Singles

Lost Boy Scout - Bring Me The Head Of The Man Dressed In Red

Neil Watts 21/12/2009

Rating: 3.5/5

The whole Rage Against The Machine vs Joe McElderry the X Factor winner fiasco has just been brought to its dramatic conclusion. The Christmas No. 1 for 2009 has been unveiled to great acclaim... Or, that is how it supposed to be seen. Anything that defeats Simon Cowell's monopoly on the Christmas charts should be commended, but the cynic within cannot overlook the fact that both Rage and McElderry are both part of the Sony BMG group.

Truth be told the whole situation only leaves me pining for Christmas singles in the vein of Wizard and Mud. Lost Boy Scout's offering goes some of the way to filling that void, which has since been filled by the like of Bob the Builder and Alexandra Burke's cover of a cover.

Bring Me The Head... is more likely to ruin Christmas than fill your heart with festive cheer and the desire to sit around a crackling fire supping some mulled wine with your loved ones. This isn't a damning indictment of the song, far from it. After all it does feature the sound of artillery fire and the flippantly delivered line of 'If we get blood on the snow, we can all go home', which, although amusing, doesn't exactly meet the family friendly requirements of this time of year. It snipes and snarls, just like Phil Daniels narration on Parklife, at the concept of Father Christmas and his omnipresent gift delivering services.

Lost Boy Scout is a true cynic and isn't afraid to show it, even at Christmas. For this he should be saluted. Just don't play this record to believers, or those of a weak disposition.

Disclaimer: The fact that the campaign leaders, the Morters, and Rage themselves have raised in the tune of £70,000 for the homeless charity Shelter goes a long way to restoring my faith in the record buying public.

Bring Me The Head Of The Man Dressed In Red features on the Christmas Blues EP available through Helen Llewelyn Product 19.