Anyone who saw the Oxford Trobadors at the Holywell Music Room last year will want to catch them in action again next week, when they return with another cocktail of music inspired by the medieval language Occitan, which still exists in parts of Europe today. And if you haven’t yet been to a concert by this fun, entertaining group, then this is a treat you really don’t want to miss.

Led by brothers Denis and Ray Noble — both academics who also happen to be a bit nifty at singing and playing the guitar — the group was formed in 1998 to explore the Occitan language, music and culture, which was used by troubadours of the 12th and 13th centuries. It was founded by Denis (pictured), after he discovered the Occitan language during the 1970s.

“He bought a house in a village in the Dordogne, and discovered that the language being used by his neighbours wasn’t French. It was in fact Occitan, and he fell in love with it,” explains Ray. “So that’s how we got interested in Occitan music and the troubadours.

“Our motive behind it is that we want people to be introduced to troubadour music, to Occitan as a language and culture, and to understand that it is a living culture. The way we set about doing that was to bring together musicians who were interested in a variety of different kinds of music so that we could put on an interesting show.

“Oxford is blessed with a fantastic group of musicians, and we come together because we enjoy it. We enjoy playing together, and we all bring an enthusiasm to it.”

The forthcoming concert will be the usual repertoire of medieval Occitan music, interwoven with jazz, classical and pop, as well as new compositions inspired by the Occitan.

The Oxford Trobadors will be at the Holywell Music Room on February 17. Box office: 01865 305305 (www.oxfordtrobadors.com).