Ghost of Christmas Past

Hugely evocative of past glories and the singer’s personal memories, with echoes of Neil Finn, Prefab Sprout, The Pretenders and, of course, The Blades.

Despite the darkness of lines like “ I remember alcoholic rage,” the song has a exceedingly festive feel, with lovely descending scales, hints of glistening bell-chimes, and a chorus guaranteed to propel lovers of classic power pop to orgasmic heights. So I’d recommend you stand well clear of George Byrne whenever this comes on.