Live Review: Christine Collister, Nettleham Village Hall, Nettleham, Lincoln – 20th September 2025

When one thinks of the Isle of Man, the self-governing British Crown Dependency, situated in the middle of the Irish Sea, almost equidistant between England to the east and Northern Ireland to the west, one is immediately reminded of its role as home to the TT (Tourist Trophy) Motorcycle Races that have taken place on the island between May and June for most years since its inaugural race in 1907. For those of us with a musical bent, this island, with a current population of approximately 84,000 people, is also the birthplace of the Gibb brothers, Maurice, Robin and Barry, collectively better known as the Bee Gees, born in the Island’s capital, Douglas, and of whom a bronze statue of the trio was unveiled in the town’s promenade on July 2021. A slightly lesser known fact is that this island of myth, legend, and folklore is also home to one of the finest singers of her generation; in fact, she has been captivating and entrancing audiences around the world with her genre-defying vocals for close on five decades, garnering critical praise such as “(a) voice personally delivered by God” (The Times), while ‘Mojo Magazine’ offered a more poetical résumé “(she) sings the birds down from the trees.” Either way, it was of little surprise that the excitement and anticipation echoing around Nettleham’s village hall this evening was palpable, as the local congregation flocked to see the return of the Isle of Man’s very own songbird, Christine Collister, after an absence of twenty years.

Collister’s vocal prowess first came to prominence in 1985, becoming part of Richard Thompson’s touring band for over four years and appearing on six albums. This exposure quickly found her in demand as a session vocalist, appearing on songs by both The Long Ryders and Loudon Wainwright III, whilst her stint with Thompson brought her in contact with the guitarist, singer-songwriter and former member of the band Any Trouble, Clive Gregson, who at the time was also performing in Thompson’s band. Together, they formed a highly successful duo, releasing five albums in seven years before going their separate ways. However, what probably gave Collister’s career the biggest traction during this period came in 1986 when she sang the theme song for the BBC’s immensely popular television adaptation of Fay Weldon’s book “The Life and Loves of a She-Devil”, with the song charting in the ‘Top 40’ of the UK Singles Chart. Since those heady days, Collister has continued to record as a solo artist, as well as collaborations with Dave Kelly and Michael Fix, while in 1996, she became a member of the folk supergroup Daphne’s Flight. In 2007, Collister, after many years living on the mainland, returned to the Isle of Man from where she continues to work, drawing inspiration from her surroundings as well as the ancient folklore of the island, which has inspired her most recent album “Children Of The Sea”, released earlier this year. A deeply personal project created during the stillness and upheaval of the pandemic, its nine original songs, woven from Manx myths and legends, form the backbone of the evening’s performance.

Though this was very much a solo performance, it was clear as Collister took to the stage that she wasn’t totally alone, as with the aid of a laptop, logic loops, a backing tape and a screen, all helping to enhance the visual and audio experience, she transported the audience into the heart of the magical tales immersed in the musical soundscape of these songs. Opening with a track, as yet unrecorded, which I believe was entitled ‘Geaw Jyn Ay’, Collister sang a cappella, but for the atmospheric drone from the laptop and the hypnotic visuals on the screen. One was immediately struck by Collister’s vocals, which, despite the years, still retain all their intensity, emotion, and precision, along with the fearlessness to begin with such a number, marking this as a quite breathtaking opening.

With such a vocal range, Collister’s musical career has never been restricted to one genre, constantly incorporating different styles into her songs, a fact highlighted by these new offerings with first ‘Lift The Veil’ followed by ‘Clever Little Jenny Wren’ and then ‘The Sound Of Infinity’ all subtly leaning into different genres whilst supported by an electronic ambience helping to evoke the mysticism and landscape of the island from where they draw their inspiration. There is also a very personal attachment to these songs for Collister, her early years growing up on the island, and her connection not just to the landscape but to family, especially her mother and sister, whose appearance is shared on the screen. During the performance of the emotionally charged ‘Dear Sister’, Chris While appears on the screen, seamlessly singing a duet with Collister, which is both immensely powerful and a little disconcerting, given the capabilities of modern technology.

There was also time during the first set for a couple of songs from Collister’s back catalogue, with the energetic ‘How Far To The Horizon’ offering a different pace to the evening’s setting, before ‘Goddess Of Mann’, a song Collister first recorded with Daphne’s Flight that also appears towards the end of the latest album, brought the first half to a close.

Returning for the second set, Collister began by revisiting her latest album, with the delightful ‘Fenella Beach’ transporting the audience to the west coast of the island, with its rugged coastline, crashing waves, and golden beaches, while informing the audience of her personal joy in regularly swimming in its cool waters. The final number from the new album in the evening’s set was ‘A Mermaid Song’, a track that captures so much of the island’s mysticism, strongly influenced by its Celtic and Norse origins, and character, with Collister’s vocal delivery almost sounding otherworldly, as if imbued by an ancient spirit. Hauntingly beautiful.

Of course no Collister concert would be complete without a rendition of her biggest hit (sic), and so it was that ‘Warm Love Gone Cold’, written for the aforementioned TV Series by Peter Filleul, appeared early in the second set, and despite being forty years old and probably sung hundreds of times was still delivered with just the right level of pathos and sagacity to connect and reconnect with an audience, many who will have known this song since its heady days of chart success. This was quickly followed by another song from her early career, and the only one from her time with Gregson to feature in the evening’s set, with ‘It’s All Just Talk’ again sounding as fresh as when it first appeared as the opening track from the duo’s debut and most successful album “Home And Away”.

Two cover versions brought the second set to a close with a wonderful rendition of Don McLean’s ‘Vincent’, followed by a fascinating re-imagining of Elbow’s ‘One Day Like This’, seguing into The Beatles’ ‘Hey Jude’, complete with audience participation that proved the perfect way to end the evening’s performance.. Needless to say, an encore was demanded and Collister returned to deliver an exquisite interpretation of ‘Waiting for A Prayer’, a song that had opened her 2002 solo album “An Equal Love”, offering one final seal of proof, if one was needed, that after more than forty years, Christine Collister is still one of the finest singers and most electrifying live performers this country, let alone the Isle of Man, has ever produced.