Finding themselves amid a golden resurgence for folk in Ireland, Dublin-based band DUG have been on a vertiginous rise since forming in October 2023. They have gone from selling out shows at Whelan's (first Upstairs, then at the main stage), to recently signing to legendary Irish label Claddagh Records, to embarking on a 2025 Irish tour that saw them sell-out their biggest headline in Dublin yet at The Ambassador Theatre on Friday night.

The two DUG frontmen, Scotland-born Lorkin O'Reilly and California native Jonny Pickett, walked onstage alongside band members including fiddler Gareth Quinn Redmond and drummer Michael McCarthy, to play a vibrant folk imbued with the Celtic and Appalachian traditions – colourful tunes, authentic yet contemporary, and deftly executed.

"We have to give a big shoutout to you guys for showing up to band with four songs out. Massive leap of faith on your part," said Pickett, a few songs into their set, to an audience cackling with laughter. "You had no idea what we would do for the other 35 minutes or so. It could’ve been Oasis reggae covers."

DUG at The Ambassador Theatre/copyright Patrik Meier

Aside from their engaging, lively folk tracks and immaculate playing, the DUG lads are undeniably funny. The frontmen, particularly Pickett, flaunt a witty, confident charm that seems to rely on the fact – known by them as well as by the public – that they are experts at what they do, that they know perfectly well they are in for big things, whatever jokes they tell the public about being surprised by the turnout.

So, as the band changed tunings between each song of their carefully curated setlist, Pickett told hilarious anecdotes about a wide range of topics, from his long-estranged parents sending pictures of their will via Whatsapp amid the early Covid media craze, to a surreal story about his “opposite to a hippie” phase in high school, where he became a devout theologist that attended weekly Bible study group to "exclusively" discuss "self-facilitation."

DUG opened with one of their handful of released singles, 'Big Sundown', which simmered deliciously: every band member entered progressively before O'Reilly's nasal voice delivered the song's solemn, almost war-chant-like melodies.

DUG at The Ambassador Theatre/copyright Patrik Meier

The band's set was imbued with a strong Transatlantic bond, with Celtic melodies gracefully coexisting with Midwestern fiddle inflections. The Appalachian underscore of 'Wheel Of Fortune', which made for a sort of indie country that recalled Jake Bugg as much as Dillard & Clark, preceded a version of traditional English folk song 'Blacksmith'. The latter featured Uilleann piper Jack Duffy (introduced as a "stoner" by Pickett, later corrected to “Stoneybatterian"), who excited the audience with his powerful, heartfelt playing.

The folk musicians also played tunes from their long-awaited yet still-unannounced debut album, which they said would be released this year. 'Have at It', said to be the title track, sounded like a canteen chant, with its shouty and carefree backing vocals.

DUG at The Ambassador Theatre/copyright Patrik Meier

For the middle section of the set, the frontmen were left alone alongside fiddler Redmond to play some more intimate tracks. Particularly beautiful was their rendition of Ian Felice's 'In Memoriam', its sunny harmony backed by a strummed banjo cadence that could have come from of a Medieval troubadour. Also striking was an unnamed track that finished with a counterpoint-like conversation between O'Reilly's resonator guitar and Pickett's banjo, along with some heavenly synth chords by McCarthy.

The rest of the band returned for a high-octane last stretch. 'The Promoter Man', a speedy song about a greedy middleman, saw the band ask the audience to boo every time the words "promoter man" were sung. It was followed by the breezy 'Jubilee', which honoured its title, and a version of Appalachian folk song 'Cumberland Gap', for which all audience members stood up from their chairs and stomped.

Some confetti cannons brought an end to a set of powerfully evocative storytelling and impressive songwriting. If DUG have only just had their biggest headline show in Dublin yet, something tells me they are only heading upwards from here.