“IS this the Sound of Music?” asked one hopeful soul spotting the crowd flocking into the Guildhall on Thursday evening.

She was politely redirected to the City Hall, where it is to be hoped she enjoyed Salisbury Amateur Operatic Society’s production.

Indeed, considering the wealth of rival entertainment on offer in the city– not least, late-night shopping and the Salisbury Vision board’s open meeting – the 400-strong audience attracted by UKIP leader Nigel Farage was surprising.

The banqueting hall was bursting at the seams, and aides hurriedly organised overspill seating in the old crown court.

Mr Farage proved himself adaptable, addressing first one roomful and then the other, in tub-thumping style, earning bursts of applause that could be heard across the hallway by whichever audience he wasn’t addressing at the time.

His fellow speakers, former Tory MP Neil Hamilton and Lord Willoughby de Broke, filled in for his absences.

Lord Willoughby, whose title dates back to Bosworth Field, kicked things off with a talk about life as a Eurosceptic in the House of Lords, and called for more trade with the Commonwealth to lessen our reliance on Europe.

Late arrival Mr Hamilton was dapper and unruffled, despite a half-hour hold-up on the Amesbury road. He pointed out that former Salisbury citizen Sir Edward Heath had played the key role in getting Britain into Europe, and he castigated the current Conservative leadership for failing to live up to its pre-election referendum pledge.

Mr Farage got stuck right in and said Britain was “run by a bunch of college kids” who didn’t have the guts to stand up and fight for the country’s interests.

He wanted a Common Market that celebrated diversity, not conformity.

And he warned that the struggling Club Med nations, deprived of their democratically elected leaders and foisted off with “technocrats” chosen by Germany, might well be tempted to protest by espousing extreme forms of nationalism, and even fascism.

An interesting message from one who is often portrayed by his opponents as a Right-wing extremist, and one to think about whatever your political views.

Annie Riddle