A former Deal singer and his band have beaten Madonna, Maria Carey, Duffy and Alicia Keys by entering the midweek singles chart at number 27.

Paul Baker, 48, is the lead vocalist with Daniel Takes A Train, a band which originally formed in the 1980s, and whose claim to fame is when they gatecrashed the 1983 Brit Awards.

After disbanding, they re-grouped for a national talent competition called One Last Dream on Absolute Radio, where they came second and narrowly missed out on the chance to play alongside guitar legend Eric Clapton.

Since then, they have been pictured with Prince Harry and have signed a record deal before releasing their single, also called One Last Dream on December 1.

One Last Dream was the fourth highest entry in the midweek charts, coming after rock giants Oasis, X Factor winner Leona Lewis and dance group Bass Hunter.

The former St Ethelburga’s schoolboy said the first few days of sales were their best and were a result of months of hard work publicising their first single.

"We’re frantically trying to get as many sold as possible to ensure we get into the charts when they are announced tomorrow," he said.

"National radio has been giving us a good plug. The problem we face is that we haven’t got a big fan base like the bigger bands, it’s just friends and family and people who know us from the competition."

Readers can get behind the band by going to www.lastdream.co.uk, itunes, hmv.com or amazon.com and downloading the single for just 77 pence.