Do audiences really want Xmas songs at Xmas parties / Dec pub gigs and does your covers band oblige?

[chris_b]

6 minutes ago, Huge Hands said:

The last gig they played before I joined was a wedding - a fan of the band's daughter had got married. 

 

 

We had a similar situation, the bride's dad was a fan of our blues band and booked us for his daughter's wedding. I tried to stop them saying yes, but failed. We played the whole night to an empty room and the reception was effectively held in the car park.

[BigRedX]

I play in two goth/post-punk originals bands, and one of them is currently working on an original Christmas song for next year. The other has been playing a cover of Greg Lake's "I Believe In Father Christmas" at all December gigs for the last 5 years and which has gone down so well that this year we decided to put it out as a single:

 

[Greg Edwards69]

2 hours ago, Al Krow said:

I suspect most bands wouldn't offer to learn more than one or two new songs for a wedding gig (eg a the first dance and maybe one or other fav) which typically pay the most. 

 

Having said that, once you've got them learned you can at least roll them out every year - as someone's already mentioned, there has not really been anything much new in terms of Xmas songs written since the 1990s... I guess they really are turning into modern day carols! 

Yep. My band has been going for about 20 years. We've had three of our 4 xmas song in the repertoire for most of that time period. Once you've learned them it really doesn't take much work to dust them off for a pre-xmas gig rehearsal.

 

Regarding weddings and private parties. I think the most we learned that were requested was four or five songs, but it usually is just one or two (it can be challenging to remind clients that you're a cover band and not a jukebox!). Whilst some of those songs are never played ever again, sometimes they surprise you and stay in our regular set for quite some time. Case in point, we were requested to play Sledgehammer a couple of years ago or so, and Dancing on the ceiling earlier this year. Now they're amongst of my favourite songs in the set.

[TimR]

21 hours ago, chris_b said:

On my last gig we did a Christmas song, written by the singer. It was only a 12 bar but had people singing along in the chorus. So I guess it was successful, but if I got a vote I'd suggest Christmas songs are unnecessary, even in covers bands.

 

The one thing I always and absolutely refuse to play is Happy Birthday! Wish someone the best, but you'll play Happy Birthday without a bass line if I'm on the gig!!

 

I do it as a bass solo because the rest of the band won't play it. 

[TimR]

Slade's - Merry Christmas Everybody goes down a storm whenever I've played it in bands. Is a great sing along and it's got an intermediate level bass line to keep it interesting. 

 

We're currently 'learning' it for our next gig next week. 

[BigRedX]

4 minutes ago, TimR said:

Slade's - Merry Christmas Everybody goes down a storm whenever I've played it in bands. Is a great sing along and it's got an intermediate level bass line to keep it interesting. 

 

We're currently 'learning' it for our next gig next week. 

It's also one of those songs that is arranged so that the whole is much greater than the sum of its parts. IIRC the bass line on it's own is essentially meaningless in places and it only really comes together when all the band plays the correct parts.

[TimR]

2 hours ago, BigRedX said:

It's also one of those songs that is arranged so that the whole is much greater than the sum of its parts. IIRC the bass line on it's own is essentially meaningless in places and it only really comes together when all the band plays the correct parts.

 

Yes. It's a bit random. And I think if the guitarist busks the chords it probably doesn't work. Seems like  some weird jazz chords in it.

Edited December 6, 2022 by TimR

[Greg Edwards69]

2 hours ago, BigRedX said:

It's also one of those songs that is arranged so that the whole is much greater than the sum of its parts. IIRC the bass line on it's own is essentially meaningless in places and it only really comes together when all the band plays the correct parts.

Unlike Wizzard's "I wish it could be Christmas everyday", that is so densely mix a la Phil Spector's wall of sound, that's it's near impossible to hear what the bass guitar is actually doing.

[Al Krow]

20 hours ago, krispn said:

We play Fairytale near The end of the night - drunks like a sing along it is always a floor filler for that time of night. Mariah, Shakey and Rockin Around the Christmas Tree always affords a wee bit of jazz walking during the solo which is nice to play.

 

@Al Krow depending on the venue/occasion and number of songs/sets one or two per set seems reasonable 8 however might be really pushing it. Depends if it means you'll have 8 new songs to learn from scratch in a week or two. As a punter I'd expect to hear a band bust out a couple of classic's on a night out in December. As an example we play in an Irish bar and get grief off the occasional punter for not playing enough Irish music - i.e. Boyzone and Westlife!

 

Been giving a fair bit of thought to us doing Fairytale. I think where I'm landing is a "no" to us playing it live. I can't see how we can possibly prevent drunk and not so drunk members of the pub audience shouting out "faggot" as they sing along, even if we drop it from the lyrics ourselves? I can't be doing with encouraging anyone to be using a gay equivalent of the N-word because of what we're playing. On that basis, I'm very happy to give that particular Xmas song a miss. 

