The Hamsters have long been established as the UK's premier blues-rock attraction with more than 4,000 concerts under their belts in 23 years together - that's around 175 a year in case you were wondering.

The guitar, bass and drums trio of Snail's-Pace Slim, Rev Otis Elevator and Ms Zsa Zsa Poltergeist (real name Andy Billups) have built a strong reputation for themselves primarily by playing their own brand of rootsy rock, blues and americana.

This Saturday though they will be going down a different route, playing two full sets of Jimi Hendrix and ZZ Top songs at the Half Moon in Herne Hill before travelling the short distance across south London to the Halfmoon in Putney the following Saturday.

Blueprint magazine readers voted them the UK's best blues rock band and they contributed a track for inclusion in the BBC Radio Two series Bright Lights, Big City, documenting the story of British rhythm and blues from the fifties to the modern day.

Formula One driver Damon Hill can be counted among their fans - he was once spotted wearing a Hamsters T-Shirt at the Hungarian Grand Prix - and famous names such as Eric Clapton, Alison Moyet, Doctor Feelgood, Walter Trout and the late Alexis Korner have all performed with members of the band.

The threesome released a three-hour double live DVD towards the end of last year, called Curse of the Killer Hamsters and Slim is going to appear in a new three-hour DVD documentary about the Fender Stratocaster titled Strat Masters.

Other players featured in the film include Ry Cooder, Mark Knopfler, Jeff Beck, Chris Rea, Hank Marvin, Bruce Welch, Robert Cray and Rory Gallagher and others.

The Hamsters, The Half Moon, Half Moon Lane, Herne Hill, July 18, 8pm, £12, call 020 8761 9078 or at the Halfmoon, Lower Richmond Road, Putney, July 25, 8.30pm, £12, call 020 8780 9383. thehamsters.co.uk.