Legendary fiddler Peter Knight and his two exceptionally talented friends wooed and captivated a large audience at Laugharne's Millennium Memorial Hall last Wednesday evening.

Peter Knight's Gigspanner is a band that started about eight years ago in Hastings, where the three members were living at the time. The band features Roger Flack on guitar, percussionist Vincent Salzfaas on congas and djembe, and Peter Knight on the violin.

Best-known for his involvement in the folk rock group Steeleye Span, Peter's ability to turn the fiddle to dozens of uses has to be seen to be believed.

The audience, consisting of adults of all ages, were spellbound and intrigued as Peter conjured butterflies from his bow, plucked the violin like a banjo, moved so gently it sounded like woodwind, or vivaciously in keeping with a lively folk tune.

The set was a fusion of Celtic, British, American and World sounds; sometimes contemplative, sometimes energetic, but always intricately performed. There was plenty of singing, too, with songs penned by Peter as well as traditional fare. His soft, melodic, 'reedy' voice sounds as good as ever, the others making well-tuned harmonies without the exaggerated accent associated with folk clubs of the past. For a band of just three musicians and a minimum of amplification, the sound was surprisingly full, and songs like 'Seagull' and 'Tom of Bedlam' had instant appeal.

It is clear that the band have a unique 'chemistry', each member intuitive to the others. And this was put to the ultimate, crowd-pleasing test when Roger downed his guitar, picked up a pair of drumsticks and proceeded to beat rhythmically against Peter's violin as he bowed furiously. The result - a Wild West take on a hurdy gurdy - was flawless. It's not hard to imagine Peter spinning the world on his bow, now Terry Pratchett has pointed out the possibility.

It was refreshing to see how friendly the musicians were, both on stage and off it; they were happy to chat with anyone and offered to sign CDs.

Peter, Roger and Vincent did our area an honour by agreeing to play at Laugharne. I hope they enjoyed the welcome and are eager to return on their next tour.

PATRICK OVENDEN