The Churchfitters

As we edge towards the second week of December, the yuletide senses are ramped up yet another notch, and more and more local gigs and theatre shows are taking on a festive feel. Diss Corn Hall is no exception, with its own pantomime production of Jack & The Beanstalk opening on December 20th. However, in the meantime, we got a chance to enjoy a night of seasonal folk frivolity in the company of returning folk favourites The Churchfitters, whose nationwide 'Christmas Cracker' tour kicked off at the Corn Hall on Thursday.

First formed in 1978, The Churchfitters now comprise Croydon-raised siblings Rosie and Chris Shorten, together with Breton multi-instrumentalist Boris Lebret. They have become firm favourites at Diss Corn Hall, having played here several times before, but for me it was the first time, and I was not quite sure what to expect. What, for example, is a Churchfitter, and why are they so-called? Well, according to their own press release, they are not fitters and they have absolutely nothing to do with churches. The origins of their name seem to have been lost in the mists of time, but what does set them apart from other folk outfits is their eclectic range of musical instruments. Singer Rosie Shorten switches effortlessly from whistle to banjo to saxophone, whilst brother Chris is a mean fiddler, but also turns his hand to the bowing of a carpentry saw, and playing an instrument which he calls a 'glass harp' (more about that later). Lebret, meanwhile, brings his own quirky selection of instruments to the stage, including what appears to be a 10-string electric bass, its pick-ups attached to what looks like a pair of Mercedes Benz wheel trims.

The show begins with the Gower Wassail, a winter's song from South Wales with its roots based in the pagan tradition of blessing the apple trees, but which later accompanied the giving of Yuletide gifts to serfs by their feudal masters. 19th century American folk song 'Hard Times' somehow seems to both partner and contrast this perfectly. A saxophone and whistle-led medley that includes 'Gaudete' and 'God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen' is followed by a hilarious recreation of the theatrical splendour of 'Riverdance', which includes a string of cut-out paper Irish dancers, and a cleverly improvised bodhrán sound created by shaking a pebble placed inside a 3L plastic drinks bottle.

Chris Shorten's innovative 'glass harp' – a tray of 27 wine glasses filled with carefully calibrated quantities of water, each glass tuned to a different harmonic pitch, is played by rubbing their rims, and provides a spooky and atmospheric backing to an Edgar Allen Poe-inspired poem. It is later used again to perform a haunting 'Silent Night'. The first half ends with a charming version of the Ronnie Hilton children's favourite, 'A Windmill in Old Amsterdam', complete with a 'fingerbobs' mouse helping out on Chris' fiddle.

More Christmas themes are explored in the second half – Hans Christian Anderson's 'Little Match Girl' is brought chillingly up to date in a song about Annie, the Big Issue seller; a Christmas hits' medley comes complete with heavy rock guitar riffs; a dress-up song and dance routine is inspired by the Doris Day Christmas film favourite, 'Calamity Jane'; and a rather lovely Provençale Christmas song, 'La Jambe Me Fait Mal' becomes a Gallic Diss sing-along.