Tag: Sheffield City Hall

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More Things To Do in York and beyond the paranormal while eschewing the normal. Hutch’s List No. 18, from The York Press

Cone, by Alison Jagger, on show at WET Bar & Plates

FROM street photography to an introduction to ballet, sparring spiritualists to acidic German comedy about the English weather, Charles Hutchinson highlights all manner of cultural delights ahead.

Photographic show of the week: Alison Jagger, After The Crowds, WET Bar & Plates, Micklegate, York, until June 3

AS a lone traveller and self-confessed free spirit, York street photographer Alison Jagger draws inspiration from the urban landscape, whose vitality she loves to capture with her mobile phone camera.

“There is nothing better than waking up in an unfamiliar city and recording its character, colour and vibrancy through my curious lens,” says Jagger. After The Crowds is the second in RARE Collective’s programme of solo exhibition at James Wall and Ella Williams’ indie wine bar and restaurant in aid of SASH (Safe and Sound Homes), the York youth homelessness charity.

English National Ballet School students in My First Ballet: Cinderella, on tour at Grand Opera House, York

Children’s show of the week: English National Ballet & English National Ballet School, My First Ballet: Cinderella, Grand Opera House, York, today, 10.30am and 2pm; tomorrow, 1pm and 3pm

MEET the nature-loving Cinderella, who lives on the edge of an enchanted forest where she once gardened and sang with her mother. After loss and silence settle over her home, she is left with a sharp-tongued stepmother, two noisy stepsisters and a house full of chores and shadows.

However, when a letter arrives, inviting all to a garden ball, Cinderella’s journey to find her true self begins, guided by the spirit of her mother and the magic of the forest. Using a narrator to help the young audience follow the story, and a shortened, recorded version of Prokofiev’s score, this introduction to ballet is choreographed byGeorge Williamson and performed by English National Ballet School Graduate Artists Programme students. Box office: atgtickets.com/york.

Sparring spiritualists Sheila Gold (Eileen Walsh) and prickly mum Rosa (Frances Barber) in Rosa’s mobile home in York Theatre Royal’s world premiere of The Psychic. Picture: Manuel Harlan

World premiere of the month: The Psychic, York Theatre Royal, until May 23

“IS any of it real,” ask Jeremy Dyson and Andy Nyman in The Psychic, the latest spook-fest from the writer-director duo behind Ghost Stories. In their twisted new thriller, popular TV psychic Sheila Gold (Eileen Walsh) loses a high-profile court case that brands her a charlatan, costing her not only her reputation but also a fortune in legal fees.

When a wealthy couple ask Sheila to conduct a séance to attempt to make contact with their late child, she senses an opportunity to bleed them for money. What follows makes her question everything she has ever believed, leading her on a journey into the darkest corners of her life. Box office: 01904 623568 or yorktheatreroyal.co.uk.

Tenor Christopher O’Gorman

Lunchtime concert of the week: York Late Music presents Christopher Gorman (tenor) & Mark Hutchinson (piano), Unitarian Chapel, St Saviourgate, York, today, 1pm

THE first complete performance of York composer Steve Crowther’s song settings of poems by late York writer Helen Cadbury will be given by tenor Christopher O’Gorman and pianist Mark Hutchinson this afternoon. The concert also features Richard Allain’s Three Shakespeare Sonnetsplus music by Emily Hall and Ralph Vaughan Williams’ Songs Of Travel. Box office: latemusic.org or on the door.

Louise Davies in her Woolwich studio

Exhibition opening of the week: Louise Davies and Glassmakers, Journey In Colour, Pyramid Gallery, Stonegate, York, today, 11am to 2.30pm, until July 4

PAINTINGS and etchings by South East London artist and printmaker Louise Davies will be complemented by glass by Allister Malcolm, Madeleine Hughes, Margaret Burke, Charlie Burke and Amelia Burke.

Pink Moors, oil on canvas, by Louise Davies

Davies, a Fellow of the Royal Society of Painter-Printmakers, combines fluid lines and rich colour in vibrant landscape prints and oil paintings. Gallery owner Terry Brett drove to Stourbridge to pick up glass works by Malcolm and his workshop assistant, Hughes. Margaret Burke, son Charlie and his wife, hot glass specialist Amelia, run the hand-blown glass studio E&M Glass at The Old Bakery, Sarn Bridge, Malpas, Cheshire.

Bradley Creswick: Violin soloist at York Guildhall Orchestra’s concert tomorrow

Classical concert of the week: York Guildhall Orchestra Spring Concert, York Barbican, Sunday, 3pm

YORK Guildhall Orchestra continues its celebration of the works of German composer, conductor, virtuoso pianist, guitarist and critic Carl Maria von Weber, this time recognising his considerable input into the world of opera with the overture to Der Freischütz.

Tomorrow afternoon’s soloist will be Bradley Creswick, leader emeritus of the Royal Northern Sinfonia, playing the Bruch Violin Concerto No 1. The second half features Verdi’s overture to his opera The Force Of Destiny, Britten’s Sea Interludes and Passacaglia from Peter Grimes and Ravel’s orchestral showpiece La Valse. Box office: yorkbarbican.co.uk.

Martha Godber’s Jesse North in her play Jesse North Is Broken. Picture: Ian Hodgson

Solo show of the week: John Godber Company presents Martha Godber in Jesse North Is Broken, York Theatre Royal Studio, May 11 to 14, 7.45pm plus 2.30pm Thursday matinee

JESSE North, 25, from Hull, is a carer on minimum wage, keeping the elderly alive while trying to live her own messy, chaotic life. Told over one night, writer-performer Martha Godber’s play follows Jesse from care shift to the dance floor, from the late-night kebab to an early-morning call-out as she battles the system that undervalues her and the city that shapes her, all while her ADHD-fuelled thoughts and anxious mind crave order in the chaos.

“Both political and personal, the show shines a light on working-class survival in Britain today – where carers are underpaid, the care system is crumbling and young women are left to piece themselves together in a society that keeps breaking them,” says Martha, whose solo play is directed by Millie Gaston. A post-show discussion follows Wednesday’s performance. Box office: 01904 623568 or yorktheatreroyal.co.uk.

