Of all the problems a band could face, fighting for room onstage with a Christmas tree must be far down the list of possibilities. Yet there was David ‘Jaff’ Craig struggling to find room to move around, while avoiding knocking over the decoration next to him with an errant swing of his bass. It was the Futureheads own fault though, as both their current album and tour have a festive theme, hence the choice of two large trees on either side of the band.
Some of the crowd had taken this theme to heart, with Christmas jumpers and Santa hats worn, suggesting a works night out had wandered into the gig by accident. This was no half-hearted effort from the Sunderland foursome, either, with around half of a brisk (arguably overly so) 70 minute set comprising Yuletide tunes.
A number of them worked well enough that they bolstered the spirits far more than warbling carol singers on the doorstep. The foursome are skilled with harmonies anyway, and used this to pump up Stop The Caverely into a rambunctious sing-a-long, while the set opening Carol of the Bells was a more nimble, cleverly structured affair.
As always, a sense of humour was never far from the surface, given the band have a knack for deadpan humour. 'Not too fast' cautioned singer Barry Hyde, before they embarked on 'What's This', the lyrically dense number from Danny Elfman's Nightmare Before Christmas score. It was a laudable attempt, though one that used sheer strength to get through, somewhat shedding the original's wide-eyed charm in the process.
Thankfully, the band's back catalogue was able to be dipped into, from the timeless quickfire snap of Decent Days and Nights to the power-pop pleasure of I Can Do This. There was also time to revisit their 2012 acapella record Rant, with a lovely finger-snapping cover of Richard Thompson's Beeswing letting the vocals and harmonies take centre stage - even if drummer Dave Hyde stubbornly refused to leave his kit and join his band mates, protesting "I'm a fucking drummer' when asked to do so.
The encore delivered another acapella turn, this time on a big, boozy sing-a-long to the trad number Old Dun Cow, filled with the sort of lusty audience participation usually only provoked in December by Fairytale of New York coming on in a pub. That wasn't the only number to use the crowd, as inevitably their inspired reworking of Kate Bush's Hounds of Love near the end of the set provoked mass chanting.
It's still a brilliant indie reworking, but it also spotlighted what some of their festive covers were lacking, namely enough inspiration to make the tunes stand as distinct Futureheads songs rather than just covers. It was most notable on a workmanlike run-through of the Pretenders 2000 Miles, while the set's shortness felt a little undercooked, especially for those not enamoured with the Christmas theme.
However there remained good cheer in abundance, both via the band's humour - 'he's not just dressed as a salesman' quipped guitarist Ross Millard of the well dressed Craig after he pitched the group's merch being available - and reinterpretations that did work. Thankfully the best of these was saved till last, with a breathless Hyde managing to roll through every verse of The 12 Days of Christmas, accompanied by the band creating a rousing din around him. It was chaotic, cheerful and warmed the spirits, just like a good Christmas should.
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