Swindon banjo band, Banjovee, have thrown down the gauntlet to the ukulele group who are playing at the Wyvern Theatre this week.

“We challenge them to a duel,” said Roly Gillard, founder of Banjovee.

“Banjos deserve the name, ukuleles can only be used for feather dusting,” he said provocatively. But Richard Bending from UkeBox Jury was having none of it, and said any challenge from the banjo players would easily be met.

He said: “The ukulele is a tuneful instrument, whereas the banjo is a percussive thug!

“We do not allow banjo ukuleles in our club - they are against the rules.”

Roly says he takes exception to his instrument being against the rules.

“They had better watch out if they find five guys with banjos in their audience,” he laughed. “Besides, do they have Brain Damage by Pink Floyd and Teenage Kicks by The Undertones on their set list?”

Roly is joined in Banjovee by Martin Reeve, John McCarthy, Levi Saunders and Greg Dancey. Banjovee, who refuse to have a Bonjovi song in their set, got together last year with the aim of setting up a 20-piece banjo orchestra.

Martin said: “We kept bumping into each other at gigs and chatting about banjos so decided to get a banjo orchestra together - more as a joke than anything else - but we kept mentioning it.

“Last Christmas weperformed as the Beehive Banjo Orchestra and five of us have carried it on.”

Levi plays bass banjo and the others all try to create a different sound with their instruments.

“We also rely on our audience to get up and sing. We just have fun,” said Martin.

Along with the weird and wonderful Brain Damage the guys perform such numbers as My Old Man’s A Dustman, You Are My Sunshine, 59th Street Bridge Song, Copperhead Road and Wheels On The Bus.

The next gig for Banjovee is at The Fox And Hounds in Haydon Wick on June 7 - unless, of course, they are challenged to a duel by Ukebox Jury.

- Flicky Harrison