Alejandro Tantanian cuts a odd figure on stage. Small and unassuming, he puts you rather in mind of your dad, or your local greengrocer. He does, however have a fine voice, and is clearly an experienced performer. He seems utterly at ease on the stage, and the entire ensemble seem to be thoroughly enjoying themselves throughout.

In case you’re wondering, De Lagrimas translates roughly as “On Tears”, which is a deceptively melancholy title for a decidedly upbeat evening. It is true that the set includes a lot of tears-themed songs – Cry Me a River, Lagrimas Negras, Lagrimas en el Vino and so on, but they are delivered with a gusto and an enthusiasm that puts any thoughts of actual tears out of your mind entirely.

The set itself is a little odd. Sung partly in English, partly in Spanish, it’s mostly light, popular songs. Cry Me A River, Send in the Clowns and For No One all put in an appearance. Worthy of particular mention, however, is their inclusion of an almost surreal rendition of Clapton’s Tears in Heaven, with accompaniment on what appeared to be a didgeridoo.

This odd choice of instruments was something of a theme running through the performance. While mostly accompanied by piano (Pablo Bronzini), clarinet (Ivan Barenboim), and cello (Laura Sanchez), De Lagrimas also made strong use of the esoteric percussion of Miguel Rausch. As well as his didgeridoo contributions to Tears in Heaven, he also occasionally provided backing on bottles, wineglasses and, on one occasion, his own abdomen. By the time the show was halfway through, my eyes were positively glued to Rausch as I tried to work out what on earth he was going to come out with next.

I would dearly love to be able to conclude this review by saying something insightful about traditional Argentinean music, perhaps throwing in a few choice Hispanic-sounding phrases to make myself sound cosmopolitan. Unfortunately I know absolutely nothing about the subject. De Lagrimas could be the most quintessentially Argentinean musical experience you will ever have, or it could be utterly atypical. I don’t know, and to be honest I’m not sure it matters. Trying to form an opinion of a musical performance based on how indicative it may or may not be of its country of origin is probably not terribly productive.

De Lagrimas is a solid piece of evening entertainment. It’s a little bit different, but not so much so as to be confusing. It’s an hour and a half’s easy listening in pleasant surroundings. There are certainly worse ways to spend a spare evening.