U2 tribute from band
December release their new album
Lanarkshire band December are set to release their new album, which is a celebration of Irish rock legends U2.
The band will launch the album next week with a gig in Glasgow venue Oran Mor.
Their album features ten U2 covers and they have called it 33 – as it will be released 33 years after U2’s The Unforgettable Fire.
Hamilton’s Ails Pattison is the vocalist with December, and said: “We feel it’s really important to say how much U2 and their music mean to us.
“These songs are more than special. They’ve helped us through the storms of our lives and we look up to U2 as examples as people and as a band.
“Although we are not a tribute band, it felt appropriate to somehow pay tribute in this way.
“It’s important to say these things while you can.
“They’ve been a true inspiration and we just wanted to say that and thank them through this album.”
The rest of the band are made up of Paul Ferrie on guitars and vocals, Graeme Sparshott on drums and Scott Pattison on guitars.
While not a tribute act, they have always been inspired by U2 and first got together after seeing the original Joshua Tree tour in 1987 in Scotland.
They previously released a single called Alison Stewart, named after Bono’s wife, in November 2015, with all proceeds going to benefit Irish charity Chernobyl Children International.
The Alison Stewart single led to a number of requests that the band cover U2, something they had resisted until then.
In January 2016, December released their first U2 cover, A Sort of Homecoming from 1984’s The Unforgettable Fire and followed that up with a version of I Fall Down from the October album.
A charity cover of Where The Streets Have No Name followed, with proceeds going to the Syrian Refugee Relief Fund, a Uk-based charity working in Aleppo.
December have become firm favourites with U2’s online fan community and have been invited to play events worldwide and – particularly in Dublin where they played the official fan-led celebration of U2’s 40th anniversary in September 2016.
The band will spend 2017 touring the UK and Ireland and working on the writing and recording of the follow-up to 33.
December have also been invited to play a major U2 fan event in Brazil on October 20, when U2 are in town for the concluding shows of The Joshua Tree 2017 tour.
Oran Mor will host December on Saturday, September 30. Tickets are £10 online via Ticketweb or by calling 08444 771000.
We feel it’s really important to say how much U2 and their music mean to us