The poster for James Morrison’s 20 Years Of Undiscovered tour

Anniversary of the week: James Morrison, 20 Years Of Undiscovered, York Barbican, May 13, doors 7pm; Sheffield City Hall, May 23, doors 6.30pm

UNDISCOVERED was the number one debut album that changed everything for Rugby soul singer-songwriter and guitarist James Morrison (or James Morrison Catchpole to give him his full name). Back then, he was fitting carpets by day, playing open mics by night and driving up and down to London at any spare moment, taking meeting after meeting with multiple record companies.

On his 18-date May and June tour, 2007 British Male Solo Artist BRIT award winner Morrison is playing Undiscovered in its entirety in a set taking in big hits such as You Give Me Something and Wonderful World, fan favourites The Pieces Don’t Fit Anymore and This Boy, rarely performed gems One Last Chance and How Come and highlights from his six-album songbook, topped off by 2025’s Top Five success Fight Another Day. Cordelia supports. Tickets update: York, limited availability at yorkbarbican.co.uk; Sheffield, https://www.ticketmaster.co.uk/james-morrison-sheffield-23-05-2026/event/35006367D9B1B6C6.

Wehn and where? Henning squeezing every German joke out of the British weather at Grand Opera House, York

Comedy gig of the week: Henning Wehn, Acid Wehn, Grand Opera House, York, May 14, 7.30pm

GERMAN Comedy Ambassador Henning Wehn takes an unbiased look at climate change. “It’s a topic sure to delight audiences and no surprise,” he says. “After all, everyone loves talking about the weather. Rain or shine, all will be fine. Or maybe it won’t. Who knows?! Come along. Or else.” Box office: atgtickets.com/york.

Tim Lowe: Launching 2026 York Chamber Music Festival with NCEM recital with Stephen Gutman

Festival launch of the week: Tim Lowe (cello) & Stephen Gutman (piano), Gems Of The Romantic Cello, National Centre for Early Music, York, May 15, 7.30pm

DIRECTOR and cellist Tim Lowe previews the 2026 York Chamber Music Festival (September 11 to 13) in concert with pianist Stephen Gutman in a passionate exploration of expressive and beautiful works from the cello and piano repertoire.

Their programme will be the same as they played at St Mary le Strand, London, on Wednesday: Beethoven’s 12 Variations on See The Conquering Hero Comes from Handel’s Judas Maccabaeus; Saint-Saëns’ Cello Sonata No 1 in C Minor; Richard Strauss’s Cello Sonata in F Major and Schumann’s Adagio and Allegro. Box office: eventbrite.co.uk.

Cowboy Junkies: 40 years and counting

In Focus: Cowboy Junkies, Celebrating 40 Years And Beyond Tour, Howard Assembly Room, Leeds, tonight; doors 7pm for 7.45pm start

Cowboy Junkies: 40 years and counting

TORONTO’S Cowboy Junkies are playing British venues for the first time since 2022 on April and May’s Celebrating 40 Years and Beyond tour, promoted by Hurricane Promotions. Next stop, Howard Assembly Room, Leeds, tonight.

Coinciding with the 11-date itinerary, the Canadians have released a triple LP/ double CD/digital collection of songs from their 21st century releases, Open To Beauty.

Released on May 1 on Cooking Vinyl, this ‘Best Of’ set revisits selected tracks from the albums Open, One Soul Now, Early 21st Century Blues, At The End Of Paths Taken, Renmin Park, Demons, Sing In My Meadow, The Wilderness, All That Reckoning, Songs Of The Recollection and 2023’s Such Ferocious Beauty.

Speaking of the new compilation, Cowboy Junkies’ Michael Timmins says: “We are now 25 years into this century, the beginning of which saw us leave the world of major labels and return to making music as an independent band.

“We figured this was as good a time as any to look back, reassess and reflect on the music that we have recorded over these past two and a half decades and, hence, Open To Beauty – The Best of the 21st Century.”

Tour tickets are on sale at: https://cowboyjunkies.com/tour/. Tonight’s show has sold out: for returns only, https://www.operanorth.co.uk/whats-on/cowboy-junkies/.

Did you know?

COWBOY Junkies’ signature performance of Lou Reed’s Velvet Underground composition Sweet Jane was featured in the final episode of Netflix TV series Stranger Things.

Cowboy Junkies’ Peter Timmins, Margo Timmins, Michael Timmins and Alan Anton

Cowboy Junkies: back story

SOMETIMES revolutions begin quietly. In 1988, Canadian alt. country band Cowboy Junkies proved there was an audience waiting for something quiet, beautiful and reflective. The Trinity Session was like a whisper that cut through the noise – and it was compelling, standing out amid the flash and bombast that defined the late 1980s. 

The now classic recording – made live at the Church of the Holy Trinity in Toronto in November 1987 – combined folk, blues and rock in a way that had never been heard before and went on to sell more than a million copies. 

Cowboy Junkies’ ability to communicate volumes before the lyrics kick in defines an enduring career. Where most bands chase trends, the Junkies have stayed their course, maintaining a low-impact excavation of melody and evocative language delivered sotto voce in singer Margo Timmins’s feathery alto.

Forming in Toronto in 1985, Margo was joined by siblings Michael Timmins on guitar and Peter Timmins on drums, plus Michael’s life-long friend Alan Anton on bass, to begin a journey that has evolved over 29 albums.

“I’ve known Alan longer than I’ve known Pete,” says Michael. “We were friends before Pete was born.”

 Unlike most long-lasting groups, Cowboy Junkies have never had a break-up or taken a sanity-saving hiatus. There’s an appreciation of each other that keeps them constantly working. “It’s that intimacy and understanding of what each one of us brings to the table,” says Michael.

The oldest, Michael is the chief architect; songwriter, and guitarist, who works with Margo on sculpting the emotional planes and vocal performances before bringing in Peter and Alan to create the soundscapes that have made Cowboy Junkies a band that defies categories.

“The expectations and responsibilities of our roles are a big part of the band’s ethos,” says Michael. “We’re still amazed that we’re doing things our way and continuing to grow the band, but the longer we are at it, the more fun it’s become. We don’t take it for granted.”

