Lau – live on stage in Buxton

Folk trio Lau are back on tour, performing their hugely anticipated new album The Bell That Never Rang.  Since their debut album in 2007 Lau have picked up four awards for Best Group at the BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards, appeared on Later with Jools Holland and each member has won multiple awards for their solo projects.

Comprising of Kris Drever (vocals, guitar), Martin Green (accordion, wurlitzer, keys, electronics) and Aidan O’Rourke (fiddle), the group continue to effortlessly bridge the opposed worlds of acoustic folk tradition and electronica. As The Guardian says of the trio ‘Lau are the most musically adventurous trio in British folk.’

So what can audiences expect from their new work and performance in Buxton? Recorded at their preferred studio, Castlesound, near Edinburgh, the new album, produced by Joan Wasser (aka Joan As Police Woman), was a direction change for all involved.“So much of what we do starts with improvisation”, says Drever. “we’ve been working with quite skeletal ideas, smaller and smaller units than ever before.”

Echoes of the downtown New York music scene (where producer Wasser lives) has subtly complimented Lau’s sound. Another musical element is singer-guitarist Kris Drever’s heartfelt lyrics, distinctively wrapped up in brittle electric guitar, deep soundscapes and haunting string melodies.

The album opener ‘First Homecoming’ is, reveals Kris “about going as far away as possible to find home and following the direction that your heart dictates.” He continues “For some of us that has meant moving to Shetland, surrounded by savage seas and wonderful music.”

Lau performs Buxton’s Pavilion Arts Centre on Saturday 21 November at 7.30pm. Tickets are priced at £19. To buy tickets call 01298 72190 or visit wwwbuxtonoperahouse.org.uk