Rodrigo Y Gabriela : "Tamacun"

Two struggling musicians involved in a stagnant Mexican thrash metal scene, up sticks and relocate to Dublin, Ireland and become guitar virtuoso buskers, where Damien Rice soon invites them to open for him on his tour after seeing them play in the street.

You couldn't make this up, but this is exactly what happened to Rodrigo Y Gabriela (Rodrigo and Gabriela). I was blown away by this duo last February, when I saw them a The Liquid Rooms in Edinburgh. The venue was packed that night, so they are not exactly unknown, and some of the guitar work was breathtaking.

As well as their own compositions, such as "Tamacun" (video above) the duo paid homage to their roots that night, covering Metallica's "Orion" and "Enter Sandman" and also unleashed a sensational version of "Stairway To Heaven" that would even have had Jimmy Page begging for more. Looking towards the stage that night, I was convinced Rodrigo's hands were on fire. He was playing that fast, that his hand were a blur!.

I bought their self-titled album the next day, and recieved a free live DVD with it, which meant I could re-live the whole glorious experience again.

They are already major news in their 'native' Ireland, notching up an instant no.1 album. But the rest of the world is now catching up. If you haven't heard them witness "Tamacun" (about a man who lives with crocodiles in their hometown) in the video above to see masters at work. They are currently wowing the US, but will hit the British Isles for a host of tour dates in November (kicking off in Glasgow!!), which you can view here.