Perennially confused with the event of the same name in Hyde Park, XFM's Christmas spectacular goes on sale on Friday (7 November) with a splendid line-up of newbies, veterans and everything in between.
XFM Winter Wonderland takes place on Wednesday 17 December at the O2 Academy Brixton, and will be headlined by Frank Turner and the Sleeping Souls. Turner has recently announced a new b-sides and rarities collection, and is reportedly planning a full LP for early next year as the follow up to 2013's Tape Deck Heart. So, expect a few tracks you've not heard, but probably a few you have, such as Recovery from his last album.
The Horrors could vie Turner for top billing, following their remarkable turnaround in both sound and fortunes with 2011 LP Skying. Their follow-up this year, Luminous, was more measured, but did include this extraordinary number, So Now You Know, that you can fully expect to hear at Winter Wonderland.
Catfish & the Bottlemen are the darlings of the music press at the moment having recently released their debut LP, The Balcony, to some acclaim. The band were first spotted by Londonist - yes that's right, we're claiming this one - playing first on the bill to a blinking crowd in the Spread Eagle one Camden Crawl, likely about three years ago, and they were bloody good (it's not a name you're likely to forget). Here's Kathleen from the album.
To Kill a King are from Leeds but are currently based in London, and have so far produced one album and three EPs, the most recently going under the wonderful name Exit, Pursued By a Bear. Here's a live version of the lead track from that EP, Oh My Love.
Opening up proceedings, and at this point suggesting we've presented these acts in reverse order but never mind, is Billy the Kid, a singer-songwriter from Vancouver. Her last album, Horseshoes and Hand Grenades, was produced by Frank Turner himself, and here's Back To You from that record.
And then of course there's Billy Bragg. He and Turner have seemingly become thick as thieves in recent years and it's fitting they're sharing the bill on a night Billy is to be awarded the XFM Inspiration Award, for his campaigning, activism and bloody marvellous music. We can't not end this with a slice of Barking's most famous troubadour - Handyman Blues, from 2013's superb Tooth & Nail LP, with a star-studded video to boot.
Each of these fine acts are on the bill of XFM's Winter Wonderland, which goes on general sale on Friday morning — note the early kick-off of 8am for these tickets — and will probably not be on sale for long with a roster like this.
XFM Winter Wonderland takes place on Wednesday 17 December at the O2 Academy Brixton. Tickets go on general sale on Friday 7 November at 8am, via the Academy website and other ticket retailers.
