Police Dog Hogan & Neil Innes

London-based Americana band Police Dog Hogan are to join with urban spaceman and ‘seventh Python’ Neil Innes for a special evening at the Jazz Cafe in London, on Sunday April 26.

The band first played alongside Innes at a fundraiser last year, and have been keen to repeat the experience ever since. With 8 members in the full line-up (Guardian column-ist Tim Dowling is their banjo player), Police Dog Hogan draw their influences from many different wells. You could call it Americana, country-folk, or even urban bluegrass, but it’s difficult to do justice to the range of styles this band is willing to take on.

Their third album - Westward Ho! - was produced by Oysterband’s Al Scott, and attracted praise from many quarters. R2 Magazine called it “bold, infectious and affecting.” Neil Innes, acclaimed surrealist, songwriter and beaming stand-up lighthouse, founded the Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band, created The Rutles with Eric Idle and is known as the Seventh Python for his musical contributions to Monty Python’s Flying Circus. His masterful live gigs incorporate a number of instruments, a wealth of very funny (and pointed) songs, and a wide range of hats.

“I’ve suffered for my music,” says Innes, “and now it’s your turn.” When Police Dog Hogan get together with Neil Innes, you expect the unexpected.

Unless you saw the show in Frinton. It’s going to be Frinton all over again.