A highlight on the Melbourne Christmas calendar, Claymore’s A Celtic Christmas returns in 2021 to kick the festival season off in style. The Celtic rockers are gearing up for a massive show and can’t wait to get back out on stage, doing what they do best, playing live music. Since the band started their festival tradition back in 2014, their A Celtic Christmas show has brought in a swag of special guests, the acclaimed Glenbrae Celtic Dancers, and Claymore’s own special brand of Christmas cheer.
For lead singer William Hutton, the annual A Celtic Christmas in 2021 promises to be more special than normal. “Our plan for the night is, as always, fun,” he says. “We have missed gigging and entertaining, doing what we love to do so much, so we can’t wait. The fact that it is our annual A Celtic Christmas show is just a big celebration bonus. As always, a few special guests will likely turn up, and turn it up to ten!”
As for special guests, William isn’t giving anything away. Previous years have seen Claymore share the stage with Damien Leith, Eric Bogle and Colin Lilly, to name a few. “Everyone from the Celtic music scene and beyond has been amazing and very keen to be a part of the spirit of these gigs,” he says. “We always like to keep it close to our chest as to who might make an appearance. Let’s say they are always worth the price of the ticket themselves and always great entertainment. Mums the word for now…”
One of the special guests that William is happy to champion is the Glenbrae Celtic Dancers, who have become a regular at Claymore shows. “The Glenbrae Celtic Dancers – The Clayettes – are just so important to a Claymore show,” says William. “We are so lucky to have these amazing Australian champion dancers as our partners in our entertainment journey for so many years. The level of talent in this group is beyond measure and they are all such wonderful human beings to boot.”
The A Celtic Christmas kicked off almost by a lucky accident in 2014 with Claymore’s first Christmas show, and was so well received that it has become an annual occurrence. “We had always planned a gig as close to Christmas as we could, more of our own ‘make sure we all see each other before Christmas’ reason,” says William. “I think from that 2014 show we realised this Christmas thing is great, we should have one every year. It became a thing and it has just got bigger and better every year. Now it seems to be the expected thing from the Claymore gang, our friends and followers. Who would have thought it? Now that its just expected, it is great!”
Website: www.claymore.org
Facebook: www.facebook.com/ClaymoreMusic
Twitter: twitter.com/aussieclaymore
Instagram: www.instagram.com/aussieclaymore
Comments