Camping it up at the festival

4:04pm Wednesday 2nd July 2008

JONATHAN Ross's house band Four Poofs and a Piano will be camping it up in Waltham Forest this summer as one of the main attractions at the Leytonstone Festival.

The kitsch quartet, who are self-confessedly "more hairdresser than barbershop," will be trying out new material from their upcoming tour during the show at the Heathcote Arms on July 11.

"This is our third time at the Leytonstone Festival," David says.

"We did it in 2004 and 2006 as a try-out for our Edinburgh show."

Formed in 2000, the boys are now finishing their seventh year and 14th series of the acclaimed Friday Night with Jonathan Ross - and it was through Ross's mum that the boys became involved with the festival.

"Jonathan Ross's mum lived in Leytonstone," David says.

"It was her husband who was involved with the organisation of the festival."

And it seems the locals have a soft spot for the boys as well.

"They've been really sweet to us, they've been very welcoming and treated us very, very well."

But they'll soon be venturing out on their own for the very first time, beginning a UK-wide tour in the autumn.

"It'll be our first ever tour under our own steam," David says.

"We've put together the best of our two Edinburgh shows plus some new material - it's very high energy, lots of silly singing and dancing."We'll be trying it out in Leytonstone." Kicking off with their third set at Glastonbury at the end of June, the 52-date tour starts in earnest this September with a show at the Southend Palace Theatre.

But there were mixed feelings in the group over the Glastonbury show.

"Two of us love it and two of us hate it," David says.

"We had to call in all our favours and twist their arms a bit to make them go."

But it's not all cabaret and kitsch for David.

"I'm doing a master's degree in European Politics at Birkbeck College at the moment - it keeps some balance and sanity in my life," he says.

Four Poofs and a Piano will be at the Heathcote Arms, Leytonstone on Friday July 11 from 7.30pm.

Tickets £6 (£3 concessions) For more information, visit the websites in related links.

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