FRESH from a tribute concert at The Ambassadors Theatre in London, Ben Waters will be bringing his trio to the Maltings Arts Theatre in St Albans tonight (Thursday).

Ben has played with the legends of rock’n’roll including Chuck Berry and Jerry Lee Lewis and his friend and mentor is Jools Holland who allowed Ben to use his studio for his forthcoming tribute album to Ian Stewart, a founder member of the Rolling Stones.

Known as Stu, he died 25 years ago at the age of 47 and Ben joined Charlie Watts, Ronnie Wood, Bill Wyman, Mick Hucknall and Jools Holland at the tribute concert in London on Wednesday night.

Ben and his trio will be performing music from the tribute album as well as some of his boogie woogie and rock’n’roll interspersed with some of his original material.

They come on stage at 8pm and tickets at �12.50 are available from the box office on 01727 864511 or online at www.maltingsartstheatre.com

Blues band The Hamsters, soon to be into their 25th year together, are playing at the arts theatre next Thursday night, March 17.

Regarded as the UK’s leading interpreters of the music of Jimi Hendrix and ZZ Top, The Hamsters play bluesy, rocked-up Americana.

Originally formed for their own amusement and having taken their name from the pseudonym used by the Sex Pistols when they were at their most notorious, members of the band have played with such artists as Alison Moyet, Dr Feelgood, Walter Trout and Alexis Korner.

Rated by Radio Two’s Bob Harris as one of Britain’s very best live bands, they are appearing at 8pm and tickets are �12.50.

Renowned nature and adventure photographer John Beatty brings his UK lecture tour Wild Vision to the arts theatre next Friday, March 18.

The last person to photograph last year’s Icelandic volcano eruption before all flights were suspended, he has over 20 years of assignments to his name. His work has taken him from the peaks of all the Greater Ranges to the American Deserts, the teeming wildlife of East Africa to the wonders of the Galapagos Islands.

Wild Vision is a chance to hear about his extraordinary life which has included seven months spent in Antarctica with the British Antarctic Survey, a winter in Spitzbergen where he surveyed 350km of untracked arctic mountains and glaciers and a 400-mile unsupported sled traverse of the Greenland Icecap.

John will be giving his audio-visual presentation from 7.30pm and tickets are �12.