Am I going to review a show I co-conspired to organise? I sure do! And sure, I'm biased, but WHAT A NIGHT!
The only 'mission statement' we ever had at Christmas A Go Go, was what is said under the blog name, above. 'We present you the weird and the wonderful, the odd and the old,' that being 'Christmas music, winter hymns and seasonal songs.' And without really planning it, that mission statement was underlined at the Amsterdam Paradiso tonight. There were winter hymns (Joni Mitchell's River, by Judy Blank, who cursed halfway through it 'cuz she thought she forgot a line - she did not), a LOT of Christmas music and various seasonal songs, like Woezels' 'Een Klein Beetje Liefde' (A Little Bit of Love), that just felt right in dark days like these.
There were old classics, Julia P. & the Qs did a wonderful version of their own 'Christmas is Calling', but also Johnny Jordaan's indestructible golden folk song 'Kerstmis in de Jordaan'. Gerhardt, Gunther & Adzer played that ole' German classic 'Morgen Kommt Der Weihnachtsman', and did a spacey version of carol Gloria In Excelsis Deo. Plus Gerhardts own brilliant Xmas songs.
Chamber pop (by Gerhardt), acoustic pop (the very charming So-Fi, Judy Blank), rough harmonica blues (by the Sleigh Shakers, of course), Italo disco by Woezels, bluegrass by S.Lois, rock by Julia P. (who also made time for a tribute to Terry Hall, RIP) it was all Christmassy, it was in the spirit of this blog, and the audience luuuuurved it.
It's no contest, but one artist took the biscuit. None other, of course than Dutch queen of Christmas, author of a galvanized Xmas classic, ms Fay Lovsky (first picture). With just her guitar, and her FX-pad, she intoxicated (in a good way) us all. With that classic. With other tracks, like her songs about skiing. Fay is certified ski-teacher, you know. She even yodeled in that song. It was magic.
Sure, there was more magic. Judy Blank silencing the audience ('This isn't an office party, this is live music!') and then playing a cool acoustic version of her 'California Christmas' hit. G&G&A's umbrella, picking up space sounds (pictured above). So-Fi's lovely new Christmas track (soon on this blog). We rapapapa't for S.Lois. We swayed and wailed for Sleigh Shakers. We danced to Woezels. We sang along to 'Fairytale of New York' by Julia & her band. It was great, really.
If you were there, thanks. If you couldn't make it, try next year.
VIDEO: S.Lois on CAGG Spectacular, Sleeping on the Ground:
Thank you very much, organisation and Paradisocrew for this very well organized great evening and your fantastic hospitality.
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