HER mum Ann was a great hit at The Courtyard last July, with her Magnolia Sisters.

Now Sarah Savoy and her band The Francadians are stopping over on their way to headline at the Gloucester Cajun Festival to provide a taste of their sassy mix of Cajun, Zydeco, blues and the roots music of the Louisiana swamps.

The band’s original songs, written by Sarah and long-time Savoy family friend Gerard Dole, provide Sarah with an opportunity to speak with a voice until now virtually unheard in traditional Cajun music.

Sarah sings in celebration of the modern woman – strong, independent, and fun-loving – rather than only lamenting the traditional position of “la femme abandonee” (the abandoned woman).

Sarah belts out the blues, growls through honky-tonk-inspired Cajun songs of the 1940s and 50s, and wails the bitterness of some of Cajun music’s most forlorn waltzes.

Sarah powerfully fronts this band of dedicated French musicians, playing guitar and washboard and taking turns on lead vocal with accordionist David Rolland.

With an engaging line in humorous chat, she wins over audiences with her easy Southern charm, singing Hank Williams songs in Cajun French alongside a rousing mix of songs mixed up with a dollop of country and some dirty rock ’n’ roll.

They’re in the main house at The Courtyard on Thursday, January 21 at 8pm. To book, call the box office on 01432 340555.