LAU

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Scotland

The three members of LAU take the stage at this year’s Vancouver Folk Music Festival with their unique brand of folk-jazz improvisational hooks and melodies. The band takes its name from an Orcadian word meaning “natural light,” an apt moniker for a predominantly instrumental band formed as a deliberate contrast to the frenetic drum ‘n bass bands popping up all over the country.

Coming off a win at this year’s BBC2 Folk Music Awards Ceremony for best group, LAU, also nominated for best album, Lightweights and Gentlemen, and best live act, are a trio to experience on stage and in person. Accordionist Martin Green, fiddler Aidan O’Rourke and singer/guitarist Kris Drever transport the audience with every note and beat they play. All three men, experienced musicians who’ve played in various bands before joining LAU, weave together their disparate musical influences into a sound seldom heard in folk music circles. From traditional Celtic jigs and reels, to the complex rhythms and spikes of Balkan music, from the alternative country and folk traditions of Americana, to the jittery atonal forays into free jazz, their music takes the listener on a journey through musical history at it’s best.

There is no doubt that the propulsive sounds of LAU’s folk-jazz fusion, already widely heralded in the UK, will continue to be talked about the world over for years to come. They are a band not to be missed.

Find out more about LAU at www.lau-music.co.uk.