THE Folkworks' Fiddles on Fire national tour intends to set alight The Anvil when it blazes into Basingstoke.

The audience will be amazed by the smouldering array of talent on show, selected from some of the world's finest folk musicians.

Headlining are US supergroup Fiddlers 4, who intend to spark a folk inferno and whip up a musical frenzy with their energetic performance as part of their first UK tour.

The band's self-titled album was nominated for Best Traditional Folk Album at the 2002 Grammy Awards.

Their impressive musical repertoire is a clever combination of styles, including bluegrass, jazz, Appalachian, Cajun and African music.

The result is an inspiring sound by a gathering of some of today's most celebrated fiddlers, who draw upon more than 100 years of shared musical knowledge and experience.

The event, on Thursday, May 12, at 7.45pm, is being billed as "two concerts, seven fiddlers, six nations and countless styles" and the other musicians include Catriona Macdonald (pictured above) from Shetland, Cathal Hayden from Four Men and a Dog in Ireland and Beta Salamon from Hungary.

The focus of the tour is to attract new audiences to folk music from listeners of all kinds of musical tastes, ranging from classical and pop to the fringes of jazz.

Bruce Molsky, fiddler with Fiddlers 4, said: "Fiddlers 4 are very excited about the tour and about visiting England.

"The main thing about world music is that we actively seek cultural common ground and explore it together, with the greatest possible sensitivity toward each. Any chance to promote collaboration and understanding is a chance to do good work.

"The fiddle has got to be one of the best links since it lives so deeply in so many cultures."

Folkworks' events have always provided audiences with the very best traditional folk music from different global traditions utilising the skills of some of the world's finest musicians.

Alistair Anderson, artistic director of Folkworks, said: "People will be knocked out by the sheer quality of the fiddle playing.

"Folkworks are hoping to break new ground with the Fiddles on Fire tour, by juxtaposing the fiddle's different creative styles, enabling people to enjoy the musical richness that a particular family of instruments can generate.

"We are hoping that people will say 'Wow, there's a whole new world of things the fiddle can do in the hands of great players'."

To book tickets, priced £13.50 and £11.50 for concessions, contact The Anvil box office on 01256 844244.

Alternatively, log on to www.theanvil.org.uk