Ruby Rendall to bring the family home for Xmas gig

This December 5 will be a “night to remember” says Ruby Rendall, as she brings her family band to Rapture for a double-bill performance.

The star, who made her name in Orkney’s leading show band, The Orcades, hopes to entertain a cross-generational crowd at both an afternoon and evening show at Kirkwall’s nightclub.

Bringing the family along with her, a six-piece group is set to perform a mixture of classic and contemporary country to pre-Christmas revellers as they get in the spirit of the season.

“I really am excited for it,” Ruby told The Orcadian as tickets went on sale, last week. 

“What fun we are going to have! I have a six-piece band coming up with me — my whole family and two boys that might as well be family.”

Ruby, originally from Stronsay, trained as a teacher and now runs the Chalmers Mackay Music School in Inverurie. She has a suite of gigs planned for the end of the year, with a return to her Orkney homeland set to be a highlight.

Armed with her fiddle, keyboard and vocal chords, Ruby will be joined on stage by her daughter Deborah Foster, son Robbie Mackay, and husband Sandy Mackay, as well as guitarist Verdun Moar (who traces his roots to Rousay) and bassist James Allan.

This weekend, the hard work begins in preparation for the gigs.

“Verdun is a banker in Edinburgh, so he’ll be coming up to rehearse on a Sunday, and we are kickstarting rehearsals this Sunday, and getting the first set put together,” said Ruby, who promises to bring classics she’s known for, such as Queen of the Silver Dollar, with daughter Deborah adding more modern tunes from the likes of Lennie Wilson and Luke Combs.

“We are going to do a right mix of old country with new country — and folk can fling their requests our way too,” said the performer, who is also set to return to her BBC Radio Orkney evening programme ahead of the gigs, this winter. 

For Ruby, Rapture is a new venue — but performing to an Orkney crowd very much is not!

She fondly recalls weekly performances with The Orcades.

“We were playing Saturday and Sunday, nearly every weekend, at the Stromness Hotel and the Ayre Hotel,” she said.

“I really missed it when I left — but I’ve recently been able to get a hold of Jim “Mosh” Marwick, and he’ll be coming on the radio programme with me. 

“We are going to be speaking about that time with The Orcades.

“We did all sorts of different stuff — when it started, it was called The Orcades Showband, and it was supposed to be pronounced ‘Or-cay-days’, but no one ever said it that way. 

“We did everything from your ballroom music for dancing, pop music, rock and country. That’s when I started doing country music, with The Orcades.”

Those days are long past and fond in the memory of many who might be (virtually) lining up for tickets to December’s shows. But Ruby has no doubt that the gigs will attract a mixture of generations.

“I would love to see that,” she said. “The last time I did something up in Orkney, I was getting bairns of folk that came to The Orcades.

“They knew all the songs — their parents must have played it to them.

“Coming back to see folk I haven’t seen for years and having a good yarn with folk — I’m really looking forward to it. 

“It’s going to be a night to remember!”