In Lau-lau land at Leith Theatre
The International Festival is making the most of this recently revived venue, writes David Pollock
The Edinburgh International Festival’s exploration of the still relatively untapped Leith Theatre continued with this very different concert to those which the Light on the Shore series has already staged.
Acclaimed Scottish folk group Lau have crossed over more than most for whom making Celtic musical connections is part of their mode of existence, and their Lau-land concerts bring together artists who don’t necessarily share their sonic aesthetic.
Across the main theatre itself and the more compact Thomas Morton Hall next door, the trio brought together a diverse line-up of artists who tested the space, from a brass band to Roberta “Some Chick Called Bob” Pia’s clubby closing DJ set.
With a bit of humility, Lau themselves opened the main stage, giving over the more traditional headliner’s slot to American musician Joan Wasser, who records as Joan As Policewoman, and who produced Lau’s last album in 2015.
Against unearthly pastel lights, Wasser and her band created a dreamlike fugue of psychedelic soul which broke into the overtly, triumphantly political with The Silence’s “my body, my choice/her body, her choice” chant. Carrying on past midnight, the main hall bore dense electronic sounds from solo producer Nadah El Shazly and James Holden’s group the Animal Sprits, with the smaller room hosting more traditional folk sets from Alasdair Roberts and fourpiece fiddle quartet Rant.