On the Joyzine Advent Calendar we’re giving away free downloads of tracks by artists that we love (including plenty of exclusives and a fair few festive favourites) every day until Christmas Eve on what, as far as we’re aware (and we’re always happy to be corrected), is the longest running such calendar on the web.
As always, the tracks are completely free to download and there’s no need to sign up to any mailing lists to access the songs (though if you’d like to you can join ours here), but if you’re enjoying the tunes we’d love you to make a donation to the wonderful charity Child Poverty Action Group, who work on behalf of the more than one in four children currently growing up in poverty in the UK by providing support to families navigating the social security system, taking legal action to challenge unjust decisions and campaigning for change. You can make a donation on this link.
Today’s Advent Calendar treat comes courtesy of Hey You Guys!, who as well as being perennial favourites in these parts also count occasional Joyzine scribe Peter Richards Adams amongst their number. They release a live album, Superspreader!, next week, recorded last Christmas in front of a packed crowd at The Marrs Bar in their home town of Worcester, and today we’ve an exclusive peek at the delights that lie within in the shape of a free download of ‘Onward Christian Soldiers’ – what could be more festive than a tune that open with the line “I’m not saying that I’m Jesus”?
We’d also highly recommend checking out the Christmas EP Tracks In The Snow recorded by Peter and his wife Rosie, which is available on Bandcamp here.
We caught up with Pete to find out more about today’s track and his views on the perfect Christmas tune.
What have you been up to in 2022?
We’ve been emerging from our Covid chrysalis! We played some great shows, supporting Kerbdog in Dublin (where we got caught up in EUROPEAN AIR TRAFFIC CHAOS) and closing up Worcester Music Festival (our hometown show). We also started writing our third album and put together a live album, more on which shortly.
What do you have planned for next year?
The big-ticket item at the moment is a UK tour supporting Kerbdog in March. They’re celebrating 25 years of their album On The Turn, so it promises to be brilliant. We’re also going to release a B-sides album and keep chipping away at album number three.
What can you tell us about today’s track?
It’s a version of a new song, ‘Onward Christian Soldiers’. It’s taken from Superspreader! – our live album which is released this week. We recorded it last December at our Christmas Extravaganza so we’ve been waiting all year to unleash the full record on the world.
What makes the perfect Christmas song?
Bells. Lots of bells. It also helps if you can jimmy a “fa la la la la” in there too.
Download ‘Onward Christian Solders (live)‘
Watch the lyric video for the track here
Follow Hey You Guys! on Facebook / Spotify / Bandcamp
Photograph by Chris Bowley
If you enjoy the track, we’d love you to consider making a donation to Child Poverty Action Group
Check back every day until Christmas Eve for more free music – if you’ve missed a day, you’ll find all of this year’s tracks so far on the links below. Merry Christmas everyone!
Day One: Piney Gir – Do Good For Goodness Sake
Day Two: Lost Map Records present Firestations – Swim Under The Winter
Day Three: LOUD WOMEN present Killdren – Expect a Crimewave
Day Four: Scratchy Records present The Rocks, Jonny Cola & The A-Grades, Bromide + Coach Hop
Day Five: Deux Furieuses – Bring Down The Government Home Demo
Day Six: Extradition Order – Bold
Day Seven: Blang Records present Thomas Truax + Faux Fibbers
Day Eight: Alcopop! Records present Dream Nails + Helen Love
Day Nine: MiKey & The SkEletons – On and On
Day Ten: Ben Fox Smith – Human Rights
Day Eleven: Nini Bong + The Fades
Day One: Piney Gir – Do Good For Goodness Sake
Day Two: Lost Map Records present Firestations – Swim Under The Winter
Day Three: LOUD WOMEN present Killdren – Expect a Crimewave
Day Four: Scratchy Records present The Rocks, Jonny Cola & The A-Grades, Bromide + Coach Hop
Day Five: Deux Furieuses – Bring Down The Government Home Demo
Day Six: Extradition Order – Bold
Day Seven: Blang Records present Thomas Truax + Faux Fibbers
Day Eight: Alcopop! Records present Dream Nails + Helen Love
Day Nine: MiKey & The SkEletons – On and On
Day Ten: Ben Fox Smith – Human Rights
Day Eleven: Nini Bong + The Fades
Day Twelve: The May + Xqui
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