The Treacherous Orchestra, a 12-piece outfit from Scotland, played their first gig in the county at the University of Kent's Gulbenkian Theatre on Friday.

They showed the Canterbury audience why their two albums and live shows have received such rave reviews. They play a mixture of traditional celtic and rock styles with a level of musicianship that is just breathtaking.

I discovered them by chance three years ago, while staying at a B&B in Carlisle. It was late at night and I scrolled down the channels on the TV and came across them playing a gig being shown on BBC Alba, the channel for Gaelic speakers in Scotland. Subsequently I bought their first album, Origins - which I thought was brilliant - and this year I bought their second, Grind - which in my view is even better.

Friday's gig at the Gulbenkian featured most of the tracks from the two albums. As you would expect from a band of 12 (11 are Scots, banjo player Eamonn Coyne is Irish), they produce a very full, powerful sound. There is delightful interplay between fiddlers Innes Watson and Adam Sutherland, accordion player John Somerville and pipes/whistles/bagpipes players Ali Hutton, Ross Ainslie and Kevin Vincent O'Neil. And the whole band play with huge joy and passion.

The audience loved them. People started dancing during the second tune, Halcyon Daze, from Grind. By the time the band came back for their encore, the 13-minute Sausages - the barnstorming last track on Origins - most people were on their feet.

"We've come a long way to play down here tonight," said Ali Hutton when the band returned onstage for their encore. They certainly had, and I hope they come down again before too long.