HE writes crime fiction. They sing country music. Together Mark Billingham and My Darling Clementine's husband-and-wife duo Michael Weston King and Lou Dalgleish are mutually fascinated by pain, loss and violence.

Tomorrow, they present The Other Half, a night of overlapping songs and storytelling in The Basement at City Screen, York, in which Billingham uses My Darling Clementine's "countrypolitan" songs as a springboard for his story of love, loss and hope in the life of former Las Vegas showgirl Marcia. As she reflects on her single doomed shot at happiness, one day she receives a phone call that changes everything.

"I'm a big fan of country music and there's a lot of country music in my books," says Mark. "One day I was told I had to see this group, My Darling Clementine, so I went to see them, bought the album, hung around a bit, and put them on the playlist at the back of my novel The Bones Beneath.

"Their songs are extremely narrative driven, in the way that all great country music is, and very dark too, and they were songs that I could give stories to, so it was just a question of finding a narrative flow. It was actually the easiest story I've ever written; normally short stories are the hardest things to write, much harder than a novel, but with this story, the tent pegs were all in place."

Billingham will read the story from one side of the Basement stage; My Darling Clementine will interject at intervals with a song from their back catalogue. The novelist is a more than willing participant in the performance. "I was an actor first off, doing The Bill, Casualty," he says. "Then I moved into stand-up comedy for 20 years, so performing is natural for me, but it's different from a book reading and I'm thoroughly enjoying it. Michael and Lou are singing as characters in the story, so it's something really different for all of us."

Mr H presents The Other Half, featuring Mark Billingham and My Darling Clementine, The Basement, City Screen, York, Saturday, 8pm. Tickets for the 8pm gig/play/reading event cost £15 at thebasementyork.co.uk or on 0871 902 5726.