It’s the most wonderful time of the yeeeeeeear! Yes, the Joyzine Advent Calendar is back once again to bring you 24 days of fantastic free music downloads from a amazing array of our favourite artists. This year marks the 21st edition of our online calendar making it (as far as we’re aware) the longest running on the net (though we’re always happy to be corrected). As always, every track is completely free to download and we don’t require you to sign up for a mailing list (though you can if you want to) or hand over your personal data – it’s our way of saying thank you to everyone who’s visited the site during 2024 and to hopefully bring a few more listeners to some very deserving artists.
However, if you do enjoy the tracks we would love you to consider making a donation to our chosen cause, which this year is the wonderful First Timers Fest, a brilliant grassroots DIY organisation helping people take the first step into making music. Alumni include Joyzine faves Big Joanie, Panic Pocket, Charmpit and Breakup Haircut, with many more great bands coming through every year. We asked First Timers for a few words about what they do:
First Timers Fest is all about supporting new people into music! Yes that’s right, we mean you! We demystify the music making process through a series of beginners workshops that encourage people to try something new, no pressure to start a band after. The festival is open to everyone, but we particularly want to encourage people from marginalised groups to apply.
Next year we will be hosting our workshops at the Cavendish in Stockwell but following a sell out festival at the Victoria in Dalston we have decided to host the festival at a much bigger venue: The Oslo Hackney! This will take place on 4th May 2025. See you there!!!
We’ve got a sleigh-full of fantastic tracks for you again this year, including some festive tunes, plenty of exclusives and some of our favourite songs of 2024. Let’s get crack(er)ing!
Today’s Advent Calendar may well contain the most free tracks we’ve featured on one window, with not one, nor two or event three but NINE fantastic songs for your downloadable delectation. They come courtesy of LOUD WOMEN, the wonderful blog, promoter and radio show, who in their words are “putting more women on stage and turning up the volume”. We’ve been fortunate enough to collaborate with LW on a number of occasions, most recently guest hosting the 1st December edition of the excellent radio show (which will be available to listen back shortly via Mixcloud).
LOUD WOMEN will be celebrating their 10th anniversary next year, and in that time they’ve expanded from their London base to host shows in other UK towns and cities as well as opening chapters in the US, Australia, Canada and Ireland, and it’s this international contingent who provide today’s download bonanza.
The first ever LOUD WOMEN Fest Australia will be taking place at Pera in Melbourne on Saturday 7th December with a fantastic line-up which includes Smallways, Butterknife, Daddy Issues, Witch Spit, R.U.B, Vipersnatch, Worm Girlz, Lady Lazarus and Stabbitha & The Knifey Wifeys, the bands behind today’s calendar tracks. The few remaining tickets can be found here, priced at $34.90.
We caught up with LOUD WOMEN founder Cassie Fox to find out more:
Tell us a little about your tracks please
These tracks are by some of the fem-powered punk bands playing the first LOUD WOMEN Fest Australia, which is happening at Persa in Melbourne on 7 December! Tickets and info here
What have you been up to in 2024?
This year saw our busiest ever – and most international – LOUD WOMEN Fest in London in September. We also hosted a stage at Rebellion Festival in Blackpool over the summer. My own band – I, Doris – had a really busy summer too, we seemed to play every festival! Looking forward to a bit of a break over the festive period – after our Christmas party of course! It’s 14 December at the Hope & Anchor, I, Doris are playing and so are Nana Punk – a project from the Wales Millennium Centre, with women over 50 performing in their first punk band! Tickets and info here.
And what do you have planned for the next 12 months?
Lots more gigs and festivals! The first LOUD WOMEN NYC is happening in May 2025 – band applications are open at the moment here
We’re also starting a new weekly live LOUD WOMEN radio show on Resonance FM, Tuesday evenings starting 3rd December 6pm to 7.30pm – listen in!
Christmas songs – love them or hate them? Why?
Absolutely love them. Must admit the kids and I have had a Christmas radio station on in the car since the beginning of November. Giddy up jingle horse!
Download all the tracks here
Make a donation to First Timers
LOUD WOMEN: Website / Facebook / Instagram / Bluesky
Catch up on all of this year’s Advent Calendar Tracks so far:
1: Piney Gir – Reindeer
2: Gabriel Minnikin – Said Information
Check back tomorrow for another free festive download!
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