Kate Rusby – Christmas Is Merry – Pure Records

Live! – Bridgewater Hall, Manchester – Tuesday 9th December 2025

A Rusby Christmas bonanza with a visit to a sparkly Bridgewater Hall for an annual bout of seasonal cheer combined with a stop off at the merch stall to pick up the special double CD of Christmas themed music to keep us going over the festive period.

CHRISTMAS IS MERRY – THE GIG

CHRISTMAS CHEER

It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas. Indeed it is. the festive markets are back in Manchester’s Albert Square and the Christmas Radio Times is allegedly out. Sweet bells are chiming and although we might not be enveloped in the warm folds of peace on Earth (even Kate has had to forsake X – or Twitter…), we can find a welcome sanctuary for a singaround in the South Yorkshire pub that’s taken shape in the Bridgewater Hall as Kate Rusby with her five piece band swelled by the brass boys, comes a-wassailing. As Buddy the elf famously said, the best way to spread Christmas cheer is singing loud for all to hear.

The special anniversary sees the stage set up (flanked by Ruby Reindeer who oversees Sam Kelly and a diminutive Santa lurking behind Damien O’Ken’s line of instruments) bolstered by a (real!) tree and various ephemera which bring a local pub vibe to proceedings. Which is of course, how it all began. See the liner notes to the CD for Kate’s explanation, but there’s also the caroling organ rescued from The Royal at Dungworth which Duncan Lyall has now added to his armoury that provides deep and meaningful keyboard sounds. Even the pint glasses are full – well half full, of what…don’t ask (“melted yellow snow” suggests Damien – after Nick Cooke has taken a tentative sip).

MAINTAINING TRADITIONS

There are screens too, four of them, adding an extra element to the visuals with unfolding Winter scenes or seasonal images. And the interval sees them play out a series of lovely images from Christmas gigs past – fond memories and of course, more opportunities to see various band members in their fancy dress cozzies. Top marks to Josh Clarke’s Freddie Mercury – a tour I must have missed…

Those twenty years of Christmas gigs and their traditions are maintained – a selection of pub carols and classic plus “those songs that make you put more in your basket when you go shopping.” A hippopotamus appears in the middle of the brass section and this year’s encores are played by the cast of Frozen. Kate’s evil laugh as she manages to dress ten men in costumes in varying degrees of hilarity is priceless, only matched by the sight of an oversized inflatable Olaf attempting (successfully it has to be said) to get wired up with a guitar. The ‘boys’also do their ‘manly tunes’ which always go down a storm. Nick’s Rain (inspired by Bluey…) is a lovely intro before the banjo kicks in. To coin a phrase that surely must be Yorkshire in origin, if it ain’t broken…

MUSIC TOO!

There’s lots of music too to adore; from the chapel organ and rich brass that carry O Little Town Of Bethlehem to the vast soundscapes of Glorious and The Holly King. The latter all big on drama with two sets of drums on the go , surpassed by the three prong electric guitar line (banish visions of Status Quo…) up by the former after the break. The light and the bounce delivered by Here We Come A-Wassailing and Hark Hark and the audience participation (on kazoos – or kazoo sounds) on Sweet Bells and /or Sweet Chiming Bells. Amidst many highlights, the fun of the famous Kipper family’s Arrest These Merry Gentlemen stands tall.

Hard to comprehend the passing of time with the number of albums now on the shelves, a decade of the Rusby curated festivals just behind us and 20 years of Christmas shows. Kate occasionally reminds us she’s just turned fifty two, which can only be the signal fro another twenty years (at least) to look forward to. Maybe even the return of Big Brave Bill…

Same time again next year (almost). 8th December at the Bridgewater Hall – tickets on sale now!

CHRISTMAS IS MERRY – THE ALBUM

A limited print run on 2CDs (grab ’em while you can t a gig or the online store) serves as Kate’s seventh Christmas/seasonal album. A live one too with much of the current Christmas crop represented across 17 songs recorded at Christmas gigs from 2020 to 2024 which have sat patiently in the archives.

With Nick Cooke and Josh Clarke mixing and mastering and Damien and Kate producing, it reinforces the belief and teamwork in the in house Pure Records crew. They’ve done a terrific job as well ni capturing and spotlighting the live arrangements from Damien’s (in)famous count ins to the game of ‘how long can we stretch out the ending note2 fun that goes on in the ranks.

Whilst the tracklist pretty much mirrors the current repertoire, The Moon Shines Bright (from ’23) casts a slightly darker musical shadow with hints of something Standing At The Sky’s Edge Hawley about it – must be the ‘awake’ refrain. Shadows, humour, brass and brightness, Let The Bells Ring that Kate describes as more of a new year song brings the set to a finale with a forward looking sense of optimism.

THE BONUS

A bonus comes with a handful of acoustic tracks recorded with Duncan and Damien this year. Stripped back arrangements – maybe, but with the flick of a effects switch on the pedalboard, these are far from naked. Spotify labels them ‘Christmas chill version’ although the ‘ho ho ho…’ parts of Kris Kringle (I seem to remember trying to sing along in Christmases past) are more fun than chill. The Holly & The Ivy reminds us of the correct pronunciation of ‘choir’ and The Wren channels the celestial ambience that has marked much of Kate’s more recent work.

If this is a taste of what lies in the archive, then please – do the decent thing like Springsteen and dig out those Tracks.

Kate Rusby online:  Website 

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