It’s that special time of year where I get a chance to organise something truly wonderfully bizarre for Rob da Bank’s Christmas special on Radio 1. This year I headed up the imaginative self titled ‘Operation: Mary was a Virgin’, where I got to lead the familiar festival favourites and pioneers of bespoke entertainment Lost & Found. Each year we turn up to Maida Vale, host the programme and perform dressed in sparkles completely tinseled up to the max. We have just about covered everything fancy dress theme from the blessed nativity to a full-scale Band Aid reunion and this year our ridiculousness continued as we adopted the guises of a Bavarian Folk Group (think German Christmas Market). Normally we sing each year as the Lost & Found Helium Choir but “Elf and Safety” being what it is this Christmas at Radio 1, I had to be even more creative because helium was off the menu. Luckily I know a trio of amazing delights called Goodbye Leopold that saved our bacon and kept this sacred tradition alive. With these three beauties onboard I was unstoppable and ready to inject Maida Vale with a huge flu jab sized dose of fun. Goodbye Leopold sang two backwards carols which I can only compare to sounding like the hypnotic melody of a siren, beautiful and magical all at the same time. Mark Ronson performed a live DJ scratch set which was followed by Jamie N Commons who has been nominated for the BBC’s future Sound of 2012. Then my new favourite friends Azari & III performed their brand of New York style house and soul which got everyone feeling funky fresh. Crystal Fighters were up next and finishing it off was myself with my Bavarian dressed friends, Lost & Found and Goodbye Leopold. We taught the bands and Robbie how to yodel and sung a very wonky version of ‘Silent Night’ in German. Funny stuff especially when you realise some of the German translations sound like naughty English words. Playground humour yes but it all added to yet another marvelous show. Merry Christmas.
Clayton Wright on Radio 1
