One Direction, Ed Sheeran and Bono were just some of the famous faces who appeared on the side of the Houses of Parliament on Sunday night. A charity stunt to promote their new song Band Aid 30 meant that passers-by could see superimposed images of the artists on the iconic London building. Ahead of the single's physical release on Monday, the video was played at 5pm on Sunday night just after night fell. Money raised will this year go towards fighting Ebola in West Africa, while the original song released in 1984 aimed to support anti-poverty efforts in Ethiopia.
© Photo: Getty ImagesOne Direction flashed up on the side of the Houses of Parliament
As the images were projected onto the building with the straight-talking slogans "Buy The Song" and "Stop The Virus," members of the public were reminded of Sir Bob Geldof's annual charity venture. One Direction fans will have been more than ecstatic to see the faces of Harry Styles, Louis Tomlinson, Zayn Malik, Niall Horan and Liam Payne flash up in large. "We need to keep up momentum," Sir Bob told The Mirror. "I want us to raise about £5million but we need people to understand that we've only got three weeks to make a difference."
© Photo: Getty ImagesHarry Style's face was superimposed onto the building for the Band Aid stunt
The single, which was released at the end of last month, shifted 312,000 copies in its first week – making it the fastest-selling single of 2014. Physical copies of the UK number one hit are on sale for £3.99. While the song has faced criticism from some listeners who have said it emphasises negative stereotypes of Africa, Sir Bob defended his long-standing campaign, saying: "This little song we did 30 years ago has turned into a small weapon."
© Photo: Getty ImagesA close-up of Louis Tomlinson also appeared on the iconic London landmark
Emeli Sandé, who participated in this year's copy, previously apologised for any offence the song may have caused, but added that she appreciated the sentiment behind it. Sharing her thoughts in a lengthy post on Twitter, the Clown hitmaker revealed that she felt some lyrics needed changing and "a whole new song" created. "I apologise if the lyrics of the song have caused offence," wrote Emeli. "I wish the changes had been kept but that is out of my control. The sole objective is to raise awareness and money to provide medical aid to those suffering the Ebola outbreak, which is being worsened and amplified by poverty."
