Gary Jules and Breezers

Cast your mind back to the Christmas of 2003; in musical terms, it marked what would be the final meaningful race for the coveted number one spot before The X Factor era truly set in. If you’re into novelty acts, too, it was quite the selection of tracks battling to reach the summit; years before Keith Lemon, Leigh Francis launched a tilt for the top with his Bo! Selecta Christmas song, whilst Ozzy and Kelly Osbourne lined up a weirdly moving rendition of Black Sabbath’s ‘Changes’ and, of course, The Darkness - at that point at their commercial peak - released their classic festive effort ‘Christmas Time (Don’t Let the Bells End)’. The winner, though, came from leftfield; singer Gary Jules pulled it off, with a mind-numbingly depressing version of ‘Mad World’ by Tears for Fears. He’s largely flown under the radar since, but he continues to record and tour, with his most recent record, Bird, dropping back in 2008. He’s recently returned to prominence, with Zach Braff featuring the song ‘Broke Window’ in his new movie, Wish I Was Here; it might mean a return to the UK for his minimalist live shows, which involve simply the piano, the guitar, and the superb, haunting voice.