A TRIO of live concerts will be held this spring at an intimate stage setting in Harwich.

Northern Irish folk troupe Craobh Rua, the Red Dirt Skinners and the Oxley Guitar Project are set to perform this spring.

The three events were due to be held at the Electric Palace, but Harwich Town Sailing Club has stepped in to host them while restoration work continues at the historic cinema.

March will see the return of traditional Northern Irish folk group Craobh Rua.

The band’s musicians bring their own individual experience to the group and fuse their talents to bring life to a wide array of instruments including the banjo, mandolin, fiddle, uilleann pipes, tin whistle, guitar and vocals.

In April the Red Dirt Skinners - made up of husband and wife Rob and Sarah Skinner - will be performing at the venue.

The two marry the unusual combination of acoustic guitar and soprano saxophone to create their original sound.

Their performance merges captivating story-telling with unbelievable lyricism and musicianship.

The third sailing club show will be performed by the Oxley-Meier Guitar Project.

This will also be the third visit to Harwich of electric guitar virtuosi Pete Oxley and Nicolas Meier, who will bring their usual mind-boggling array of ten different guitars to the performance.

Oxley and Meier’s sound brings together everything from flamenco to Latin, from traditional English to traditional Turkish, and from jazz to heavy rock.

Simon Ashley, of the Electric Palace, said: “We are very grateful to the Harwich Town Sailing Club for agreeing to stage these events.

"It is great we are able to keep music alive while the palace is undergoing its restoration.

"The club will provide a cosy setting in which to enjoy these very different musicians.

"We know they are going to be very popular and as space is limited we advise people to book early."

Craobh Rua is on Thursday, March 14 at 8pm, Red Dirt Skinners, play on Thursday, April 18 at 8pm and the Oxley-Meier Guitar Project perform on Thursday, May 9 at 8pm.

Tickets for each are £10 and are available online from electricpalace.com or the Harwich Box Office in Dovercourt Library.