COVERS band Deaf Shepherd are playing the Maltings Arts Theatre in St Albans next Friday night, January 25, in support of a charity. Two members of the band, lead guitarist and vocalist Steve Townsend and drummer Dave Lewis, are involved with charity Mote

COVERS band Deaf Shepherd are playing the Maltings Arts Theatre in St Albans next Friday night, January 25, in support of a charity.

Two members of the band, lead guitarist and vocalist Steve Townsend and drummer Dave Lewis, are involved with charity MotecLife UK and are holding the one-off gig to raise funds for it.

MotecLife is a local charity of healthcare professionals who take medical services to Ghana, and The Sheps - as Deaf Shepherd are known - will be featuring unusual acoustic material as well as the best of their normal set of rock covers from the seventies to the noughties in the fundraising performance.

They will be supported by another popular local band, Jenium, and admission to the gig, which gets underway at 8pm, is £12. Tickets are available from the box office on 01727 844222.

l Classical pianist Annett Busse performs at the theatre at 7.30pm the following night, January 26.

A long-time arts theatre favourite in the Wednesday lunchtime recital slot, German-born Annett, who is based in Harpenden, trained at the Special School for Music and the Hochschule fuer Musik in Dresden. She has also performed with the Berolina Orchestra in Berlin.

Her concert will features solos by Couperin, Czerny, Schubert, Scriabin and Chopin.

Tickets are £12 with concessions £10, available from the box office.

l Alice and the White Rabbit hops into the theatre at 3pm next Saturday afternoon, January 26, to launch the theatre's Spring season for children.

Indigo Moon is putting on a shadow theatre adaptation of the enduring tale by Lewis Carroll which is aimed at children of four and over.

In a dreamlike adaptation, Alice will change size, the Cheshire Cat will make an appearance and there will be a chance to join the March Hare at the Mad Hatter's tea party.

Tickets for the performance are £4.50.