LIVE 8's greatest hit, Pete Doherty, may be in crisis yet again with his Babyshambles project crumbling all around him, but fellow former Libertine John Hassall is on the rise.

No hassle for Hassall, he is leading his new rowdy R&B band, Yeti, on a 23-date headline tour that will visit Fibbers in York on August 13 to promote the August 29 release of second single Keep Pushin' On.

Yeti have followed up the Top 40 success of March's debut single, Never Lose Your Sense Of Wonder, with support slots for Oasis and Razorlight and their debut album is scheduled for the autumn. Tickets: £6 advance, £7 door.

HENRY Blofeld, that dear old thing of BBC cricket commentators, will bring his anecdotal show An Evening With Blowers to the Grand Opera House, York, on October 24. Expect him to rake over the Ashes series when the ripe plum voice of Blowers leaves the safety of the commentary box for an encounter with the cricket cognoscenti of Yorkshire, the county that knows it invented the flannelled game. Tickets: £15, concessions £14; ring 0870 606 3595.

SIGN up for Ryan Shirlow & The Bloody Marys' mailing list at Sunday evening's gig at Fibbers, York, and you will receive a free Bloody Marys' limited-edition badge.

In the headline spot, Shirlow will be leading his aggressive and darkly amusing folk-tinged punk band influenced by Nick Cave, The Velvet Underground and The Smiths. Over rattling acoustic guitars and drums, and an organ sound reminiscent of Steve Nieve, his harshly delivered punk-folk or psycho-pop lyrics deal with lost ambition, infidelity, absent fathers and tough adolescence.

Joining Shirlow for An Evening With Ryan Shirlow & The Bloody Marys and Friends from 7.30pm to 10.30pm will be York singer-songwriter Holly Taymar, Lips Akimbo and Muthafunkstas' bassist James Brown in acoustic mode. Tickets: £4, £3 with a flyer from www.ryanshirlow.com.

AFTER 23 years together, the unhurried Bayou Seco make their York debut at the Black Swan Folk Club on Thursday in the first date of a month-long British tour of festivals and music clubs.

More than 100 musicians have passed through the band's ranks but Jeanie McLerie and Ken Keppeler remain at the core, and it is as a duo that these New Mexicans usually tour Britain and Europe, playing Cajun and Zydeco, Norteno Tex-Mex, Chicken Scratch, colonial dance tunes and cowboy songs.

McLerie grew up in New Jersey listening to rock'n'roll and musical comedy, and an encounter with The Carter Family introduced her to traditional song.

Keppeler learned the old tunes from his musical family on the back porch of his South Western home.

The two met in 1978 in Louisiana and discovered their common love of southern roots music, and in due course they brought together their fiddles, accordions and life stories in Bayou Seco.

Doors open at the Black Swan Inn, Peasholme Green, York, at 8pm on Thursday. Admission is £7, concessions £6.

YE Olde Starre Inne, in Stonegate, York, is holding open-mic nights every Thursday.

Hosted by Idle Jack & The Big Sleep lead singer Rob Hughes in the bar area, the sessions start each week at 9.30pm and finish at around 11.30pm, and no entrance fee applies for these informal gigs.

"The music varies depending on who is playing but it's mostly variations on rock, with musicians playing their own songs and other people's songs," says organiser Adam Linsell-Fraser.

"Assorted instruments are played other than the usual guitars, such as accordion, mouth organ, bongos, banjo and ukulele, and even a didgeridoo has been seen!"

Hughes opens each session with a few songs and chips in throughout the evening, and among the regular participants are Idle Jack & The Big Sleep, Holly Taymar, Fast Mike Newsham, Alex Dunn, Ste Piniata, Alan Hurray, Mr Fox, The Notion, Shonet, Rob Gambell and Dave MacLean.

"The nights are open to anyone who wants to perform, and because of licensing restrictions, the performances have to be solos or duets. Some of the regulars may be known from playing at Fibbers, Pitcher & Piano, The Junction and City Screen, York, but there are always new faces playing, and people who just happen to be there get up too," says Adam, who is running the weekly event with Rob, Stuart Weston, Mark Dunwell and Mark Sheridan.

"We always have a good atmosphere; it's very enjoyable and the night is gaining quite a following now."

Musicians seeking more information on taking part should ring Ye Olde Starre Inn on 01904 623063.

Updated: 16:30 Thursday, July 28, 2005