A lively six-piece folk/rock band from York called Blackbeard’s Tea Party will be entertaining the Grayshott Folk Club at Grayshott Village Hall on Saturday, October 15, at 7.30pm.

Des O’Byrne of Grayshott Folk Club said: “This won’t be for faint-hearted land lubbers but it should be a whole lot of fun! They last played for us on June 19, 2015, and their return is long overdue.”

Anyone looking for a quiet night out with soothing, melodic folk music had better avoid this gig. Blackbeard’s Tea Party are a big festival band who like to get their audiences on their feet and joining in.

Their bold and riotous modern folk/rock is built for late nights and big stages. Hold on to your tricorn hats and be prepared to stamp your wooden legs.

Mr O’Byrne added: “Some of you may remember their last visit to Grayshott and their signature song, the incredibly infectious Chicken On A Raft.”

Formed in 2009, Blackbeard’s Tea Party are led by Stuart Giddens, a failed Morris dancer and sometime melodeon player. Be sure to do what he asks though, or you might find yourself walking the plank.

Stuart is ably assisted by classically-trained Laura Boston-Barber, who had a fiddle thrust in her hands before she could walk or talk. Once she heard the “twangling” of her stepdad’s old-time banjo, she was lost to the fun of folk.

Dave Boston is a percussionist whose international musical studies have taken him from York to Guinea and Havana. This boy’s got rhythm. However, you can never have enough rhythm in any band so second drummer Liam Hardy fills in the blanks. He opted for drums over economics, although he says the two are not mutually exclusive.

Paddy Lester-Rourke started learning the fiddle from the age of seven, changed to viola then migrated to bass. His dalliance with an experimental band called Punch The Sky ended the night they supported Blackbeard’s Tea Party, when he jumped ship and became a fully paid-up member of the Blackbeard’s Tea Party crew.

The final piece of the Blackbeard’s Tea Party jigsaw is Benjamin Trott. Heavily influenced as a child by his dad’s musical taste in folk, Ben tried but failed with the piano. One day he picked up his brother’s abandoned electric guitar and that eventually led to tours of Europe, Australia and America with The Tim Edey Trio and The Albion Band among others.

Their sole aim is to give their audience a good time. Pirate fancy dress is strongly encouraged. For tickets, priced £18 (under-16s £8) visit Grayshott post office or call Des O’Byrne on 01428 607096.