Scotland-based band, Lau, is coming to Ireland for the first time later this month. The trio, made up of Kris Drever (guitar and vocals), Aidan O’Rourke (fiddle) and Martin Green (piano accordion),  came together in 2004 and quickly started getting attention for their unorthodox approach to traditional tunes and folk songs. Despite having, in Toner Quinn’s words, ‘essentially ignored what everyone presumed traditional music audiences wanted to hear,’ and gone instead for ‘anarchic improvisation’, counter melodic explorations and abstraction of traditional material, they have won ‘Best Group’ at the BBC Radio Two Folk Awards three years in a row, and the Scots Trad Music Award for ‘Best Live Act’ in 2010.

They are about to start work on a new album, Race the Loser, with Tucker Martine producing, which is scheduled to be out in September this year. A limited deluxe edition of the album, including a live concert recording from their UK tour last year, can be pre-ordered on their website to help them finance the studio time.

The Irish dates are as follows:

28 March The Black Box, Belfast, Co Antrim
29 March The Dock, Carrick-on-Shannon, Co Leitrim
30 March Riverbank Arts Centre, Newbridge, Co Kildare
31 March Whelan’s, Dublin

lau-music.co.uk