New video for "Happy Christmas, All Will Be Fine" by King of the Alps

One of my minor agendas is to seek to balance the highly limited repertoire of Christmas music broadcast by mainstream media by posting festive tracks by artists outside that area and especially ones featured by ‘Hot Music Live'.

I reviewed the Christmas single "Happy Christmas, All Will Be Fine" by King of the Alps back in 2020 when it came out & under normal circumstances would have shared it each year since. However in the immortal words of Echo and the Bunnymen: "easier said than done my friend."

In their modesty & discretion, the band not only didn't create a video to share but they also deleted the capacity to download the track so there was literally no link to share. Until now.

They not only have created a video you can access via this link:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kv0hBfUYi-M

but in the very fine tradition of this band, when they make a video, they make a most artistic one: and one which definitely fits nicely with the song it's illustrating. Initially a monochrome homage to The Simpsons' "Mr Plow' advert (can't think of anyone doing that) it then segues via a series of festive performance clips into footage of Paul & Simon jumping into the River Avon at Guy's Cliffe (thankfully it would appear in summer). Some of these sections defy literal interpretation in the context of the song (or at least I'm incapable of it) and the creative decision process of writing them comes across as surreal. Which is fine. This is King of the Alps. This is them.

This band aren't terribly interested in commercial success and make music as they want to. However even by their idiosyncratic standards "Happy Christmas, All Will Be Fine" as a song stands out (though apparently not in their own minds: in the intervening years I did enquire about the song and at least one member seemed to struggle to remember much about it).

As I said in 2020: "If however you are expecting something which will nestle snugly alongside all the old favourites on a Christmas compilation, I did warn you against second guessing them. I find it unlikely that "Happy Christmas, All Will Be Fine" will be featuring at any karaoke sessions & possibly Radio Two will pass on it. Although both are consummate experienced musicians, with this band they have no fear of experimenting with sound & this song is certainly experimental".

Which to my mind has always been a reason to share it with the wider world.

Since it was five years since the original review and I can't expect you to recollect my words, I also said "Unusually, since previous songs were originally created by Paul, this one has its genesis in a double bass & drum track created by Simon & sent to Paul who made a loop and added electric guitar, drum & vocals in his home studio……So laid back in tempo & feel that it more resembles a post Christmas lunch lethargy than a party, the various elements drift in and out of the mix like some of the more outré examples of well, experimental jazz and minimalism is a key element. The one possible direct inspiration which I could detect is vaguely Eastern in origin with an Indian drone plus a sort of gamelan guitar figure."

Much as I do like Slade and The Pogues, we also need idiosyncratic Christmas songs like this. We also need more King of the Alps in 2026: it was great to see them play at our fundraiser for The Tin in June but that was their only live show of 2025 and this their only (re)release. (The song is available as a free download via: https://kingofthealps.bandcamp.com/track/happy-christmas-all-will-be-fine). Let's keep our fingers crossed.