A gig being run as part of Kings Place's Nature Unwrapped series, and no surprise that Lau were one of the chosen acts, given the number of their tunes that have been inspired by a sense of place.
It also meant an unusual support act, sonic but not musical. Chris Watson, artist in residence at KP, had made nighttime recordings of a beach on The Wash, in eastern England, and compressed them into a 25 minute sound sequence. He spent 10 minutes explaining what we were about to hear - thousands upon thousands of birds feeding on a fast diminishing beach as the tide came in leading to their sudden mass departure - and left us to it, lights dimmed to stimulate the aural presence. An interesting experience, both relaxing and almost scary at times. It's probably just me being weird, and a reflection of having watched way too many Scandinoir dramas, but I kept thinking of being trapped in a dark basement and having to work out where I was from the sounds outside! And don't get me started on Hitchcock movies...
'Lau Unplugged' suggests a return to a decade ago, when the trio first appeared with just the basics of accordion, fiddle, guitar and Drever's voice. But this is Lau and there's no looking back, they are always looking to progress and advance, both musically and performance wise. While those acoustic basics were there, they were augmented by a light sprinkling of electronica ("almost unplugged" as Martin put it), and have added a whole new dimension to their performance. More of which in a moment.
Anyone who has read these pages in the past will know I am a near-evangelical Lau fan, as evidenced in posts like this and this and this and this amongst others. So can we take it as read that the standard of musicianship and singing and arrangements and musical imagination is as high as ever? The opening number swiftly established all that, with empathetic ensemble playing where the melody constantly switched from instrument to instrument. Because I want to concentrate on what makes this show different to all their previous efforts.
There's always been a visual element to Lau. In the earliest days it was mostly concern for Martin Green as, in his more excitable moments, it appeared increasingly likely that he and chair were going to part company. The introduction of various electronic gadgets brought movement of a different kind as they tended to demands of these new friends, culminating in Macbeth's witches gathering round the sonic cauldron they named Morag. And then there have been acoustic sets with all three gathered around one mike.
To 'visual' we must now add 'theatrical'. After some shorter opening numbers the band launched into what turned into a continuous piece of almost 45 minutes, working through identifiable fragments from the back catalogue and into newer material. In doing so they made full use of the stage, moving from the seats on the raised platform into all corners, moving mike stands, tending to the giant cassette player and full of surprises. There was a wonderful comedy sequence involving 2 arm-waving musicians, 3 mikes and 4 gadgets made from coffee cups held together by gaffer tape. Chaplin would have been proud. A stunning achievement.
To end the show the band invited Watson back on to join them. He played a recording of the natural sounds of the Cromarty landscape as background to Gallowhill, one of Lau's oldest tunes. Hauntingly beautiful.
And after that there's only one question - what's next?
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