Don Powell’s Occasional Flames reboot their seasonal offering. Bah humbug and all as they carry on with all the carry on.

Release Date: Available now

Label: Weinerworld

Format: digital

It isn’t really Christmas until Noddy starts to sing… There’s even a song about it don’t you know? Those words we know, from long ago – the old songs are the best – the Flames words, not ours. Along with Roy Wood and Wizzard (Cliff, Bing, Jona et al) a legacy guaranteed by one song. Of course, Don Powell was there at the back all the time – check his story in Look Wot I Dun – and he’s not lagging far behind in the Christmas hit making stakes in recent times. Just like the ghost of Christmas Past, Present & Future.

So here’s a reboot for Don Powell’s Occasional Flames and Never Mind The Baubles. A rumble tumble of a Christmas album stuffed with original material, that picks up where Merry Xmas Everybody left off fifty years ago. The band is a creative collective of Don on drums, singer-songwriter Les Glover and poet/lyricist Paul Cookson. The album art might suggest a tear it up and not give a toss Punk attitude, but Never Mind… avoids any contentious anti-establismentarianism and is as wholesome, as seasonal and as merry as they come.

The five second burst of something remotely familiar soon wafts away to reveal an assortment of gaily wrapped offerings enriched by strings or thumping clap and singalongs. All the Christmas song bases are covered from the sincere to the saccharine and the sentimental to the party bangers.

The friendly twang-along Bo Diddley-isms that Christmas Time Is Rubbish sees the Flames wishing it wasn’t Christmas every day. Along with Sleigh Drive and Gonna Ride A Red Nosed Reindeer, there’s a mega mix full of seamless segues in the making. My Guiding Light, You’ll Do For Me, We Are The Thread and The Magic InThe Fabric offer a more spiritual message; perfect fare (or fayre) for the season of goodwill and all that. The latter a fab one for primary schools seasonal events – nativity concerts take note.

As trad as a sherry and mince pie, not forgetting a carrot for Rudolph. Never Mind Te Baubles could be one of those gifts that keeps on giving.

Here’s Ding Dong Merrily:

Occasional Flames online: Website

Keep up with At The Barrier: Facebook / X (formerly Twitter) / Instagram / Spotify / YouTube