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Laura Marling

MusicBlog

""alas i cannot swim"(sexy drummer..blah blah blah)"

Location: Eversley

Website: http://www.lauramarling.com/

Bio: Laura Marling may still be young, but she certainly isn’t the latest cutesy pop-puppet on the block. At just 17-years-old, this former small town girl ... (more) doesn’t merely sing about what’s to be expected from someone her age- love, lust and romance. The futility of religion, self-loathing and human psychology are also common themes in her provocative, extremely mature creations.

An Alt Folk star in the ascendant whose striking melodies and wise-beyond-her-years vocals could melt even the iciest of hearts, Laura Marling muddles the strength of Regina Spektor with the intelligence of Carole King and the acoustic lushness of Joni Mitchell. She began playing the guitar at the age of three when her father first taught her the blues in front of the family fire and has been in thrall to the songs and lyrics of the likes of Neil Young, Bob Dylan, James Taylor and John Mayall ever since.

Laura’s already hugely popular with Britiain’s indie’s big hitters; Jamie T personally invited her on tour with him last year after being hugely impressed by her gorgeous modern folk-pop when he caught her playing just her second ever gig. More recently, collaborations on The Rakes and The Mystery Jets’ new albums have been keeping Laura busy.

Laura’s first real gig took place in February 2006 opening for Howard Jones. At her debut, she masterfully played four songs to a room of 300 devoted, not to mention heavily tattooed, Howard Jones uber-fans and quickly won each and every one of them over with her classy brand of delicate country-tinged tunes. After the Howard Jones-assisted debut, Laura gigged with Jack Penate, Rufus Wainwright, South London soul singer Adele, Fear of Flying, Video Nasties, Grant Lee Phillips and, most recently, Devendra Banhart to rapt crowds across the UK.

A year after her first show and with two EPs and a couple of headline tours under her belt, Laura has just finished recording her debut album, Alas I Cannot Swim and played in Ireland for the first time with friends Marcus Mumford and Charlie Fink.

Be prepared to be seduced by the fresh face of folk. (less)