LARKIN Poe's sister duo Rebecca and Megan Lovell - the descendants of tortured artist and creative genius Edgar Allen Poe – are bringing their unique brand of bluesy rock to Gateshead.

The Atlanta-based sisters will be supported by the Gilden Thieves when they appear at the town's Caedmon Hall at 8pm on Sunday April 12.

Lead singer/guitarist Rebecca, 23, said: "There were a lot of creative, hotheaded, and intelligent branches that went against the grain in our family tree.

“Our paternal grandfather suffered from schizophrenia, while our great, great, great, great grandfather, Larkin Poe, was a Civil War wagon driver turned historian and a distant cousin to Edgar Allen Poe.

“Growing up with their crazy stories de?nitely shaded our perception of normal. As artists, I think some of those innate eccentricities, passed down from generation to generation, have been even further exaggerated in us."

Megan, 25, who contributes lapsteel and dobro to the line-up adds: "As sisters, we just wanted to pick a band name that had familial signi?cance, so we decided to give a nod to our ancestors and take on the name Larkin Poe."

The Atlanta-based sisters celebrate that unique genealogy and their own eccentricities with their debut full-length album, Kin, on Restoration Hardware's label RH Music.

"Musically," Megan, adds, "we've been a bit schizophrenic in our choices over

the years.

"We grew up playing classical violin and piano as little kids.

“In our early teens, we got turned on to roots music - blues, bluegrass, folk - we were a bit confused. But after a few years of searching and experimentation, we've ?nally found a way to piece the fragments of our artistic personalities and musical tastes together. We've found our voice."

Tickets are £14 on 0191-433 8420.

Gavin Engelbrecht