A BOATLOAD of bearded musicians will arrive in Marlow on Friday ahead of a gig as part of a 275-mile musically themed canal adventure across the south of England.

Experimental folk trio the Dead Rat Orchestra will play a free show at All Saints Church the same evening on the third leg of a thirteen-stop cruise inspired by the the country’s waterways.

Launching from London's Canal Museum with a set of songs inspired by the stories and the traditions of the industrial arteries, the trio will travel exclusively by waterway as they cross the country via Oxford, performing as they go.

And the three-piece aim to explore and engage with the heritage of the canals both past and present, dredging up secrets and myths along the route.

The show kicks off at 7.30pm, with the trio arriving on their specially adapted boat in the afternoon.