MUSICIANS Jennifer and Hazel Wrigley - otherwise known as The Wrigley Sisters - take travel in their stride these days, having captivated audiences all over the world in the past ten years.

But it wasn't always so simple for the Orkney Island twins who appear at Talking Heads, Southampton, on Wednesday.

"One of our first professional gigs was down in Cornwall when we'd only just passed our driving tests," recalls Jennifer.

"We had taken it in Orkney where there weren't even any traffic lights or roundabouts.

"The trip was 984 miles and took us three days. The next day we were playing in Middlesbrough, right up in the north-east!"

The Wrigley Sisters' musical story began on their joint eighth birthday when they were presented with their first musical instruments - Jennifer with a fiddle and Hazel with a guitar.

By the time they reached their teens they were playing regular spots around the islands.

It was at one local concert that the owner of Orkney's only recording studio spotted them, resulting in the release of their first album, Dancing Fingers, when they were only 16.

The album launched the sisters on to the wider folk circuit in Scotland, accelerated by 1994's follow-up The Watch Stone.

By the late 1990s their sparkling blend of traditional, contemporary and original material infused with jazz, blues and ragtime flavours was getting them bookings all over the world, with tours in Thailand, Hong Kong, Singapore, Bali and North America.

Still in their 20s, The Wrigley Sisters have since recorded three more albums including their latest, Skyran.

Admission to the Talking Heads gig is £6 on the door. For more information call 023 8067 8446.