An Albion Christmas

For most people Christmas 2015 will bring with it the annual round of festivities, parties and pantomimes and all the hectic preparations. For the Albion Christmas Band it also signals the start of their annual xmas tour. The band’s inaugural appearance was 17 December 1999 – the first night of a six date tour. This year, the band that forms each year for its winter tour and then disbands until the next season will visit seventeen venues. The well-planned tour has ensured the band will visit all parts of the country for audiences to enjoy a taste of Christmas without the commercialism.

The band evolved from special Christmas shows by the last incarnation of the Albion Band. On a suggestion from Simon Care, a previous Albion band member himself, Ashley ‘The Guv’nor’ Hutchings brought together two other previous Albion Band members to create an autonomous band to present a guided tour through the Christmas customs of Britain. Performing a mixture of seasonal carols, spoken word, humorous readings and dance, the show is the antithesis of the Christmas special shows filling television screens, reminding audiences of the simpler pleasures and values of a traditional Christmas.

The Albion Christmas Band features the combined talents of Simon Nicol (founder member of Fairport Convention) on acoustic guitar and vocals, Kellie While (Albion Band), acoustic guitar, vocals and percussion, Simon Care (Edward II), melodeons, and the Guv'nor himself, Ashley Hutchings, (founder of Fairport Convention, Albion Band, and Steeleye Span) on bass guitar and vocals.