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LAU-LAND Colston Hall, Bristol

The folkish map of the UK is all the richer for the triumvirate of Kris Drever, Martin Green and Aidan O’Rourke and their musical boundary nudging. Not only are they pio- neers musically (with their winning melée of instrumental dexterity, bucking bronco rides of exploratory noise, warm song washes and electronica), they are also switched on and open-minded individuals. Letting them loose on festival curation would therefore appear to be a Good Idea.

Lau-Land events have proved a hit to date: first in London, then Gateshead and Edinburgh and, this weekend, at Bristol’s Col- ston Hall, proving a welcome home for the three days of innovation laid on by the con- temporary musical journeymen.

Not only could they indulge their own programming fantasies, way more adventur- ous than many summer festival bills, but they also revelled in the opportunity to provide a diverse and playful mix of concerts, work- shops (in which you could learn at the feet of masters such as Sam Sweeney, Kris Drever, Aidan O’Rourke, Sam Lee and John Kirk- patrick), panel discussions and talks, and even art installations (from a whisky-fuelled instru- ment to sound-sensitive light displays).

Missing the more experimental/ - electronica mood of the Friday night, I arrived in time for the more wholesome Are You Washed In The Blood? talk and demon-

stration by Rayna Gellert and Jeff Keith on Southern Gospel traditions of America – a fas- cinating insight into a different world, from celestaphones to warnings about girlfriends with evolutionary ideas. As Uncle Dave Macon would have it: “God made man per- fect and the monkey wasn’t in him!”

The early evening stage was set for emerging talent, preceding the main evening concerts, including on Saturday the wonder- fully left-field Kate In The Kettle with fiddle- singer Kate Young and cellist Francesca Ter- berg. Kate’s rich soundscapes in her own songwriting were interspersed with the sharp- er and stunning renditions of Bulgarian songs.

And so to Lau themselves, in formidable form, showcasing material from their new album The Bell That Never Rang as well as throwing in some exhilarating back cata- logue classics such as The Burrian and Torsa. It was an evocative set which sonically realised the themes of displacement and homecom- ing and belonging that the material contains. And, oh, how I love Martin Green’s flailing energy as he throws himself into the jaws of the musical chaos. A joyous performance.

The disappointment (and amazement) that advertised guest Omar Souleyman from Syria was denied a visa was keenly felt tonight. However, the nonchalant cool of Tinariwen with their slow-burn assouf riffs tempted the audience to the aisles in no time. They were on great form, still one of the deeply grooviest of desert blues bands, with their striking tagelmust (the Tuareg

head-dress) and copious robes adding to the enigma of the trance-like grooves and call and response vocals.

A multicultural encore saw Sam Lee trad- ing vocal lines with Abdallah Ag Alhousseini, and then Lau joining Tinawiren for mighty finale, before we all headed out to enjoy the Awesome Tapes From Africa DJ set in the bar.

Sunday stimulation came in the form of a panel, chaired by Aidan O’Rourke, featur- ing John Kirkpatrick, Kris Drever, Ian Ander- son, Sam Lee, Ceri Rhys Matthews and Rod Stradling discussing whether folk revivals are “good for the music or damaging to tradi- tions” which felt much like a constructive, if meandering, pub conversation on the same theme. To be continued…

The afternoon saw a widely-enjoyed song-share concert with Sam Lee, John Kirk- patrick, Julie Murphy and Ceri Rhys and the evening show I caught featured rousing gospel from the brilliant Rayna Gellert and Jeff Keith. Take Your Burden To The Lord is my new favourite earworm. We could feel the spirit move us! Kris Drever joined Rayna to play some of the material from her won- derful Old Light CD, before Spiro took to the stage to bring the night to a murmurating cli- max – punk attitude, tension and release min- imalist sensibilities and an immersive groove. A winning set from Bristol’s home team.

My car sticker has proclaimed it for years.

I love Lau. Sarah Coxson