Happy Christmas and o yeah, we're all going to die

09/12/2007

Bah, humbug. Merry bleeding Christmas. If you share your feelings for the festive period with Ebeneezer Scrooge, The Grinch and that girl off Gremlins whose dad got stuck in the chimney, then you’ll love Malcolm Middleton’s bid for the coveted 2007 Christmas number one spot. Putting him in direct competition with this years X Factor winner and the Spice Girls, William Hill have given Malcolm odds of 1000/1 in what the bookmakers say is 'the longest ever odds we’ve given on a Christmas number 1!' The title of the single is We’re All Going To Die.

You won’t find any sleigh bells on We’re All Going To Die. Neither will you find a choir of angelic children singing. But, in a way, you will find a message of hope and goodwill for all, as Malcolm explains.
“Although at first seemingly negative, the song is intended to make people think about being alive and making the most of our time here, which to me are your generic ‘Xmas’ themes.”

Taken from Middleton’s third solo album, A Brighter Beat, We’re All Going To Die explodes with electronic arpeggios and a chugging beat. Best of all is the chorus, which repeats the titular statement with such joie de vivre that you actually end up feeling quite good about it.
“Christmas is the best time for a song like this to be released into the mainstream consciousness, especially now in 2007,” continues Malcolm. “People don't want to be lied to by Cliff Richards any more. It's maybe time they were told what's really waiting for them inside their Christmas stockings.”

Christmas has already given Middleton food for thought – see the tragic Burst Noel on 2005’s Into The Woods for proof. And of course, some people will fail to see the positives in Malcolm’s message, drizzled as it is in neurotic thoughts. But then, it would do us all good to think a bit more like Malcolm sometimes.
“Dying is a bit like writing a letter to Santa,” he says, brilliantly. “Unless you've been a good boy or girl, you're fucked.”

To support his bid for the Christmas number one slot, Malcolm will be appearing on Colin Murray’s Christmas Special, to be broadcast on 17 December on Radio One. Malcolm will perform four live tracks and present listeners with an alternative Xmas.

In addition to this, Malcolm will be hitting the road to spread his own brand of Christmas cheer throughout the advent period. Catch Malcolm and his full band playing songs from A Brighter Beat and Into The Woods at the following dates. If you ask him nicely, he might even cover Last Christmas.

DECEMBER TOUR DATES 05 Glasgow ABC 06 Edinburgh Liquid Room 08 Minehead All Tomorrow’s Parties 09 London Scala 10 Manchester Academy III

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