

It's just brilliant, I love it.

If I could do this every day,

I would.

These moments,

these are the golden moments.

The track's building

so you're interested

to then start experimenting

with some of the instruments

we've already got, like Ayub.

How's he going to work?

Sounds great.

You wonder, what's the Slum Drummers

going to sound like in there?

There they are,

on their instruments

made of rubbish.

Here comes Gurrumul.

It's all working.

First and foremost,

I was a musician when I started.

My one passion was playing

the piano. I absolutely loved it.

I used to rush home from school

at lunchtime, play for an hour,

go back to school, get home

from school, play all night.

And when I look back now,

the day I started to sing,

I kind of lost it.

I lost the musician in me somewhere.

Being a part of this has given

what I do a bit more validity

and it makes me feel like we've done

something really good here.

And it's something I'll remember

in my career forever.

My final stop is one of the most

remote places I've even been.

Yet even here, their Head of State

is our Queen.

I'm on one of 1,000 islands

dotted in the Pacific Ocean

that make up the Solomon Islands.

And I'm feeling

a long way from home.

Ah, the rain.

It hasn't stopped raining

since we've arrived.

But not just rain. I'm used to rain.

I come from the north-west, right?

I'm used to lots of rain.

But this is like someone's just

throwing buckets from the sky.

Tourism, it doesn't exist, really.

People don't come here on holiday.

Of course, they only told us that

once we got here.

I can't remember the last time

I slept in a single bed, actually.

I've arranged to meet the Royal

Solomon Islands Police Force Band.

They're the only brass band

in the country

and play at all State events.

Today, they're rehearsing for

a visit by Prince William and Kate

as part of the Diamond Jubilee

celebrations.

One thing's for sure,

they're very serious

about their job.

It's fair to say they've taken

the idea of marching

and made it their own,

adding a few tasty moves.

One of the joys of being

on the other side of the world

is finding the unexpected.

I'll take that little dance routine

home with me.

Lullaby, making small babies

go to bed, sleep.

Now that bit I do like.

I love children

when they go to sleep.

It's the best time of the day!

'There's no doubt about it,

'I live most of my life

not in the real world.'

It's been just nice going and

meeting strangers, talking to them.

Let's go again. So you've got

the baby... You've got the baby.

Dum-dum-dum...

Oh, my wife's gonna love this.

I think that's been the piece

I've enjoyed most of all.

Thank you.

The rain lets up for a bit,

and I'm drawn to an astonishing

sound coming from inside a church.

I haven't heard anything like that,

I haven't heard voices like that,

I haven't heard volume like that.

Ever.

OK, good, I think we're going to try

and do some recording now,

so I would love,

I would love that sort of volume

that you all sang with.

It's such a fantastic,

powerful sound. One, two, three.

We have to celebrate...

I like working with choirs.

I don't really know

what I'm doing, if I'm honest,

but I kind of know what I want.

Smile and loud. Two, three, four.

Ooh-way ooh-way ooh-way...

When they're a good choir,

like these guys,

they really picked up stuff quickly.

And, yeah,

I thought it was enjoyable.

It was really good and we got

all the results we wanted today.

The one thing

I've really loved to see

is how much the people we've met

and recorded,

how much they love music.

I was there when I started.

That's why I played an instrument,

that's why I used to get up

and sing - because I loved it,

absolutely loved it.

I've fallen in and out of love

with music...

because I exist in a business.

I'm signed

to a major record company.

There's money they build

into their profits

because of what I do for them.

And so I remind myself that,

now and again,

I need to just play music

and enjoy it.

I'm determined...

to try and find that spot again.

Oh, my good...

Oh!

Woah, woah!

Well, we've had some welcomes!

Wow.

Now I feel like

we're in the Solomon Islands.

I'm in the rainforest

on the island of Malaita.

The tribe have brought me

to their village, called Oterama.

This is the welcome song for us

into the village.

They seem to think

we're somebody important.

I'm going to play along with it

so they keep playing.

Wooo!

'The journey here was six hours

on a boat, '

places, you know, way, way, way

off the beaten track.

There's no tourists

have been here.

Yeah, I feel lucky to have seen

what we've seen today.

Mm, gorgeous.

I've been round the world and this

is the moment I've been waiting for.

For a feast on the Solomon Islands.

I'll definitely come back.

Even though I have some necklaces,

you seem to have

a better necklace than me.

These are human teeth.

Human teeth?

Whose teeth are they?

Of our ancestors.

Beautiful.

Mine doesn't look so good now.

The music's been exceptional.

Everywhere we've been,

I think we've got...

incredible players

and people on this record.

So many interesting lives we've met

and touched, and they've touched us.

We've got to be taking

all this home.

Great.

Great. Thank you.

Thank you, everyone.

Back in the UK, I'm heading

to the famous Abbey Road Studios

in London, to put the finishing

touches to the record.

And I'm bringing a few friends

with me.

Gareth Malone's Military Wives Choir

is perfect

to take the lead vocals.

Abbey Road is my favourite

recording studio.

I feel the history in the walls

here.

If you were going to finish a record

somewhere, have your last day here.

Gary Barlow's here.

Is it like that everywhere you go?

I feel like we've found the sound

of the Commonwealth

and brought it to this record.

And what better now than to put

something really, truly British

on the top of this record?

- Which is where you guys come in!

- Yeah!

For the Military Wives,

who are absolutely red, white

and blue right the way through,

to sing for the Queen,

for her Jubilee...

I mean, it's a good job

we didn't talk too much about that

because I think they would have

been in tears. Patriotic tears.

Good morning, New York. Hi.

How is everybody this morning?

Three and...

Sing it louder

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