[RichardH]

On Saturday we had a gig, and had run through Merry Xmas Everybody a couple of times "just in case". We got to the end of the second set, so I asked the audience who wanted a Christmas song - the resounding answer was "no" - so I told them they were getting a Christmas Number one hit anyway - and we launched into Killing In The Name (our usual closer) - which went down a treat. 

 

Had the reaction been more positive, we would have busked through the Slade song as well, but Killing acted as a good backstop

 

[uk_lefty]

4 hours ago, BigRedX said:

It's also one of those songs that is arranged so that the whole is much greater than the sum of its parts. IIRC the bass line on it's own is essentially meaningless in places and it only really comes together when all the band plays the correct parts.

Yes, love the way you describe it!!! I played this many years back at a "reunion" gig for my old band and found the same! Since then I've tried to persuade every band to play this, or Mudd lonely this Christmas, but never with any luck.

[PaulWarning]

yep, we do a punked up Shaky and a fairly straight Slade, just a bit faster, crowds just love singing along, well ours do anyway

[DGBass]

Yes,  but reluctantly on my part. Discussions on doing crowd pleasing xmas tunes never go smoothly in our covers band when a gig set list is being drawn up. The only good thing is that we haven't needed to play xmas tunes since December 2019 just before the pandemic! We collectively settle on a medley so as we don't have to suffer playing xmas tunes all the way through. Pubs and clubs are decked out in their xmas glitter this time of year so its almost expected in venues that you get musically festive at some point in the set.

 

Not in order:

 

Run Rudolph Run

Santa Claus is coming to town

Merry Christmas ( Slade of course!)

[stewblack]

I have played Fairytale but no others so far this December. And that one only once.

They loved it by the way 

[tauzero]

10 hours ago, Franticsmurf said:

"It does sound a bit like 'Shine On You Crazy Diamond', but its actually Floyd's 1979 Christmas hit." 😀 

 

"Another Brick in the Wall (part 2)" was the Christmas number 1 in 1979, so a perfectly legitimate Christmas song.

 

We just did Slade and Auld Lang Syne (if required).

[casapete]

6 hours ago, Greg Edwards69 said:

Unlike Wizzard's "I wish it could be Christmas everyday", that is so densely mix a la Phil Spector's wall of sound, that's it's near impossible to hear what the bass guitar is actually doing.

But what a marvellous wall of sound it is, my favourite of all the main festive tunes despite

it having a kids choir going on towards the end.

Saw Roy Wood do it live a few years ago with his rock n roll band and he made it

sound just as fresh as when he first recorded it. 

[dmccombe7]

Yep we throw in 3 Xmas songs in the Glam band. 1st one Let It Snow by Sweet in first set we had singalongs but no dancers but the 2 in the 2nd set by Slade and Wizzard had a lot of energetic dancers on the floor and went down really well.

Punk covers band dont do any tho which has surprised me a bit but i just do what i'm told. LOL

Dave

[Franticsmurf]

12 hours ago, tauzero said:

"Another Brick in the Wall (part 2)" was the Christmas number 1 in 1979, so a perfectly legitimate Christmas song.

As I posted my reply, I realised the same. 😃

 

[Stub Mandrel]

For the blues rock band we are going to do Merry Christmas Everybody because although it's not bluesy it's musically interesting and it fits our sound. We're also going to do Canned Heat's Christmas Blues which feels up-tempo even though it's a bit of a plod and plenty of room top extemporise :

 

 

Covers band it's Slade (nice, two birds etc.) and oddly they have chosen to add Wake me Up by Avicii which has apparently been described as a 'summer anthem'.

 

19 hours ago, BigRedX said:

It's also one of those songs that is arranged so that the whole is much greater than the sum of its parts. IIRC the bass line on it's own is essentially meaningless in places and it only really comes together when all the band plays the correct parts.

 

A bit like September, although that's probably the ultimate 'more than the sum of its parts' song!

Edited December 7, 2022 by Stub Mandrel

[Woodinblack]

We normally do stop the cavalry and Merry Christmas Everyone, and yes, people do want that stuff

 

[gt4ever]

We normally do the Greedies and Springsteen (great little bassline)

[RichardH]

4 hours ago, Woodinblack said:

We normally do stop the cavalry and Merry Christmas Everyone, and yes, people do want that stuff

 

Stop the Cavalry's a great song - nice choice!

 

[PaulThePlug]

Stop at the Carvery?.. Toby... Nice!

[krispn]

5 hours ago, PaulThePlug said:

Stop at the Carvery?.. Toby... Nice!

#BigPlate

[Stub Mandrel]

Oh dear Christmas mission creep.

 

Driving home for Christmas and Merry Christmas Everyone added to our list (fortunately not the most demanding basslines...)

 

Then what do I do? I whatsapp the BL suggesting Step Into Christmas...

 

I suppose a cheeseboard is traditional at Christmas!