Maligned ukulele hits back

However, a bunch of enthusiasts are punching above their weight in the name of this maligned instrument. Cheekily, they call themselves the Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain - seven musicians made a septet the last time I looked.

However, you could probably call them the ukulele orchestra of the entire universe without any fear of contradiction!

Strolling onstage looking rather dapper in tuxedoes, they do what their name implies and play songs using just ukuleles.

Their repertoire ranges from Anarchy in the UK and a very effective cover of Lou Reed's Satellite of Love to Joni Mitchell's For Free.

When all of them are playing and singing - and they can all sing - they can raise the roof with the best of them, as their rendition of the Undertones' Teenage Kicks demonstrated.

They firmly lay the ghost of George Formby to rest by playing Leaning on a Lamppost in a Russian balalaika style! You get good value for their show - they performed almost 30 songs so, if one was not to your taste, another soon arrived.

Highlights were their crowd-pleasing hilarious interpretation of Kate Bush's Wuthering Heights and Smells like Teen Spirit.

For me, their covers of Hawkwind's Silver Machine and Cancin Mixteca from the film Paris Motel were worth the admission fee.

Their version of The Good, the Bad and the Ugly was so spot on that, if you closed your eyes, you could imagine that you were listening to the vinyl single again.

Visually humorous, musically accomplished and passionate about their choice of instrument, the orchestra are justifiably big on the festival circuit and clearly have a large and growing and fan base that you should consider joining.

RICHARD HILTON