Joe Carnall Jnr’s annual Christmas gig has become an institution in Sheffield and its eighth incarnation was perhaps the best yet. Following a mass Christmas singalong complete with karaoke lyrics on the big screen, Carnall strides on stage against a backdrop of lit up Christmas trees and fairy lights.
Acoustic renderings of Milburn tracks ’17’ and ‘Cheshire Cat Smile’ kick things off with Sheffield in good voice and Joe looking relaxed. It’s a party atmosphere that Scrooge himself would struggle to resist. Carnall’s ‘other’ band The Book Club are represented next with a spirited version of What Was Said On The Landing before Reverend & The Makers’ Ed Cosens and Milburn alumni Louis Carnall and Joe Green flesh out the live sound for a run through of ‘Midnight Control’ and ‘Well Well Well’.
As well as Milburn and The Book Club, Carnall is also the bassist for fellow Sheffield legends Reverend & The Makers. The Rev himself, Jon McClure, joins Joe for a couple of Revs tracks in the shape of Mr ‘Glassalfempty’ and ‘Juliet Knows’ as well as a sterling cover of Iggy Pop’s ‘The Passenger’. Not Christmassy but chuffin’ brilliant nevertheless.
Sheffield is treated to another local legend next as Slow Club’s Rebecca Taylor is introduced for a killer version of ‘Under Pressure’ but, as always, it is the Milburn tracks that make the crowd go nuts and a full band, slowed down version of ‘Storm in a Teacup’ sees pint pots thrown and arms held aloft. A rare outing for ‘Brewster’ is introduced by Joe stating that he was 14-years-old when he wrote the song and 14-year-old him would have been disgusted to see him sporting a man bun on stage. Cue the dramatic removal of his hair bobble and cheers from the audience.
Tom Grennan is the next friend off the conveyor belt and while he ‘is a Southerner who wears dodgy coats’ he has become a bit of an honorary Sheffield patron following a triumphant Tramlines appearance in 2018. Grennan treats us to a fantastic version of his track ‘Found What I’ve Been Looking For’ as well as a cover of Amy Winehouse’s ‘You Know I’m No Good’. The pair finish off this section of the evening with the now-traditional cover of East 17’s ‘Stay’, with Grennan perfectly playing the part of Brian Harvey in his, admittedly ridiculous, coat.
Traditional Milburn set closer ‘What You Could’ve Won’ is cast aside in favour of ‘Last Bus’ and a triumphant ‘Roll Out The Barrel’ before Joe gets everyone up on stage for a jubilant version of All I Want For Christmas Is You. Rebecca Taylor, Sophie Scott of support band Sophie and the Giants and Laura McClure of Reverend & The Makers take turns to belt out the verses and as fake snow drifts from the sky we are left with that festive feeling of too many mince pies, an afternoon nap and arguments over Monopoly.
It simply wouldn’t be Christmas without Joe Carnall Jnr and his ragtag crew of accomplishes. See you next year…
In association with www.sivtickets.com, the local box office.
