First to arrive is the wonderfully-named Lindsay Lou and the Flatbellys – billed as one of the most exciting emerging bands on the US roots circuit. Having toured almost non-stop since a breakthrough record in 2012, delighting audiences across the US and Germany along the way, the Michigan-based ensemble has spread its wings again this summer to bring the magical sound of a brand new album to these shores.

Having performed earlier in the year at the Shetland Folk Festival and, most recently, the Hebridean Celtic Festival – where many had them marked down as the band of the weekend – the Flatbellys are now in the midst of a UK tour that sees them play from the Isle of Skye to the south coast of England. With a sound that is rich, soulful and entirely captivating, they will likely collect many more admirers along the way.

A four-piece whose music is anchored in bluegrass and folk, the band’s latest album, Ionia, nonetheless does its best to defy straightforward categorisation. Cranked out over four days in her dining room as a live performance of a dozen tracks, Lindsay Lou herself describes Ionia as “the truest recording I’ve ever been part of and I feel very proud of it”.

And critics on both sides of the Atlantic love it too. It’s an album described by one US reviewer as a “surprising, vocally stunning and instrumentally adroit foray into gorgeously melancholy indie-folk and charming folk-pop with instantly addictive harmonies and hooks”.

Folk Radio UK’s Paul Woodgate agreed: “Occasionally you come across an album where the music springs from the speakers in a rush of invention and joie de vivre so palpable you have no choice but to sit back and surrender.” This a band that plays earthy Americana, with all four members displaying effortless musical prowess, swapping instruments and harmonising in a way that can only be achieved when spending a lot of time on the road together. “This is what happens when four people travel 50,000 miles a year together in the same vehicle and have music for breakfast, lunch and dinner,” said Seth Bernard, Founder of Earthwork Music.

And if the Flatbellys get audiences in the mood, there is plenty more State-side music to come with a welcome return visit by the riotous Sheesham and Lotus & Son plus Oregon’s delightful Betty and the Boy playing at the Eastgate in September.

Lindsay Lou and the Flatbellys play live at the Eastgate Theatre, Peebles on Wednesday, August 12 at 7.30pm. Tickets are £14, available from Box Office on 01721 725777, or online at www.eastgatearts.com.