In amongst the debris following Wales’s surprise last-minute win against England (so we watched the rugby before going out on Saturday night, so what? We downed a shot every time a player got injured; we got drunk), some rugby fans have found it in their hearts to be upset about something else.
Paloma Faith! You see, the singer, who’s a judge on The Voice right now is also on ITV a lot because her rendition of that old rugby fave, World In Union, plays between ad breaks of all world cup coverage.
And some people just looking to watch a load of men career into each other and grunt about an oval shaped ball aren’t happy. Almost 9,000 of them signing up to an e-petition requesting that ITV remove Paloma and her voice from all coverage. The petition simply requests: ‘We, the undersigned, request that you, ITV, remove Paloma Faith from the Rugby World Cup in order to make it a more enjoyable experience for all spectators.’
Paloma has a whole bunch of accolades to her name e.g. a Brit award, three albums that have gone twice platinum, three top 10 singles, legions of adoring fans that yes might be mums but no are no less important and valid as music fans. However, that doesn’t seem to stop her sounding: ‘like a cat being strangled,’ according to one petitioner, Nigel from Glossop.
ITV have told the BBC they won’t be removing Paloma’s voice from the coverage, reports The Mirror: ‘We are happy with Paloma's rendition.’ But Paloma herself has an idea why she’s got so many backs up – because of overplay: ‘ Some people are slating it, I feel like they don't like change, but I don't mind. I think they don't like it because it's being played too much.’
Just like an hour and a half of grappling between men the width of fridges will turn your ears to cauliflowers, too much of Paloma Faith could, reasonably grate upon the insides of your ears, should you be a sofa-enjoyer of sports. But it's worth wondering why all those who signed the petition couldn't have just as easily pressed the 'mute' button.
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This article originally appeared on The Debrief.