Let's face it; any band with the bizarre name of Gandalf Murphy and the Slambovian Circus of Dreams has to be a bunch of amateurs covering up their lack of talent with a heavy dose of eccentricity, right? Wrong. Gandalf Murphy, fronted by Josiah Longo (yes, I believe that's actually on his birth certificate) have, through raw talent, hard work and charisma, developed a hard core fan base for the past dozen years in the States and received such a rapturous reception when they first appeared in the UK in 2008, that they have since been compelled to return to Blighty several times.

Wikipedia can sometimes be economical with the truth but it pretty much hits the mark when it says: "The flavour of the band is best captured by a live concert.... the band is noted for the dedication and support shown by the fans." The highlight of the Gandalf Murphy year is the (wait for it)...Grand Slambovian Extraterrestrial Hillbilly Pirate Halloween Ball performed at the Electric Ballroom in Camden, followed by the same shindig in New York two days later. In an almost carnival atmosphere, the band play a number of short sets in different guises, their pirate set as Black Jack Davy and the Scurvy Dogs, being particularly effective. 

If there is any band with which it is impossible to pigeonhole, this one takes the crown. An American DJ once asked them what kind of music they played. Joziah answered "We're kinda like Punk Classical Hillbilly Floyd." But this doesn't even begin to define their many influences and genres.

The Ball is a good way to fully appreciate the band's range and diversity. Three short sets make up the first half of the evening, namely Pirates, Halloween and a cross between Alien and Glam-rock. Confusingly, the music didn't always reflect the regalia and mostly comprised of an innovative and very distinctive medley of covers including Floyd's 'Astronomy Domine', Lennon's 'Across the Universe' and Bowie 's 'Starman' as well as a mixture of their originally written songs.

For the last hour, the band played as Gandalf Murphy, a highlight in itself, running through an enthusiastic hour of their own material. Given that they are frequently and mistakenly labelled as just a more eccentric kind of folk band, they tend to produce a very rock orientated sound. While Josiah Longo is clearly the front man, musically Gandalf Murphy lends its instrumental identity to lead guitarist Sharkey McEwen with his assured, scorching riffs, dextrous solos and his versatility, switching with ease to a slide mandolin. He's ably backed by Tony Zuzolu, one of the most exciting drummers around, driving the band forward and pounding the living hell out of his kit, at one point having to stop in between songs because he'd smashed in one of the snares. Tink Lloyd, Josiah's wife, provides backing vocals and accordion, altogether producing a sound unlike any other band on the circuit.

They opened tonight with 'Grand Slambovian Bi-Polar Express', which always gets the fan base grooving and shouting out the chorus as one. Other tracks from their handful of albums were all well received. The band do a neat turn in self-deprecation; they had started 'Baby Jane', an emotional and melodic slow piece when Josiah abruptly stopped and decided to do something more raucous, advising anyone starting out in the music business that this was a very bad idea. They are probably the only band I know who could get away with such obvious prevarication. A fine rendition of 'Talking to the Buddha' with Sharkey's fine guitar work, concluded with the foot tapping crescendo of ' Alice in Space' and as rapturous an applause as any band could ask for.

As a final thank you, Josiah asked his English support band to come up on stage and they all performed an improvised and outstanding version of The Rolling Stones' 'Gimme Shelter'.

Gandalf Murphy and the Slambovian Circus of Dreams are, it has to be said, not everyone's cup of tea. They are, at times, a little too whimsical and refuse to be neatly categorised into a convenient genre. However, for those who like their music a little unconventional, who want to see accomplished musicians perform with consummate ease and generating an extraordinary rapport with its devoted audience, as well as exhibiting an enormous sense of fun on stage........then this may well be the band for you.