Dirty Old Folkers Christmas Panto

Dirty Old Folkers are back at the Kitchen Garden Cafe in Kings Heath for their annual Christmas panto, this time running over three nights: Sunday 20, Monday 21 and Wednesday 23 December. They've been selling this show out for 15 years, and they call it a Christmas list essential.

The evening is a bit of a hybrid. They start by inappropriately butchering a Christmas pantomime, then move into a full band set and a sing-song, with the usual Folkers shenanigans running through it all. It's as much about the comedy and the crowd joining in as it is about the music.

As a band, they describe themselves as a super-charged folk ensemble, and the sound is a bit of a collision. They set folk against comedy, cabaret and political satire, pulling from Irish folk, bluegrass, blues, jazz and classical music — and even Black Sabbath — all while keeping a monkey to a spanking of Pete Seeger. It's a broad church of influences, and they aren't shy about jumping between them in a single set.

The venue is the Kitchen Garden Cafe, 17 York Road, Kings Heath, B14 7SA, with the entrance via Fletchers Bar at 7 York Road. Doors open at 7:30pm and the show starts at 8:00pm. Tickets are £22, which includes the booking fee.