Murder, perversion and kicking a baby (“or maybe an old lady”) down the stairs… ah, yes, all in a night’s entertainment when the Tiger Lillies perform.

The trio’s dark, alternative cabaret act mixes tales of death and no end of nastiness with superb musicianship and tunes that range from the hauntingly beautiful to really, rather jolly.

In their hands, lyrics of sex and violence can take on a music-hall, knees-up quality or conjure up the decadence of pre-war Berlin cabaret.

Led by founder member and lead singer Martyn Jacques, there’s no doubt the trio is out to shock but it’s backed up with outstanding musical ability. Between them, they play around a dozen instruments, many of them quite unusual.

As well as being a skilful accordion and piano player, Jacques also entertained with what seemed to be a ukulele made from the neck of a guitar and what another member of the band described as an “electric cheese grater”.

Stylish Adrian Stout — who had a sort of undead spiv vibe going on — was on what was more a quarter than a double bass, with just a sliver of wood holding the strings and bridge on the electronic instrument. He also did some amazing things with a theremin and musical saw.

Mike Pickering, a relative newcomer (the band formed in 1989, he’s been touring with them since 2012) did a good deadpan turn on drums and percussion but the man who really held the focus was Jacques.

With a world-weary air, he’s been described as a “melancholic amalgam of Cabaret’s Joel Grey and Meatloaf”. Throw Beetlejuice and Nick Cave into the mix and that pretty much covers it.

The Very Worst Of The Tiger Lillies featured songs from across the trio’s 25-year career.

Provocative, twisted lyrics were the order of the night; songs of fallen women, death and deprav-ity... and, um, wanting to have sex with a fly!

And then, when you thought you’d just about heard it all and the shock value was wearing off, they finished off with Banging In The Nails about the crucifixion.

“You see that crown of thorns upon his head? Well that was my idea,” intoned Jacques delightedly. “I’m bang, bang, bang, bang, bang, bang, bang, bang, banging in the nails.”

Jaine Blackman