Laura Wilkie with Ian Carr

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

Her latest project ‘Vent’ is centred around ancient women’s work songs - Waulking songs. She 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.

Laura has toured across the world in various different groups of the Contemporary Folk Music Scenes, including Kinnaris Quintet, guitar-virtuoso Ian Carr, Ross Ainslie, Salsa Celtica, NITEWORKS and with Scots Singers: Claire Hastings, Beth Malcolm & Siobhan Miller. 
As a founding member of Glasgow-based Jazz/Funk/R&B/Synth/Folk Juggernaut, Fat-Suit, Laura has been inspired to play with elements of improvisation in different styles, making her a versatile influence on each project. Collaborations include performing, writing, arranging, Shooglenifty, Man of the Minch, Rachel Sermanni, The Elephant Sessions, Paul Towndrow’s Keywork Orchestra, Fatherson, the GRIT Orchestra and many more.

There’s a fine line between musical genius and a vortex of chaos and Ian Carr has long danced along it like a reckless Highland dancer with his laces undone. fRoots’ own Andy Cronshaw once described him as “the most innovative… and sympathetic guitarist that Britain has produced in years, in any genre…”

Since the 1980s, Carr has been widely revered for forging his own path (and providing inspiration for others) in his own musical projects such as Swåp and Timber and as a collaborative musician with Kathryn Tickell, Kate Rusby, Eddi Reader, Kris Drever and others. A bold rhyth- mic innovator, a master of harmony, and diamond fingered melody maker, he’s a one-off.