Kris Drever - Harmonic Alchemist

Kris Drever originally comes from Hrossey in the Orkney Islands. Over the years, he has taught himself to be a songwriter, guitarist and singer of note (and sometimes many notes). 

As well as creating award-winning original songs and instrumental pieces with the trio Lau, he has had a fruitful solo career exploring the cracks between classic and modern song writing and the traditional music that he comes from. 

Drever’s sound is rooted in the earthy and hypnotic rhythms of much older music, but there’s a sophistication to both the lyricism and the instrumentalism which places him skilfully in the present. He has an extensive collection of BBCR2 Folk awards, plus a fistful of Scottish NaTrads awards for everything from best album, best singer and best live act to best original song.

He has worked with many excellent musicians, including Jack Bruce, Eddi Reader, Mark Knopfler, Jerry Douglas and Roddy Woomble, and is a member of the beautiful multi-media project Spell Songs: The Lost Words. 

Currently, Kris is preparing for a series of Lau events around the UK, writing music for a new solo album and learning some old tunes for reasons he can’t quite explain.