IF the Imperial March from Star Wars is not something you expect to hear at a folk gig, then think again. You clearly haven’t seen “Flats and Sharps” in action, the maverick bluegrass quintet from Penzance, who are touring Devon this month.

The talented young quintet will be performing folk, bluegrass and country standards as well as their own exuberant material at the Red Lion Inn, Shobrooke, on Wednesday, November 18.

The band, who met at Music College in Penzance, and harmonise on all songs, started their career with an impromptu busking session.

Member Josh remembers: “In 2011, when we were 17, we decided we needed to earn some money for the summer. We borrowed a double bass from college and busked in Penzance town.

“The same day we got our first booking for the opening of Land’s End restaurant. Unfortunately it was a four-hour set and we had three songs! So that got us writing our own material…”

The band haven’t looked back and are full-time musicians, at the grand old age of 21, with an agent and manager too.

Flat’s and Sharps have played the 02 Arena but are equally excited about the cross-generational audiences of a village pub.

Josh added: “In a village hall/pub gig, the audience are all sitting down and you’ve got 100 per cent of their attention. The wider the age range the better.

“We supported “The Fisherman’s Friends” when we were starting out and ever since we’ve had a big ‘grey following’. We just want to make people happy. When everyone in the hall, the kids and the grannies, are singing back your lyrics, you know you’ve succeeded!”

Tickets for the Villages in Action supported Shobrooke show, which starts at 8pm, can be booked by calling the Red Lion on 01363 775468.