Margo adds: “We do what we do and it feels right for all of us. After 30-plus years of playing together, the band and its music are more important to us than ever. The music we make brings each of us a great sense of contentment, a knowledge of place, and a sense of doing what we were meant to do.”

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Kim Wilde to play York Barbican on The Singles Tour on March 28 2027 with Tiffany in support. When do tickets go on sale?

Kim Wilde: Fourth visit to York Barbican in less than a decade

EIGHTIES’ pop queen Kim Wilde will conclude her 13-date Singles Tour at York Barbican on March 28 2027.

Definitely not alone now, she will be supported by Nashville singer, songwriter, producer, cookery book author, Let’s Food With Tiffany cooking club hostess and The Masked Singer participant Tiffany.

Wilde played York Barbican previously on her Here Come The Aliens tour in April 2018, Greatest Hits 2020 tour in September 2020 and Closer tour in March 2025.

The chart-topping, BRIT Award-winning Londoner, now 65, tours consistently with her brother and co-writer Ricky and their family band, performing such up-tempo synth pop hits as Kids In America, Chequered Love, Water On Glass, Cambodia, View From A Bridge, You Keep Me Hangin’ On, You Came, Never Trust A Stranger, Four Letter Word and If I can’t Have You.

Boys, Love Blonde, The Second Time, Rage To Love, Another Step, Say You Really Want Me, Love In The Natural Way, Love Is Holy and Heart Over Mind could all feature too.

Wilde, daughter of 1950s’ rock’n’roll legend Marty Wilde, continue to release new songs of  edge, love and high energy, as well as appearing in her own radio and television shows and being an award-winning gardener.

Foo Fighters covered Kids In America on their Songs From The Laundry EP for Record Store Day in 2015, 24 years after frontman Dave Grohl first recorded a demo.

Support act Tiffany covered Wilde’s 1981 debut hit too on 2007’s I Think We’re Alone Now: ’80s Hits And More album.

Born on October 2 1971, Tiffany Renee Darwish grew up with an alcoholic mother and now supports mental health awareness and sobriety. Like Wilde, she is an advocate for female empowerment and body image, after experiencing the trials and tribulations of being in the media spotlight from their teenage years to midlife.

At the age of 16, Tiffany topped the UK charts for three weeks in 1988 with her cover of Tommy James & The Shondells’ 1967 hit I Think We’re Alone Now.

Wilde and Tiffany will play Sheffield City Hall too on May 27 2027. Tickets will go on sale on Friday at 10am at https://www.yorkbarbican.co.uk/whats-on/kim-wilde-2027/; https://www.sheffieldcityhall.co.uk/kim-wilde/.

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Alfie Boe reflects on northern roots on new single Face Myself as 2026 tour heads to York Barbican, Hull, Harrogate & Sheffield

The artwork for Alfie Boe’s April 10 album Face Yourself

AHEAD of his York Barbican concert on April 28, tenor Alfie Boe addresses his roots in northwest England on new single Face Myself.

Recorded at Le Mob Studio, Branland, London, the title track from his April 10 new album evokes imagery of Liverpool’s shipyards, the illuminations in Blackpool and indie and dance music of his teenage years, with references to legendary Manchester club the Hacienda, as well as paying tribute to The Stone Roses’ bassist, Mani, who passed away last year.

The album will be his first record to feature predominantly original material. “Face Myself is a tribute to the North and to my youth, back in the days when I was into the indie movement and hopped on the train to Manchester every weekend to see bands, when The Stone Roses came on the scene, then Inspiral Carpets and The Charlatans, the Hacienda and the Northern Quarter in Manchester,” says Blackpool-born Boe, now 52.

“It has the line ‘The Roses sing our indie song, we bang the drum, home is the place where time won’t change us’, remembering the way we celebrated that music.”

Boe continues: “At the time that I was writing that song, we heard about the tragic death of Mani from The Stone Roses and Primal Scream. I put in a little tribute, which goes: ‘Dreams are grown in Burnage skies, a golden past that made us cry. The prom is glorified with lights, for good old Mani played it right. Those Cranwell boys, they sang along.’

“Face Myself is a tribute to the North and to my youth, back in the days when I was into the indie movement,” says Alfie Boe. Picture: Ray Burmiston

“I only met Mani once and never really got to know him – I wish I had. The ‘Cranwell boys’ is a reference to Liam and Noel Gallagher, who grew up in Cranwell Drive in Burnage.”

Before Boe found fame as a tenor on the great British stages, he had a scrape with indie fame, in the role of Opera Dude with The Clint Boon Experience – Clint being keyboard player for Manchester indie legends Inspiral Carpets – when supporting York band Shed Seven. Earlier, he had been a teen drummer in a band but had to stay in school instead of going on tour.

Face Myself is one of the key songs Boe wanted to write, with the title ringing in his head before the track took shape. “I thought, what is it about me that I have that I have to face?” he recalls. “For me, it was a number of moments in the past: my childhood, my teenage years, what got me to where I am today, the stories of my personal life.

“Reflecting on those things fed into other songs on the album as well. It’s been a wonderful journey doing that.”

The new single follows the poignant Meanwhile Gardens, lifted from the album produced by MyRiot (Tim Bran and Roy Kerr), whose credits include London Grammar and Primal Scream.

The itinerary for Alfie Boe’s Facing Myself tour

Born Alfred Giovanni Roncalli Boe on September 29 1973 , Boe’s career has spanned stage, recording and television. He has released more than a dozen studio albums, several of them topping the UK charts en route to multi-platinum sales. His collaborations with Michael Ball, including the record-breaking Together, Together Again and Back Together, have been complemented by sold-out arena tours.

The Tony Award winner has conquered the world’s greatest opera stages and arenas and led the cast of Les Misérables in his defining role as Jean Valjean, also starring in the concert tour of Les Misérables in Australia and the Arena Spectacular tour across the UK.

He has appeared at Buckingham Palace for the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee and the Royal Albert Hall too and was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in 2019, in recognition of his outstanding services to music and charity.

