Leftover Tinsel, Last Night’s Gin — The story behind the song
Every family has its own Christmas chaos — the warm, messy, funny moments that become the memories we reach for when life gets hard.
Leftover Tinsel, Last Night’s Gin was written from exactly that place.
This is a Christmas single created in honour of my mum, Lynne Davies, who was diagnosed with motor neurone disease two and a half years ago. It’s a song about family, northern Christmases, working men’s clubs, and all the tiny things that end up meaning everything. But it’s also a song about MND — about how fast things can change, how precious each second becomes, and how much love and humour matter when the world moves quicker than you want it to.
Why the song exists
MND has changed my mum’s life in ways that are hard to put into words. It began with weakness in her left hand at 60. After months of tests, uncertainty, and almost-diagnoses, she finally got the news none of us were ready for.
Today, the illness has spread through her legs, her breathing, and her mobility. She now relies on a NIPPY machine 24 hours a day — a device she describes as a life-saver. And through every stage of the journey, the Motor Neurone Disease Association (MNDA) has been there: helping her clone her voice, funding the specialist “Bobby Dazzler” chair that gives her dignity and comfort, and offering constant support when things feel impossible.
This song is for her — and for the MNDA, whose work genuinely changes lives.
Kenny and his Mum Lynne on holiday earlier this year
What the song is about
The track centres around Club Punks — a nod to the old northern working men’s clubs where so many of our Christmas memories were made.
It dances through those little moments we take for granted:
Del Boy and Rodney on the telly
Boxsets and cheap wine
The daft jokes that come back every year
Rooms with no space but full of people you love
Memories that unfold like an album, page by page, every December
And underneath it all is one line that became the heartbeat of the song:
“When everything matters and nothing matters at all.”
That’s what living with MND feels like — holding onto humour and hope while the world shifts under your feet.
Leftover Tinsel, Last Night’s Gin – Songwriters Introduction
Hear Kenny intro the song here:
Leftover Tinsel, Last Night’s Gin – Full Music Video
Watch the full music video here:
The making of the song
I wrote every lyric, every verse, every idea myself — but AI played a part in shaping the production. As someone who’s used AI for songwriting for a while now, it’s become a tool that helps me learn, experiment, and move quickly.
Working with the AI music engine Suno, I generated more than 180 musical versions before finding the one that carried the warmth and emotional weight the story needed. The music video was made with Google’s Veo model and then hand-crafted together to reflect the nostalgia of northern streets and club culture.
There’s a lot of stigma around AI in music, but for me, it’s simple:
If AI can help make something meaningful and raise money for the MNDA, then it becomes a force for good.
How you can help
All streaming royalties from the track are being donated directly to the Motor Neurone Disease Association. But streaming doesn’t make much, even with thousands of plays.
That’s why we’re encouraging anyone who enjoys the song — or connects with Lynne’s story — to donate £2, the old price of a Christmas single, via the JustGiving page:
https://www.justgiving.com/page/kenny-skelton-3
Every £2 genuinely helps the MNDA support more families like ours.
Sharing the song, sharing the JustGiving link, and spreading the story is just as valuable as donating. The more people who hear it, the more impact we can create together.
Listen to the song
You can watch the full video, access the press pack and listen to the track here:
