From the moment they met, Tiny Dancers were united in their obsession with The Last Waltz, Martin Scorsese's Seventies' rockumentary about The Band.

"From start to finish in that film, every single member of The Band is singing their heart out," says lead guitarist Chris Ev' Etherington.

"Sometimes you can't hear them but that's not really the point. They were just totally absorbed in what they were doing and that appealed to us massively, that idea of being in our own little club where it doesn't matter what anyone else might think."

It's an attitude which makes sense when you consider where Tiny Dancers grew up. Chris, David Kay (lead singer), Dez Wathey (bass), Duncan Zed' Morrison (drums) and Glover (keyboards, glockenspiel, percussion, guitar, noise creation) are from South Kirkby, South Elmsall and Brierley, three isolated former pit villages marooned in the West Yorkshire countryside between Doncaster and Wakefield. Music, and playing gigs at the Miners Welfare Club, provided an escape from utter boredom.

When the five friends finally started playing together as a group after years of honing their skills in different other bands, everything fell into place.

"In other bands, I never really felt that comfortable," says David. "This time something just clicked. It was the music I always wanted to make."

Along with The Band, the Beach Boys became an obsession.

"We liked the unusual instrumentation, we knew from the start we didn't want to be a traditional rock band."

The Beatles, the Rolling Stones, Talking Heads and David Bowie were also hot favourites. What excited Tiny Dancers was not so much the riffs but these bands' attitudes and passion.

"I never really wanted to sound like anyone else," says David. "I never analysed records and fretted over them.

It was more natural. I'd have a vague idea of a sound or a feeling and go for it.

We're obviously influenced by certain bands and artists but it's more about how they looked and what they did, not by any particular sounds or styles."

On record, Tiny Dancers are upbeat and playful. Their debut album Free School Milk is lively and polished, veering across genres and trumpeting an eclectic range of influences, from a Byrds-like country twang to hook-laden synth pop.

Live, you will find a platinum blonde, girlish frontman who looks like a Beck and Bowie hybrid leading a stylish gang of five who swap instruments, laugh a lot and banter between songs. Wherever they play, the band always decorate the stage with flowers and fairy lights, standard lamps, stuffed toys, balloons and glitter. It is all part of the fun say the band, a way of making it feel like home.

"Although it does cause quite a lot of discomfort in the van," says David.

Like The Flaming Lips, Tiny Dancers are serious about their music but intend to have fun performing.

"We love bands that push themselves, stretch themselves. We're always thinking of different ideas, things to play with. We're quite unpredictable."

  • Starts 7pm, tickets £6.50. Call 0870 9070999.