Christmas is upon us, so this week we are adding to the playlist seasonal songs with a local connection to get you in the mood! Our festive playlist is in a different place from the regular one – https://bit.ly/ RaWChristmas We’ve got all the songs from last week, and we’ve added some new ones and some favourites from previous years. Have a great Christmas break, we’ll be back in the New Year with our Top Twenty from the 2024 playlist.
Katie Ellwood – Snowfall –
This is a lovely instrumental piece that evokes that feeling of watching the snow falling outside the window, transforming the landscape outside into a wonderland, while you sit beside a roaring log fire! Katie opened the main stage on the Sunday of this year’s Wokingham Festival, and we look forward to seeing her playing again before too long. https://www.katieellwood.com
James Walker – Snowfall –
No, that’s not a misprint, our second new song on the playlist is also called Snowfall! This one is from Reading-based James Walker, and is a beautifully wistful song about coming home at Christmas, and was inspired by a poem written by his late grandma. https://linktr.ee/ jameswalkerofficial
Greg Lake – I Believe in Father Christmas –
This one’s for Chris Hillman, the regular curator of this playlist. We wish him well on his path to recovery, and we know this is one of his all-time favourite Christmas records. http://www.greglake.com/
The Reading Festival Crowd – Merry Xmas Everybody (Alive! at Reading) –
A Christmas playlist wouldn’t be complete without Noddy Holder! This very short track captures the moment in 1980 when Slade reignited their popularity with a storming set at Reading Festival. Drafted in at short notice to replace Ozzy Osbourne, they asked for requests from the crowd, and in response to this very unseasonal one, the whole crowd sang along to Merry Xmas Everybody in the middle of summer. https://www.davehillslade.com/
Spriggan Mist – Green Santa –
A reminder that Father Christmas doesn’t necessarily wear red! https:// www.sprigganmist.com/
That Joe Payne – Gloria – Joe Payne’s full band set was one of the highlights of this year’s Wokingham Festival, entertaining us all with his showmanship and tremendous vocal range. In what may be a tradition now, we’ve selected another song from his Christmas album, Ding Dong, to go in this year’s festive playlist. The whole album is worth a listen, especially at this time of year. https://www.thatjoepayne.com/
Ricky Warwick – All I Want for Christmas is Christmas –
Ricky Warwick is a busy man – he’s the frontman for Thin Lizzy and Black Star Riders, as well as The Almighty and his own band, The Fighting Hearts. It was with the Fighting Hearts that he visited Reading Face Bar last year, one of only a handful of UK gigs, so we were privileged to have him! https://www.rickywarwick.com/
Ajay Srivastav – Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing –
Something a bit different, though still very much in the spirit of the season. Ajay Srivastav mixes slide guitar with sitar and other elements of classical Indian music to produce a unique fusion of East and West, and he’s performed a few times in the Reading and Wokingham area; he also plays with the band Botown, who reboot Bollywood classics with a shot of late ‘60s soul and funk. This version of a Christian hymn written in 1758 was released as a Christmas single just a few years ago. https://www.facebook.com/ajaysrivmusic
Selina and the Howlin Dogs – Miracles –
This is the latest single from the Reading based four-piece band who have featured in the playlist before and graced the stage at Wokingham Festival several times. This is a song of hope for this time of year, when it can feel especially dark if all around are having fun. They say, “Miracles was written as a song of hope and the belief that if you truly believe then miracles can indeed happen. It’s a laid-back track with bluesy guitar & sweet harmonies, giving you that feel-good Christmas vibe despite the challenges of life. A wintery addition to a bluesy kind of Christmas.” https://www.facebook.com/
SelinaandtheHowlinDogs/
Voodoo Radio – Christmas Eve –
One of our favourite new bands, they were back in the area this year, supporting Inspiral Carpets at Sub89 with a typically energetic and fun set. This is their Christmas single, a joyful tale namechecking some rock’n’roll greats. https://www.voodooradio.co.uk/
John Otway – Middle of Winter –
John just performed his annual Club Velocity Christmas bash, with the usual quota of mayhem, but he should be back again this time next year! https://johnotway.com/
Rocket Kings – Christmas Without You –
They describe their sound as ‘ukepop’, and it’s an infectious and uplifting one! https://www.facebook.com/rocketkings
Third Lung – The Christmas Song (Stranger to the Cold) –
The band is on a hiatus at the moment, creating babies and new albums, but they will be back on stage later in the new year. This was the band’s 2022 Christmas single, in aid of Launchpad Reading. https://www.facebook.com/ThirdLung
Ryewolf – When The Snows of Winter Fall –
Local band Ryewolf perform fun folk music plus softer songs too like this evocative track from their Christmas Cheer single. https://www.ryewolf.co.uk/
Modesty Blue – Christmas Nights in White Satin –
Released this time last year, this song was put together by local musician, Sean Lynch, with guest vocals from Sam Nolan, under the name Modesty Blue and you may recognise that chorus! Sean has created a new Christmas single based around the classic Moody Blues song, Nights in White Satin and it definitely works. The moody classic has been turned into an uplifting fun Christmas song that would go down well in any Christmas party setting – https://www.facebook.com/
modestybluemusic/
