Kate Rusby returns to Sheffield City Hall for night of Christmas cheer

Last year the Barnsley folk singer’s UK winter tour was replaced by Happy Holly Day, a full-length concert streamed worldwide from Doncaster’s Cast theatre. It was her only gig of 2020.

The more familiar format is resumed, though, as Kate returns – with festive bells on - to the City Hall next Wednesday, December 15. It’s an evening of Christmas cheer with her top-notch band featuring husband, musician and producer Damien O’Kane, a warming brass quintet, a sprinkling of Yorkshire humour and some of the traditional local carols that have echoed around pubs in South Yorkshire and North Derbyshire for generations.

As a child Kate would sit in the corner of these crowded pubs to absorb the specifically local songs and carols.

These were tunes often deemed too irreverent for the 19th century Church, so taken elsewhere. The tradition is especially strong in the north of Sheffield, such as in Worrall, Dungworth and Ecclesfield.

Having made her mark as one of Britain’s most renowned folk singers, Kate has relished the opportunity to celebrate the heritage, spreading authentic Christmas joy through festive albums, DVDs and concerts.

In recent times, she has loved introducing her daughters, Daisy and Phoebe, to a Rusby Christmas.

And she has long said how much she “adores” the time of year. “I’m sure it’s a lot to do with me being a Christmas baby, and even more to do with the lovely family Christmases we had when we were young.

“They weren’t over the top and lavish as we didn’t have much money, but they were magical and luminous!”

The award-winning singer has plenty to celebrate, not least 30 years as a touring artist and over 20 albums and collaborations, the latest her 2020 covers album, Hand Me Down.

Now she is back alongside Damien on guitar and banjo, Nick Cooke on accordion, Duncan Lyall on double bass and Moog, Josh Clark on drums and Aaron Jones on bouzouki. The local carols remain one of the region’s most cherished traditions – and Kate Rusby has more than played her part in ensuring they continue to flourish.

* Traditional songs and folk carols are at the heart of Awake Arise, a celebration of winter in Britain and further afield, at the University of Sheffield’s Firth Hall in Western Bank on Saturday, December 18.

Spoken word and new music will also form part of the festive collaboration in the hands of two of the English folk scene's most innovative acts, Lady Maisery and Jimmy Aldridge and Sid Goldsmith.

The message is one of hope and resilience during the darkest season performed by the award-winning vocal trio of Hannah James, Rowan Rheingans and Hazel Askew, and the acclaimed duo, both fine singers and instrumentalists.