THE first time I heard the Penguin Cafe Orchestra was back in the 1980s. It was so different to the music of the time yet there was a strange familiarity, like meeting up with a faithful old friend. I feverishly collected every album as they were published.

Founder Simon Jeffes died in 1997 but the Penguins are touring with his son, Arthur Jeffes, at the helm – still playing his father’s cheerfully chaotic compositions that, quite honestly, seem as fresh as if they were written yesterday.

After half an hour with the incredible Tom Baxter, the 11-strong Penguin Cafe trouped on to a stage full of violins, guitars, ukuleles and all manner of string and percussion instruments parked like musical wildlife eager to take part in a kind of music that loves to be played.

The Penguins played their unique omnivorous set, a mix of old and the exciting new from their latest album, all seamlessly blended with anecdotes about when and how the music originated.

My favourites were Beanfields, Air A Danser, Music for a Found Harmonium from the library of Simon and Catania, Solaris and 1420 and Aurora from the new album, Red Book.

Helen Brown