Band Aid 30: Stars arrive to start recording 'Do they know it's Christmas' for Ebola crisis
Bob Geldof has brought together artists including Ed Sheeran and Adele
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Your support makes all the difference.One Direction, Adele, Bono, Ed Sheeran and the other stars of Band Aid 30 have arrived at a recording studio to start work on the new charity single.
Harry Styles, 20, was among the first to arrive for the session in Notting Hill, West London, to be greeted by queues of screaming fans gathered at the entrance.
Rita Ora has taken a break from filming BBC1 talent show The Voice for the project, arriving this morning in a scarlet red trouser suit, and Bob Geldof and Sinead O’Connor arrived not long afterwards.
Queen drummer Roger Taylor also made an early entrance, followed by Styles’ One Direction bandmates, Seal, Jessie Ware, Bastille, Paloma Faith and Emeli Sande.
Celebrity gossip watchers went into overdrive when singers Ellie Goulding and Ed Sheeran arrived within moments of each other as rumours continued to circulate that their relationship ended because she allegedly cheated with another Live Aid member.
Coldplay frontman Chris Martin, Olly Murs and Guy Garvey from Elbow were among the latecomers, with Bono bringing up the rear.
Midge Ure, who organised the original single with Geldof, told reporters that organising the new recording presented the “same old challenges”.
“Trying to get to the artists is always interesting,” he added.
"The response we have had from the artists has been phenomenal so far."
The new recording of "Do They Know It's Christmas?" marks the 30th anniversary of the first Live Aid, which raised funds to help with famine relief in Ethiopia.
It will be released on Monday and is expected to raise millions to go towards combating the Ebola crisis.
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New lyrics for the song, which was last recorded during Band Aid in 2005, say: "Where a kiss of love can kill you - and there's death at every tear."
It continues: "No peace and joy this Christmas in West Africa - the only hope they'll have is being alive.
“Where to comfort is to fear - where to touch is to be scared.
"How can they know it's Christmas time at all."
The production team will be working against the clock to get the track completed in time for its first public performance on The X Factor tomorrow night.
It will cost 99p to download or £4 to buy on CD and George Osborne this morning pledged to waive VAT on Band Aid 30 so “every penny goes to fight Ebola”.
Geldof said: "It really doesn't matter if you don't like this song. It really doesn't matter if you don't like the artists, it really doesn't matter if it turns out to be a lousy recording - what you have to do is buy this thing."
Additional reporting by PA
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