Scottish folk singer songwriter Kris Drever has won multiple awards including an incredible 7 BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards, two shortlist nominations for Scottish Album of The Year (with his trio Lau) and much acclaim for his solo recordings and concerts. His voice and guitar form a part of the backbone of today’s contemporary roots and folk scene.

Hugely admired as a solo artist, collaborator, a phenomenal and prolific artist, he’s one of Scotland’s finest and most in demand musicians. Kris Drever has collaborated with Cream’s Jack Bruce, Bela Fleck, Tinariwen, Joan As Police Woman, Jerry Douglas, Danny Thompson, Tim O’Brien, Sarah Jarosz, Rosanne Cash, Roddy Woomble, Eddi Reader to name a few.

His recent single Scapa Flow 1919 was nominated for Best Original Track by BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards whilst his (John Parish produced) album with Lau, Midnight and Closedown was released in 2019 by Reveal Records to wild acclaim including being chosen in The Best Albums of The Year feature by The Guardian.

See all Orkney Folk Festival Spotlight events here.

This event will last approximately 2 hours, including an interval.

Reviews

‘Kris Drever is a serious talent’ MOJO

‘Utterly stunning’ fROOTS

‘Immense yet ultra-supple sophistication, musicianship of the first order … a breath of fresh air’ Songlines

‘Guitarist with that bravely experimental trio Lau, Kris Drever has all the makings of a solo celebrity.’ The Guardian ★★★★

About Jen Austin and Eric Linklater:

Renowned Orcadian instrumentalists, Jen Austin and Eric Linklater are amongst the isles’ finest traditional musicians.

From Kirkwall, Jen is a piano player and composer in high demand, having performed with Rachel Sermanni, Fara, Adam Holmes and Heidi Talbot amongst others. A first class honours graduate of the University of Strathclyde, she has written and performed music for a number of films, and is part of the visual arts collective Projector Club, who provide original music for public art shows. Jen is also part of inclusive music company, Paragon, supporting people with and without additional support needs to create their own original music.

A fiddle player and composer, also from Kirkwall, Eric graduated from the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland in 2016, with a BA (Hons) in Scottish Folk Music, and has since returned to live in the isles. Under the tutelage of Jennifer Wrigley, he recorded his debut CD at just 17 years old, and has performed in venues as diverse as Kirkwall’s St Magnus Cathedral, and Glasgow’s 13,000 capacity Hydro arena. Known for his warm, light, lyrical fiddle style, Eric was awarded the Martyn Bennett scholarship in June 2016.

Orkney Folk Festival 

Amongst Scotland’s longest established folk festivals, the Orkney Folk Festival has been a world- renowned stage for over four decades, proudly showcasing the islands’ famed home-grown talent and local folk scene alongside leading artists from around the globe – See more about Orkney Folk Festival.