Exclusive Interview: Christmas with… #4 R.P.C!

Christmas is coming, the goose is getting fat. It will soon be snowing. Then there will be Christmas jumper day at the 9-5 daily grind to raise a few quid for charity and perhaps even a mince pie tasting competition, if you’re lucky. But while you’re doing all that, what are your favourite musicians up to? How do they spend the holiday season? It’s time to find out with  vocalist Ciara “Fozzie” Hayes, guitarist and backing vocalist Jim Spillane, bassist Emmet Hickey and drummer Alfie Alderson from Hardcore injected Thrash Punk’s R.P.C!

This one rears its ugly head every year, so let’s start by addressing the elephant in the room. Is Die Hard really a Christmas movie? Do you have a movie you watch every Christmas?

Emmet: “Die hard is absolutely a Christmas film, it hits every beat that the majority of Christmas films do, setting, music, references, themes. It’s the most frequent Christmas movie watched in my household”

Metal Hammer contact you about doing a cover of a Christmas classic for their Spotify playlist. What are you picking to make over? A bit of Mariah Carey? Slade? or something more left field?

Jim: “We have actually discussed this recently and I think “Fairytale of New York” by The Pogues and Kirsty MacColl would be a great song to adapt into our own style. Throw in a halftime breakdown just after the chorus have a moshing you know yourself.”

What will you be listening to this Christmas? Are you a fan of seasonal classics or are you going to be sticking to your usual tunes?

Alfie: “My music taste tends not to change due to the season but for the festive period, the odd 1 or 2 nostalgic songs clicks with me like “Stop the Cavalry” by Jona Lewie. But for a true sleeper pick i’d recommend August Burns Red’s “Winter Wilderness” EP Which covers many Christmas classics like the theme from “Home Alone” and blending them with there heavy style.”

Do you have a favorite Christmas treat?

Alfie: “As a seasoned seasonal eater I enjoy many of the festive nom noms, I love mince pies with cold custard but I always eat them too early at the start of December and get tired of them by Christmas. I love matchmakers, my nan would always get me a box with my lynx gift set.”

Bottle of Baileys and a Christmas movie on Christmas Eve? Do you have any family traditions in the festive season you’d care to share?

Ciara: “I watch one of the Lord of the Rings movies every Christmas Eve. Don’t know why I started it but I look forward to it every year.”

Is it straight to the presents at dawn’s crack or more of a Full English with a pint of Guinness at 11am kind of vibe at your place?

Emmet: “Back home with the parents we get into the gift giving in the morning before all else, however as per tradition we then head up to my grandmothers where all my extended family go, there more presents are exchanged and enough alcohol to take down a family of bears is consumed”

Champagne at midnight on New Years? Do you have any New Year’s Resolutions in mind?

Jim: “I think my own personal new years resolution is to exercise more, I’ve not been as active as I could and really feeling it at gigs which demand a lot of energy. Either that get help for my debilitating gambling problems.”

What’s next for R.P.C?

Ciara: “R.P.C have so much planned for 2026 and were quickly filling up our calendar for the year already. Early next year you can expect to see us make appearances in both the north and Republic of Ireland, competing in Oxford Metal 2 the Masses 2026, and we’re even doing our first Scottish shows which is really exciting. You can also expect one or two new singles dropping in the first quarter of the year, so be sure to follow us on all our social media accounts to hear those”