FOREVER proud to call herself a folk singer, Kate Rusby’s beautiful, expressive vocals never fail to connect the emotional heart of a song to that of her audience and that experience is set to be repeated when she makes one of her now regular visits to Malvern in the run-up to Christmas.

Famously down to earth, for over 20 years her engaging personality and sharp Yorkshire wit have further endeared her to concert-goers everywhere.

And it is in her special Christmas concerts that all these elements combine to exquisite effect.

Indeed, after 15 years of enchanting audiences up and down the land Kate’s Christmas tour – so wondrously captured on her 2013 Live At Christmas concert DVD – has, for many, become as much a part of the festivities as Christmas pudding itself!

Warm and inviting, spicy and sparkly she and her marvellous band – joined as ever by a sublime brass quintet – embody the sounds and joyous spirit of the best Christmases ever!

Kate’s band of merry musicians this December will comprise of - Damien O’Kane on banjo and tenor guitar, Aaron Jones on bouzouki, Nick Cooke on diatonic accordion, Duncan Lyall on double bass and Steven Iveson on electric guitar.

The key word here is, of course, ‘joy’.

For, with her Christmas concerts, the popular singer is embracing and sharing a local south Yorkshire tradition of which she’s been a part ever since she was a child.

For over 200 years, from late November to New Year’s Day, on Sunday lunchtimes the good folk of south Yorkshire and north Derbyshire have flocked to their local public houses to sing their own, unique variations of familiar carols that, as Kate says, “were kicked out of churches during the Victorian era for being too happy!” (And we might add too exuberant!).

This festive tour follows the release of Kate’s third Christmas album celebrating this marvellous Yorkshire-inspired tradition - The Frost Is All Over, which was released at the weekend. 

In concert Kate and co will be performing songs and carols from all three Christmas releases together with selections from her 2014, critically acclaimed album, Ghost.

Hugely spirited but undoubtedly family affairs, Kate’s concerts celebrate what makes Christmas so special and so much fun as she  and her fellow musicians perform fabulous songs brimful of the goodwill and spirituality of the season and in doing so put smiles on faces  and joy in our hearts.

Her visit to Malvern’s Forum Theatre is on Saturday, December 19 at 7.45pm and is the penultimate performance on a 14-date tour.