BELTING out some hot pop is thirsty work so the three members of Chepstow band Ice Cold in Alex were happy to get a call from brewers Hell Beer.
But the firm, which supplies main supermarkets, wasn't offering them refreshments. It was ordering copies of the band's two original numbers, Girls from Hell and What the Hell Remix, to help launch a new lager at the London Food and Drink Exhibition being staged at Olympia starting this week.
Ice Cold in Alex take their name from the war film starring John Mills in which a group of servicemen fight their way across German-occupied desert against impossible odds spurred on by thoughts of tackling a cold beer when they reach Alexandria.
"It is ironic that we should supply tracks for a lager bearing in mind that we take our name from the cult World War Two film with its renowned drinking sequence," said songwriter Tim Gunter, who handles vocals, keyboard and recording for the group.
He and fellow members Mike Hussey (guitar) and Katie Mollison (vocals) will be playing at the Orepool on Friday this week (October 8) after all fighting off a flu bug and have appointments at the Troubadour Club in London on October 16 and the King's Head in Chepstow in late October and again in November.