A MAMMOTH weekend of music kicks off at The Wharf in Tavistock tonight (Thursday) with Limelight Night at 8pm where the most promising up and coming bands will be showcasing their various musical styles and entry to this event is kept at a very affordable £6 – details of specific performers playing can be found on  the venue’s website.

Tomorrow night (Friday) sees the return of the world famous tribute to Queen, The Bohemians, who are old favourites at the venue and never fail to impress with the way they recreate the monster hits of  Freddie Mercury, Brian May, Roger Taylor and John Deacon complete with flamboyant outfits and stage presence. Expect to be whipped back through the whole back catalogue from the early Night at the Opera, Day at the Races and News of the World albums dipping occasionally into some of Freddie’s later solo material. This is a show that’ll impress even the most diehard Queen fan.

And then on Saturday, REM tribute band Stipe take to the stage with Richard Southern recreating the haunting vocals of Michael Stipe, who himself described the band when they performed on BBC’s The One Show as ‘awesome’.

Everybody Hurts, Happy Shiny People and Losing my Religion are just three of the songs you can expect to hear covered. And all this will be underpinned on Sunday night from the 12 piece  Urban Voodoo Machine, described as ‘bourbon soaked gypsy blues, bop and stroll’ who hail all the way from London.

Best described as a mash up of guitars, twin drummers, fiddles, trumpets, banjo, washboard, upright bass, mandolin, saxophone and even empty bottles, this band promise a riot of fun filled entertainment with their sea shanties and messed up tangos and whiskey soaked gypsy stomps. Not surprisingly they’ve been popular and well received on various tours with the likes of The Pogues who took them around the UK with them.

They’ve also received rave reviews across the music press making album of the year, and described by Classic Rock as one of the best live bands you’ll ever see, definitely a band to make the effort to catch on Sunday night.

n Details of all tickets can be found on its advertisement or from www.tavistockwharf.com