Brògeal have teamed up with Rianne Downey for ‘The Last Noel’, out on 13th November via Play It Again Sam. The Falkirk five-piece take their cue from The Pogues on a Scottish Christmas single about two former lovers who’ve lost touch. Guitarist and vocalist Daniel Harkins wrote the song with Rianne in mind. The two had crossed paths on the Scottish music scene for years and become friends.
The band describe a couple who have been apart long enough to wonder whether the other is still in love or even alive. Christmas brings the same sights back each year: decorations go up around town, boxes come down from the loft and both find themselves thinking about the last Christmas they spent together. There’s no grand reunion in the band’s account of the song. There’s the memory of the relationship ending and the awkwardness of still caring about someone whose life you no longer know.
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Accordion and jingle bells place the story firmly in December. It’s easy to see why The Pogues came to mind: the song lets the season sound festive while the people singing have a much harder time of it. Giving both former lovers a voice also leaves room for two memories of the same relationship. The Christmas lights bring them back to the same point without telling either of them what happened to the other.
From Tuesday Paper Club to ‘The Last Noel’
The single follows Brògeal’s debut album, Tuesday Paper Club, which reached No. 9 on the Official Scottish Albums Chart in 2025. The band recorded it on the Isle of Lewis, and it included ‘Go Home Tae Yer Bed’ with folk singer Josie Duncan. They’ve also supported The Mary Wallopers and Paolo Nutini. For ‘The Last Noel’, the guest voice has a different role: Daniel wrote with Rianne in mind from the start, and the story needs someone on the other side of the conversation.
For anyone coming to the band through Rianne, her debut album The Consequence of Love is a good companion listen. It spends time with what people feel after a loss, once the immediate shock has passed. ‘The Last Noel’ picks up further down the road, when an ordinary ritual like putting up the decorations is enough to bring someone back to mind.
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