Festive Fun

      The Ridings Centre 19th December 2025

Report by Phil Barr Videos David Flatters, Phil Barr

After a month or more of virtually persistent rain, it was fitting that a large contingent of Wakeylele decided that it was time to disperse the winter gloom and raise the spirits of the good folk of Wakefield and bring them some seasonal cheer. Geoff, the master joiner, was absent, most likely because, fearing the worst, he was busy assembling an ark in which to collect any stranded band members.  

   Meanwhile, inside the Ridings, people were bustling around Maria as they realised she was the source of Christmas gifts in the form of handwarmers, always much appreciated at this chilly venue. However, as eleven o’ clock approached, outer layers were eventually discarded revealing a glittering array of festive jumpers plus an unexpected but welcome dash of colour from that dark horse, Peter Joule, who stole the show with a smart jacket with a multi – coloured bauble pattern (second – hand).

   Being keen not to miss out on the bright lights, our leader, Chris, then added the final flourish to his outfit by turning on his elf hat lights, noticeable for its much-needed pair of big ears before confidently counting us in to confirm we were On the Road Again. Then came the first of the seasonal fayre, featuring Jingling bells and Christmas trees. A slight hiccup then occurred during Country Roads – maybe a signpost went missing, but we turned this around quickly by all travelling in the same direction before we successfully reached our destination. The thumping rhythm of Bad Moon Rising got everyone back on song, with Mike S nonchalantly tapping away on his fully restored ankle before the mood softened with a sensitive rendition of Mary’s Boy Child.  A Sunny Afternoon was quickly followed by A Winter Wonderland, thereby illustrating that no matter what the weather, Wakeylele will deliver the goods. Then, leading to the interval, the band performed one of their most well – honed and slick numbers, Sit Down, which it seems got an airing on Strictly last week. (The band, ‘James’, may want to view this version on YouTube to see how it’s done). Finally, to lead us to the interval, that unremittingly uplifting song, ‘Enjoy Yourself ‘ was belted out, which Magz pointed out, was surprisingly being sung enthusiastically by a youngster who had been watching us avidly alongside his mum and even younger brother. 

   With the likelihood of a lengthy wait in busy cafes, two of our groupies were ahead of the game by making stealthy exits from the playing arena with Roy’s attempt to trip me up en-route to Grind failing to put him well back in the queue. In fact, it turned out that half the band were to commandeer this cafe as we helped ourselves to tables and chairs to form a star – studded array of talent.

   When the second half eventually resumed, there followed a nice mix of seasonal and contrasting songs from our catalogue, although John W was heard to mutter in a bah humbug kind of voice that Love Potion Number 9 was not very festive. No matter because a soothing Silent Night was soon followed by   a pleasingly tight introduction to Santa Claus is Coming to Town, with Chris displaying true leadership qualities to  ensure that Tuesday’s efforts were not in vain On the back of this was another faultless performance of Steve Harley’s classic before another year of gigs soon came to a close, rounded off with the satisfying tremolo sound from 20 plus ukes to round off We Wish You A Merry Christmas. 

   Plenty of passers – by and spectators had shown

    Plenty of passers – by and spectators had showna proper Christmas spirit today by dipping into their pockets at regular intervals as far as the cash collection was concerned and we hope that we also played our part in attracting people to buy YAA gifts. The staff’s cheerful demeanour always helps too. Another bunch of people who always give us a welcome lift is, of course, the newly named groupies, so thank you to Barbara, Carol, Jane and Jenny for their continued and varied support with cheerleading, videos and photographs.

   Chris grows in stature with each gig, and as he’s tall enough, anyway, it is to be hoped he reaches his peak early in 2026.  Well done, Chris, and well done to everyone – it is a pleasure to be part of the band, which has worked hard to retain the Wakeylele ethos of continuing to develop whilst having a good time.

 A Merry Christmas to one and all and a Healthy New Year. 

   The first practice session of 2026 is on Tuesday, 13th January.