The Darren Hanlon Christmas Show has become an annual event for many, a cherished tradition and a relaxing way to unwind after a busy year-end.
But when Hanlon, who describes his music as “urban folk,” played his first Christmas show 19 years ago, he thought it would be a one-off.
At the time, the tour consisted of just a few festive shows in Sydney and Melbourne. Now, this tour will feature no set list, many audience requests, duets with support acts and Hanlon’s songs from favorites like “Falling Aeroplanes” and “Elbows” to Christmas-themed murder ballads. It’s a cross-border journey, playing songs from the entire back catalogue. “The Loaf”.
The 51-year-old singer-songwriter, who is based in the regional Queensland town of Gympie, says it’s so rewarding to see the annual show become part of the fabric of people’s lives.
“A lot of the same people come every year, and I’ve watched their kids grow up,” Hanlon said.
“I recognize a lot of the faces. People always come up and say hello and list the years they’ve seen each other.
“It’s become quite an event. When it started it was just a way to end the year without stress, but now it’s the biggest part of the year for me.”
“Who the hell would come to a place like this?”
While many touring musicians stick to capital cities, Hanlon’s Christmas tour ventures off the beaten path to regional cities and small towns.
One of Hanlon’s favorite playgrounds is the village hall of Bilimari, a town in mid-west New South Wales that had a population of just 117 at the latest census.
“It’s a great community and a very vibrant venue,” Hanlon said.
“It’s a really remote place. There’s no infrastructure around it, just this paddock. You think, ‘Who in the world is going to come here?’ But all these cars are arriving from neighboring farms. And it’s a catered show.”Everyone is eating, and it has an old-fashioned atmosphere.
Another unusual feature of Hanlon’s Christmas tour is that he largely eschews traditional licensed venues, instead playing theaters, churches and city halls.
These days, Hanlon tends to avoid larger licensed venues such as Brisbane’s Zoo. (Courtesy: Darren Hanlon)
This year’s tour venues include a cafe in Wingham on the NSW north coast and an armchair cinema in the Snowy Valley town of Tumbarumba.
“I strongly believe that we can perform live in this building,” he explains. “I love playing in places where people might just want to look at the buildings.”
His Brisbane show will be held at the 1940s-built Hawthorn Cinema.
“It’s a beautiful old movie theater, and I’ve been intrigued by it since I was a kid,” Hanlon said.
“I really convinced the manager to let me perform there, and he finally let me.
“Right now,[movie theaters]are so excited. They were like, ‘Do you think people would want a candy bar to open?'” And I said, “Yeah, they do. They’re going to want candy bars! It’s going to be a popcorn-type show.”
At a time when it’s becoming increasingly expensive for musicians to hire licensed venues, Hanlon says choosing these unusual venues is also a way to keep touring costs low.
different show every night
The relaxed, unstructured atmosphere means no two Christmas shows are the same. On this tour, Hanlon has already performed a set that ranges from “greatest hits” selections to an evening of B-sides and deep cuts.
Hanlon remembers how to play most of the songs he’s written across six albums, B-side compilations, and three EPs, but he sometimes confuses his audience.
Before a show at Armidale the other day, a customer requested ‘Video Store’ from his first EP, ‘Early Days’. It was the first time in 10 years that Hanlon performed this song solo.
“Songs like that require a refresher,” he says.
“I have so many songs these days that some of them fall off the back of the truck and I have to go back and get them.”
In addition to the evolving setlist, Hanlon says choosing interesting musicians to open for him also keeps the tour fresh.
Loading Instagram content
This year, Hanlon is touring with Kankawa Nagara, a Walmadjari elder, activist and blues singer who just won $50,000 at the 2024 Australian Music Awards.
Before each show, she chats on stage so the audience can get to know her.
Inside the tour van, Nagara teaches Hanlon Walmajari one of the languages she speaks.
“A lot of music is ego-based and just mining your own emotions. Learning a new language was very special and cathartic,” he says.
Hanlon’s 4-year-old son, Rocky, is also learning.
“At the last show, my little son stood up and sang a song in Wolmajali,” Hanlon says. “He listened every night and knew everything. I couldn’t believe it!”
Rocky has spent most of his young life on stage with his father (pictured here with Hanlon and mother Shelly Short in 2020). (Courtesy: Darren Hanlon)
“I’m grateful that strange things keep happening to me.”
Audiences came to love the laid-back atmosphere of Hanlon’s shows and the way everyone could sing along.
And between songs, there are stories he tells, from lyrical explanations to playful anecdotes from everyday life.
“I grew up watching artists like Billy Bragg, so a big part of his show is storytelling,” Hanlon explains.
“And when I first started performing, I was often performing in front of friends, so there was a natural back and forth, heckling and talking, and[stage banter]evolved that way. did.
“Now people have come to expect it, but I’m grateful that weird things keep happening to me, so I have more energy to go into the factory.”
There are sometimes some good-natured heckles at these Christmas shows.
Recently, an older man entertained Hanlon with a novel interjection.
“This guy slept the whole show. He was snoring right behind me on the balcony, loud enough for me to hear.
“People would poke him and he would wake up for a little while and then go back to sleep.
“Towards the end, I took out the banjo and strummed a few strings. He came to life and yelled, ‘It’s time for a bad time!’ I loved that. It brought the house down. I let it happen.”
Darren Hanlon’s Christmas Tour runs until December 29th. Tour dates can be found here.