Nashville (Tennessee), USA – Celtic music powerhouse will be touring Canada this summer. Lau is a formidable union of three of the finest and most innovative exponents of modern Scottish traditional music: Kris Drever (guitar and vocal), Martin Green (piano accordion) and Aidan O’Rourke (fiddle). Together, their explosive live performances have been generating a major buzz around the UK folk circuit that has now become a world-wide party.
The summer of 2007 saw them take festivals by storm across Europe and North America; the Fall to Japan and Cape Breton. They kicked off 2008 at the BBC Folk Awards where they gave what was widely regarded as the performance of the night, went on to win Best Group award and Bob Hoskins was last seen bowing down to the band proclaiming "I am not worthy!" Lau are the product of a highly creative Edinburgh music scene in which band exchange and stylistic experimentation among musicians is almost an unspoken creed. Lau have taken a new approach to the folk scene by writing much of their own material, creating complex and melodic compositions which change as the emphasis shifts between their three instruments; moody or frantic accordion interwoven with driving fiddle and guitar.
Their latest album, titled simply Live, captures the excitement of the band’s live shows and features new material as well as many of the tracks from their debut album Lightweights and Gentlemen.
Tour dates:
June 7-8, 2008 – Luminato / Toronto
June 10, 2008 – Doc Willoughby’s / Kelowna, BC
July 11-13, 2008 – Winnipeg Folk Festival / Winnipeg
July 16, 2008 – Islands Folk Festival / Duncan, BC
July 18-19, 2008 – Vancouver Folk Festival / Vancouver
July 23, 2008 – Communitéa Cafe / Canmore, AB
July 24-27, 2008 – Calgary Folk Festival / Calgary
Author: World Music Central News Room
World music news from the editors at World Music Central
