Lau // Arts Centre, 13.11.12
Leftfield, slightly twisted, contemporary folk trio.
With no support act to provide a distraction, this Scottish/English 'contemporary folk trio' played two 45 minute sets that were, at times, astounding.
Consisting of Scots Kris Drever (vocals and guitar) and Aidan O’Rourke (fiddle) with Fenland native Martin Green (accordion, piano and laptop), Lau’s songs are rooted in British folk. However, they add a strong leftfield twist bordering on post-rock, hinting at acts as diverse as King Creosote and Jon Hopkins, the quieter elements of Sigur Ros or Slint’s Dave Pajo’s work solo and as Papa M.
Highlights were 'Midnight Feast', 'Horizontigo' and 'Far From Portland'. The only slight concern was the lack of spontaneity in the between-song banter. Look up 'Horizontigo' on YouTube and one will find clips from at least six different shows, all with the same intro.
Who’d have thought that three blokes with acoustic guitar, accordion, fiddle and laptop playing what is essentially 'folk music' - whilst sat down - could be so entertaining?
9/10 Pavlis
