With little more than some white makeup and a bowler hat, The Dresden Dolls burst out of the Boston art scene in 2000.

The theatrical duo, who have garnered comparisons from Patti Smith and Nick Cave to The Violent Femmes, are singer/pianist Amanda Palmer and drummer Brian Viglione.

Although often described as punk rock cabaret - thanks to Palmer's theatrical roots and Viglione's heavy metal bent - the pair prefer "Brechtian punk cabaret".

After meeting at a Halloween party in 2000, the duo went on tour with Palmer supporting the band with her white-washed living statue impression, The Eight Foot Bride.

In 2003 the pair were propelled into the mainstream (or at least beyond the bounds of the Boston art world) when they won the city's famous WBCN rock 'n' roll rumble and released their eponymous debut.

Their new album Yes Virginia, which was produced by Sean Slade and Paul Q Kolderie (Radiohead, The Pixies, Hole), is released on British shores on April 13.

Recorded over several weeks at a converted turn-of-the-century mansion in of upstate New York's Catskill Mountains, the album explores taboo territory with songs such as Sex Changes and Palmer's confessional songs First Orgasm and Me & The Minibar.

While the Dresden Dolls might not be everyone's cup of tea, few can resist their vaudevillian theatrics,says Palmer. "We rarely have a show when the audience is like, 'F*** this, we're going to the bar'. Even when we're bad we hold the audience's attention."

Starts 8pm, tickets cost £12.50. Call 01273 673311.