Rudolf Rocker, Old Muggins

Raise an eggnog and ding your dong merrily on high! Matchbox Cabaret celebrates Christmas with a splendidly oddball singalong jamboree. Rudolf Rocker have already organised two sell-out gigs at the Waiting Room (hosting evenings dedicated to George Brassens and Jake Thackray) and now return for a festive romp through traditional Christmas songs, delicious ballads from their concept album The Whitby Scar, and – undoubtedly – a smattering of Thackray and Brassens too. You can definitely expect a sterling romp through Jake’s Christmas classic Remember Bethlehem, as we’ve all been rehearsing for it! Bring a Santa hat and a sprig of holly and get yourself in a festive mood.

And support comes from Teesside’s own ‘sinister light entertainment band’ Old Muggins, who may even stick their ventriloquist’s dummy Old Bill under the mistletoe for a quick Christmas peck! Fronted by beardy BBC Tees wag Bob Fischer, the Muggins boys present wonky rockabilly, off-beat doo-wop and folk songs about Mike Neville, and might just attempt their heartbreaking Christmas poetry recital ‘You Ate An After Eight Mint (At Seven Forty)’. Be warned!