Boe’s 35-date Facing Myself tour will take in further Yorkshire concerts at Hull City Hall on April 24, Harrogate Royal Hall, April 29 and Sheffield City Hall, May 1. Tickets are on sale at https://gigst.rs/AB26; yorkbarbican.co.uk.

His 2026 tour show will combine his most iconic hits and fan-favourite classics with a showcase of material from Face Myself.

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Michael Flatley’s Lord Of The Dance 30th anniversary tour to play York Barbican, plus Bradford, Hull and Sheffield dates

Michael Flatley’s Lord Of The Dance: Returning to York Barbican in July for the first time since August 2024. Picture: Brian Doherty

THE 30th anniversary tour of Michael Flatley’s Lord Of The Dance will visit York Barbican from July 6 to 8.

Tickets for the 7.45pm performances are on sale at: https://www.yorkbarbican.co.uk/whats-on/lord-of-the-dance-30th-anniversary/.

This 30 Years of Standing Ovations milestone event promises a grand celebration of the revolutionary Irish dance production’s legacy, after captivating more than 60 million fans in 60 countries since its 1996 debut.

The 30 Years of Standing Ovations tour will feature “brand-new choreography, stunning costumes, state-of-the-art special effects and cutting-edge lighting, ensuring that the production continues to push boundaries and deliver an unforgettable experience”. 

Creative manager James Keegan says: “Michael Flatley has taught me that there are no boundaries in the creative space. When he burst onto the scene in the mid-90s, he took traditional Irish dancing to a place nobody had ever dreamed of, and that has been the key to the show’s success.

“Michael often says in rehearsals that we need to push the boundaries as much as we can, and if it’s too far or doesn’t work, we can always pull it back. That mindset is what keeps Lord Of The Dance evolving.”

Michael Flatley

Keegan believes that the core elements of Flatley’s visionary production – choreography, music and storytelling – remain timeless while still evolving. “What made Lord Of The Dance famous 30 years ago is still what makes it work today: 40 of the greatest Irish tap dancers in the world performing in one line in perfect sync. It’s a spectacle that never loses its magic,” he says.

Reflecting on Flatley’s impact, Keegan says: “Professional Irish dancing didn’t really exist until Michael created his shows and added a more entertaining twist to the art form.

“He wasn’t just a dancer; he was a highly tuned athlete who could perform at astonishing levels for a full two-hour show, seven days a week. Today, we see young competitive dancers around the world striving to reach the levels he set.”

But beyond the footwork and the spectacle, Keegan reckons Flatley’s greatest legacy is his ability to inspire. “Michael’s motto has always been, ‘Nothing is impossible.’ He took an already intricate dance form and pushed it even further, breaking records like 38 taps per second and incorporating upper body movements that defied tradition,” he says.

“I’ve seen it time and time again: a dancer who never thought they could be a lead receives Michael’s encouragement, and before long, they are fulfilling their dream on stage.”

For Keegan, one moment stands out above the rest. “In 1997, I was a ten-year-old competitive Irish dancer in Manchester, struggling with the name-callers and the challenges of being a young male dancer,” he says.

Michael Flatley with his Lord Of The Dance dancers

“Then Lord Of The Dance came to town. Watching Michael and the cast that night at the Apollo Theatre changed everything for me. The masculinity, the precision, the energy, it was like nothing I’d ever seen before.

“I met Michael at the stage door, and suddenly, I knew that being an Irish dancer could mean being a superstar. Nineteen years later, I had the honour of sharing his final show with him at Caesars Palace, Las Vegas, in 2016. It was a full-circle moment I will never forget.”

As Lord Of The Dance prepares to embark on its 30th anniversary tour, Flatley reflects on the journey. “The magic of Lord Of The Dance lives on in the hearts of our audience, and I am thrilled to bring this iconic show back to the UK in 2026,” he says.

“30 Years of Standing Ovations celebrates the incredible journey we’ve shared with fans over the years. It’s a tribute to the enduring power of dreams, the joy of dance and the unwavering support of our audience. This tour is our way of saying thank you for three decades of unforgettable memories.”

Although Flatley, now 67, retired from performing during his final tour in 2016, he has remained at the helm of Lord Of The Dance, guiding its evolution while preserving its timeless magic.

Now, as the production prepares for its biggest celebration yet, fans can look forward to a breathtaking spectacle that honours the past, embraces the present, and inspires the future of Irish dance.

The 30th anniversary tour will open at Bradford Live from June 11 to 14; further Yorkshire performances will follow at Hull New Theatre, July 22 to 25, and Sheffield City Hall, August 20 to 23. For full tour dates and ticket information, go to lordofthedance.com.

The poster for the 30th anniversary tour of Michael Flatley’s Lord Of The Dance

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Jools Holland to play York Barbican on December 16 with Rhythm & Blues Orchestra. Special guest? Roachford

Jools Holland. Picture: BBC Photo Archive, Michael Leckie, Loftus Media

BOOGIE-WOOGIE pianist Jools Holland and His Rhythm & Blues Orchestra will return to York Barbican on December 16 on his 2026 Autumn & Winter Tour.

Tickets go on general sale from 10am on Friday (301/1/2026) via  https://www.yorkbarbican.co.uk/whats-on/jools-holland-2026/

Joining the Later…With Jools Holland host on his 31-date itinerary will be special guest Roachford, the London soul singer and songwriter, now 61.

Since his chart-topping breakthrough hit Cuddly Toy in 1988, Andrew Roachford has recorded ten studio albums, been sought after as a songwriter by Michael Jackson, Joss Stone and Chaka Khan and built a reputation as an outstanding live performer.

Awarded an MBE for services to music, latterly Roachford has released Twice In A Lifetime and Then & Now.

Opening each night on tour will be Welsh jazz pianist and improviser Joe Webb, who has guested with Holland on several occasions and appeared on his latest BBC Two New Year’s Eve Jools’ Annual Hootenanny. His piano playing blends the flavour of Britpop with classic jazz idioms.

Holland’s exuberant live shows are built on the power and finesse of his Rhythm & Blues Orchestra as he delivers an evening of blues, swing, boogie-woogie and ska, packed with musical virtuosity and joyful spontaneity.

