SEEKING the perfect soundtrack to a good old-fashioned cowboy bar brawl proved the inspiration behind the formation of The Fat River Band.

Such is their hoedown-loving country sound that it could easily be the case their Texas tour bus dropped them off in the wilds of East Kent and forgot to pick them up.

But these good-old boys from the Canterbury area have unleashed their unlikely sound on the county to great acclaim.

Their rip-roaring debut album, The Last Great Guitar Heist, was launched in their home city just before Christmas.

Brimming full of amusing tales of dating a best friend's mother, a fitting tribute to Johnny Cash and a number of lilting laid-back ballads, it is a surprising triumph. They sound like the genuine article and put on a live show to match.

As guitarist Russ Grooms explained, taking on their chosen genre was not as surreal as it might at first seem.

"Music is music. I have travelled a lot and played abroad and it's what brings the world together - I've sat on a beach in Jamaica and played Bob Marley with local people. As for country, it's steeped in storytelling which is what we have tried to get across with our sound."

Chancing upon the band playing a local pub in Whitstable, he was shocked that its line-up included several old friends.

What started as a casual involvement soon blossomed into his becoming a full-time member.

Led by their frontman Alister Atkin, a renowned acoustic guitar maker, they settled down to recording their album at their own studios near Canterbury.

Russ, 30, who by day is drug rehabilitation counsellor, felt playing with the band offered a welcome contrast from his tough yet rewarding work.

Of their output, Russ said: "The music appeals to a lot of different age groups and I've had a lot of friends and colleagues saying they like it. It's a sound that I have enjoyed since I was growing up."

The Fat River Band play The Archer in Whitfield, Dover on Friday, January 27, Cullin's Yard Dover, on Saturday, January 28 and The Dolphin, Broadstairs on Sunday, February 28. For more information see www.thefatriverband.co.uk.