AN EVENING of unusual, beautiful music and poetry will be held at Sladers Yard in West Bay on Saturday, January 17.

Three Cane Whale are a celebrated multi-instrumental acoustic trio based in Bristol featuring Alex Vann on mandolin, bowed psaltery, music box, zither, banjo and concertina; Pete Judge on trumpet, harmonium, lyre, glockenspiel, dulcitone and tenor horn; and Paul Bradley on acoustic guitar and miniature harp.

Members of Spiro, Get The Blessing and the Fleur Darkin Ensemble in their other lives, they are superb musicians.

They return to Sladers Yard to weave their magic with powerful poetry performers Annie Freud and Barbara Marsh.

As intricate as a team of watchmakers, as spare as a mountain stream, the music of Three Cane Whale is played on early instruments yet is utterly contemporary, encompassing both a cinematic sweep and an intimate delicacy. Their second album Holts and Hovers, recorded live in 20 different locations, is available now.

Annie Freud was named one of this decade’s Next Generation Poets in a prestigious list published by the Poetry Book Society this month. Her eagerly awaited third collection of poetry, The Remains, is out next year from Picador.

Barbara Marsh lives and teaches in London. She is the author of the first book-length monograph of American poet Ruth Stone. Her poems have appeared in magazines and anthologies and To the Boneyard is her first full collection.

The talk will be followed by a buffet dinner served by Sladers Yard’s café from 6.30pm. Phone 01308 459511 to book.