“I’m absolutely delighted to be heading out again with our big band,” says Holland, 68. “Having Roachford join us for every night of the tour is a real joy. He’s one of the great soul voices this country has produced, and every time he sings the room lights up. With the mighty orchestra, our wonderful boogie-woogie singers, and the brilliant Joe Webb opening the shows, we’re in for some very special evenings of music.”

Holland devotees will be delighted that boogie-woogie queen Ruby Turner, Louise Marshall, and Sumudu Jayatilaka will be on vocal duty again from October 29 to December 20. Further tour dates include Sheffield City Hall on November 18 (https://www.sheffieldcityhall.co.uk) and Bradford Live (trafalgartickets.com/bradford-live-bradford) on December 18.

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REVIEW: Kate Rusby: Christmas Is Merry, York Barbican, December 11 *****

Kate Rusby singing in a winter winderland. Picture: David Angel

KATE Rusby, Barnsley nightingale, or the “first lady of folk” as her website now calls her, transforms into a Robin redbreast at this festive time of year.

No Yorkshire Christmas would be complete without her alternative carol services, where Kate in sparkly dress reunites her regular folk boys with her guest Brass Boys, glistening instruments standing out against black shirts, as they perform carols deemed too jolly by Victorian glums but resurrected by South Yorkshire pubs for “sings” with a pint in hand from late-November to the New Year.

Over 20 years now, these festive concerts have expanded to take in “Rusbyfied” takes on “Christmas shopping songs”, rediscovered quirky novelties (Hippo For Christmas, Sid Kipper’s Arrest These Merry Gentlemen) and Kate’s own winter songs.

Live recordings from the past five years have been assembled for Kate 20: Christmas Is Merry, a double album on sale only at katerusby.com, through Proper Records and on her tour merch table, or “Craft Shop”, as Kate is wont to call it.

Christmas is all the merrier for the inclusion of five new acoustic recordings [Kris Kringle, Little Jack Frost, Hippo For Christmas, Holly And The Ivy and The Wren) on Kate’s eighth Christmas record. Yes, a remarkable eighth. Sweet bells, what an achievement.

And everything is merrier still for her 20th anniversary being her best, boldest and brightest show yet by our leader of “Holly heads”. Everything has been not so much thrown at it as thoughtfully thought through. We are used to Ruby the nodding reindeer being to the side of the stage, but now her lights change, and on the opposite side sits a lit-up Father Christmas.

Kate’s microphone stand is bedecked as ever with festive foliage; lighting interweaves with winter greenery across the stage apron; a Christmas tree with a star atop and presents at its base, stands at the back. For the first time, Duncan Lyall has not only a Moog at hand but also the 1980s’ organ rescued from the skip grave by Kate after last year’s closure of The Royal Hotel, in Dungworth, brought an end to the pub ‘sings’ there (thankfully now revived in the village hall).

Kate Rusby: A festive fixture at York Barbican, already booked in for December 10 2026

Christmas Is Merry’s stage  has been fitted out as retro pub of the Seventies: red (hopefully not sticky) carpet; stools and tables teeming with glasses (“not cleared from the night before,” notes Kate), even a bar with pumps, steaming mulled wine and decorative foil garlands. The ghosts of Slade, Wizzard, Elton John , Gilbert O’Sullivan, John Lennon and Greg Lake hits, Eric & Ernie and Benny Hill’s Ernie  could all be popping in.

Over the years, Kate has decorated the back wall of her stage in myriad ways, most memorably with giant crocheted snowflakes. Now she has embraced new technology, as four picture frames light up projections, first with KATE spelled out in knitted white, then with Christmas wrapping paper designs, snowy landscapes, winter windows and, most impactful of all, an animated sequence for the chilling story of the Holly King, the climax to the first set.

Holly King is testament to how rounded, how complete, Kate’s festive musical landscape has become as accordion player Nick Cooke switches to doubling with Josh Clark on thunderous percussion, while Lyall’s Moog is eerier than ever.

Kate’s compositions are now cornerstones of her set, from the stillness of a Christmas Day’s walk in The Frost Is All Over, to the broken angel in the tree as morning awakes in Glorious, and best of all, the New Year’s dawn on a Cornish beach of Let The Bells Ring.

Kate’s Christmas concerts are nights of fresh joy, yet steeped in nostalgia of Christmases past, and so your reviewer is twice reduced to tears, first in Little Town Of Bethlehem, where the brass playing is so sublime atop Kate’s chorister purity.

Later, her proclamation of Let The Bells Ring, and with it Kate’s wish for love to prevail, has CharlesHutchPress transported to a better place, yet still close at hand in God’s Own Country against the grain of the relentless grind of warmongering politicos, such folly amid the holly, so at odds with Kate’s voice as pure as new-fallen snow.

The cover artwork for Kate Rusby’s eighth Christmas album: Kate Rusby 20 Christmas Is Merry, released on December 5

Kate is joker and jester, yet as wise as Shakespeare’s Fools in her trademark banter, her storytelling illuminating the path through each song, whether the reason behind so many versions of While Shepherds Watched, or the inspiration for her own winter songs, or the inclusion of a Cornish folk carol (Christmas Is Merry).

Kate trips the light fantastic through such festive chestnuts as The Most Wonderful Time Of The Year, Winter Wonderland and the encore-closing Yorkshire Merry Christmas, while the likes Of Hark Hark , Sweet Chiming Bells, Here We Come A Wassailing and encore staple Sweet Bells make you thankful the South Yorkshire carollers gave the cold shoulder to those Victorian killjoys.

These Christmas concerts have acquired their own traditions: Kate’s sales pitch for the merch table (new album; natty new blue, white and red Christmas jumpers, and accompanying scarf and bobble hat, given a Rusby catwalk twirl); audience participation in a recording of a kazoo rendition of Sweet Bells; and Kate vacating the stage for “girly songs” to be replaced by “manly” reels led by the impish Irishman Damien O’Kane on banjo.

