The Irish in Britain, including those of Irish descent, make up a significant part of the UK population. Here, you will find news, entertainment, events, sports and features from the local Irish Post newspaper.

Various Artistes: NOW Xmas

By Phil Savva

Yes it’s Christmas again and as is customary at this time of year the compilation albums are coming thick and fast.

The NOW brand has been foremost in the compilation stakes for over a decade and this month see the release of not one but two collections.

First up here is the NOW Xmas collection which features some of your all-time fave Christmas pop songs from the past couple of decades and more.

Yes, they’re cheesy and at times dated now but they’re still popular and it is Christmas after all.

So pull on your Santa hat and join in raucously to the likes of Slade’s Merry Xmas Everybody, Brenda Lee’s Rockin’ Around The Christmas Tree, Band Aid’s Do They Know It’s Christmas, Paul McCartney’s Wonderful Christmas Time and Dean Martin’s Let It Snow Let It Snow Let It Snow.

And if you fancy something a little slower and more saintly then there’s classics from Chris De Burgh (A Spaceman Came Travelling), Cliff Richard (Mistletoe And Wine), Bing Crosby (White Christmas) and Frankie Goes To Hollywood (The Power Of Love).

Merry Christmas to one and all!

Various Artistes: NOW 62

By Phil Savva

The second release from the NOW gang is the latest installment of chart hits from the past few months.

NOW 62 (has there really been 61 previous albums?) features some of the hottest tracks around at the moment and some that have risen to great heights in the recent Top 40.

Just about every genre is covered whether it be rock, pop, dance, R ’n’ B or hip-hop. As with all of these types of compilation CDs it’s a hit-and-miss affair. You’re possibly not gonna like all of the tracks but you’ll probably like a lot of them.

So for the record (if you’ll pardon the pun) here’s some of my favourites and the best tunes on offer: Black Eyed Peas’ Don’t Lie, Gorillaz’s Dare, Kaiser Chiefs’ I Predict A Riot, Robbie Williams’ Trippin’, Depeche Mode’s Precious and David Gray’s The One I Love.

Add in the highly-infectious Push The Button from Sugababes and Pussycat Dolls’ Don’t Cha and you get the idea I’m sure.

NOW Karaoke/ Now That’s What I Call Music Quiz

By Phil Savva

Two DVD releases from the NOW gang are also released this month.

NOW Karaoke is — as you’d expect — a karaoke DVD which features 14 recent pop classics that have been sung to up and down the country I suspect. So here you get the full-length videos plus the instrumental versions and on-screen lyrics so you can join in.

So grab that mic and join in with the likes of Ronan Keating, Blue, Jamelia and Daniel Bedingfield.

Now That’s What I Call Music Quiz is a fantastic DVD release.

The interactive quiz comprises over 1,000 random pop trivia questions based on music video clips, album covers, pop culture and artist photographs.

It comes with single and multi-player modes and features three different game types: Top 20, Top 40 and I-Spy. Players must use tactics to climb the virtual music charts on-screen.

Great fun for all the family.