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The Windmill, Brixton
Good Friday, 14th April 2017
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Gig Review

Twisted Christmas Festival
London, Barbican

Article written by Paul M - Dec 18, 2008

Yo ho ho, Jarvis Cocker!

The raison d’etre for this event was supposedly to reclaim Christmas from the gaudy trappings of its present cheapened musical form – X Factor winners and piped shop muzak - and return it to the dark Northern European origins of most of our traditional festive carols. A grand ambition. Alas, it failed miserably as turkey followed turkey until the show’s goose was verily cooked.

Starting with that Arndale Centre staple of a bunch of bell ringers performing Mistletoe and Wine and Walking in the Air and following the interval with cherubic children delivering the high pitched fayre that cherubic children traditionally deliver it was quite obvious that the Musical Director’s definition of twisted was not as warped as ours. A steady procession of females belting out dreary bar room winter blues was entertaining only for the fact that at least one was so drunk she could barely stand. Throw in the odd unfunny comedy sketch (Lucan and Gray), a confusing puppet show and an appalling wobbly headed flat-capped Irishman (Foy Vance doing an abysmal effort called, ahem, Jingle Belle Rock, Jingle Bells Roll) for the finale, accompanied by most of the other performers and you get a flavour of just how bad things got.

Fortunately, there were still some juicy satsumas amongst the potato peelings in the sack. Jarvis Cocker understood exactly what the occasion should be about with his wonderfully creepy rendition of God Bless Ye Merry Gentlemen and Patrick Wolf’s three tender songs all accompanied by himself on piano showed precisely why he’s more that just a daft haircut. Jeremy Hardy as compere was at least vaguely amusing and the sight of the Smoke Fairies dressed as elves was a crimbo present with mighty fine wrapping. I’d not bother attending next year though.

Links:
http://www.barbican.org.uk/