WOMEX2017

Well that was quite something! What an amazing, full-on, exhausting but rewarding time we had at WOMEX2017 in Katowice. The pressure was on for our 45min showcase at the planets biggest world music trade show – but the response was fantastic: “The biggest and most unexpected surprise of this Womex so far” Ton Mass MixedWorldMusic.com “ALAW at Womex 2017 was …

ALAW launch new music video

Shot at an ancient hill fort near ALAW’s base in Abergavenny, South Wales, “Pan O’wn y Gwanwyn” celebrates the affinity between music and landscape. “When I am playing this music” explains fiddle player Oli Wilson-Dickson “I often shut my eyes, and this is the landscape I imagine – it has been amazing to have this realised by such a talented …

Album launch tour winter 2017

ALAW will tour this Winter to launch Dead Man’s Dance. We will be joined by the conspicuously talented Gwilym Bowen Rhys for two concerts, one in Cardiff and one in Abergavenny. 29/11/17 – Norwegian Church Arts Centre, Cardiff – 7.30pm* www.ticketsource.co.uk/alaw 0333 666 3366 (there is a fee for telephone booking) 30/11/17 – Chapel Arts Centre, Abergavenny – 7.30pm* events@artshopandchapel.co.uk …

ALAW at WOMEX 2017

In October of this year WOMEX will take place in Katovice, Poland. According to UNESCO WOMEX is “The most important international professional market of world music of every kind,” and attracts around 2500 delegates. ALAW are delighted to be one of a few artists showcasing at WOMEX this year. Performance details are: start date:27 Oct 2017 time:23:15 – city/area:Katowice venue:offWOMEX Stage, …

DEAD MAN’S DANCE – RELEASE DATE

Album Cover

At last! Dead Man’s Dance (Dawns y Gŵr Marw) is the second studio album from ALAW. Sensitivity and virtuosity combine in this bold exploration of Welsh traditional music and original song with sublime contributions from guest vocalists Georgia Ruth and Gwilym Bowen Rhys. Sometimes dark and brooding, sometimes joyful and exuberant, but always imaginative and engaging, Dead Man’s Dance is …

Dead Man’s Dance

For months now ALAW has been sweating away – creating, honing, recording, mixing and mastering a brand new album DEAD MAN’S DANCE (Dawns y Gŵr Marw). Featuring many new tunes, songs and arrangements and some incredible performances from our guest vocalists Georgia Ruth and Gwilym Bowen Rhys. The t’s are crossed, the i’s are dotted and the ŵ’s are To …

ALAW Spring / Summer 2016 tour

A splendid run of dates. Join us!   21st April – St. Helen’s Parish Church Hall, 7.30pm – 01159 391818 22nd April – All Hallows Halls West Bridgford, 7.30pm – 0115 9821710 23rd April – St Augustine’s Church, Flintham, 7.30pm – 01636 526162 19th May – Worcester Acoustic Music Sessions, St Swithun’s Hall, Trinity, 8pm – 0788 158 1193 20th …

A Welsh Tune a Week!

Oli Wilson Dickson

A WELSH TUNE A WEEK! Fiddle player Oliver Wilson-Dickson (Jamie Smith’s Mabon, ALAW, The Devil’s Violin) is on a mission. Inspired by tutoring on the Welsh Music BEAM summer school run by TRAC CYMRU – he has decided record and post a new Welsh tune on his youtube channel every week. “We have so many great tunes in Wales” says …

Reviews round up

Here are some quotations from our ALAW Melody album release ‘exquisite’ fRoots “engagingly tuneful and beautifully interpreted” The Scotsman ‘What makes Alaw unique is the awesome power of their acoustic instruments, played with consummate ease… Exhilarating originality from must-see masterful musos!’ Folk Wales ‘rewarding and refreshingly different… musicians communicate their expertise and understanding with real affection’ FATEA magazine ‘Quietly reflective …

BEAM workshop, gweithdy BEAM

I had a fantastic time teaching on the Big Experiment / Yr Arbrawf Mawr summer school this weekend. It was an all consuming, exhausting and extremely rewarding three days of workshops, performances, dancing and sessions long into the night. The group I was working with were talented, open-minded and enthusiastic. Below are links to recordings from the workshop for the …