Tom Chaplin presents new Christmas album at intimate HMV concert in Oxford Street

On the day of release, Tom Chaplin presented Twelve Tales of Christmas, a festive album that follows the success of The Wave. A lucky crowd of fans had the privilege of listening to six of the 12 tracks at an intimate showcase at HMV Oxford Street. The new record features eight original songs and four covers.

“Christmas is my favourite time of year,” said Chaplin who has fond memories from his childhood. “The passing years have conspired to erode that magic but I still feel its presence when I gather together with my family.”

Produced by David Kosten and recorded at Abbey Road, Muttley Ranch and Snap Studios, the album includes evocative covers of Howard Blake’s Walking in the Air, the Pretenders’ 2000 Miles, Stay Another Day by East 17 – which he all played live – and Joni Mitchell’s classic River. Determined to capture the wonderful side of Christmas music, Chaplin managed to find the inspiration during the summer, when he wrote most of the songs including new single Under a Million Lights and Midnight Mass.

“The four covers I chose are personal favourites and all very distinct from one another,” the Keane frontman said. “I found Christmas a great source of inspiration for writing my own songs. There’s a bittersweet quality to this time of year that made me want to explore the themes of love, lost love and remembering those we have lost.”

As documented on The Wave, Chaplin has endured his share of dark times and it was this turbulent period of his life that made him able to see Christmas through his daughter’s eyes, and his voice really suits the reflective nature of these songs. During the show he repeatedly joked about the fact that most of his festive compositions actually talk about death, to a point that there was a recurring dialogue about it with the fans from the front row. Before ending the showcase with Stay Another Day, Chaplin played also Keane’s classic Somewhere Only We Know, which served as a Christmas song when Lily Allen covered it for John Lewis’ tv ad in 2013.

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Photos: Filippo L’Astorina

For further information and future events visit the Tom Chaplin website here.

Watch a live performance of Somewhere Only We Know from the HMV London showcase: