BRITISH comedy's very own occultist and heavy metal-loving transvestite vegan, Andrew O'Neill, is performing in York in two different guises this week.

Tonight, Andrew will present his new stand-up show, The History Of Heavy Metal, at the Hyena Lounge Comedy Club's 8pm gig at The Duchess. On Thursday, he will be fronting the UK's premier steampunk band, The Men That Will Not Be Blamed For Nothing, at the Fulford Arms, Fulford Road.

This date forms part of the London band’s first mini-tour as a four-piece since Andrew’s co-vocalist, Andy Heintz, was diagnosed with throat cancer in April. Andy is now making a good recovery, and to mark his return to the line-up, they have been billing the gigs as a chance to join them in celebrating "kicking cancer’s a**e".

Led by O'Neill, whose solo comedy performances have been heard everywhere from Download Festival and Bestival to the Edinburgh Fringe and BBC Radio 4, The Men That Will Not Be Blamed For Nothing have been putting the punk into steampunk and mixing droll stories of 1877 Victoriana with the attitude and sounds of 1977 since 2008.

Genuine 100 per cent actual Londoners, The Men That Will Not Be Blamed For Nothing come from a past which probably never happened via a present they didn't want. Less steampunk and more "Steam Punk", they fuse anarchy with anachronisms in equal measure. Expect a robot Sid Vicious covering Slayer in an 1877 East End Music Hall: a murky blend of Doctor Who, Doctor Watson and doctored history that is for the faint of heart or those of a delicate disposition.

Work is in underway already on their third album, the follow-up to 2012'sThis May Be The Reason Why The Men That Will Not Be Blamed For Nothing Cannot Be Killed By Conventional Weapons. Slated tentatively for release next spring or summer, the first fruits of the new labours can be heard at tonight's show.

Mixing horror, humour and history, the Londoners have delivered an ever-innovative recorded catalogue, including the first release on the archaic wax cylinder format for 70 years, while catching the disapproving attention of EMI Records, who threatened legal action over the first album, Now That’s What I Call Steampunk! Vol 1.

"Nothing can hold this truly unique band back; not lawsuits, not conventional weapons, and now not even cancer," says publicist Alison Bateman. "While Andy has faced up to the hell of radiotherapy treatments over recent months, his bandmates Andrew O’Neill, vocals and guitar, fellow stand-up comic Marc Burrow, bass and vocals, and ex-Lords Of The New Church man Jez Miller, drums, have remained determined to keep the show on the road.

"In June, they played Glastonbury as a three-piece to a great response, before Marc and Andrew took their stand-up show on a US tour that The Men had been due to play, attracting rave reviews in New York, Pittsburgh, Chicago and Detroit, and playing a one-off performance as an acoustic duo at the Steampunk World Fair in New Jersey.

"However, their most hotly anticipated shows of the year are their big comeback as a four-piece this autumn."

Doors open tonight at 7pm at The Duchess; box office, hyenalounge.com or 01904 641413. Tickets for Thursday's 8pm gig cost £8 online at thefulfordarms.co.uk