ECLECTIC folk band Ezio will perform songs from their latest album when they take the stage at Otley next month.

The group, from Cambridge, are named after their lead singer and main composer, Ezio Lunedei.

Formed in 1990, over their 30 year career Ezio have made a habit of dabbling in any style of music that takes their fancy and hopping genres at will.

Their most recent album, Daylight Moon, is no different and features everything from crunching blues-rock guitars on tunes like Crushed to the jazz rhythms of The Gypsy Song. Recorded in somewhat unusual circumstances - in the company of house-trained rabbits on an industrial estate in Cambridge - Ezio view Daylight Moon, which is the band’s ninth studio album, as their most personal yet.

It showcases the visceral honesty that characterises much of Ezio Lunedei’s lyrics in tracks like Indian, described as ‘an ode to feeling overcome by forces beyond your control’, and Dirty Little Secret - a Nick-Drake-esque song where he tries to unpick the emotions of an unnamed muse who he just can’t quite work out.

The group’s distinctive sound is informed by the connection between Lunedei and lead guitarist Mark ‘Booga’ Fowell, with the frontman’s rich tenor and complex acoustic guitar work complemented by Booga’s incessant lead guitar. Booga has been praised for his unique style and Ezio have been hailed as one of the best live acts in the UK.

The band has vowed ‘not to do’ set lists, so audiences can literally expect every show to be different.

Ezio will perform at Otley Courthouse on Saturday, March 7. The show starts at 8pm and tickets cost £14.

Fans of Shakespeare’s comedies, meanwhile, can look forward to seeing a screening of a new production of The Merry Wives of Windsor at the Courthouse at 7pm on Friday, February 28. Drawing influences from 1930s British fashion, music and dance, the show - recorded at Shakespeare’s Globe theatre - celebrates women and the power and beauty of nature.

Directed by Elle While, The Merry Wives of Windsor stars Olivier Award-nominated Bryony Hannah (from Call the Midwife and The Children’s Hour) and Sarah Finigan(Suffragette, Upstart Crow), with Pearce Quigley (Hamlet, As You Like It) as Falstaff.

Tickets cost £14 or £12 for Courthouse Friends. To book tickets for any forthcoming Courthouse events visit www.otleycourthouse.org.uk, call (01943) 467466 or pop into the venue, on Courthouse Street.