Lamb were originally a Mancunian duo comprising of Producer Andy Barlow (AKA the Hipoptimist) and Singer-Songwriter Louise Rhodes, however this pairing subsequently expanded to include bassist Jon Thorne, Icelandic guitarist Oddur Mar Runnarson, and Danish drummer Nikolaj Bjerre. London-based string trio Chi 2 Strings and trumpet player Kevin Davy are frequent guest musicians, and Chi 2 Strings actually co-wrote several songs on Lamb's fourth album. They released their first album, the self-titled Lamb in September 1996, and followed this up with another three albums over the next seven years, culminating in the release of a greatest hits album, Best Kept Secrets in June 2004. Lamb performed what was billed as their final live appearance at the Paradiso, Amsterdam in September 2004. This performance was filmed for a planned live DVD release, expected in 2005. The band members have since been working on a variety of solo projects, but have not ruled out the return of Lamb at some point in the future.
Although hailing from Manchester, UK, Lamb are more commonly associated with the Bristol-based trip hop sound that was popular during the nineties. Aside from trip hop, their musical style is a very distinctive mixture of Jazz, Dubs, Breaks and Drum & Bass, with a strong vocal element and, in their later works especially, some acoustic influences. In most countries they did not achieve the popularity of that of their contemporary peers. Portugal was an exception, however, and the band achieved a degree of crossover success in the country, including one major number 1 hit with "Gabriel".
The band are known for the highly experimental work they produce, a very distinctive production style, Lou's often very passionate lyrical style, and their particularly artistic videos, which draw on influences ranging from Cyberpunk through George Lucas' THX1138 to Zen Buddhism. The 2004 DVD The Fall & Rise of the Fools Ark, a roadmovie by Dutch duo Dadara and Jesse for which Lamb and the Hipoptimist provided the music, is an animated roadmovie in the style of Monty Python and Yellow Submarine.