Oh, and the fancy-dress finale, this year resplendent in the theme of Frozen, the brass boys attired as Trolls, Kate as Kristoff and O’Kane as Olaf, the snowman, an all-consuming costume that has fingers striving to poke their way through huge twig fingers to play guitar, all adding up to a sight as gloriously wild and freewheeling as a school Nativity play.

Let’s meet again this time next winter. Glory be, Kate has confirmed her return to York Barbican on December 10 2026; tickets are on sale already at yorkbarbican.co.uk.

Christmas Is Merry indeed. “Let the bells ring”, sings Kate, “There is nothing now I fear/Let the sun rise on a happy new year.” Let’s raise a glass to that.

Kate Rusby: Christmas Is Merry visits Sheffield City Hall Oval Hall on December 14, 6pm. Box office: https://www.sheffieldcityhall.co.uk/kate-rusby-christmas-is-merry-tour-2025/

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Kate Rusby celebrates 20 years of festive folk Carol concerts with Christmas Is Merry return to York Barbican on December 11

Christmas Is Merry for Kate Rusby: “It just seemed the perfect title for the tour that celebrates 20 years of my Christmas gigs,” she says

BARNSLEY folk nightingale Kate Rusby returns as bright as a festive robin to York Barbican on December 11 on her 20th anniversary Christmas Is Merry tour.

Kate, who turned  52 today (4/12/2025), will cherry pick from her seven winter albums, 2008’s Sweet Bells, 2011’s While Mortals Sleep, 2015’s The Frost Is All Over, 2017’s Angels And Men, 2019’s Holly Head, 2020’s Happy Holly Day (Live) and 2023’s Light Years. 

In the company of her regular band, coupled with the added warmth of “the Brass Boys”, Kate combines carols still sung in South Yorkshire pubs with her winter songs and favourite Christmas chestnuts. As ever, look out for the festive fancy dress finale and maybe her new Christmas Chill version of The Wren@20.

Here Kate discusses the magic and joy of Christmas songs past and present with CharlesHutchPress.

The 2025 tour has a new title, Christmas Is Merry. Why did you choose that one, Kate?

“We recorded a gorgeous song called Christmas Is Merry a few years ago, and it’s a favourite of ours to play live now. It just seemed the perfect title for the tour that celebrates 20 years of my Christmas gigs. We all have such a great time on the tour, we just adore it and are very, very merry and giddy throughout, so the title just fitted.”  

What will be the new elements of the latest round of Kate Rusby Christmas concerts: New set design? New additions to the set list? 

“Ooooh, absolutely new set; it’s going to be so fab! I can’t give any spoilers, but when people walk into the auditorium hopefully they’ll love it. We’re going retro is the only clue I’ll give!

Kate Rusby’s cover artwork for her 2023 Christmas album, Light Years

“As for the set list, as it’s celebrating 20 years, we’ve tried to include audience faves and our faves from over the years, which actually match up!” 

What will be the band line-up for this winter’s tour?

“Same as last year, my band of six: myself, Damien O’Kane, acoustic guitars, electric guitars and banjo; Duncan Lyall, double bass and Moog; Sam Kelly, guitars, bouzouki and vocals; Nick Cook, accordions and electric guitar, and Josh Clarke, percussion.

“Plus my fabulous brass lads: Gary Wyatt, cornet; Lee Clayson, flugelhorn horn; Robin Taylor, euphonium; Chris Howlings, French horn, and Nick Etheridge, tuba. So that’s 11 on stage in total including lil’ old me.

“It’s our biggest tour of the year, so we have more of our incredible crew, lights, set etc, all travelling round in a big truck. Every single one of them is a true gem and talented beyond belief. I’m so lucky to work with them all.” 

What are the ingredients that go into making the perfect Christmas album? The familiar, the unfamiliar, the new and the old?

“Exactly that! I like to include something for everyone! On each Christmas album I’ve made, there are songs from the South Yorkshire pub-sings, to songs more recognisable, to classics we hear every year (but Rusby-fied, of course!)

“I like to search for more quirky, funny songs that appeal to the younger generation, (Hippo For Christmas or I’m Getting Nothing For Christmas, for instance) and then I also include songs I’ve written, about the New Year bells ringing in a new start [Let The Bells Ring] or about a lost angel I imagined sitting in a tree in our snowy garden [Glorious].”

Kate Rusby in wintertime. Picture: David Angel

How come you have made so many Christmas albums, whereas Michael Buble and Kylie Minogue both keep re-releasing the same one?! 

“Ha!!! Aw, I love Michael Buble and Kylie, they’re both very cool. I see Kylie has just released a new song called XMAS. I love it. I suppose I just have way too many songs I still want to record, from the pub-sings round here and beyond. I love researching and discovering new cool Christmas songs, and I love writing them too, so there’s no way I’m done yet!”

How come there are so many versions – and variations – of While Shepherds Watched? Where do you keep finding them?

“I know them from the ‘pub-sings’ around this area of South Yorkshire, where more than 30 different versions still exist! The South Yorkshire carols are something I am truly passionate about, and the very reason I started our Christmas tour in the first place.

“The carols were lost to the rest of the country, (apart from a little pocket of Cornwall, where they have similar carols and some totally different!), so I wanted to show them off and spread them around again, and here we are 20 years later! I just love it.” 

Will it be roast turkey or goose or neither for the Rusby-O’Kane household on Christmas Day?

“Ooh, we’re going turkey this year! We did have goose for a few years but we’ve gone back to turkey. With all the trimmings of course, even down to bread sauce. Whoop!”

Do you have a favourite Christmas album in the Rusby household?

“There tends to be a LOT of singing at a Rusby family Christmas, but I love listening to Louis Armstrong’s Christmas music. It feels me with warmth and always makes me smile.” 

Banjo players Damien O’Kane and Ron Block: Teaming up for third album together, Banjovial, Kate Rusby’s pick of 2025

Which album have you enjoyed discovering this year that you would recommend giving as a Christmas present?

“I have to say one of my faves from this year is hubby Damien O’Kane’s new album Banjovial. His third album he’s recorded with fellow banjo legend Ron Block. “Ron plays with Alison Krauss; in fact he’s been her right hand banjo man for more than 30 years.

