Brudenell Social Club certainly felt at its homeliest on Wednesday night, as a generally older demographic, featuring a smattering of folk-enthusiast students, gathered to see three-piece contemporary folk band Lau. In the intimate setting, with many of the audience sitting on the floor in front of the stage, band and audience had a great rapport; largely due to accordionist Martin Green’s dry sense of humour. The three of them seemed like genuinely nice, normal guys. Their music, however, was distinctly extraordinary. They began with an explosion of sound, the fierce folk melodies interweaving with one another in a thick texture. Each musician displayed their unbelievable talent- fiddle player Aidan O’Rourke’s fingers were practically a blur. But although all three band members are phenomenal soloists in their own right, they also played completely as one with an astonishing togetherness. The slower pieces captivated the room with their mesmerising harmonies, displaying Kris Drever’s haunting voice and using innovative sounds on the accordion of something reminiscent of lapping sea waves. What’s unique about Lau is that while they are a folk band, they don’t just play straight traditional music; there are many other influences in there, and they create their own unique sound. They finished with an energetic piece featuring a dizzying accordion solo, but the audience weren’t satisfied until they’d had two encores and given a standing ovation.

8/10
Words: Rachel Baker