IT IS one of those songs that is part and carefully wrapped parcel of Christmas, and it has been covered on stages of every size from school halls to concert theatres, from rock arenas to giant sports stadia.

And, as we celebrate the holiday, here’s a version I hadn’t heard until recently but which blew me away. It’s seasonal staple The Little Drummer Boy, given some serious steroids by For King + Country.

Originally known as Carol Of The Drum, the song isn’t as old as you might think. It was written by American composer Katherine Kennicott Davis in 1941, and first recorded ten years later by some sibling stars.

We’re talking about the Austrian Trapp Family – yes, the same real-life family immortalised in The Sound Of Music as the Von Trapp family under the saccharine-sweet supervision of one Julie Andrews.

It has been recorded many, many times since, most memorably as a delightful duet by Bing Crosby and David Bowie, and by the likes of Frank Sinatra, Stevie Wonder, Justin Bieber and Joan Jett.

Whichever your favourite, enjoy For King + Country, who first recorded the song five years ago, look out for each other, have a great Christmas and a happy and healthy New Year.