"We specialise in chaos," joked author Louis De Bernieres halfway through this event and he could not have summed it up better.

De Bernieres (pictured) is a top-selling author with Captain Corelli's Mandolin and Birds Without Wings. If only he could sing as well he writes and play the guitar half as well.

He is the first to admit he is no musician but rather an avuncular raconteur who likes to bumble around on stage and joke with his female musicians.

He read some of his favourite poetry in his deadpan and monotonous voice and had some witty repartee with the members of the Antonius Players.

The true stars of the show were the three female singers and musicians who make up the players. They hit exactly the right note, especially when it came to the delightful flute melodies.

The audience gradually warmed to De Bernieres and his female band but had he not been a literary great, quite a few people would have objected to paying £10 to hear him sing, play and read.

Rowan Dore