Gary Barlow has made millions writing catchy songs but now he's the subject of one. A homemade hip-hop homage to the Take That frontman has become a viral hit and made a cult star of its slightly surprised creator.
Entitled simply Gary Barlow, the song marries a dancehall beat with an earworm chorus. It's all too rare for a rap anthem to reference "Frodsham, Cheshire" or a "lovely wife he met in 95", but much to its credit, this one does.
It's the work of Leeds-based Raphael Attar: car insurance clerk by day, musician-cum-comedian-cum-spoken-word poet by night. "I was bored at work, started thinking about Gary Barlow and just kept on laughing," he explains. "There's something inherently funny about him, so I wrote this song."
Radio 1's Nick Grimshaw has been playing it daily, hailing it as a "badman riddim" (us neither) and describing Attar, 25, as "the most exciting new artist in Britain". Colleague Chris Moyles was less keen, asking: "When does this get funny?" There, in microcosm, is the reason young pup Grimmy is replacing old man Moyles on the breakfast show.
X Factor judge Barlow himself took to Twitter to give the song his ringing endorsement: "This has just cracked me up! Bloody brilliant!!!!" Lily Allen and Caitlin Moran tweeted their approval, too. The charmingly ramshackle video – which shows Attar rapping in his local park, pub and corner shop while collaborator Greg Surmacz wears a £3 cardboard Barlow mask – has had more than 40,000 YouTube views. "It's gone crazy," says Attar. "It feels like those mornings as a kid when you woke up and there was snow outside."
He's now putting on his debut show at PBH's Free Fringe in Edinburgh, The Raphael Attar Variety Hour (tagline: "Basically, it's rapping, but funny, but still quite good."). As well as Gary Barlow, his set includes tongue-in-cheek tunes about the Liam Neeson film Taken, zombies, robots, a friendly dinosaur and cult US TV show Quantum Leap. Attar will be joined on stage by the Incredible Um Bongo Band ("that's just Greg in a series of sinister hats," he admits) and a sock puppet of East 17's Brian Harvey. "Until all this, I was terrified only my mum would come to the show," says Attar. "Now we've got quotes from Gary Barlow and Radio 1 on the poster, I feel a bit more confident."
The Raphael Attar Variety Hour runs daily (5.30pm) until 15 August at Mood Nightclub, Edinburgh EH1
