#Deck the halls with boughs of Holly#
Well, I don’t know so much about the halls, but no monitor or amp was spared on Monday night when we all donned the bustles and top hats for the filming of the Christmas edition of BBC4′s 
Sessions, for which I was fortunate to have tickets.
The night had been billed as a Dickensian Christmas, albeit without the 3 ghosts. Folk supergroup Bellowhead were joined by Jim Moray, Thea Gilmore, Belshazzar’s Feast, Lisa Knapp and the Unthanks to welcome in the Christmas season (the program’s due to air on the 17th December.)
Performing some of their own The acts they had lined up were all on top-form, and their arrangements of the traditional Christmas carols and melodies managed to capture the essence of the season without seeming at all kitsch. Plus, with the amount of talent on stage, it was a chance to see some completely one-off duets and collaborations.
For me though, the highlight had to be seeing Jim Moray in Bellowhead. Although only depping for Benji for the night, he totally meshed with the rest of the band (who are known for their outlandish musical style (video below). Although I’m familiar with some of their individual projects, I’ve not actually seen the group live before and I wasn’t disappointed. The night began with the whole group processing from the back of the hall to the stage, playing their own personal rendition of Silent Night, utilizing either their own particular instrument or (if this proved impossible without electric amplification) some form of percussive implement. It was completely extrovert and set the tone for the whole of the performance because once on stage they segued seamlessly into the drinking song Whiskey is the Life of Man.
We were, in fact, treated to this entrance twice, since this being TV they needed to rerecord the intro as soon as the evening had come to an end.
Another highlight was watching Jim Moray play slide guitar with a spoon, sneakily stolen off Pete Flood’s drumkit. (But again, this will end up on the cutting room floor). I only hope he returned afterwards, or come New Year, the boys’ll be left short percussion-wise!
It was the little things like that which made the whole evening so enjoyable. I’ve learned from experience that TV productions involved lots of waiting around and then suddenly everything has to happen at once. And yes, there was quite a bit of waiting – and sitting on a floor in a Victorian-esque costume for long periods isn’t that comfortable- but in the end, it didn’t matter.
The evening was a unique opportunity to see some of the brightest stars in British music turn traditional Christmas music on its head, and by doing so, give it back some of its soul and meaning which any piece loses after multiple recitals. And if only for that, I am so fortunate that my name was picked to be in the audience.
For any of you reading this in the UK, the program will be broadcast 17-Dec-2009 at 9pm on BBC4. I heartily recommend that you watch it!
Post by Mary Stokes - Meet Me
Located in the UK, music has been part of my life for a long time. I'm a classically trained violinist but have a wide range musical knowledge.
