★★★

ROCKING hillbilly and metal blue grass are just two catchphrases to describe the unique sound of Hayseed Dixie.

The band combine driving rock with finger picking acoustic guitars, banjos and fiddle to rev up the sound of country music by several notches – with not a single drum, Fender or Gibson in sight.

Formed in 2001, the US outfit are building a following in the UK and put on sell-out shows at Concorde 2 and the Ropetackle this week.

Dixie first came to prominence with their chart-topping A Hillbilly Tribute to AC/DC and have since reworked large numbers of vintage rock songs, turning stadium anthems into country classics.

The Ace of Spades, Highway to Hell and Eye of the Tiger are just three monsters to be given a stripped back rock-grass treatment.

Seasoned performers and veterans of the festival circuit, another 12 UK concerts are booked between now and mid-August before the finale at the O2 Academy in Oxford on August 16.

The stage show was impressive, the songs great, the banter fun, but the gig tended to meander and lose focus at times. The audience, however, largely loved it and were left calling for more.