A SURPRISING opening gambit was the proclamation of "happy Christmas".

But Eliza Carthy was picking up where she left off after illness postponed this date, originally scheduled for December.

The group certainly hadn’t lost momentum in the intervening four months. Perhaps they were even refreshed by the break, opening with a barnstorming Greasy Coat – so full of energy that Carthy’s drum pedal fell apart at the end of it.

The fiddle-singing foursome have recently experienced a change of line-up, with Jackie Oates replacing Bella Hardy. Oates, a fluent player with a pure singing voice, slotted in perfectly, bringing harmonium and jollity to the (usually miserable) Polly Vaughn.

Lucy Farrell’s solo Vandy Vandy – sourced from a sci-fi novel – was mournful and stunning; while Kate Young’s compositions provided an original and humane look at the concept of home. Carthy, meanwhile, delivered a majestic Nellie Was a Lady.

But as a group they were just as brilliant: each player’s fiddle-playing style and unique voice shining through. Two songs made famous by Carthy’s family band – Chickens in the Garden and Country Life – were a particular delight, as was punchy sea shanty 100 Years, which ended the set in the same vigorous way it had begun.

A Christmas present well worth waiting for.