The world’s first eight-legged musical instrument is coming to Knighton in August.

On Sunday 17th August at 2.30 pm, Pinners Hole in Knighton will host a unique and free outdoor event, which will see a performance of The Sonic Spider. Several musicians play the eight strings on the Spider, while others, playing a variety of instruments, perform out in the “web”.

Lasting around 40 minutes, the event is family-friendly, imaginative, and promises no real spiders, just a deep dive into their fascinating world.

August is the International Month of the Orb Web Spider, fittingly the eighth month of the year for an eight-legged marvel. The Sonic Spider invites audiences to experience the world as an orb web spider does: through vibrations, and no sight.

Created by composer Camilla Saunders, biologist and writer Dr. Alun Anderson, and instrument designer Charlie Beresford, the Sonic Spider brings together science, music, and imagination. Several musicians will recreate moments of a spider’s life: the crash of a fly, the cautious dance of a mate, the tremors of predators or wind. Musicians and audiences become immersed in the spider’s world of vibration, through sound – but that is just the beginning of the story the Sonic Spider team want to tell.

The goal is to encourage the audience to perceive how the world (or “umwelt”) of every creature is unique, and to let their imaginations go and begin to imagine the multitude of worlds in this space right here, right now, of creatures large and small around them, that often pass through our lives unnoticed, or even despised as pests.

The Sonic Spider has toured Wales and has appeared at leading science festivals.

Alongside the live music, visitors can explore visual displays and take home a free 24-page booklet exploring the science and story behind the work.