All wrapped up in a BIG red bow (Klub Kakofanney Lockdown Letter)

All wrapped up in a BIG red bow

I'ts the first Friday evening of December, and in normal years that would mean tonight is our last Klub Kakofanney before Christmas, and the start of a series of seasonal gigs from all of our local promoters. Inevitably it is also a time when we all find ourselves looking back over the year and thinking about the highlights.....

And approximately 3.7 seconds later,....

Well that didn't take long, did it? Since there hasn't been a huge number of highlights to choose from in 2020, I decided to look back over the last two or three years instead and pick out a few fabulous Klub Kakofanney performances we all enjoyed. So pour yourself a glass of sherry, grab yourself a mince pie, warm your chestnuts in front of the fire, and sit back and enjoy this reloaded rock reel. Sherry and mince pie? Who am I kidding? It will be two pints of lager and a packet of crisps, but whatever your tipple, I hope you enjoy these flavours of Klub Kakofanney. Play it loud!

The featured artists in the reloaded compilation are: Grudgewood (November 2018), Enjoyable Listens (April 2019), Brown Glove (July 2018) and Pandapopalypse (October 2019)

Cheer up, it's only Christmas

The music industry and the bookmakers both get obsessed about what will be number one on Christmas Day, and as a result we've endured some truly dreadful releases trying to cash in on a fleeting moment of fame. Some of them are classics of course, but many are pretty lame. Fortunately, the bands from the local music scenes come up with some much better antidotes to the Christmas sugar overdose. Here is a great little song and video from 2016 which is a mash-up of cellphone footage, put together by a brilliant London band called Fight Milk who I was lucky enough to see in Oxford when they headlined for Tamara at the Jericho.

Videos like that always put a smile on my face. Fightmilk very generously donated all the money they received from sales of this single to Shelter, to help the homeless at Christmas.

A ninja bunny hat?

Getting your friends and fans to take part in a Christmas video in some way is a great idea, but look for an original angle. About ten years ago, a wonderful modern-day punk band in California, the Dollyrots, asked their friends for suggestions for Christmas gifts then wrote the replies into a song. The result is one of the most original Christmas songs you will hear, and its got a picture signed by Joan Jett (I'm so jealous), and its got a dancing doggie too.

If you've been watching the latest series of The Simpsons you will have seen they've been putting a very short extra funny on the end of the credits, known as a "tag". Did you spot the tag at the end of the Dollyrot's video?

Socially-distanced reindeer

What? Not enough sugar for you? You want extra glucose on top of your sucrose? Okay, but only because its Christmas. Here's a sentimental song performed by London punk pop legends, The Priscillas, from back in 2006. Its called "One Christmas Wish". I guess it expresses a sentiment a lot of people are wishing for this year.

We have a vaccine, its here, and more is on the way. Yes, it is going to be a few months yet before it starts making a real impact, but we've got reasons to be cheerful. Please, keep yourself healthy until we get there. Keep up the social distancing, the face masks, and the obsessive handwashing, and look forward to live music again. I can almost hear the guitars already.... no, wait,... that might just be tinitus.

4th December 2020
The Lockdown Letters
Klub Kakofanney