Homepage Splash

The Lathums bring a Christmas chill with KRAMPUS

• 15th Nov 2021

No ordinary band, no ordinary Christmas single. Chart-topping indie poets, The Lathums accidentally set light to grandma’s paper hat, steal the bang from the crackers and sour the sherry with Krampus, their first festive single. Celebrating the season of forgiveness, light and merriment with a dose of dour, rain-lashed wit, the four-piece take inspiration from the darkest of festive fables to deliver an upbeat carol calling for each day to be grabbed with the same gift-giving, chocolate-eating joy.

After watching the blackest of seasonal comedies, BBC’s Inside No.9 The Devil Of Christmas episode, Steve Pemberton and Reece Shearsmith’s depiction of Krampusnacht was seared into The Lathums’ consciousness, inspiring them to create the two-and-a-half minute rush of scat-singing and bell-ringing. An Alpine fable as old as time, the fear of a visit from Krampus continues to haunt children who have been more naughty than nice.

Always greater as the sum of their parts, Krampus nits together a neat riff, absent-mindedly peeled off by bassist, Johnny Cunliffe in rehearsal, and the nimble imagination of front man and one-man lyric factory, Alex Moore, who heard the faint sound of Christmas within. With a skiffle-beat courtesy of Ryan Durrans and layers of jangling guitars from Scott Concepcion, it’s a seasonal single in the tradition of other, great anti-Christmas singles. File it alongside The Pogues, Gruff Rhys and Wham.

Moore recalls the song emerging in spring 2020, saying: “It was about halfway through the first lockdown when Johnny played the bassline in rehearsals and I thought it sounded like a Christmas song. Scott and I had been round at his house watching the Inside No.9 Christmas special, which is where I found out about the horror of Krampus. If we were to do a Christmas song, I wanted to do it with that dark side.

“I am not a massive Christmas fan, but always eventually get my paper hat on and join in the fun, I can’t help it. After the year we’ve had we’ve got so much cause to celebrate, so this single is one last ‘thank you’ to everyone that’s supported us for the year. See you all, even bigger and better, in 2022”

The Lathums hit the peak of the UK Official Album Chart at the first time of asking in October with their debut album, How Beautiful Life Can Be, just before crowning their first, headline UK Tour in 18 months with a 3,500-capacity sell out at Manchester’s O2 Victoria Warehouse. The band will see out the year with their final run of full band dates, rearranged from 2020, a clutch of special unplugged shows and also head out on the road with Paul Weller.

Already looking positively into 2022 by announcing a huge night at Blackpool’s iconic Empress Ballroom for April, the confirmed run of The Lathums UK & Ireland Tour dates is as follows:

2021
Fri 12 Nov – Hull, Social – SOLD OUT
Sun 14 Nov – Leicester, O2 Academy 2 – SOLD OUT
Mon 15 Nov – Stoke, Sugarmill – SOLD OUT
Tue 16 Nov – Cardiff, Globe SOLD OUT
Wed 17 Nov – Oxford O2 Academy 2 – SOLD OUT
Fri 19 Nov – Liverpool, Eventim Olympia with Paul Weller – SOLD OUT
Sat 20 Nov – Llandudno, Venue Cymru with Paul Weller – SOLD OUT
Fri 26 Nov – Stoke, Victoria Hall with Paul Weller – SOLD OUT
Sat 27 Nov – Sheffield, Octagon Centre with Paul Weller – SOLD OUT
Mon 29 Nov – Glasgow, Barrowland Ballroom with Paul Weller – SOLD OUT
Tue 30 Nov – Aberdeen, Music Hall with Paul Weller – SOLD OUT
Wed 1 Dec – Middlesbrough, Town Hall with Paul Weller – SOLD OUT
Fri 3 Dec – Dunfermline, PJ Molloys – SOLD OUT
Sat 4 Dec – Dundee, Fat Sam’s- SOLD OUT
Mon 6 Dec – Aberdeen, The Lemon Tree – SOLD OUT
Tue 7 Dec – Edinburgh, The Liquid Room – SOLD OUT
Fri 10 Dec – Dublin, The Academy
Sat 11 Dec – Galway, Roisin Dubh
Sun 12 Dec – Limerick, Dolans
Tue 14 Dec – Belfast, Limelight – SOLD OUT
Sat 18 Dec – Liverpool, St Brides Church – Unplugged – SOLD OUT
Mon 20 Dec – Glasgow, Saint Lukes – Unplugged – SOLD OUT
2022
Sat 9 Apr – Blackpool, Empress Ballroom
All remaining tickets for The Lathums upcoming tour dates are available via links posted at www.thelathums.com