It’s December, which round these parts means it’s time once again for The Joyzine Advent Calendar! This year we’re celebrating our 20th edition, so we’ve scoured the archives to mix in some calendar classics along with a few fresh festive cuts from our favourite artists.
As always every track on the calendar will be absolutely free to download, and we don’t force you to sign up for our mailing list (though you can if you want, here) or hand over all of your personal data. The calendar is our Christmas gift to the world (or at least the part of it that enjoys seasonal songs by obscure indie musicians), but if you’re also in the giving mood we’d love you to make a donation to our chosen cause, the excellent anti-racism charity HOPE not hate, which you can do here.
On with the free festive tunes!
You probably know Charley Stone as the guitarist in your favourite band (and if she’s not, you may want to reconsider who you’re listening to – she’s in almost all of the good ones), but some of you might not yet have heard her equally awesome solo tracks or seen her play with her Actual Band. On today’s Advent Calendar window we remedy that situation by bringing you her wondrous festive single, ‘Merry Christmas Actually’ and it’s fab video which reimagines a well-known scene from Richard Curtis’ syrupy seasonal cinema smash with the help of members of The Indelicates, Salad, Desperate Journalist and many more excellent bands. You can watch the video and download the track below.
We caught up with Charley to find out what she’s been doing over the past 12 months, and discovered the answer was ‘a lot’.
What have you been up to this year?
At time of writing I’ve played 49 gigs, with another 5 to come. I’ve toured with Desperate Journalist and with Sleeper, as well as lots of solo gigs and lots of gigs with my Actual Band. And, at the end of the summer I went to onecat studio and recorded an actual album with my Actual Band.
What have you got planned for 2024?
I’m planning to release the album Here Comes The Actual Band before the end of May. I’m probably going to release a lot more of my totally solo bedroom-recorded tracks as well – and hopefully play a lot more gigs. The first solo one is going to be at The Gunners in Finsbury Park on 11th January, along with Lemonade Sin.
Tell us about your track
I wrote this song in 2020, thinking about that childish guy declaring his inappropriate love on a doorstep in Love, Actually. About how he seems to see himself as some kind of highly romantic knight errant. Then I recorded it in lockdown in collaboration with Donald Ross Skinner – I sent him guitar and vocal stems and notes as to what I wanted and he arranged and layered all the other instruments over it, and mixed it beautifully. And then, as we were still in that lockdown I spoke of, I solicited clips from my friends to make a no-budget video!
This year Joyzine has been celebrating our 20th birthday – what were you up to in 2003?
Back in 2003 I was in Spy 51, who were once signed to Fierce Panda, fact fans! And that year released our 6-track mini-album We Jet Hem on Double R Records. Slightly tangential fact: said mini-album includes a song called ‘Platforms’, which I wrote back in 1998 when I was on tour in Switzerland with Salad, but which I recently resurrected and played live at my last two solo gigs.
Any new year’s resolution?
No, except to get that Here Comes The Actual Band album out, as well as at least one of several unfinished totally-solo ones which are currently lying dormant on my hard drive.
Download ‘Merry Christmas Actually‘
Make a donation to HOPE not hate
Follow Charley Stone on Facebook / Instagram / Twitter / Bandcamp
Check back tomorrow for another free festive download!
Catch up on all of this year’s Advent Calendar Tracks so far:
1: MJ Hibbett – I Got You What You Want For Christmas
2: Matt Edible & The Obtuse Angels – Advent Beard
3: Old Man May – Laden Sleigh
4: Michael M (SLIME CITY) – It’s Easy To Hate This Time of Year
5: The Fades – Last Christmas (On The Beach)
6: AK/DK – Auld Lang Syne
7: Modesty Blaise – I’ll Be Home for Christmas
8: The Awkward Silences – I’ll Be Getting a Divorce for Christmas
9: Dead Horse – Eating The Reindeer
10: Palm Ghosts – Always Christmas Time
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