December 16, 2012 14:38

Spiritualized, Elbow's Guy Garvey and Summer Camp play Christmas Tree Sessions charity gig Spiritualized Tickets

Band Of Skulls and Kodaline also present at Save The Children bash

Spiritualized, Elbow frontman Guy Garvey and Summer Camp were among the performers at the Christmas Tree Sessions charity gig on Friday night (December 14).

Band Of Skulls, Kodaline and Guillemots singer Fyfe Dangerfield also played at the show, which was curated and presented by BBC 6 Music's Lauren Laverne and was held at London's Union Chapel in aid of Save The Children.

Spiritualized, who hadn't played at the intimate venue since their 2007 'Acoustic Mainlines' show, performed four songs including the unreleased 'Perfect Miracle', debuted on the band's November tour, and 'Silent Night', complete with string quartet and backing singers.

Summer Camp opened the event with a short and sweet, three-song set, finishing with a mash-up of Paul McCartney's 'Wonderful Christmastime' and were then followed by newcomer Josh Kumra, Kodaline and an acoustic set from Band Of Skulls.

Guillemots mainman Dangerfield, meanwhile, played a handful of songs at the piano, including one untitled new song and another track, 'Faster Than The Setting Sun', from his 2010 solo album 'Fly Yellow Moon', before finishing with a stunning version of traditional carol 'In The Bleak Midwinter'.

There was also a special recording of Wham!'s 'Last Christmas' by orchestral quartet Bond featuring Misery Bear, and readings by broadcaster Stuart Maconie, journalist Caitlin Moran, poet Amy Key and Save The Children ambassador Myleene Klass, who later played piano for Guy Garvey to cover The Leisure Society's 'Last Of The Melting Snow' and Joni Mitchell's 'River'.

Speaking to NME at the event, Laverne said: "We didn't start working on this very long ago, September or something, but as soon as we knew we had this amazing venue, I knew it was going to work.

"It was a bit of a Wayne's World 2 thing, like 'If you build it, they will come', so as soon as it was all booked, the bands just came together and everyone I asked could make it. I feel lucky to have been at this gig, it was an incredible line-up, everyone was so generous with their time and money, and obviously all that goes to an amazing cause."

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