We caught up with SPIKE SLAWSON from Spike and the Gimme Gimmes ahead of their US/UK tour where they’ll be bringing festive cheer to a town or city near YOU. For more information on the tour dates and where to puchase tickets, click HERE
We had a great chat about the tour, support acts, Christmas dinner, their 2026 calendar, paid escorts and three festive faves that will be on repeat in the Slawson household throughout the festive period, read on to learn more!
You’re hitting the road this winter to celebrate the release of “All I Want For Christmas Is You.” It’s a classic track to give the Gimmes treatment — were there other songs in the running, or was this always the one?
This one was always right under our noses. It was just too close for us to see it. We’re gonna be playing this one well into March, I have a feeling. I fuckin love Christmas.
The 2026 calendar with the flexi-disc single is a brilliant idea. How did that concept come about, and where were the photos shot? Should fans brace themselves for any risqué summer surprises?
We are a band of all seasons and holidays. We are always punctual, organised and prepared. It should be said, however, that some of our fans really need to work on their time-management skills. Not everybody can be us, but they CAN keep track of important upcoming events with their brand new Spike and the Gimme Gimmes 2026 calendar. No more excuses. Why don’t YOU guys surprise US this upcoming Summer and show up on time for once in your life?
Will fans be able to grab the calendar/flexi-disc combo exclusively at shows, or will it also be available online in time for Christmas?
The calendar/flexi combo will be available from Fat Wreck Chords, and the song should be streaming now. If you had a calendar you’d know that already. Give the gift of the Gimmes!
You’ve got eight U.S. dates before heading to the UK for nine more shows. Are there any UK stops that will be firsts for the band
It’s certainly not in the UK, but we will be playing Cork for the first time. I just found out that I am exactly 17.8% Irish and I can’t wait to share that information with everybody I encounter there.
Your live shows are famously lively. Beyond the Christmas theme, are there any surprises in store for fans this time around?
Just when you thought we couldn’t get any more better—SURPRISE, MOTHERFUCKER!!—we exceed your wildest expectations with talent, grit and technical proficiency ratcheted up to superhuman levels.
What about support acts — are you bringing a band along for the ride, or will it be local supports at each stop?
We keep the support acts in the trailer until showtime, even the local support. We occasionally remember to feed them through a doggy-door that we had specially (and generously, I would add) installed. They are not to look at or try to converse with any member of the Gimmes or their crew. Upstaging the band in any way will result in serious consequences, including financial penalties or possible jail time.
Your stage outfits usually tie into the album theme. With this being a Christmas tour, can we expect full festive attire?
Expect bright, festive attire and bleak, sardonic worldview.
For the UK shows, Dan Goatham from Snuff is stepping in on guitar for Reis. Have you been longtime fans of Snuff? And would you ever consider them as tour support?
I have certainly been a long time fan of SNUFF, and am very excited to play with Dan (Dan-imal, as he’s known to his close friends) for the first time. We’ll play anywhere, anytime and with anybody. We’ll play weddings, estate sales, regattas, human sacrifices…
While you’re in the UK, you’ll have to play ‘Whamageddon’ — the game where you try to avoid hearing Wham’s “Last Christmas” until Christmas Eve. Who in the band do you think would last the longest?
I mean, you’d really have to live on the margins of society not to hear that song at least once during the holiday season. Like a real misanthrope. So, Pinch?
You wrap up in London on December 20th.Will you be heading straight home to celebrate with family, or sticking around the UK for the holidays?
We’ll be hitting our respective corners and celebrating with friends, family and paid escorts.
Describe a typical Christmas Day in your household — is it presents first thing, a morning walk, or gifts after dinner
First, about an hour and a half of butt-crunches, give or take, while everybody’s still asleep. Then, I switch the cards on all the presents under the tree, spike the punch with ketamine, take an upper-decker in the garage bathroom, and I’m out.
What’s on the menu for Christmas dinner? And do you go all in with Christmas pudding afterwards?
We will festively drink the blood and feast on the entrails of lesser cover acts who dare to enter the octagon. Some mulled wine, maybe?
With Christmas just around the corner, what’s on your wish list this year — assuming you’ve all been good?
More original content to plagiarize. We’re hungry.
Finally, apart from “All I Want For Christmas Is You,” what other festive songs are guaranteed to be played in your homes over the holidays?
Father Christmas, by the Kinks; I Wish It Could Be Christmas Everyday, by Wizzard; Nuestra Navidad, by Johnny Albino.
Keep up to date with the bands movements (musical ones, not number two’s) at the following places.