“Dee and Ron became best banjo buddies a few years ago and he’s played on my last few albums. He’s so great, as is Damien, and together they make the best, happy, uplifting, sunshine-in-a-bottle music! Fully recommended!”

Do you have recording plans for 2026?

“Yes, I have a plan! An album I’ve been wanting to record for a wee while, so I’ll be getting stuck into that when my girls [Phoebe Summer and Daisy Delia] are back to school in January. It’ll probably be released around the middle of the year I think.” 

Kate Rusby: Christmas Is Merry, York Barbican, December 11, 7pm. Box office: yorkbarbican.co.uk. Her tour visits Bradford St George’s Hall (December 5, bradford-theatres.co.uk);  London (Dec 7); Manchester (Dec 9); Llandudno (Dec 10); York (Dec 11); Gateshead (Dec 13); Sheffield City Hall (Dec 14, sheffieldcityhall.co.uk); Brighton (Dec 16); Bristol (Dec 17); Nottingham (Dec 19) and Cambridge (Dec 20.)

On a separate matter

You played Ryedale Festival this summer at the Milton Rooms, Malton, with the Singy Songy Session Band, performing latest album When They All Looked Up. What do you recall of that experience?

“AW it was so gorgeous! What a beautiful little hall, we loved it. Our girls came along as did my parents, and other friends of the family so it was just fab. The audience were really great too, and probably the smartest dressed audience I have ever had!”

Here comes Kate Rusby’s Christmas album number EIGHT, 5/12/2025

The cover artwork for Kate Rusby’s eighth Christmas album, Christmas Is Merry

KATE Rusby is marking her 20th anniversary of Christmas shows with an exclusive and limited-run double CD of magical, joyful festive music.

Kate Rusby 20 Christmas Is Merry will be available only via Kate’s official website, at https://katerusby.com/album/20-christmas-is-merry/,  through Proper Music and on the Christmas merchandise table, with digital release across all major platforms. Look out too for new Christmas jumpers, scarves and bobble hats on the Christmas Is Merry tour table that visits Bradford St George’s Hall, December 5, York Barbican, December 11, and Sheffield City Hall, December 14.

Mirroring 2012’s 20 and 2022’s 30 albums that celebrated two and three decades of touring, Kate Rusby 20 Christmas Is Merry combines 17 live recordings from the past five years’ Christmas carol concerts with new acoustic re-workings of five “Rusbyfied” festive favourites, Kris Kringle, Little Jack Frost, Hippo For Christmas, Holly And The Ivy and The Wren, each warm and tender, intimate and timeless, comforting and transcendent.

The full track listing is: Disc 1, Hark Hark; Christmas Is Merry; Holly King; Sweet Chiming Bells; The Frost Is All Over; Arrest These Merry Gentlemen; Paradise; The Most Wonderful Time; Sunny Bank; Little Town Of Bethlehem and Sweet Bells.

Disc 2, Bradfield; Glorious; Winter Wonderland; The Moon Shines Bright; Here We Come A Wassailing; Let The Bells Ring and 2025 acoustic recordings of Kris Kringle; Little Jack Frost; Hippo For Christmas; Holly And The Ivy and The Wren.

Kate Rusby 20 Christmas Is Merry, Pure Records, released on December 5 2025

 

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Concert announcement of the week: Michael Ball, Glow UK Tour, York Barbican, September 12 2026

Michael Ball’s poster for his Glow UK Tour 2026, when he will play Yorkshire shows at Bradford Live, Sheffield City Hall, Hull Connexin Live and York Barbican

MUSICAL star and radio and TV presenter Michael Ball will promote his 23rd solo album, Glow, on next year’s 25-date tour.

“There’s probably only one thing I enjoy more than being in the studio – writing, producing and singing songs with people I love – and that’s taking it all out on the road and performing those songs, as well as all the old favourites to the audiences I love,” he says.

“I hope you enjoy the new album, and I hope you come to see us on tour next year. It’s going to be an exciting year, and I can’t wait to see you all.’’ Tickets go on general sale on Friday at 9am at https://www.yorkbarbican.co.uk/whats-on/michael-ball-2026/.

Featuring original material, Glow will be released “early next year” and will be available via the Michael Ball store at https://michaelball.tmstor.es/. Fans can pre-purchase the album now to gain exclusive tour access, starting today at 9am.

Ball will be on the road from August 26 to October 2 2026 on his Glow UK Tour, whose itinerary takes in  further Yorkshire concerts at Bradford Live on September 3, Sheffield City Hall, September 5, and Hull Connexin Live, September 6. Box office: livenation.co.uk; gigsandtours.com or michaelball.co.uk.

Michael Ball: back story

BORN in Bromsgrove on June 27 1962, Great Britain’s “leading musical theatre star” is a double Olivier Award-winning, Grammy-nominated, multi-platinum recording artist and radio and televison presenter.

For more than 40 year, he has starred in West End and Broadway musical theatre productions, winning critical acclaim, a devoted following and awards for his stage work and recording career.

His theatre credits include Edna Turnblad in Hairspray (ENO/Coliseum); Javert in Les Misérables – The Staged Concert (Gielgud Theatre & UK/Australia Arena Tour); Anatoly in Chess (ENO/Coliseum); Mack in Mack And Mabel (Chichester/UK Tour), and Sweeney Todd in Sweeney Todd and The Demon Barber Of Fleet Street (West End), winning Olivier Award for Best Actor in a Musical.

Further credits include Edna Turnblad in Hairspray (Original West End cast),  winning Olivier Award for Best Actor in a Musical; Kismet (English National Opera); Patience (New York City Opera); The Woman In White (West End/Broadway); Chitty Chitty Bang Bang (West End); Passion, The Phantom Of The Opera, Aspects of Love (West End/Broadway), and creating the role of Marius in Les Misérables (Original West End cast).

TV credits include the Victoria Wood BBC TV film, That Day We Sang, opposite his Sweeney Todd co-star, Imelda Staunton.

He presents his own show on BBC Radio 2 on Sundays. On TV, he has hosted The Michael Ball Show on ITV1, his first TV travelogue, Wonderful Wales on Channel 5 and an Easter Sunday special for the BBC.

