Not many people had Mark pegged for a mini WW2 epic, so Black Swan Song was quite a surprise. The idea came from the band (based on a true story about singer Joel’s Grandpa, Major John Pott, a British Paratrooper who fought in the Battle of Arnhem in 1944) and was developed by Mark, who added a few details and the structure. (It was a bit of a personal story for Mark too, whose Dad was in the Paratroopers.) There’s also a lovely accompanying documentary, Black Swan Story, about the real life tale behind the video by film-makers Richard Edkins and Karen Bristoll. The doc grew out of some Behind The Scenes footage Richard shot for the video, and follows Joel Pott as he retraces his Grandpa’s footsteps in Arnhem. Well worth a watch – long version here, shorter version here. Black Swan Song was officially endorsed by The Royal British Legion and used as part of the Poppy Appeal, and along with the documentary was distributed to thousands of UK schools. Mark talks about the video on Promo News here.