Spizzenergi – Christmas In Denmark Street
Renowned UK Independent punk group Spizzenergi make yet another return only this time in the guise of festive balladeers – and with a message! Christmas in Denmark Street is a Visconti mixed seasonal tune wrapped up with a protest vibe only to be expected from the veteran campaigner Spizz.
Christmas in Denmark Street is a lament to the cultural and musical landscape of London or indeed the wider UK, currently at risk of being lost forever under the weight of infrastructure projects like Cross rail and media network behemoths like Outernet Global, which are rapidly enveloping the cultural corners of our cities
Written by Spizz and guitarist Luca Comencini, in 2015 amidst the last days of the renowned 12 Bar Club in London’s Denmark Street, the song is a spirited paen to the eroded night time community whilst the Soho Square bells chime in the background.
Mixed by Tony Visconti, who knows Denmark Street only too well and has been visiting it since 1967. Tony recognised the sadness in potentially losing such a wonderful piece of musical heritage and on hearing the song immediately agreed to work on the record. Although part of the street has so far been preserved, the threat of losing it all completely remains.
“In 1967 Denmark Street comforted me when I first arrived in London because it was like New York’s West 48th St with just about the same amount of music stores in both places. Then there was the 12-Bar Club, quite a dingy place, but all the best musicians played there one time or another. There was musical magic in that street. I really liked this song when I first heard it. I love the sentiments of the song which struck a chord in my heart. Spizz is a great performer and his vocals made it very appealing to me. I’m so happy with the way it turned out. It’s commercial enough to be played on the BBC and I hope it gets lots of signatures on a petition to save the street for all our efforts.” (Tony Visconti – 2020)