THE BLUEJAYS CHRISTMAS SHOW
At the end of 2020, otherwise known as ‘the most utterly dreadful year for live entertainment ever’, creating The Bluejays Christmas Show was just what the doctor ordered. It had been nearly ten months since the whole band had been able to come together and play under one roof. With no option for performing to a live audience we came up with the idea of creating an online production. Filmed (almost) entirely live, performing the show felt as close as we could get to a live Bluejays experience. The eerie silence after finishing a number was a little disconcerting. Hopefully that’s not an experience we’ll endure much of when we’re back out on the road again. All things considered, we were just hugely grateful to be playing together again.
THE TEAM
Early on in the planning we knew the production team we wanted involved. To both film and record audio live was always going to be a challenge, we knew that we’d have to work fast. With Mat Benzie on sound engineering duties, the live audio was later mixed a little more for balance, but pretty much what you hear on the album was what we heard in the room. We knew that the main aim with producing an album like this was to maintain the true character of the experience. Any minor mistakes were left in and there were no overdubs or ‘drop ins’. We hope that when you listen to the album you feel very much as though you are at a live gig.
THE BAND
Along with Bluejays regulars Amelia Rendell on lead vocals, Dan Criscuolo on lead guitar and Meridyth Dickson on saxophone, we were pleased to welcome Nick Player on the bass. Remarkably, it was the very first time that Nick had ever played with The Bluejays! His upright bass playing (and electric) totally thrilled us and we can’t wait to get him out on the road later in 2021. We’ve heard rumours of him playing the bass upside down whilst leaping about the stage! A real 50’s bass showman! We’re all looking forward to that, Nick :)
THE VENUE
As our cameraman, Dave Mertens, lives in Cardiff and most of the band are based in London, we found the perfect location compromise in Wiltshire. The fantastic Pound Arts Centre in Corsham provided the space for us to work. They couldn’t have been more helpful and the venue proved the perfect spot to create our show. They even let us use their Christmas Tree which, if you’ve seen the show, was a splendid addition to the set! A huge Persian rug, some Christmas gifts wrapped by Perry Seymour-Marsh and a cosy lamp were enough to set the mood. It genuinely felt like performing in our living rooms.
In many ways, producing the online Christmas Show and finding a new way to connect with fans of the band was a revitalising experience. During a year that saw almost every opportunity to share our love of rock and roll with a live audience disappear, The Christmas Show was a glorious way to find some hope. It wasn’t the same as a live audience. Nothing compares to the sound, the atmosphere, the roar of the crowd, the intimate relationship between audience and musician, the movement of air from amplifiers to the listener’s ear, the shared laughter and hymn like harmony of a thousand people singing along with ‘Teenager in Love’, but against all the rude noise of 2020 and with lockdowns threatened at any minute, we were proud to bring you a slice of Bluejays Festive cheer! We hope you enjoy the album.