News

Student aims for Christmas Number One

(30 November 2007)

A Durham University student is challenging the giants of the music industry in a bid to top this year’s Christmas charts.

Singer/songwriter Tom Rosenthal, who studies anthropology at Durham, has composed and sings “Smells Like Christmas Time” which has been recorded by his band Anarchy Xmas. The song will be available to download from the iTunes website from Monday, December 10, with all proceeds going to Oxfam, the NSPCC, Cancer Research UK, Shelter and Friends of the Earth. Anarchy Xmas, which was formed via the social networking website Facebook and includes members from across the UK, hope to clinch the coveted festive Number One spot which in recent years has been dominated by acts from reality TV shows. X-Factor winners Leona Lewis and Shayne Ward have topped the last two Christmas charts with the winners of this year’s competition also hotly tipped to be Number One. Tom, 21, said: “The time has come to put the festive fun back into the Christmas pop charts. “We’re fed up with manufactured acts producing non-Christmas songs. It’s time to challenge the big boys. “This song is pop music that you can sing along to after the turkey dinner and the money raised will go to some great causes.” Anarchy Xmas is the brainchild of Sheffield musicians Iz El-Bahnasy and Tom Langhorn. The group has already enlisted more than 9,000 supporters through Facebook, MySpace and YouTube and via email. Fans voted on which song to record and which charities to support. To help its cause the band has set up a website www.anarchyxmas.com. Alternatively join the Facebook Group "Lets make this years Christmas No 1" http://dur.facebook.com/group.php?gid=2235015750 (Facebook account needed).