The Hamsters have long been established as the UK's premier blues-rock attraction with more than 4,000 concerts under their belts in 22 years together - that's 182 a year in case you were wondering.

The guitar, bass and drums trio of Snail's-Pace Slim, Rev Otis Elevator and Ms Zsa Zsa Poltergeist (real name Andy Billups) have built a strong reputation for themselves primarily by playing their own brand of rootsy rock, blues and americana, and are also widely regarded as the UK's leading interpreters of the music of Jimi Hendrix and ZZ Top.

Blueprint magazine readers voted them the UK's best blues rock band and they contributed a track for inclusion in the BBC Radio Two series Bright Lights, Big City, documenting the story of British rhythm and blues from the fifties to the modern day.

Formula One driver Damon Hill can be counted among their fans - he was once spotted wearing a Hamsters T-Shirt at the Hungarian Grand Prix - and famous names such as Eric Clapton, Alison Moyet, Doctor Feelgood, Walter Trout and the late, Alexis Korner have all performed with members of the band.

The threesome released a new three-hour double live DVD towards the end of last year, called Curse of the Killer Hamsters, containing live concert footage from their Milton Keynes show as well as a set from The Mad, The Bad and The Dangerous show recorded live in November 2005.

  • Botley Hill Farmhouse, Limpsfield Road, May 29, £13. Call 01959 540720 or visit botleyhill-farmhouse.co.uk.
  • The Halfmoon, Lower Richmond Road, May 30, 8.30pm, £12. Call 020 8780 9383 or visit halfmoon.co.uk