ONE of the big three of English folk rock, The Albion Band, is playing at Harpenden Public Halls next Saturday, March 10.

Ranked alongside Steeleye Span and Fairport Convention, The Albion Band fuses traditional British songs and tunes with contemporary instruments and sounds.

It has contained or been associated with a large proportion of major English folk performers from Richard Thompson to Martin Carthy in its long and fluid history.

Until last year, the one constant has been Albion Band leader and bass player Ashley Hutchings but for the first time in the band’s history, Ashley has stepped aside to let son, Blair Dunlop, lead a new generation of folk artists.

The new line up features a number of performers from a range of backgrounds reflecting earlier versions of the Albion Band. They include Folk Award nominee Katriona Gilmore (fiddle and vocals), vocalist, concertina player and guitarist Gavin Davenport, drummer Tom Wright, Tim Yates on bass and lead guitarist Benjamin Trott.

The performance begins at 7.30pm and tickets at �18.50/�16.50 are available from the box office on 01582 767525.

Award-winning singer-songwriter Hazel O’Connor became an iconic figure after the release of cult movie Breaking Glass.

And she will be performing some of her unforgettable songs from the film including Eighth Day, Will You, Big Brother and If Only when she appears at the Public Halls next Sunday, March 11.

Hazel is no stranger to the live scene, continually performing and writing as well as performing the world over. She has gone from her early tours in the eighties to a critically acclaimed partnership with harpist Cormac De Barra, from her autobiographical theatre shows Beyond Breaking Glass to her recent successful 30th Anniversary Breaking Glass Live tour.

She will be accompanied by saxophonist Clare Hirst and Sarah Fisher on keyboards.

Hazel comes on stage at 7.30pm and tickets are �18 in advance and �20 on the door.