Stephen Sutton tribute breaks midweek Official Singles Chart Top 5

A charity single released in memory of young cancer fundraising hero Stephen Sutton, who passed away last month after raising over £4million, has broken the midweek Official Singles Chart Top 5, the Official Charts Company can confirm.

Hope Ain’t A Bad Thing, recorded by The Neon Brotherhood, was announced by Stephen’s mother Jane on Facebook:

"Last weekend, The Neon Brotherhood comprising of 40 fantastic musicians from Neon Sound Studios in Burntwood, who either knew Stephen, rehearsed with him, or were just simply inspired by him, came together to write and record a charity single in Stephen’s memory. After four days of hard work and determination the single, entitled Hope Ain’t A Bad Thing, has now been made available to download online. All proceeds from this single will go straight to the Teenage Cancer Trust."

After less than 48 hours on sale, Hope Ain’t A Bad Thing has catapulted straight into the Top 5 at Number 5, claims the second highest new entry of the week so far behind Ed Sheeran’s Sing, which is leading the Number 1 race at this midway stage. The Neon Brotherhood trail the current Number 3 (Secondcity’s I Wanna Feel) by a margin of just 6,500 copies.

Tom Drover from Neon Sound Studios, guitarist and assistant engineer on the track told OfficialCharts.com:

"The idea was hatched when Stephen posted his thumbs up picture. We all decided to come together to do something for Ste, one of the things on his bucket list was to have a charity single.

On behalf of The Neon Brotherhood, it’s a massive achievement for Stephen, and a massive achievement for the Teenage Cancer Trust. The Neon Brotherhood thanks everyone for their support and we hope we can get it to Number 1 for Ste!"

Martin Talbot, Chief Executive of the Official Charts Company comments: "The way the British public has got behind Hope Ain’t a Bad Thing further emphasises what a massive inspiration Stephen was. With Ed Sheeran well ahead at the top of the chart, this is an incredibly competitive week – but any kind of Top 5 hit would be an incredible tribute to an incredible young man."

Angie Jenkison, Teenage Cancer Trust Music Relations Manager, said: "Stephen inspired so many people and this is another testament to his amazing spirit. Music was a big part of Stephen’s life and is at the heart of Teenage Cancer Trust. A huge thank you to everyone who has bought the single. Stephen’s legacy is making an enormous difference to the quality of life of other young people with cancer in this country."

For the very latest updates on this story follow Official Charts on Twitter and Facebook throughout this week. The Official Chart Top 40 will be counted down from 4-7pm this Sunday on BBC Radio 1. The Top 100 will be posted in full at 7pm on www.officialcharts.com.