WOMAD

Lau

From Scotland

Whirling dervishes of Scottish folk
Outwardly, the three chaps collectively answering to the name Lau might appear your common-or-garden folk music trio with acoustic guitar, accordion and fiddle in their clutches. But in terms of musicianship, Lau are special. Very special indeed, the committed intensity of their playing bagging them the Best Group gong at the BBC Folk Awards three years on the trot. But it's not just their ability to dazzle and delight. Lau's technique is matched by their underlying philosophy. As The Guardian put it, "their strength has always been their often improvised, wildly varied and constantly surprising playing". This edge of nonconformity and experimentalism manifests itself in several forms; for instance, one of their latest projects involves hooking up with the Northern Sinfonia to collaborate live "in an Ivesian-like struggle of simplicity and dissonance". For their Charlton Park performance, however, there'll be no such struggle - just three awesome musicians ready to drop jaws.

(Biography written by Nige Tassell 2011)

Lau - Hinba

Lau's » Myspace Page