Country is the point of departure, rather than arrival for Lambchop. Formed in Nashville in 1986, the mini-orchestra played its first ever set here in Ireland in the appropriate Grand Ol' Opry-esque surroundings of Dublin's Olympia theatre. They have absorbed all the sound and influence of their hometown and mutated it to the point of giving it a totally new style; they are not interested in the guitar-twanging, glory days of Country Music, rather they've taken a soulful, almost gospel perspective on the Nashville sound. The main mutation comes from the addition of a three-piece brass section and a xylophone (and other percussion and noise-making effects) to the standard electric, acoustic and steel pedal guitars of traditional Nashville sound.

The instrumental flourishes and the long, slow-tempo arrangements describe a band who spend a long time jamming to create their sound - something informed by country music, but not at all limited by it. Among the set's highlights were the gently-funky What Else Could It Be? with singer Kurt Wagner delivering a raspy, falsetto more reminiscent of Curtis Mayfield than Dwight Yoakam, and the upbeat Grumpus, with a thumping bassline and bursts of brass that could be straight from an Otis Redding song. Main songwriter Wagner is the focal point of the group, he sits centre-stage with the band spreading out in semi-circles behind him, but some of his slower compositions suffer from a lack of dynamics.

This sense of one-dimensionality is dispelled on the upbeat tunes, when every instrument's part seems to be more clearly defined. With 12 instruments on the stage, including two bass guitars, plus backing tracks, the sound occasionally becomes convoluted, with the disparate parts of the arrangement distracting from, rather than contributing to, the overall performance. But when everyone is in sync, the stage bristles with energy - and they may just have discovered the future sound of country music.