Tours UK regularly as a concert artist, selling millions of albums over the past 40 years, as well as performing in Australia, China, USA and Japan. In 2007, he made his BBC Proms debut in An Evening With Michael Ball at Royal Albert Hall, London, marking the first time a musical theatre star had been given a solo concert at the Proms.

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From Strictly to Sin City, ‘the Rat Pack of dance’ return to York Barbican in Vegas: After Hours on November 4 2026

The tour poster for The Legends’ 2026 travels in Vegas: After Hours

STRICTLY Come Dancing legends Brendan Cole, James Jordan, Pasha Kovalev, Vincent Simone and Ian Waite will return to York Barbican on November 4 2026 on their Vegas: After Hours tour.

Less than a month ago, the Strictly alumni played the Paragon Street venue on their The Return Of The Legends tour on September 20, having earlier toured their Legends of The Dance Floor show in 2024.

Tickets go on general sale at 10am tomorrow (17/10/2025), available at yorkbarbican.co.uk, Ticketmaster and legendsofthedancefloor.com.

The terpsichorean quintet promises a “breathtaking brand new show that captures all the glitz, glamour and excitement of Las Vegas, where the dance floor never sleeps”.

Vegas: After Hours dancers Brendan Cole, left, James Jordan, Ian Waite, Pasha Kovalev and Vincent Simone

Joined by female dance partners, Cole, Jordan, Kovalev, Simone and Waite will “bring the spirit of Sin City to life through stunning routines and nonstop entertainment, all set to a soundtrack inspired by the greatest Las Vegas performers of all time”.

From neon lights and electric nights, spinning roulette tables, glamorous showgirl and dazzling casinos to desert sunsets, lavish pool parties, whirlwind weddings, iconic hotels and world-class entertainment, Vegas: After Hours captures it all.

The 30-date tour will run from October 3 to November 10 2026, taking in further Yorkshire shows at Sheffield City Hall on October 22 and St George’s Hall, Bradford, on November 5.

Brendan Cole enthuses: “Anyone who saw our last two shows will tell you that a Vegas-themed show is the perfect next step for us. We are the Rat Pack of dance, and we’re going to have a Vegas-style party. It’s going to be a riot.” 

The poster for The Return Of The Legends, the 2025 tour that visited York Barbican on September 20

Vincent Simone teases: “As if I haven’t got myself into enough trouble every single night of our last two tours together, our brand new show is inspired by Sin City. What could possibly go wrong? I can’t wait for everybody to find out!” 

James Jordan chips in: “We spent the last two years proving to everyone that we’ve still got it, so as long as my body holds up, I look forward to bringing our most dazzling dance spectacular yet, with my brothers in dance, to audiences across the UK.”

Pasha Kovalev exclaims: “Vegas, baby! Can’t wait for this tour! The Legends shows have been such a blast, but I’ve got a feeling Vegas: After Hours is going to top them all!”

Ian Waite sums up: “After having an absolute blast on tour with the guys, it’s now all about Vegas: After Hours for 2026. Maximum glitz, maximum glamour. I’m already there.”

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Concert announcement of the week: Beverley Knight, Born To Perform, York Barbican, June 20 2026. Also Sheffield City Hall, June 4. Tickets on sale from Friday

Beverley Knight: June 2026 shows at York Barbican and Sheffield City Hall

QUEEN of British soul Beverley Knight will share stories from her life on stage, as well as performing her biggest hits, musical theatre favourites and cherished songs that have inspired her on next year’s 20-date UK tour.

“I’m excited to get back on the road but with a different kind of show that folk are used to with me,” says Wolverhampton-born Beverly, 52.

“Born To Perform is me taking you on a journey through my life on both music and theatre stages, using my memories and of course my songs. I’m stripping back my sound so the audience can lean in a little closer and really hear my soul.”

Knight’s live performances have gained her a legion of famous fans, from David Bowie to Stevie Wonder, and she has collaborated on stage and on record with Prince, Marvin Gaye, Andrea Bocelli, Jamiroquai, Take That and Joss Stone.

Knight has forged a formidable parallel career in theatre. Already a much revered leading lady of West End musicals, now she has been nominated for Best Female Lead Actor at the Black British Theatre Awards for her performance as the trailblazing “Godmother of Rock’n’Roll”, Sister Rosetta Tharpe, in Maria & Rosetta, her first professional role in a play.

The production will transfer to the West End next year, playing Soho Place Theatre from February 28 to April 11.

Her portrayal of Emmeline Pankhurst in Sylvia at The Old Vic won Knight her first Oliver Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role in a Musical in 2023. She has starred too in The Bodyguard, Sister Act and Memphis The Musical and played Grizabella in Cats, at the request of Lord Andrew Lloyd Webber, and the formidable manager of soul group The Drifters in The Drifters Girl. In the Olivier awards, that show was nominated for Best New Musical and Knight for Best Actress.

In 2023, she marked her 50th birthday with the sold-out 50 Tour and her first studio album in seven years, The Fifth Chapter.

Knight has notched hit singles with Made It Black, Greatest Day, Get Up, Shoulda Woulda Coulda, Gold, Come As You Are, Keep This Fire Burning and Piece Of My Heart.

She has sold more than a million albums in the UK, including four gold certificates. Who I Am reached number seven in 2002; Affirmation, number 11, 2004; Music City Soul, number eight, 2007; 100%, number 17, 2009; Soul UK, number 13, 2011; Soulsville, number nine, 2016, and The Fifth Chapter, number 39, 2023. The Voice – The Best Of Beverley Knight peaked at number nine in 2006.

In 2007, Knight was awarded an MBE for services to British music and charity. She has won three MOBO Awards and been nominated for Best Female at the BRIT Awards three times, Best Actress at the Olivier Awards twice and Best Album at the Mercury Music Prize.

Tickets go on sale on Friday at 10am at https://www.yorkbarbican.co.uk/whats-on/beverley-knight-2026. Knight will play a second Yorkshire concert at Sheffield City Hall on June 4 2026. Box office: sheffieldcityhall.co.uk.