Reverend and the Makers are set to help lonely fans get through Christmas by giving private Zoom shows on 25 December.
The band have also released a charity single for good cause the Samaritans called ‘Late Night Phone Call’ which is vying with Tom Grennan and Kelly Clarkson to become the biggest new festive song of the year.
Singer Jon McClure, 42, told the Daily Star about the six private gigs he will give to help the lonely and depressed: “Some of those people are in bad places emotionally.
“Doing the calls makes me realise how fortunate I am. I’ve just lost my dad but I’ve got a good family and community around me.
“Some people don’t have that. I’ve been crying my eyes out at what people tell me is going on with them.
“You can have a great Christmas yourself, but be saddened by others' situations.”
Jon’s father John was killed by cancer in April, and he added to the Star about his ongoing trauma over his passing: “This is my first Christmas without my dad, so it’s going to be difficult.
“But I’m lucky, as my wife was amazing when dad was dying and I’ll be at my mum’s house for Christmas.
“Christmas is a tough time for people who are on their own.”
‘Late Night Phone Call’ is raising money for Samaritans as Jon has used the charity’s services himself.
The single was written by the singer and his regular co-writer Danny Lafrome after they listened to Elvis Presley’s late Las Vegas era output.
Proceeds from the single go to the Samaritans, whose service of helping vulnerable people soar over Christmas.
Jon told the NME in a new interview: “I was f*****, and I rang the Samaritans, who were a massive help.
“The Samaritans save people’s lives 365 days a year, and they’re even more important this close to Christmas.
“They’ve done stuff for me, and I wanted to do stuff for them.
“The Samaritans are what Christmas is really about, in the tradition going right back to pagan times, of trying to brighten up the middle of winter when it’s dark and s***.”
