ONCE seen, never forgotten: an indefinable confusion of superb musicianship and side-splitting comic genius, the New Rope String Band, who will be performing in Madley Parish Hall on Friday, May 8, are truly unique entertainers. Elements of circus, clowning, vaudeville, slapstick and sheer inspired silliness are spliced with beautiful acoustic music from various world traditions, in precision-honed yet uproarious performances that have delighted audiences from Borneo's Sarawak rainforest to the Shetland Folk Festival. Equally at home in tiny village halls or on major festival stages, these three maniac minstrels mix up long-time favourite routines with ever-evolving new material. From musical gyrations to deconstructed nursery rhymes, Python-esque absurdism to pyrotechnics, dream sequences and live, interactive film, expect the hilariously unexpected.

The New Rope String Band will be in Madley Parish Hall on Friday, May 8 at 7.30pm. To book, call 01981 250 527 or email madleyevents@hotmail.com.