Lau - Lau Live

FOLK

Lau’s combination of traditional roots and an openness to experiment is the hallmark of this scintillating disc, recorded in concert at the Bongo Club, Edinburgh back in December. It seems they have been gigging relentlessly ever since, and the constant process of development taking place in their music is entirely evident in their treatments of the several instrumental sets drawn from their debut studio album, Lightweights and Gentlemen.

There is an eclectic musical sensibility at work here. Fiddler Aidan O’Rourke, accordionist Martin Green and guitarist Kris Drever are evolving an empathic and creative approach to their music that pushes aside established conventions in favour of genre-stretching exploration. Their mainly self-composed traditional-style tunes often begin innocently enough, only to scuttle off in unconventional and unexpected directions in a distinctly anarchic fashion. Kris Drever’s songs add variety, but they feel less compelling than the instrumentals.