recorded at Soundpark Studios in Sydney with Jamie Foulds – photo: Molly Babin
by WGO Staff
Award-winning, Cape Breton musical institution The Tom Fun Orchestra is closing out 2020 by releasing a single just in time for Christmas–their rendition of The Pogues’ holiday anthem, “Fairytale of New York”.
The band has made a tradition of covering the song during their frenzied hometown holiday performances for over a decade. This year, unable to play for a live audience due to public health concerns, they recorded their take on The Pogues’ classic at Soundpark Studios in Sydney, Cape Breton, with co-producer Jamie Foulds.
“It’s been a long-time tradition of ours to play this song during our holiday shows throughout December,” says The Tom Fun Orchestra frontman Ian MacDougall. “We were bummed not to get a chance to play it in front of a live audience this year, so we figured we should make it available for folks to hear whenever they please.” The song is well-suited to the band’s penchant for tragic storytelling juxtaposed with joyful melodies and danceable tempos. “It’s always felt like a natural fit for us,” adds MacDougall.
The recipient of multiple Music Nova Scotia and East Coast Music Awards, The Tom Fun Orchestra self-describes as the world’s first Cluster Rock Ensemble, a sophistical title for a sound that embodies the band’s celebratory ethos of camaraderie and nomadic hedonism. With its reputation preceding, the musical outfit from Cape Breton has spent years touring the world on the merit of two critically-acclaimed albums, Earthworm Heart (2012) and You Will Land With a Thud (2008), as well as a wildly energetic live show. “Fairytale of New York” marks the band’s first release in eight years.
Listen to The Tom Fun Orchestra’s rendition of The Pogues’ holiday anthem anytime on your favourite streaming service HERE.
