A highly-acclaimed folk singer and group will be stopping in Cardigan on their latest tour tonight (Saturday, April 15).

Maddy Prior - who is is an English folk singer, best known as the lead vocalist of Steeleye Span - and The Carnival Band will be bringing their Chapel & Tavern Tour to Mwldan, celebrating the lives and culture of everyday folk.

The concert being split into two halves. The first half will be 'in the chapel' and feature music from church gallery bands from an era when hymn writers took inspiration from theatre music and popular song.

They will then 'move to the tavern' after the interval for entertaining performances of ballads, theatre songs and dance tunes.

The night will provide tastes of chaotic London of Hogarth’s Gin Lane, Swift, Smollett and Thackeray and the enthusiastic singing of early Methodists and the village bands.

Between them the Carnival Band’s musicians have a track record in folk, contemporary, classical, baroque, medieval and Arabic music. Moving effortlessly from one to another they add a sprinkling of rock, world music and theatricality for extra flavour.

Their own songs draw on this rich palette, perfectly complementing the music of earlier centuries and other cultures and bringing their repertoire right up to date.

From the vibrant blare of shawms, bagpipes and electric guitar to the seductive tones of Turkish clarinet and fiddle and the enchanting delicacy of the renaissance cittern, The Carnival Band mix and match their collection of over twenty instruments, adding vocal harmony to create an astonishing range of sounds.

They have toured the UK, appearing at festivals and giving concerts in venues ranging from village halls to London's Cadogan Hall. Abroad they have ventured as far as Japan, with visits to Sudan and the Middle East for the British Council.

The band was founded by Andy Watts and Giles Lewin while they were members of the Medieval Players touring theatre company in the 1980s. They have had a long association with Maddy Prior.

Among their eleven CDs are several with the 'First Lady of folk', and recently they have recorded with an impressive roster of singers, including Nancy Kerr, John Kirkpatrick and Vivien Ellis.

Maddy Prior & the Carnival Band will be at Mwldan on Saturday, April 15 at 7.30pm.

Tickets cost £24.50 and are still available from www.mwldan.co.uk or by calling 01239 621200 between 12pm-8pm Tuesday to Sunday.