Next week LAU head off on their Decade tour across Scotland, England, Wales this month and into December including a final Decade concert at Glasgow City Halls on January 25th, as part of Celtic Connections 2018. They are also playing in Oreland in January (see dates at end of article).
They are also curating a Lau-Land event at CCA Glasgow on February 3rd including a 10th Birthday Party! This is going to be an unforgettable event featuring a series of concerts from the likes of Eliza Carthy, Siobhan Miller and Cormac Begley as well as some great workshops from building your own Synth with Martin Green to fiddle and guitar workshops with Aidan O’Rourke and Kris Drever.
WHATS ON at LAU-LAND
Focusing on phrasing, dynamics, bowing and ornamentation, Aidan will explore ways of developing your own distinct sound. Suitable for intermediate to advanced players.KRIS DREVER: GUITAR WORKSHOP
A chance for advanced guitar players to work with Kris. You will learn about Kris’s approach to backing traditional music of Scotland and Ireland. Suitable for intermediate to advanced guitar players.MARTIN GREEN WORKSHOP: ARRANGING TRADITIONAL TUNES
Martin will look at some of the techniques used by Lau and other bands and lead a group through making an arrangement of a set of traditional tunes. Suitable for any instrument and ability.
THE ELECTRON CLUB WORKSHOP: BUILD YOUR OWN SYNTH
Make your own playable synth and take it home with you! Price includes synth kit and you will be guided through the making process by experts at The Electron Club. £25 (price includes components). The Electron Club is an Open Source space with a small community of synth builders.
CORMAC BEGLEY WORKSHOP: FINDING YOUR OWN MUSICAL VOICE
Cormac’s workshop will focus on a number of practical steps to explore your own musical voice. Using traditional music as a vehicle to self-expression, he will discuss the importance of emotional connection to music and individual instinctive reactions to sound.
KARINE POLWART: INSIGHT INTO WIND RESISTANCE
In her theatre piece Wind Resistance (in collaboration with The Royal Lyceum in Edinburgh), and her companion album A Pocket of Wind Resistance (with Pippa Murphy), Karine weaves traditional and original song into an arc of story, and a poetic essay on sanctuary, healing and solidarity Karine is our Artist of the Month, read our Album Review here. In this workshop, Karine offers an insider’s view of the process of making the show. She reflects on how collaborators with skills in dramaturgy, direction, movement, sound design and visuals helped to create the whole. She talks about the resonance of the songs in the context of a thematic piece, and shares also some of the songs and poems that helped shape the work, but didn’t make the final cut.
DIALECTICS: AFTERNOON CONCERT WITH ELIZA CARTHY, SIOBHAN MILLER & CORMAC BEGLEY
Three world-renowned players and singers will swap music and stories in an informal concert, telling us about how they feel these songs and tunes are connected to where they are from and why they are important to them. The concert will be followed immediately by a panel discussion with the participants and others. See separate entry for details.
Eliza Carthy – The undisputed princess of English folk has a unique understanding of the traditional music of England. Raised by a father at the forefront of the folk revival and a mother steeped in traditional song from birth, Eliza has gone on to change how a generation think about English folk music.
Siobhan Miller – Scots Trad Music award winner, Siobhan is one of the finest traditional singers in Scotland today. Miller has explored not only the songs of her native Lowlands, but also how attitudes towards Scots song and language have changed.
Cormac Begley – Concertina player from a famous West-Kerry musical family, well known to lovers of traditional Irish music the world over. His debut solo album, released in May 2017, has received critical acclaim amassing no fewer than seven 5-star reviews. He is currently the artist in residence at the Dock Arts Centre in Carrick-On-Shannon, Leitrim.
DISCUSSION: PROGRESSION IN TRADITIONAL MUSIC – HOW DOES A TRADITIONAL FORM EVOLVE?
What is the difference between “traditional” and “conservative”? What makes folk music relevant to the 21st century and how does it fit with increased urban living? What part does it play in changing ideas of national identity? These and other questions are explored by a panel of leading folk musicians from Scotland, Ireland and England: Cormac Begley, Eliza Carthy, Kris Drever, Siobhan Miller, Aidan O’Rourke, Karine Polwart. Hosted by Martin Green.
LAU-LAND SESSION HOSTED BY KRIS DREVER, CCA BAR
Lau met through a shared passion for playing tunes and to kick off Lau’s 10th birthday celebrations, Kris Drever and friends will host a special Lau-Land session.
Lau’s 10th Birthday Party with special guest Sam Amidon
To conclude their 10th anniversary celebrations Lau will host a late night party where Aidan, Kris and Martin will perform special solo and collaborative sets and invite guests:Sam Amidon – performing tracks from his new album ‘The Following Mountain’ with drummer Chris VatalaroBBC Young Folk award Winner Brighde Chaimbeul – Scottish Small Pipes
Jaimini Jethwa – performing an excerpt from her play ‘The Last Queen of Scotland’
Pictish Trail – DJ set
Tickets for this will allow you access to Lau-Lab in CCA Cinema which will feature a live sound/video installation with:
Brian Irvine – musical mischief maker
Angharad Davies – violin
Laura Wilkie – fiddle
Kate Young – fiddle
Bashir Saade – ney, kawala, turkish clarinet
Gavin Glover – live micro cinema
Adam Campbell – electronics
LAU DECADE TOUR DATES
NOVEMBER
16/11 Builth Wells – Wyeside Arts Centre
17/11 Cardigan – Theatr Mwldan
18/11 Coventry– Warwick Arts Centre
19/11 Wem – Wem Town Hall
20/11 Nettlebed – Folk Club
21/11 Cardiff – Tramshed
23/11 Kendal – Brewery Arts Centre
24/11 Manchester – RNCM Concert Hall
25/11 Leeds – Howard Assembly Room
26/11 London – Cadogan Hall
27/11 Marlborough – Marlborough Town Hall
29/11 Exeter – Exeter Phoenix
30/11 Bristol – St George’s
DECEMBER
01/12 Southampton – Turner Sims
02/12 Ashford – St Mary’s
03/12 Cambridge – The Junction
04/12 Brighton – Komedia
05/12 Liverpool – Music Room
06/12 Gateshead – Sage
07/12 Edinburgh – The Queen’s Hall
09/12 Shetland – Mareel
JANUARY
22/01 Letterkenny – Kinnegar Brewery
23/01 Dublin – Whelan’s
24/01 Belfast – The Black Box
25/01 Glasgow – Celtic Connections, City Halls
Tickets and Details: http://www.lau-music.co.uk/gigs/