Watch: Scottish indie musicians join forces for pro-environment 'Band Aid-style Christmas single'

The Olive Grove All-Star Choir recorded festive single "Christmas, Burn It All" at Castlemilk Youth Centre in Glasgow.

Adam Ross, frontman with the Glasgow-based folk-pop band Randolph’s Leap, has penned the catchy pro-environment song “Christmas, Burn It All,” sales from which will benefit the campaign group Friends of the Earth Scotland.

The Nairn-born singer-songwriter describes the nation’s new festive anthem as a “slightly nihilistic ’goodbye and good riddance’ to 2019.”

His record label, Olive Grove, which will release the single tomorrow, says the song counterbalances “some of 2019’s rubbishness with the cathartic idea of starting afresh in 2020."

The song, which was recorded at Castlemilk Youth Centre in Glasgow, includes the chorus: “It’s Christmas time and all your heroes are dead. So love yourself, your family and friends tonight instead.”

Another verse states: “We’re waiting for a victory. We’re hoping for a sign. We’re waiting for the winter sun to slowly rise and shine.”

Ross’s seven bandmates all play on the single and appear in the accompanying video, along with Carla J Easton and members of Broken Chanter, Pocket Knife, Campfires in Winter, The State Broadcasters and Henry & Fleetwood, all Olive Grove labelmates of Randolph's Leap.

Last year Ross saw a clutch of his songs for Randolph's Leap featured in Isle of Love, a new musical set in a fictional Hebridean destination, about the "beauty and restorative qualities of island life."

Ross, who sent his label a demo of the song in September, said: “I was keen to round off a slightly chaotic 2019 by doing something positive for the environment.

“As a musician it can be hard to offset the carbon impact of your own constant travelling or trying to move beyond the abundance of plastic cups and water bottles in music venues.

“The natural world plays an important role in my songwriting and Friends of the Earth Scotland are doing great work on climate and other environmental issues.”

Lloyd Meredith, founder of Olive Grove, said: “It’s always great when an artist sends you new material and the lyrics instantly struck a chord with me as they counterbalanced some of 2019’s rubbishness with the cathartic idea of starting afresh in 2020.

“It didn’t take long for us to hatch the plan for an indie Band Aid style charity single.”

Kerrigan Bell, development manager at Friends of the Earth Scotland, said: “Music has the power to bring us together – which is needed more than ever as we tackle the climate crisis.

“This was a big year for the environment in Scotland with the new Climate Bill, the rise of the Scottish youth climate strikers and more, and 2020 is looking set to be even bigger as Glasgow will host to the UN Climate Conference.

“We continue to push for more action on climate change.”

FULL LYRICS

It’s Christmas time and all your heroes are dead

So love yourself, your family and friends tonight instead

There’s panic on the streets you know, it’s looking rough out there

They mistook Rudolph for a drone and shot him out the air

We’re waiting for a victory

We’re hoping for a sign

We’re waiting for the winter sun to slowly rise and shine

It’s Christmas time and all your heroes are dead

So love yourself, your family and friends tonight instead

It’s Christmas time and all your dreams are gone

But Santa’s on his way to bring a new and hopeful dawn

They said that Santa got detained while trying to cross the border

They said he hadn’t got his visa paperwork in order

Brian, 60, mortgage paid, screams scientists are lying

School kids marching in the streets to stop the planet dying

(Chorus)

It’s Christmas time and all your heroes are dead

The ghost of Daniel Johnston came and hovered by my bed

We talked about some random things then finally he said

Merry Christmas and True Love Will Find You In The End

(Chorus)

Burn it all, throw it all on the fire

It’s Christmas Day; a new age is on the way