Vent

Hailing from Tain in the Highlands, Laura Jane Wilkie has a unique style which has roots in the Highland fiddle traditions but is influenced by an eclectic range of music from all genres.

Vent is centered around ancient women's work songs - waulking songs. Laura studied these to adapt them for the fiddle, immersing herself in the Scottish archives as well as having them passed on from friend, tradition bearer and one-woman-ceilidh: Rona Lightfoot.

The album explores the melodies of these ancient waulking songs and how they have individually and communally provided a sense of safety, shared knowledge, power, love, humour, and freedom to not only rural working women's communities but to Laura as a non Gaelic speaker.

Vent features an array of amazing talent including: Ian Carr on guitars/harmonium; Sarah Hayes on keys/flute/vocals; Joe Rattray on bass; Rachel Sermanni on vocals; Hannah Read on electric guitar; and Alice Allen on cello as well as improvised vocal samples by Pippa Blundell, Hannah Findlay, Gillian Fleetwood, Rona Lightfoot, and Imogen Macleod.